Flat Connections

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Flat Connections provides unique approaches to online global collaboration. We 'flatten' the disconnected classroom to become a global learning environment of the future.

Flat Connections provides online global collaborative projects for all levels of K-12 and online courses for educators and education leaders who want to take their learning and their classroom global. Educators across the world join Flat Connections to learn about the world, with the world.

Flat Connections Founder and CEO, Julie Lindsay, is an experienced global educator and global collaboration consultant. She is also author of the book, 'The Global Educator: Leveraging technology for collaborative learning and teaching' published by the International Society for Technology in Education in 2016.

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The Global Educator: Leveraging technology…

This book was published in 2016 by the International Society for Technology in Education. It provides essential pedagogical approaches and frameworks for global collaborative learning. It is also a collection of anecdotes, inspiring examples, case studies and resources. It provides educators and education leaders at all levels of education new ideas and modes for connecting and collaborating with the world for meaningful learning. One of the case studies features Ed Gragert and focuses on the history of iEARN as well as the development of global collaboration in education. In 4 sections:

The global educator
The global education leader
Online global collaboration
Take learning global

Global Youth Debates

Global Youth Debates is a global collaborative project created around research and formal debating. It uses Web 2.0 tools to join students from diverse cultures for authentic debate. It fosters global competence and international mindedness and online communication skills. Global Youth Debates joins school debate teams in a community of learners around a theme and debate topic. Asynchronous formal debating supports communication of local and global situations and priorities. Global Youth Debates is adaptable for all learning environments and is designed for students of age 10-18. It opens eyes and hearts as students debate on an issue that will bring together diverse ideas, develop transferable skills and create lasting friendships

Flat Connections Global Project

The Flat Connections Global Project, a fully supported and managed global collaborative is the ultimate online experience for middle and high school students (typically grade/year 9-12, 14-18 years old). It challenges all learners to connect and communicate beyond their immediate classroom and school. It also encourages collaboration and co-creation of final artifacts as well as student leadership, while exploring emerging technologies and envisioning the future of learning.

The Flat Connections Global Project aims to 'flatten' or lower the classroom walls so that instead of each class working in isolation, 2 or more classes are joined virtually to become one large classroom. The project is designed to develop cultural understanding, skills with Web 2.0 tools, experience in global collaboration and online learning, and awareness of what it means to live and work in a flat world.

Students in the Flat Connections Global Project will work in cross-school teams to research and discuss new ideas and actions for future learning. The topics studied and discussed are real-world scenarios based on the current Horizon Report K-12 2016 (for the 2016-17 projects) as well as a variety of influential thought leaders and authors including Yong Zhao, 'World Class Learners'; David Price OBE, 'Open'; and Thomas Friedman, 'The World is Flat'.

Flat Connections Global Educator Online…

The Global Educator online courses are recommended for K-20 educators and education leaders. They are multi-faceted and provide options for those who want a shorter learning experience and those who wish to become more embedded in the practice and theory of online global learning – how to connect, communicate, digital citizenship skills, intercultural understanding and online global collaboration.

The courses are designed and delivered by Julie Lindsay who has connected classrooms and educators at K-12 and higher education around the world for two decades. They are informed by her new book, ‘The Global Educator: Leveraging Technology for Collaborative Learning and Teaching’, in conjunction with examples from the K-12 Flat Connections online global projects, and many other resources that provide rich material for learners to engage with.

Each course provides online webinars and online content and discussion/interaction spaces. The course structures assist the participants in interacting with course leaders and each other. A special feature of each course is the guest speaker – a special webinar featuring a known global educator who will inform and support learners. There are THREE courses to choose - for educators and education leaders.

K-2 Building Bridges to Tomorrow

The K-2 Building Bridges to Tomorrow Project is a global collaborative project that joins together students at the lower elementary level (typically grades K-2, 4-7 years old). It is an exciting, challenging and unique experience that allows very young people (and their teachers) to connect and collaborate.

The K-2 Building Bridges to Tomorrow Project uses Web 2.0 tools to support communication and interaction as well as collaboration and creation between students and teachers from classrooms around the world. The topics shared and discussed are real-world scenarios that aim to pique interest amongst students as to similarities and differences between classes and cultures. The K-2 Building Bridges to Tomorrow Project is an exciting, challenging and unique experience that allows very young people (and their teachers) to connect and collaborate. This project is for 5-7 years old, K-Grade 2 levels.

A Week in the Life

The 'A Week in the Life' Project is for Elementary School students of approximate ages 8-11 (Grade 3-6). Students connect, communicate, explore global topics and issues and share ideas and solutions through co-created digital artifacts.

The 'A Week in the Life' Project curriculum focus is Interdisciplinary, including concepts for how we live, how we communicate, cultural understanding and global awareness. The project uses Design Thinking as a model to foster better understanding of the process of collaboration.

The 'A Week in the Life' Project aims to be holistic and foster collaborative learning. It joins classrooms globally with a view to exploring what life is like in each country through discussion, sharing and collecting multimedia and creating final products together. These are then compared and contrasted and become the focus of further inquiry-based educational activities during and after the global project.

Digiteen and Digitween Project

Digiteen Project for 13 years and older and the Digitween Project for under 13 years study digital citizenship and promote effective and responsible online choices as well as immersing students into an online educational community for learning and collaborating.

Students in the Digiteen-Digitween Project research current topics to do with digital citizenship, co-write a collaborative report and co-create an accompanying artifact. They also perform and document offline action in the form of educational projects to promote effective digital citizenship at their local schools and in their communities.