The Manitou Springs High School Computers class is employing social networking and other methods of digital communication to participate in two nationwide programs centered on digital citizenship and student interaction.

   The Flat Classroom Project, created in 2006 by Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis, and based on Thomas L. Friedman’s national bestseller “The World Is Flat”, is aimed at lowering the “walls” of the classroom to allow for heightened student to student interaction on a nationwide and even international scale. The goal of the project is to communicate effectively with other students and collaborate on a presentation focusing on the new digital frontier by addressing the 11 flatteners that Friedman focuses on in his book.  

   “The students create wikis and research while collaborating with students from others schools to make a video in their category,” explained Toni Barton, the MSHS computers teacher. “The two biggest things are creating the wikis and communicating through Ning, which is similar to Facebook. Ning allows for sharing of information and communication.”

   “I did a lot of communicating through Ning which was the most effective aspect because it allowed for chat with other people. I mostly communicated with Westwood High School and I made friends with a few people there through this project too,” said Mikaela Lansberry, a freshman computers student who has participated in both programs.

   The computers class has also utilized the Digiteen program, another type of collaborative project with the purpose of establishing digital citizenship, essentially behaving responsibly with regard to technology use. Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey address this issue through nine main elements from the book “Digital Citizenship in Schools”, the basis for the project.

   Computer students again create wikis to explain the topic of digital citizenship and the process of formulating a good digital footprint and then present the information in the hopes of sparking change and raising awareness with a action plan for the school. Through Digiteen, MSHS students have Skyped with students from Georgia, Illinois, Houston, and Los Angeles, all in the effort to expand their horizons in the digital age.