Heading for China and the Flat Classroom Conference

On Saturday, we will be flying from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Beijing, China, via Chicago. In this case, “WE” means that I will be accompanied by 8 Instructional Technology graduate students from UNI and their teacher of record, my wife Kathy Klink-Zeitz.

We are going to Beijing to participate in the Flat Classroom Conference. The Flat Classroom Conference is a celebration of the work done by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsey in creating and running the Flat Classroom Project (FCP).  I have written about FCP in previous postings. It is instructional global collaboration where students from around the world join together to interact in collaborative problem solving.

I haven’t posted about this conference before this because I have been too busy trying to get it all together.  Our students are practicing professionals.  Most of them are teachers.  They have been blogging about their upcoming trip and I have listed links to their blogs below.  They will be blogging, video blogging and Skyping with their students here in the States.

Review These Blogs:

1. Jami Elliott, a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College, teaches third grade in an elementary school in West Burlington, Iowa for the last 8 years. Her blog, Ms. Elliott’s Adventure to China, is dedicated to her trip.
2. Cathy Olson, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, is a high school English teacher in Boone, Iowa.
3. Carrie Jacobs, a graduate of Central College, is a social studies teacher and the technology specialist at Walnut Creek Campus, an alternative high school in West Des Moines, Iowa. She has a masters of education degree in Quality Schools from Graceland University.
4. Deb Bruxvoort, a graduate of William Penn University, is Director of Academic Computing at Central College in Pella, Iowa.
5. Farah Kashef, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, is a Dental Hygiene Instructor at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa.
6. Brandi Day, a graduate of Harding University, is a Program Associate with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps.
7. Jennie Kies, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, teaches engineering technology at Jefferson high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
8. Lisa Schaa, a graduate of the University of Iowa, has taught art and technology at an elementary school in Stratford, Iowa for the last 27 years. Mrs. Schaa’s Adventures in China is a blog all about her travels

A wealth of information can be found in Kathy Klink-Zeitz‘s Beijing Design blog which is the blog that she used to organize the course, Applied Instructional Design, which all of the students had to take.


Follow along and I will tell you how to watch us virtually and even get involved virtually as one of the attendees.