It Started With a #sketchnotefever Tweet

It started with a Tweet. One single tweet changed my students this morning, showing them that our classroom is not just four walls but the world around us. They learned people from all over the world want to learn with them and support them on their journey.

Our class has been deeply engrossed in learning about sketchnoting as a tool to visualize learning. This past week we have been participating in Sylvia Duckworth’s #Sketchnotefever activities, building a visual icon library to help us become better sketchnoters.  What we learned from her is you can use simple shapes like circles, dots, squares, and lines to create anything. Sketchnotes have to mean something to the sketcher, a symbol of meaning that can turn into a discussion point.

Yesterday during our 3A’s activity #Luke6 shared he appreciated Sylvia Duckworth for teaching us every morning with her tutorials. So, I asked him if I could share his comment with her.

I replied, and to my surprise she suggested maybe getting together with our class.

Then in matter of mere minutes we organized a visit with her this morning.

Unsuspecting students were challenged this morning to think of a question they might ask her. Then they learned about animal icons, and I was in awe listening to them guess the animal. Each student comes to school with varying perspectives and schemas of our world. Sketchnoting brings that out!

The next thing they knew Sylvia Duckworth appeared in our classroom to teach them live and in person. Jaws hit the floor. 

One student asked if we would be missing math today, and yes this was an important lesson to miss our math lesson. This was a life lesson that would be empowering and inspiring, as students got to hear from their expert. Providing authentic learning experiences for students brings a sense of excitement and curiosity to the classroom.

We played a quick guess we were game, and without maps our students adeptly figured out she was in Canada and even guessed her city! She figured out where we were in due time. Then she taught students how to sketch ten icons, discussing what the symbolism behind the sketch could be. A baby could represent growth, change, and power of life. A lightbulb could be an idea or something that is bright. A rocket ship could represent trying a new challenge or blasting off into the unknown.

Students were engaged and empowered, as I knew they would be the second she inquired about meeting with us. They all sent her a thank you tweet through me, and are continuing their conversation with Sylvia. We were honored she chose to spend time with us today and are forever grateful for that. We hope others will catch the #sketchnotefever and share their work and ideas on Twitter. You never know where a Tweet will take you!

 

What is Your Problem: A Visit to the Innovation Station

To kick off STEM week I brought our class to our school’s Innovation Station. It recently opened, and I was curious to see what students would do there. Our school’s innovation station is outfitted with various activities students can do from creating animations, using Makey Makey’s, coding with Scratch, exploring robotics, and engaging with Lego.

Last year I would bring our class down, assigning students to stations. Though they were interested in their activity I did not see the dynamic engagement I had hoped I would witness. I realized that students should choose where they go in the Innovation Station and have some flexibility in moving to the different activities.

Today I announced to students we would be heading down to the Innovation Station to begin STEM week. We discussed what STEM meant. Then I shared that most scientists and engineers start with a problem. I asked, “What is your problem?” They had to think about that question before choosing a station. 

As a class we shared examples of what a problem could be. Using a recent read aloud book, Beekle, students had to come up with the next part of the book at the animation station. Visiting the Lego robotics station, students could design a vehicle to go up a ramp. Dash and Dot were robots that could face an obstacle course and need to get around cones, balls, and other items. The problems were flowing!

Upon arriving, our principal was already in the room excitedly setting some things up. We talked about the possibilities students could encounter while working together. I then witnessed 60 minutes of engagement. 

I played a game one of our students coded using a basket and caught balls for points. He realized as I was playing maybe he should lower the point total to win (300 took a little while) and add a timer. Students were refining and reflecting on their design process without even realizing it! Other students decided to figure out how to get Dash and Dots to play Ring Around the Rosie. 

Several students created animations for our book hero, Beekle. They had to build sets and come up with scenes, using HUE animation to tell their story. A few students tirelessly tried to figure out how to make a Lego vehicle without the instruction manual or get a car to work with the power of a fan.

Regardless of the activity, students worked collaboratively to solve a problem. The Innovation Station in our school is a place for students to explore, play, imagine, create, design, fail, reflect, and laugh. We are very lucky to have a space that encompasses whole child learning, and I cannot wait to bring our class back!

Be Mindful of Your Twitter Followers

Twitter has been a fantastic resource not only for me professionally but also for our students to connect to a global community. I love the look on their faces when they send a tweet to an author, astronaut, or expert in a given field and get a response. We have used Twitter as a resource to learn and grow. It is a place to ask questions about our curiosities or collaborate with other classes on topics of interest. We share our work too in the hope that someone will learn from us! Twitter is a tool that helps us break down the four walls of our classroom and allows students to see possibility.

However, over the weekend I noticed I had close to 4500 Twitter followers and was curious to see who those people were. Sometimes my Twitter app on my phone does not show all notifications and I miss follows. Or in the haste of a day I might tell myself I will check that person out later and not always go back to it. As I went through the list of followers there were about 400 people I decided to block from seeing my account to protect students and their work. Twitter has less security settings than Facebook and Instagram when it comes to allowing people to connect.

It is important to be mindful of who you are letting into your Twitter world. Those of us at the forefront of using digital tools to connect must continue to model best practices for others. I decided to create a set of criteria about our Twitter followers. Educators, pre-service teachers, people I know personally, and educational companies through my work with MassCUE were the accounts I left. People with an egg head (no profile pic), zero Twitter activity in years, or missing identifying information and I did not know him or her in real life were blocked.  

Blocking Twitter followers does not make me an unkind person. I am trying to keep myself and students safe as we continue to navigate the world of social media. Anyone using Twitter should consider using a profile picture, background photo, and include information about him or herself in a bio. We also should be cognizant of who we allow to follow us if we are using the tool with students. I will continue to work on being a better monitor of this as my followers continue to grow. 

A Sketchnoting Odyssey

In trying to figure out a way to reach all learners I wanted to add a visual component to our learning called Sketchnoting. I had gone to several workshops on how to sketchnote and read Sylvia Duckworth’s book this summer on the topic. I loved her Rules for Sketchnoting!

Everyone can draw.

You will improve with practice.

About the ideas, not the art.

I spoke with Kim Zajac about my thoughts on using Sketchnoting as a tool to showcase learning to make student thinking visible. She suggested I use sketchnoting during Discovery Quests (DQs). I have never had a way to see what students learned from classmate’s during DQs besides informal observations and conversations. This was a fantastic idea!

I spent some time this summer figuring out how to teach sketchnoting to students. I created a slide presentation, using some gurus of sketchnoting to help me teach students. I then modeled using the word cooperation, as part of our CARES lessons.

Students were then asked to create their own sketchnote. We talked about how it has to make sense to them. They created sketchnotes made up of words, symbols, images, etc.

Students were engaged in their thinking process, reflecting on the word. Silence filled the room as they worked to share their ideas on cooperation.

On Day 3 we looked at student samples and used our independent reading time to sketchnote. Students are seeing sketchnoting as a way to share their thinking in any content area. We went over fonts, shapes, characters, and icons. Students will eventually build an icon library to help them with their sketchnotes.

Students will have time to practice their sketchnotes Friday as we delve into DQ presentations! I am so excited to see what students share with me about their thinking!