The Flat classrooms project is a very cool idea--connecting classrooms around the world in this way is very powerful. For example, I clicked on one of the discussion topics posted by a 9th grade teacher in Israel who was teaching her class about WWI and WWII. She was seeking input from other classrooms around the world about their perceptions and how these historical moments are taught--this is a great way to get kids to start thinking about multiple perspectives and frameworks. I think our teachers could definitely jump into something like this is their own classrooms.
The wetpaint wikis in education have a global connections wikis that do a similar kind of thing that is very accessible for teachers and can be used by American teachers more actively to teach their students about the world and really connect students in different parts of the world.
Global Connections Wikis
How can wikis be used to connect students globally?
Group projects: | Students from around the world can create a site together |
| Cultural Exchanges: | Students can post pictures and stories of places where they live |
| Point of View: | Students engage in different points of view on a given topic |
| Peer Review: | Post questions for student brainstorming, or have students post papers for peer feedback |
| Group FAQ: | Students and/or teachers post and respond to questions on a given topic |
Great resources!
