Running Head: ENOTEBOOK

Telecollaborative Enotebook
Robyn Brooks
Cadre 24
Spring 2015
Azusa Pacific University
Literacy In Action!
http://www.flatstanley.com

ENOTEBOOK

Table Of Contents

Introduction

Resources

Personal Letter from the CEO

Goals and Learning Strategies

Technology and Social Media

Cross Cultural Awareness

Global Activities

10

Summary

11

Reference

13

Robyns Personal Flat Stanley

Robyns Flat Stanley in Sweden (classroom)

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Introduction
Long before outcome-based learning and project-based learning became
popular education concepts and practices, a third-grade teacher in Ontario, Canada,
created a project to get his students excited about literacy. The Flat Stanley Project,
launched by Dale Hubert in 1995, has impacted thousands of students across the world
and has caught the attention of global leaders in education, entertainment and
government. (Flatter World Inc, 2011, para. 6). The project has received international
praise for its ability to engage students in meaningful written exchanges.
Huberts project was based on the Flat Stanley book written in 1964 by Jeff
Brown as a bedtime story for Browns sons. In the book, the character Stanley
accidentally gets flattened while he is asleep. In his flattened form, Stanley slips
underneath doorways and gets to visit his friends by being mailed in envelopes.
Before he is returned to his regular form, Flat Stanley embarks upon scores of
interesting adventures.(Flatter World Inc, 2011, para. 5).
Through the Flat Stanley Project, children create their own Flat Stanley cutouts,
which are mailed to other children whose schools are enrolled in the project. The
children write letters about their Flat Stanley, opening the world to them beyond their
own communities.
As I was doing my research for this paper, I came across many students and
parents who wanted to participate with their children in this project. Below is an
example of the Flat Stanley paper cutouts.

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In order to arrange a Flat Stanley exchange, participants must register on the Flat
Stanley Project website where they can view other registered participants. This is
usually the responsibility of the classroom teacher. Participants then select a local or
global classroom for the Flat Stanley visitor exchange.
The website offers cutouts of Flat Stanley that can be printed in color or black and
white. Participants have the option of decorating Flat Stanley. Part of the learning with
Flat Stanley is to document Stanleys travels.
The Flat Stanley template on the website as well as iTunes makes it easier to
access. Students who participate in an exchange can access these learning apps easily. A
letter accompanies flat Stanley that students write about themselves and where they live
I like this project because it promotes vocabulary building and writing. It also
fosters local and global cultural understanding.
Learning, while having fun, is important for young learners. The Flat Stanley
Project involves 6,000 schools and is registered in 88 countries. It is incorporated into
the curriculum at many schools around the globe. (Flatter World Inc, 2011, para. 3).

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Resources

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Flat Stanley Resources

The Flat Stanley Project offers resources that promote literacy by making
learning fun and informative. A variety of learning resources is included on the
website, including an app on iTunes. Books and iTunes can be downloaded and
purchased through Amazon.com. The Flat Stanley books are offered as e-books and
in paperback and hard back. As mentioned earlier, the website offers Flat Stanley
templates that children can cut out for classroom use.
The websites exchange area makes it possible for teachers to reach out to other
classrooms and request a Flat Stanley exchange.
The Flat Stanley Project exposes children to an array of topics, including natural
disasters from which they can learn about emergency preparedness and hurricane
awareness. Kids can create their own preparedness kit and share their experience with
their peers. Additional learning resources come from the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, Cascadian Farm, Heifer International, Hewlett-Packard, FEMA,
and Earth Day.(Flatter World Inc, 2011, Resources). The Flat Stanley Project also
provides resources for teachers through Edmodo, a social network for students and
educators.

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Personal Letter From The CEO

Hi Thanks for your note.

When I created the Flat Stanley Project way back in 1995, I was trying
to create an authentic literacy opportunity for my students. It was a
combination of outcome based learning and project based learning
before these terms were made popular. I still maintain
flatstanleyproject.com, although in recent years its taken on a life of its
own and my role isnt as critical as it was in the beginning.
I dont think youll find much of interest in me personally, but Id be
happy to talk to you about the Flat Stanley Project. A meeting is unlikely,
though, as I live in southern Ontario.
Dale
Dale Hubert, M.Ed.
Creator of the Flat Stanley Project, www.flatstanleyproject.com
Developer of Say Some More, www.saysomemore.com
Author of The Tale of the Third Bearwww.mytravelteddy.com

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Goals of Flat Stanley
A key goal of the Flat Stanley Project is to help students develop critical and
creative thinking skills and perceptual awareness needed for understanding. The
learner will make connections through the use of oral and written language, media and
technology. Additional goals are met by elaborating on how information and events
connect to life experiences.
Goals are also met when students share personal experiences and responses to
letters exchanged. In a classroom setting, students share their letters with the class,
creating a dialogue. Learners will apply their experiences to create oral, written, and
visual texts. Goals are also set by having the learner apply grammar and language
conventions to communicate effectively.
Learning Strategies
The Flat Stanley Project can be a learning strategy that allows teachers to focus
on a theme for all of the lessons planned. Teachers can use global maps to introduce
students to world geography, culture and traditions.
Another learning strategy used by the Flat Stanley Projects are the Flat Stanley
book series, which can be downloaded from the website, purchased from Amazon.com
and Barnes and Noble. The books are well written and illustrated and full of Flat
Stanleys adventures. (Flatter World Inc, 2011).
Apps are another part of the learning strategy. The apps can be downloaded
from the iTunes website. There are two apps: One focuses on learning U.S. geography,
and the other on learning how to locate states on the map. Both apps encourage reading
and spelling.

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Technology
In an effort to integrate technology into the 21st century classroom, teachers
can use videoconferencing, blogs, webcams, and Google Earth as well as other web
2.0 tools to enhance global dialogues. Students who share their photos to exchange with
other classrooms also upload their pictures to the Flickr website. For teachers new to or
uncomfortable with technology integration, the Flat Stanley Project website is user
friendly.
The impact using technology is evident globally. As it stands, thousands of
students from more than forty countries have exchanged pictures and stories.
Classrooms across the globe are Flat Stanley Project participants. Classrooms abroad
are engaging in Flat Stanley Project exchanges using webcams, email and digital
photography to build language arts skills and cultural literacy.
Students share their Flat Stanley characters globally and document Flat
Stanleys travels. The Flat Stanley app is another way for students to create their own
digital Flat Stanley and share their stories and photos via email. The Flat Stanley app
can be downloaded onto a personal computer, smart phone and tablet
Social Media
Social media sites allow for sharing information and collaboration. Facebook
and Twitter are used globally for anyone wanting to share their Flat Stanley
experiences and real life photos. Through Facebook and Twitter, teachers can instruct
kids how to post user information and photos in fun and creative ways that guard
personal information. Edmodo is another social media site for teachers to interact and
collaborate. Edmodo allows for teachers to share lessons and outcomes.

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Cross Cultural Awareness
The Flat Stanley Project incorporates cross-cultural awareness by offering a
global education, cross-cultural learning, cross-cultural literacy, and the use of
technology and resources. A global education is introduced to students by teaching
students about their similarities and differences, cultures and traditions. Crosscultural learning takes place when students discuss their global experiences. Crosscultural literacy is evident when students exchange their letters with another classroom
and share their personal experiences
The use of technology is the bridge and gateway of cross-cultural awareness.
The Flat Stanley Project uses Web 2.0 tools such as Skype and digital photography to
promote literacy and learning. The resources used for the Flat Stanley Project include
apps, books and Flat Stanley cutouts and maps. These resources help build the
students language art skills and cultural literacy.
Learning outcomes of the Flat Stanley Project are to achieve better writing,
vocabulary, grammar and reading skills. The use of technology, resources, sharing
information and collaboration with classrooms around the globe promotes and
enhances learning.

10

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Global Activities
Global activities enhance learning. Some of the global activities are using the
apps. The apps on a smartphone or iPad allow for creating Flat Stanley cutouts and
sending them abroad. Location sharing is also a part of global activities. Location
sharing with photos on a map is a fun way students can learn about cultures and
geography. Skyping with another classroom is a global activity through which students
can interact with students abroad. A global activity is a great way for students to meet
their peers and make new friends.

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11
Summary

In conclusion, Dale Hubert, a former teacher and now the CEO of the Flat
Stanley Project, has created a global literacy community for elementary school
students. The project, which was begun in 1994, is recognized around the world.
Paper cutouts of Flat Stanley are exchanged via the email, snail mail or from a mobile
device, using Flat Stanley apps. U.S. President Barack Obama has been photographed
with a Flat Stanley cutout.
The resources for this Global Learning Community are books, Flat Stanley
cutout templates, apps located on the Flat Stanley Project website and iTunes.
Another resource that is used for teachers is Edmodo, a social network for educators
and students.
The goals of Flat Stanley are to develop students language art skills and critical,
creative thinking. Through this global learning project, goals are met when students
share their written personal experiences with classrooms throughout the world.
Personal experiences are shared through oral communication in the classroom.
Learning strategies and the creation of Flat Stanleys allow teachers to focus on
a theme for lessons planned. Learning strategies also include books, apps and world
maps. These learning strategies enhance learning and connecting students globally.
The Flat Stanley Project introduces technology to students by the use of Web 2.0
tools, which are needed for the 21century. To introduce communication and
collaboration, teachers can show students how to use digital tools to send pictures and
to Skype to enhance oral communication between global classrooms.

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Social media sites allow for sharing and collaboration. Facebook and Twitter
are used globally. Students on Facebook can share their pictures and journals with
other students around the globe. Twitter allows for sharing information about a
students personal experiences and interests. Teachers communicate with other
teachers using Edmodo and discuss their global learning projects.
Global education, cross- cultural learning, cross-cultural literacy and the use of
technology and resources are the basis for cross-cultural awareness. Students benefit
by learning about different cultures and traditions - similarities and differences - from
classrooms around the globe.
Global activities are used to help students participate in and connect to other
classrooms. Some of the global activities include using Skype or an app on a
Smartphone or i-Pad. This global learning project does a great job in creating a flatter
world where global literacy is practiced and celebrated.

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13

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Reference

Flatter World Inc. (2011). Flat Stanley. Retrieved from https://www.flatstanley.com/flatstanleys-50th-birthday

Flatter World Inc. (2011). Flat Stanley. Retrieved from

https://www.flatstanley.com/resources?subpage=dhspage

Flatter World Inc. (2011). flat Stanley. Retrieved from

https://www.flatstanley.com/about?subpage=letter_to_parents

Flatter World Inc. (2011). Flat Stanley. Retrieved from

https://www.flatstanley.com/apps

Flatter World Inc. (2011). flat Stanley. Retrieved from

https://www.flatstanley.com/books