In September I explain to students they will be embarking on
an adventure of discovery. Each month students had the opportunity to research
either an assigned topic or a topic of choice (with teacher permission) and
present what they learned about the topic to their classmates and parents. When
I first announced this, I got the bug eye look for most of the students. I am
sure anxiety levels when through the roof, and some parents might have not been
thrilled with this monthly assignment. I have watched students struggle with
speaking in front of an audience to now standing up with confidence, sharing
their work proudly. I have witnessed students learn how to use Google Slides as
a presentation tool. Students have gone from passive presenters to active presenters,
engaging audiences in various activities from making a kite, to an assembly
line, playing instruments, and doing experiments. Our lives have been enriched,
our learning has been enhanced, and our students have been empowered throughout
our investigations. I am so proud of our agents. I asked each child to reflect
on his or her growth from September to now and each student had an answer for
me. I am looking forward to the remaining DQs in May. This was our voyage into
genius hour, Google’s 20% time, and the power of choice and voice. Thanks to
all the parents for support and allowing their student to discover new things
independently. Our students are ready to present to 100s if they wanted to.
If any of you want to see my presentation today I shared The
Doob. I decided to research what a Doob actually was as the students told me
they made it up. Did you know the Doob is actually a store where you can 3D
print yourself? Check it out here!
I also talked about the power of the World Wide Web and
speaking up. A teacher tweeted to Orange Leaf asking for furniture for his
class. He got it!
You never know something unless you
ask! I hope our agents continue to ad ovate for themselves!
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