Reflections+of+a+Flat+Classroom

 =Reflection of the “Flat Classroom” =  The ultimate goal of every teacher is to prepare his or her students for higher education or to enter the workforce and to be a responsible, participating member of society. However, we no longer live in an era when our students will hear and speak only one language, deal with people from one cultural background or one religion. We send our students out of our schools to deal with complex problems and issues that we may not even know what they are yet! How do we prepare them for such a diverse world? It would will exceedingly difficult in a classroom with one teacher, no matter how dedicated that teacher is. She needs help to prepare her students. How does she do that?  She can invite guest speakers; she can use “streaming”; she can take them on field trips. These are all valid methods of facilitating a constructivist education. But the real question is how can she do it on a daily basis while incorporating the technology that they will surely need? By utilizing the “Flat Classroom” method! She can connect with other schools to communicate! Her students may have to deal with students who speak another language, practice another religion, and have to overcome problems that those in her classroom never knew existed! By using technology we can give our students internships with more practical knowledge than they have ever had before without ever having to leave the school! They will be able to enter the global community with more knowledge and problem solving skills than even we can imagine today!  I really enjoyed learning about the “Flat Classroom.” It seems to be such a simple solution to what I feel is a crisis in our schools today. Although technology is extremely advantageous, it also has a significant disadvantage. Students who are exposed to technology know that their education is not keeping up if it is not utilizing technology. After reading about this 21st century teaching method I have applied for a technology mini grant to obtain laptops and webcams for my classes. Although, I do not expose my students to a “flat classroom” as much as I would like, that is about to change!