Synopsis

Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds

Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time

The buzz about this book:

"Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds is a terrific guide, by two real pioneering teachers, on how the networked world can be used for cooperative learning that can enrich education and empower students -- anywhere and everywhere.” - Thomas L. Friedman, author, The World Is Flat

“The world is facing monumental challenges requiring creative solutions, and flattening our classrooms is our only hope! Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds will take you on a powerful journey of transformation - connecting your students with meaningful work and unleashing their potential to become leaders in our communities. Get ready to go global!" - Michael Furdyk, Co-founder, TakingITGlobal.org

Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds presents a seven step approach to transforming teaching using current pedagogies, technology tools, and global collaboration to create standards-aligned, technology rich, cross-cultural learning experiences that enhance 21^st century student engagement.

Designed so readers may interact via their mobile devices, this highly engaging book on 21st century teaching and global collaboration pulls them into the rapidly growing 21st century learning network of educators, teachers, and students. As schools struggle to engage students with learning and disengage them from their cell phones and social networks, Lindsay and Davis show how leveraging technology and social media and implementing global collaborative practices launches learning forward in all disciplines to better prepare students for the society of tomorrow.

Visit the online PDToolkit for Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds (http://pdtoolkit.pearson.com), via complimentary 6-month access code inside every new book, that gives educators access to:

• Full length case studies excerpted in the book
• Downloadable, writable tools and templates, including rubrics and planning tools
• Interactive Surveys
• Online Glossary
• Sample student assignments

Meet the Authors

Julie Lindsay is an international educator, having worked as a teacher and administrator in six different countries and has higher degrees in both music and educational technology leadership. She is currently E-Learning Coordinator and Middle Years Programme Coordinator at an International Baccalaureate school in Beijing, China. She is a prolific presenter and workshop leader prompoting the use of technology to support teaching and learning across the curriculum, including in the UK, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, US and Australia. Julie is an Apple Distinguished Educator, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Ambassador and recently-elected member of ISTE Board of Directors as the International Representative. View her bio at www.learningconfluence.com.

Vicki "Cool Cat Teacher" Davis is a full-time classroom teacher and IT director in Westwood, Georgia and author of the popular, award-winning Cool Cat Teacher blog (http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com) with more than 30,000 subscribers and over 22,000 Twitter followers. She’s received numerous awards for her work in virtual worlds, wikis, social networks, and classroom practices. Vicki is a Google Certified Teacher, Discovery S.T.A.R. educator, and Adobe Education leader. She has written for many periodicals and online spaces including Edutopia, ISTE, and Educause. View her bio at www.coolcatteacher.com.

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Biography

Julie Lindsay is an international educator, having worked as a teacher and administrator in six different countries and has higher degrees in both music and educational technology leadership. She is currently E-Learning Coordinator and Middle Years Programme Coordinator at an International Baccalaureate school in Beijing, China. She is a prolific presenter and workshop leader in using technology to support teaching and learning across the curriculum, including in the UK, Europe, Asia the Middle East, USA and Australia. Julie is an Apple Distinguished Educator, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Ambassador and was recently elected to the ISTE Board of Directors as the International Representative. She is an early adopter of emerging technologies and has written for various magazines, including as an ICT specialist for ISTE’s ‘Learning and Leading with Technology’. Julie is inspired by curriculum development that successfully includes global collaboration through technology infusion. View her bio at www.learningconfluence.com.

Vicki "Cool Cat Teacher" Davis is a full time classroom teacher and IT director and author of the popular, award-winning Cool Cat Teacher blog (http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com) with more than 30,000 subscribers and over 22K Twitter followers and past winner of the EDublog award for Best Teacher Blog. She’s received numerous awards for her work in virtual worlds, wikis, social networks, and classroom practices. Vicki is a Google Certified Teacher, Discovery S.T.A.R. educator, Adobe Education leader, and has written for many periodicals and online spaces including Edutopia, ISTE, and Educause. Her mission is to inspire teachers to excellence undergirded by her belief that teaching is a noble calling. View her bio at www.coolcatteacher.com.

Vicki and Julie are co-founders of the internationally recognized Flat Classroom® projects, Vicki has helped link thousands of students around the world in powerful 21^st-century learning communities where multimedia, collaborative writing, and collaborative research are every day habits. They have been featured in Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat (v 3), Don Tapscott’s Grown Up Digital, Curt Bonk’s The World is Open and many more. www.flatclassroomproject.net.