Flat Stanley: The 21st Century Version
September 6, 2011
tags: 21stCenturyLearning, books, Flat Stanley, Flat Stanley Project, geography
by lthumann
I thought I had helped bring Flat Stanley into the 21st Century when I helped my daughter’s class take digital pictures of their Stanleys and plot them on a Google Map.
But this company, The Flat Stanley Project, has taken this portable cardboard figure geography project to a whole new level.
From the company: Flat Stanley is a beloved children’s/education franchise that is about to have a new life online. Walden Media (Chronicles of Narnia) just announced a movie deal for it, in fact. Flat Stanley is having a renaissance. It’s already in official use at 4,500+ schools across 88 countries, and is part of the formal curriculum for geography in most districts.
So, as with so many other projects and subjects we work with , there’s an app for it. You can find it live in the App store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flat-stanley/id382161936?mt=8).
How the App works (from the company):
Children can quickly sign up and bring Stanley with them wherever they go. In minutes, they can customize their own Stanley (skin and hair color, facial expressions and clothing), take photographs and insert Stanley into them with either front or rear-facing camera, write their character’s biography and “like,” comment on and share photos with their friends across the Flatter World network of friends and family.
The app also plots Stanleys near a particular user on a world map and sends updates on where their friends and families’ Stanleys travel. It’s a quick and easy way for kids to see the world and make new friends outside of their hometown with a familiar and friendly character leading the way. To encourage exploring Stanleys outside of one’s network, the app unlocks special pictures from exciting locations.
In many ways, Flat Stanley was the original social network – it just existed offline, in homes and schools, transported by stamp and envelope, instead of electronically. Our goal is to preserve the same values, and the same goals that we’ve always had, while extending our reach, and enriching the experience overall.
The new app gives parents and their children the opportunity to insert a Stanley from their collection into any photo, chronicling the experience, sharing it with others, and continuing a conversation ongoing around that location, or activity – all the while telling stories and beginning new adventures.
