NEW Class Pet

The students were introduced to our school's adorable addition which has lit up our lives since we met yesterday.  There were "oohs" and "aahs" when he (?) performed a trick or listened to commands.  The kids spent the better part of the morning chasing him around the gym, picking him up and carrying him around. He has lots of energy for about 60 minutes but then needs a nap to "recharge".  

The kids want him to become our class pet even though he belongs to the whole school. They're even thinking of teaching him some new tricks like delivering attendance to the office.

His name is *Sphero® and we met at a Tech Summit hosted by our neighbouring high school, FJ Brennan.

*I am in no way affiliated with the Sphero® company or founders and am not being compensated for this post.  I'm just blogging the observations I had, as an educator of 12 year olds, on the particular day that they were introduced to this technology genius.  Sorry!  I'm trying to present an unbiased view...maybe failing?

Although Sphero® is a robotic toy, he seemed to provide many of the same benefits as an actual pet.

1.  Builds Family Bonds:  We often refer to our class as a family.  When working with Sphero®, the kids were focused on activities they could do together.  They collaborated and shared creative ideas.  Towards the end of the day, a group of 5-6 kids revisited Sphero® in the hopes of programming him using MakeyMakey®.  That was taking everything they had learned at the Tech Summit and bringing it to the next level!

2.  Helps with Learning:  Enough said!  Like a pet with paws, Sphero® is non-judgemental and this is encouraging to students.  Every student had an entry level into the technology of this robot.  How it performed was limited only by their imagination.

3.  Encourages more Physical Activity:  Kids are using a computer device to make Sphero® go.  When first introduced to him, they wanted to see how fast he could move and so, spent time, chasing him around the gym.  Like "pet parents" in the dog parks, while running around after their own Sphero®, these kids did ask about other groups' Sphero® so it was a bridge between less social students because they were communicating!

*added bonus?  no clean-up required!

After exploring with Sphero®, yesterday, one of the students is trying to spark a movement to convince our principal that a 12-pack of Sphero® ($1700 CDN) would make a top notch investment.  I see persuasive writing, campaign writing, poster propaganda, ads written for announcements as an attempt to win her over!

Are your students on the ball? 

~MissBrooks

Making Connections

This class (well, teacher) has had a blog since forever, joined Twitter and YouTube in 2014 and has been using Remind App since that same time.

We are social media embracers and have been embraced.  Here are some of our stats:

• Our YouTube channel has 75 followers and 20, 935 views.  Interestingly, about half of those views (12,244) are for a video we made called "Canadian Kids Try Swedish Candy" after having a Google Hangout with a classroom in Sweden and receiving some treats from them though the mail.
• This blog has had 3,493 visits since it went up in late 2015.
• This year, most parents (18 of my 21 students) have opted for Remind App notices over traditional agendas.
• We've tweeted 543 times on Twitter.

But, have we really connected?

The world is a big place and what we do in the classroom has the potential to affect others and make a positive impact on different people.  The student should NOT be writing or creating to impress the teacher.  With that in mind, we've set out to make connections with people we're meeting through Social Media or using Social Media to connect with those we'd like to meet. 

We are currently involved in the MasterCard Memorial Cup Draft with other Windsor schools from across all three boards.  We drafted Regina Pats and connected with them on Twitter on Thursday, Jan 26.   The following Monday, we received a package filled with Pats' swag!

The students, in a way to connect with our adopted team, each searched Google for an inspirational quote that would be included in a poster that we mailed out today.  We hope that Regina fulfills their dream of making it to the Memorial Cup this May because it's being held here, in Windsor!  

The poster was too big to get in one shot!

Just the other day, our vice principal handed me a signed copy of "The Secret Path" by Gord Downie with illustrations by Jeff Lemire.  

I already owned a copy and the students had studied "The Stranger" poem/lyrics while watching the video. We had used it to springboard conversations about residential schools in Canada and writing from a native child's perspective; namely, that of Chanie Wenjack.  

Why did this treasure came into our hands?   

The VP walked into our room the same day that I challenged the kids to decide who, in the real world, would be interested in hearing their Chanie Wenjack stories.  They decided that Jeff Lemire and Gord Downie might be interested to know that their work ("The Secret Path") had made an impact on students and also Chanie's sister, Pearl may be happy to hear that his story continues to be shared so many years after his death. We excitedly explained that we were writing letters to one of these three people and sharing our own stories with them.  The VP let us know that she was a friend of the sister of Jeff Lemire (he's from Windsor-Essex originally and his sister works for our same school board) and that she would try to get his autograph.  Which she did! 

These are only two examples of the positive impact social media has had on our classroom in the last month.  The biggest evolution has been the students approaching assignments with a bigger purpose.  If a student is no longer trying to create to please a teacher but because they are authentically engaged and wishing to share their ideas with the world, imagine the impact they will make!

How are you connecting with others in your classrooms?

~MissBrooks