It’s All About Removing Barriers and Opening Doors

So my FlatClassroom Certified Teacher Course #fcct is complete. Final assignments submitted, new connections made. New knowledge and ideas of making global connections to try out in 2013. The course went fast and furious it seemed. I still feel in a bit of a daze but even though the course has finished, the journey really has just begun. 

The Course

The course itself is quite demanding. Julie Lindsay @julielindsay,  Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher  and Lisa Durff @durff did a fantastic job of  guiding participants, facilitating meetings via Blackboard and responding to questions and challenges of participants. It’s those connections you make with other educators that make any course, conference or workshop valuable. Being able to connect with Julie face to face at Learning2 in Beijing in October was very cool.  The 15 challenges to be completed  during the course as well as the projects were meaningful, some of the challenges I was already engaged in so that was nice to confirm I was on the right track. My favorite was designing your own flatclass project and making a pitch to other flatclass members. It was great to have feedback from other educators before trying it out.

The Connections

What can I say? So many influential educators like Tasha Cowdy @tashacowdy , Julie Balen @jacbalen  and Michelle Heibert @mauimickey really inspired me and challenged my thinking about what it means to make and support authentic global connections. I suggest you add these 3 superlative educators to your PLN.

What’s Next?

For me, Ive made some connections with my grade 1 from the K-2 Building Bridges Project. A few of us are taking the connections in different ways and to different levels  and that’s pretty interesting. I still continue to make connections with the #kinderchat peeps, they are involved in some fantastic learning.  If you are interested, join the FlatClassroom Ning. Lurk, see what’s going on and ask questions. That’s how my journey began. Check out #flatclass hashtag on Twitter or contact Julie or Vicki.

Looking back on my journal posts in the course, one reflection really resonated with me. The value of  meaningful connections.  My recent thinking is: ‘How can I make these connections authentic and meaningful. If I can get this right, others  in my school will follow. I want to lead by example. In fact, I’d like to be the catalyst for the development of global connections in my school. I do believe that global projects can benefit younger learners if it is implemented correctly.’ – Final  Journal #FCCT Reflection. Its all about  about removing barriers and opening doors.

So I challenge you to at least consider what you as a professional or as a class can benefit from global connections. I know it has made me a better teacher and has enhanced my student’s learning. Still not convinced?  Check out this post on flatclass reflections by @jacbalen. Her blogpost inspired mine.

Thanks to all my fantastic cohort for FCCT12-01