Greenwich Time / UTC: The Next Shift?

(Cross-posted from 1001 Reflections.)

Chris and Michele, I vote we all choose one Greenwich hour for revision deadlines and feedback deadlines. The initial confusion of learning to think in terms of a uniform “world time”–+9 for Seoul, -5 for Colorado (DST?), -8 for Hawaii–will clear itself up soon enough, and more than justify itself with the end of the deadline confusion and “false arrests” for “laziness” that I suspect we’re all experiencing.

Seems like we want four days for revision, and for two of them to bet Saturday and Sunday. So I say revision should be due Greenwich Monday 0900. That makes your local deadlines in the States past Sunday midnight.

Deadlines for feedback would be three days later: GMT 0900 Thursday.

We can translate that to our kids so they all know what time that is locally.

But the point, again, is that everybody around the world knows the deadlines are at the exact same minute, regardless of local time. (In the military we called it “Zulu” time, if I recall correctly.)

Other teachers, I strongly suggest you adopt the same policy. The deadline confusion causes unnecessary confusion and frustration. Learn from our experience and save yourselves a headache!

Thoughts?

1. Navigating the Flat Seas: Time is Melting
2. Shift Happening: Another New Teaching Habit
3. Shift Happens: Must-See Short Videos on 21st Century Changes
4. Update on the K-12 "1001+ Flat World Tales" World Writing Project

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