Learning about a Global Classroom

Recently I have decided that I needed help meeting the Communication and Collaboration Standard in my classroom.  I naively enrolled in the Flat Classroom Certified Teacher Course.  Although I was aware of the need to bring some global learning opportunities into the classroom, I did not know how much I have to learn about electronic collaboration and communication.  The first six weeks of the course has provided a tremendous number of opportunities (aka tons of homework) to reflect on my teaching practices.  I have already begun to improve some of my classroom projects.  

I added computer science/computer programming concepts to the eighth grade curriculum and designed a project using an iPad game, CargoBot with a collaborative writing assignment in which the students had to document how they solved various levels of the game.

The positive effect of success of the new collaborative assignment inspired me to have my 5th grade students collaborate on a project about validating information found on the internet.  Is there really a tree octopus?  This assignment usually took the students 2 - 3 class periods to complete.  When I allowed them to work collaboratively and present their findings, we accomplished the entire lesson in 1 class period.  WOW!  In addition we had better classroom discussions.  Now I need to create a lesson in which the students work collaboratively with someone outside their classroom.

Our next Flat Classroom assignment is to use a wiki as the only communication tool to collaborative produce a multi-media project.   Hmmm....which of my past units is going to become a collaborative research project which includes student made videos?

Just Learning Humor:

Today I was supervising "Choice" time in the computer lab.  Some students who had just learned to use Google Docs for class wanted to "e-mail" each other.  They were able to successfully share a document with their peers, watch each other add ideas to the page.  They were so proud that they figured out how "e-mail" just like their parents do.  It did seem to be an efficient way for a small group of kids to communicate.  It is so amazing what kids will figure out for themselves.