Remember the excitement around having a penpal? I remember almost 50 years ago having a penpal in Germany - and how strange life sounded in that country! His name was 'Axel' and his letters inspired curious conversations and inquiry into what life was like for this...
Global Collaboration with Flat Connections
This semester Yew Wah fourth graders worked with students from around the world on global issues during the Flat Connections “A Week in the Life” global collaboration project. Third, fourth and fifth graders from six schools worked in mixed teams to research a global...
The digital imperative….this is Lauren’s story about global collaboration
I often use the term 'digital imperative' to describe why and how learning needs to be digital, online and embrace both local as well as global learning modes. Digital fluency includes learning in both synchronous and asynchronous learning environments coupled with...
Global education: Supporting collaborative learning and teaching
With the near ubiquity of technology enhanced education, new learning environments are emerging. Flat learning, active learning, and place-based learning are modalities that are helping to revitalize schools, and work to the benefit of learners. From an educational...
Building an online school community using WeChat
This is the first post shared on the Flat Connections blog from the Connect with China trip to China in April 2016. The China trip of Katie Grubb and Julie Lindsay took them to Beijing BISS International School, a small IB world school located on the 3rd ring road in...
What do students really think about global collaboration?
Today I hosted a Flat Connections Student Summit for two USA classrooms. It was a finale to the A Week in the Life 16-2 project from last semester. Both classrooms were on the east coast of the USA and it was early afternoon EST. Therefore, for me in Australia it was...
Into the mouth of the dragon
Global collaborative learning with China China is not a sleeping giant – these days it is a dragon that roars. Young people today need to understand more about China as a country, the Chinese culture and language, and make vital connections for future understanding....
If Berea can do it – so can you! A story of global collaboration success for learning!
The following is an excerpt from my new book, The Global Educator, being published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in early 2016. I share it here now to show how careful planning in conjunction with ‘leaping into new learning modes’ has...