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- 👨💼 Update on my return to the classroom
👨💼 Update on my return to the classroom
Plus the Caption This activity and more!
Matt Miller
April 03, 2024
Halfway through the semester …
A quick update on my classroom experience …
Back story: I taught high school Spanish for 11 years. Then I started doing Ditch That Textbook full-time — which I’ve done for eight years.
Then a temporary Spanish teaching position opened up at the school where my daughters attend — and where my wife teaches. It was just for a semester. I missed teaching and wanted to spend time with my family at school. So I agreed — and I started in January!
Now, today: We just wrapped up the third nine-weeks and are starting the final grading period. Some observations:
I have seriously missed getting to interact with students on a day-to-day basis. It’s literally the best part of my day.
I didn’t realize it, but when I was working from home every day, I was facing some serious isolation and it was impacting me. Being at school, the social interaction — with students and teachers — has been so healthy for me.
I’m amazed at how students leave mechanical pencils on their desks or the floor. I mean, mechanical pencils were like gold when I was a student! I’m constantly picking them up. 🤣
When I started, I wondered how the cell phone battle would go. Eight years ago, cell phones weren’t as widespread. For me, honestly (and thankfully), it hasn’t been as pervasive as I worried it would be. Sure, I have to ask for earbuds out from time to time. But my students mostly get to work and do what they need to do.
I get to teach my sophomore daughter in my Spanish 2 class and it has been a joy. Thankfully, she’s a really good student, and her classmates in that class have been a lot of fun.
In today’s 💡 Big Idea, I share about an activity called Caption This. I’ve used variations of this in my classroom already this year. It’s one of my favorites!
Inside:
📰 News: Wakelet acquires digital portfolio platform bulb
👀 DTT Digest: AI cheating, eclipse, coloring
💡 The Big Idea: Caption This activity for Google Slides
🗄 Template: Map out the eclipse
😄 Smile of the day: Required subbing
👋 How we can help
📰 News: Wakelet acquires digital portfolio platform bulb
Content curation platform Wakelet announced today that they have acquired bulb - a leading platform for creating, showcasing and sharing digital portfolios reinforcing its commitment to supporting higher education and employment readiness.
Together with bulb, Wakelet is able to offer even more value to schools and districts looking to maximize student outcomes inside and outside the classroom.
👀 DTT Digest
4 teaching resources worth checking out today
🎙️NEW DLP Episode! When AI Cheating Isn't About AI — It has occurred to Matt and Holly that AI isn't the main culprit when it comes to AI cheating. The reasons that students use it go much deeper than that. In this episode of the Digital Learning Podcast, we examine some of the real reasons.
🌑ICYMI Solar Eclipse Explore Board from Lisa Highfill — This explore board is the perfect way to get your students geared up for this exciting event. It’s filled with links to activities, resources, videos, images and more.
📙ICYMI The Great North American Eclipse Book by Lisa Highfill — Prepare for the solar eclipse April 8, 2024 with this HyperDoc lesson packaged in a Book Creator Book. Students have the opportunity to explore concepts, then create a Book Creator book showcasing what they've learned.
☔️ April reading and coloring challenge — Jennifer LaGarde created these reading and coloring pages to help students relieve stress with some low stress challenges.
💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡
💬 Caption This activity for Google Slides
This is such a simple activity, but it’s still one of my favorites!
In the Caption This activity, students use an image related to what they’re learning. It could be …
Students then add speech bubbles and thought bubbles over the image to show what they people are saying / would say / must be thinking.
To add shapes in Google Slides, go to Insert > Shape > Callouts and choose speech/thought bubbles from the bottom row.
💡 TIP: Shapes have a built-in text box! Double-click the speech bubble to use it.
I love using Google Slides for this activity because it’s a simple app that lots of students are probably already familiar with. Plus, this activity is so simple, students probably don’t even need a pre-made template!
So … how can you use this?
You’ll find lots of suggestions in this blog post — Caption This! A fun, deep-thinking Google Drawings activity that I co-authored with Missouri teacher Laura Steinbrink. (It says Google Drawings but Google Slides works just as well.)
Or check them out below …
Ideas for using Caption This
1. What were they thinking? — In this image, I’ve pulled the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River.
Here’s what students could examine in the activity:
Based on what you’ve learned about this event, how do you think Washington was probably feeling? Show it in a thought bubble.
Washington was the leader. How do you think one of the soldier’s thoughts might have been different?
Use arrow shapes to identify Washington and other key people or items.
Justify your thinking: In a text box at the bottom, explain why you think those people would be thinking that.
2. Picture and take a stance — Laura uses this version, which goes in the opposite direction! Instead of adding speech bubbles to an image, she has students add an image to a speech bubble with a key quote from the story.
BONUS: Students can add a Bitmoji or emoji reaction.
You can get this very simple template in the Caption This blog post.
3. Annotate an image — This builds on the labeling part of the “What were they thinking?” activity above. Using simple shapes and arrows, annotate and describe what’s happening in an image.
In this example, I used rectangle shapes for text — and double-clicked the rectangle to add text to it. Then I used the line tool, adding an arrow on the end in the toolbar.
4. Make it a meme — One day, my daughter told me, “Dad, you know, sometimes my friends and I just communicate in memes.”
I knew that could cross over into the classroom!
Instead of using speech bubbles, have students add a line or two of text to create their own memes.
Use the font “Impact” (above), which has been a classic meme font for a long time.
That’s just the start!
Looking for more ideas? And templates to get you started?
Check out our post — Caption This! A fun, deep-thinking Google Drawings activity — to get started.
🗄 Template
🗺️ Map out the eclipse
Become an eclipse expert! This map from Kami will help you understand the path of the total solar eclipse.
Pair this map with one of the activities in our Solar Eclipse Wakelet Collection. This collection has resources broken up by grade level. There are teaching resources for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 as well as resources specific to viewing the eclipse.
😄 Smile of the day
Ohhhh, now that would be interesting …
h/t Teacher Related via Teacher Memes Facebook group
👋 How we can help
There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:
Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.
Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.
Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!
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