Flat Classroom Project
This was one of the most unique projects I have been a part of. There were students from around the world working together to complete a project. Students prepared, planned, and worked out all of the steps to create a wiki space. Seeing the students work together (electronically) is what makes this a neat project, and illuminates the fact that our World is changing, and that we must change along with it.
For the project, we accepted the title of “Expert Advisors,” and the idea for an expert advisor is to assist the various groups, and provide advice and feedback as the students complete their project. There are several Expert Advisors for each of the six different topics:
1. Mobile Computing 2. Open Content 3. Electronic Books
4. Simple Augmented Reality 5. Gesture-based Computing 4. Visual Data Analysis
Throughout the project, there was a number of different programs and applications that I learned about, and one of them was “Ning.com.” This application is similar to the popular social networking site Facebook, however this program is designed to accommodate the education field. There are a lot of the same features as Facebook such as sharing pictures, posting on each others walls, and provides information about the user. The first objective we had as Expert Advisors was to create our own Ning. The idea of having the Ning, is to provide a personal introduction so that the students in my group have an idea of who I am. Each of the members inside of my group also has Nings, so it is easy to meet everyone.
As an introduction for this project, Dr. Z. explained a new concept to me, the “Millennial Generation.” I have not heard of this until now, and I believe that it makes sense to me. I am a part of perhaps the fastest growing generation in “the history of generations” (if you will.) The facts that were presented prior to this project put the idea into perspective. Like every generation, we too were shaped by events, such as September 11th, texting, and Facebook. We tend to have open views on political issues, and with the development of the internet, we demand information quickly, and we get it. With the new technology and media there is today, information, such as the war, gets to the newsstands and news stations sooner than it ever has.
Going on with the Millennials, technology is what practically shaped this generation. In the year 2007, a sample of about 8000 college students took a survey, and the survey revealed that 97% of all students owned a computer, and about 94% owned cell phones. Even within my four years at the University of Northern Iowa, I have seen the shift in technology, and experienced the effects it has on society. Who would of ever thought texting while driving would be an issue, let alone illegal to do? The video from Don Tapscott puts into perspective “Growing up Digital,” which is an extremely powerful piece.
Our role in the project got off to a slow start, as we had some technical difficulties when trying to Skype with Mrs. Davis, but we eventually got the teleconference going. It was pretty neat using the technology like Skype and the programs to allow us to see her computer screen. Right away this got me interested in the project because we were using technology that was new to me, which is always challenging.
I signed up for the “Visual Data Analysis” group, basically because I did not know anything about the subject, and there is no other way to learn better than putting yourself to the challenge. According to the group I am advising, the idea of Visual Data Analysis is “reorganize information/data that gets collected.” An example of Visual Data Analysis that we used in our Classroom Computer Application class would be GoogleDocs. The user can create questions and the respondent can answer the questions over the internet, and the data that gets collected is organized within GoogleDocs making it very easy for the user.
Throughout the duration of this project, I witnessed students collaborating together, and working out problems that arise, and coming to a solution. It was neat to sit back and observe the interaction, and how students from every different area of the globe can work together freely. Within the Wiki there is a “Discussion” tab where members of the group can communicate with one another. There are even tools to see what has been edited, and what has changed, since the last time the project was saved. I liked this idea because as an Expert Advisor I could easily see what has been done to the project.
After my time was over, I realized all of the different media types used throughout this project. It is easy to make a PowerPoint, or type up a ten page paper; however this project uses a variety that leaves the users many options. The organizational make up of this project was superb, with several different individuals in charge, and hundreds of students in different schools throughout the World. It was truly amazing to be a part of such a high-profile collaboration. Improvements are always needed, and in the case of this project, if we would have started organizing earlier than we did, or were aware of the final paper and could have had more time to prepare. Other than that the overall project went fairly well.
Communication is what makes us human. Throughout this project there were many different forms of communication such as the traditional email, discussion posts, and wikis. To the new technology introduced to me such as the social networking site, Ning, and others like Skype and Eluminate. Some of this was new technology to me such as Skype and the Eluminate program. I am always up for learning new information that can be useful to me as a future teacher.
I have never experienced group interaction in the way which this assignment was set up. I was in ‘awe’ from the beginning. As an educator, this project would be extremely interesting to see how your students interact with others using different forms of communication. Since the students these days are growing up intertwined with technology, the more you use it, the more motivation there will be. If I were a student, I would be very interested in this project. The idea of the “Millenial Generation” is interesting in itself, but when you can work with technology to express that idea, its better.
My overall reaction to this whole assignment is fairly good, as I enjoyed collaborating and being a guide to a new “set” of students. I worked with students that I will never meet, yet I have shaped their educational background in one way or another. I can definitely see telecollaboration and other similar ideas to the Flat Classroom Project in the future. Especially with budgets being cut, and the internet still being free, projects like this would work for classes that might not get to go on field trips or anything like that. I could using the Skype and Eluminate programs instead of going on field trips. Companies or professionals can Skype with a classroom and talk about zoo animals, what it is like to work in a factory, or even talk with schools or people from around the globe. The world is indeed flat, and we can access information from the other side of the globe, in just seconds. That is what is truly amazing.
Journal 1
Today, we were introduced to the Flat Classroom Project, and the term Millennial Generation. I have never heard of this term before, and the things that we discovered, somewhat coincide with the actions of my peers. We looked around the NetGenEd wiki, and got familiar with what the project entails, and how it is going to span out over the next few months.
Journal 2
Today, we were introduced a new program. This program is called Ning, and it is similar to the popular social networking site, Facebook, but has different features making it useful in education and professional settings. We were also introduced to the project as Expert Advisors and Dr. Z told us what we were supposed to do, and how it was going to work. We were also introduced several of the categories in which we could choose as an Expert Advisor.
Journal 3
Today we had a teleconference with one of the leaders of this project, Vikki Davis, and I believe she was in Texas (not sure) which was pretty neat. There was slight technical delays, but that is always going to happen. Mrs. Davis explained what we were going to be doing as Expert Advisors and I started gaining interest. The way the project is set up is so cool, and the fact that I can work with students from different backgrounds is astonishing. I chose to work with the Visual Data Analysis group, because this was something that I knew little about, and felt that I can only learn new information which is going to benefit me.
Journal 4
I introduced myself to my group, and read through what they had of the project. Another student in my class, Amanda, is an Expert Advisor as well, which is helpful. I offered several suggestions to the Data Analysis group, and provided feedback on how I thought the project was going. So far, the project is going well, and there are just a few minor kinks that should eventually get worked out.
Journal 5
Today I read through the project again, and observed any changes that have been made sense the last time I checked. There were several changes made according to my suggestions, and some of the kinks were still in the project. I offered some spelling and grammatical feedback to the students, and told them that I know they are not done with the project, but don’t forget to “polish” up the overall appearance when we are done. The project is going on the right track, and it was fun to see these students collaborate together throughout the past few weeks, none of which was working together “directly,” however long distance which is truly special.
Other Opportunities
http://www.earlyliterature.ecsd.net/
This is a tellecollaboration project using literacy. I could use this in when teaching reading or writing and possibly have my students work with a group of students from a different area, tellecollaborativly, sharing letters or reading stories to each other.
http://eme4401spr07boyer.wetpaint.com/page/Telecollaborative+Projects
This is another project about literacy. Students learn to use email, and communicate with others using email. This would be easy to use in my classroom, because students are growing up with instant messaging and email, so this would be beneficial to them as a young learner.
http://eme4401spr07boyer.wetpaint.com/page/Telecollaborative+Projects
further down the screen, there is another project where students use their math and science skills. I thought this one was really cool, because students plant the same flower, in different areas of the world, and take measurements and data. They interpret the data and organize and graph it using technology. This could be used in my classroom easily, and since I like math and technology, this would be a good one to use.
