Sunday, May 09, 2010

"The Student Perspective: Will it be done by you or to you?"

Consider the aspects of Thomas L. Friedman's 'Flat World.' Will you allow the future to be done to you or by you? What implications does the flat world have for your future?

This is what students at Mount Carmel Area High School, PA in the USA considered when they produced, in conjunction with their teacher Suzue Nestico, the Flat Classroom Project 10-2 Keynote video. 

This work will leave you with no doubt that students are more and more immersed in a flattened learning environment. Their discussion about connecting and communicating and creating products that make a difference is inspiring. They also bring in the impact the trip to attend a Flat Classroom Workshop in India recently had on them as a school.


Find more videos like this on Flat Classroom Project

This video is also available on YouTube

Each Flat Classroom Project has a keynote with the aim of providing further stimulus for discussion and interaction within and amongst the participating classrooms. This is the first time the FCP has invited students or a class to keynote, and we are delighted with the impact it is having!

Some student comments on the Ning so far:
From Jordan J:  "This project allows us to reach out and interact with people all over the world, which previously could not be done. Flatclassroom is preparing us for the real world by forcing us to meet new people and learn more about the Internet, which is the future. We are now accomplishing tasks that were never imaginable."

From Karen B:  "The world is getting so much smarter now, and so much more technologically advanced, and I think the Flat Classroom Project is such a great example. It's been said before, and it will be said again: the technology and things that we have available online are so helpful- libraries of information to be accessed with the click of a button, and it's a great means of communication that take milliseconds to get to the other side of this "flat" world. I also think that as these means of communication get more and more advanced, this project is going to keep changing as well, to make use of the things that make the world flat."

From Amanda C: "This video helped me to better understand the purpose of the flat classroom project. I am still a little confused as to how go about performing all of the necessary tasks to successfully complete it, however, this video made me realize that world is changing, and as result, it is becoming flat. A flat world is when everyone can communicate with each other, no matter where they are located. I think that this is very important because it will give everyone the opportunity to work with different people and hear their ideas on certain topics. In the future, this type of communication will most definitely continue to impact me, as well as everyone else in the world."

Readers of this blog are also invited to share their comments here or by joining the Flat Classroom Project Ning and responding to the video.
Some guiding questions to get you started:
  1. What does a 'flat world' mean to you?
  2. Friedman states, "Whatever can be done, will be done...." What technologies is he talking about here? How important is innovation and creativity to get things done?
  3. Why is it important for student to have the opportunity to connect and collaborate with others globally? How can this change the world for the better?
  4. What implications does the flat world have for your future?
Thanks you Mount Carmel High students, and thank you Suzie for providing this inspiration.

1 comment:

elearning guy said...

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