The Home Stretch: The Last Two Days of Flat Classroom

1) Make sure that you go on your topic page and click on discussion. Read Mrs. Lindsey's Week 2 evaluation and mine. Ask questions if necessary.

2) Use your RSS reader to see the changes and questions posted by your partner. (It is easier to use RSS than to rely on your own memory!)

3) Use your time wisely! This is your semester assessment - 20% of your grade. I'll be here until 5 today and 5 tomorrow as long as I have students in my room.

I echo Mrs. Lindsey's statement on her blog! Read them.

Particularly this aspect:

Officially we only have TWO (2) days to go before the Flat Classroom Project is finished. You must understand that this is a 'real life' project and that there is a 'real' deadline. No, you cannot bring a note from home with an excuse, this will not cut it here. Take note, it will not cut it out there in the real world when you finally emerge from high school as a butterfly taking flight. Your boss will not accept a note from your mother.

As I always say: "It is not about your excuse, but about what you produce."

Here are the key elements of focus as agreed upon by Mrs. Lindsey and I:

• Summarize, hyperlink, and get rid of anything copied -- that is plagiarism. I don't care if it was your partner that did it, you are responsible for your wiki also!
  
  
• "Try to 'make a difference' to the world. What are you actually saying on your wiki? In what way will someone who does not know you want to read it and take notice? in what way will they learn from it?" (Quoted from Mrs. Lindsey)
  
  On this note, Tyler has already pointed out that his flat wiki project is now the #2 item on Google search for his topic. That is the power of information! That is what we are teaching you. You can become the expert on a topic and share it with the world!
  
  
• "Remember: I am not the only one reading your work. Like it or not there are many others now very interested in you and this project. This is great! You have an authentic audience. Play up to this, take pride in your work and you will be rewarded with a sense of achievement." (Quoted from Mrs. Lindsey)
  
  
• Finish and upload your video on Monday! We are very nervous about "glitches" causing problems with your video. Either your video is on the wiki or not. That is 50 points of your final grade!
  
  
• "Keep collaborating with your partner. Some of you are losing vital marks by the lack of collaboration. If your partner is a little shy at least you can keep posting comments and suggestions and entice him/her to respond. This is a new experience for all of you. It is one of the most difficult challenges, especially if you are usually an independent student who like to do their own work in isolation." (quoted from Mrs. Lindsey)

I have learned a lot from this experience and am emerging more convinced than ever that education is evolving towards more experiences like this. I honestly feel that many of you have learned a wealth of knowledge in a very short amount of time. I look forward to working with my newfound experts on the flattening world in January.

I love you. That is why I push you to be more. That is why I push you outside your comfort zone to grow. Be excellent! Do not resort to excuses. Finish the race for you are very close.

I am proud of you!

Mrs. Vicki