Sometimes a post pops up into your twitter feed that inspires you to create something. This is what happened with Heather Lister posted about a website called the Breaking News Generator, and suggested to use it to create fake news posts. I immediately thought about the "Two Truths and a Lie" game where participants have to determine which two statements are true and which statement is a lie. It also reminded me of the books by Laurie Ann Thompson and Ammi-Joan Paquette, as well as my Amazing Makerspace True Books.
So I set out to create a Flipgrid topic using these "Breaking News" posts as the prompts. Take a look at the finished product.There are several ways to transform images into videos, but this is how I did it. Follow the steps to create your own.
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3. Since Flipgrid only always video submissions in .MOV. .MP4, and .WEBM format you must create a video file. First I take my image and use https://giphy.com to create a GIF. I like doing this because I can add stickers, text, and drawings to my images. This animation really gets students' attention. If you create a free account you, you will be able to save and access your GIF's online.
Here is my finished GIF.
4. Now go to https://ezgif.com/gif-to-mp4 to convert your GIF's to MP4 files so that you can upload them to Flipgrid.
5. Create a grid called "Two Truths and a Lie," and then create separate topics for each activity. Upload your videos to responses to the prompt. You can either provide links to resources and databases, or require that your students locate their own as evidence. Share the link to the topic that you would like your students to focus on. After your students research the statements, they will determine which two of the three statements are true and which is a lie. Then they will record their reply to your response giving their opinion with evidence and citing their sources. Empower your students and encourage them to create their own "Two Truths and a Lie" Flipgrid activities.
BREAKING NEWS - FLIPGRID UPDATE
You'll be excited to learn that soon you can bypass the above hacks and just import your own images as stickers. Check it out!
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Put your teachers in the driver's seat. Create a Breakout EDU (physical or digital), create Wakelet collections of apps, web tools, articles, or teaching strategies for them to discover. When they document their learning with Flipgrid they can earn their next clue. Try this at your next faculty meeting or conference day. Check out the "Epic Breakout EDU Appsmash Challenge" that Melissa Bazner and I created for ISTE 2019:
https://conference.iste.org/2019/program/search/detail_session.php?id=112201625
One day after school in my library as I was cleaning up and getting ready to leave, I discovered that the pen that had been left at the circulation counter for students to sign in with had been misplaced again. Pens were a commodity since they had a habit of rolling off the counter, or being indefinitely "borrowed." I remembered seeing pens with feathers attached to the top of them in my colleague's classroom to prevent pens from being misplaced. I had the solution! I quickly ran to my computer and printed out a few copies of the QR code for our library book recommendations Flipgrid, laminated them, and attached them to the tops of some pens. I didn't need to replace the pens until the ink ran out, and the QR code was a reminder to share their favorite books with one another.
And I snuck a few reminders into new books when I processed them too...
So excited to speak about QR codes at the Flipgrid booth in the ISTE 2019 Expo hall...
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With the new Flipgrid AR (augmented reality) your videos will come alive!
Create a MixTape for each of your students, combining their responses from various topics during the school year.
Kick it Old School with MixTapes □
□You pick what goes on your MixTape (any video Response from any of your Grids).□You set the order you want Responses to play.□MixTapes are view-only and can be shared anywhere.□Your community can Follow your MixTapes and receive an email when new videos are added. Ready to get rocking?
MixTape CoPilots are coming! This will make it even easier for teachers to create digital portfolios for their students.
Password protect those MixTapes so only friends and family can view them.
Create student ID badges.
Scan Student ID Badges with QR Codes for Easy Access
If your students don't have Microsoft or Google accounts, Flipgrid makes it easy to secure your Grid using Student IDs! Educators can add or edit their Student ID List at anytime and print out the...
Save time, and download multiple QR response codes at once.
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If you've never seen art teacher Cassie Stephens' clothing creations, you are missing out! Inspired by famous artists, Cassie is the Ms. Frizzle of the art classroom. You can check out her cool creations on her blog here:
Cassie Stephens
An elementary art teacher blog with art projects and lessons, DIY projects and outfit photos as well as clothing I have made myself.
Well, I'm no seamstress and certainly no artist. In fact, I'm more at home with a hot glue gun and some Velcro. But I do enjoy fun clothes and accessories. So what are some of my favorite things?
I wore these space-themed Mary Jane flats by Hot Chocolate Design to the National Week of Making in Washington, D.C. in June 2016. This composition notebook inspired tote was the perfect way to carry my belongings while touring the national monuments. They made everyone I met smile!
I have to admit that I'm a bit of a hack. How did I make this pair of fancy footwear for Flipgrid Live in 2018? By gluing stickers and adding green shoelaces. There's no place like Flipgrid!
I've just discovered a new online clothing line called Svaha, that is based in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. With an upcoming presentation at the Beth Yeshurn Day School Young Authors Celebration in Houston, Texas and a full day workshop with librarians through the Alberta School Learning Commons I was searching for library-themed clothes that were fun, comfortable, and easy to pack. This book print skirt and typewriter key skirt fit the bill. And for a bonus, both included deep pockets...perfect for carrying a pair of scissors and a roll of duct tape for my maker activities! Use my referral link to receive 20% off an order of $50 or more:
http://i.refs.cc/d5pfWKhd?smile_ref=eyJzbWlsZV9zb3VyY2UiOiJzbWlsZV91aSIsInNtaWxlX21lZGl1bSI6IiIsInNtaWxlX2NhbXBhaWduIjoicmVmZXJyYWxfcHJvZ3JhbSIsInNtaWxlX2N1c3RvbWVyX2lkIjoyNzg5ODQwNTZ9 |
How could I attend the National Week of Making Kickoff Celebration at the White House without making my own pocketBOOK?
One of my favorite hacks is inspired by a librarian I saw at a conference years ago. She had the brilliant idea of collecting author signatures on a tote bag that resembled a library card. This library card scarf by Out of Print has been traveling with me for about a year and a half and is embellished by the signatures of authors I meet. It's lightweight, easy to pack, and always sparks a conversation
What do you collect when you are on vacation? Do you bring home postcards, ornaments, Starbucks mugs, magnets, or t-shirts? I collect pressed pennies that you make from those crank or automated machines. The problem is that there really wasn't a way for me to display my collection until I realized that I could make jewelry with them. If you are really talented and have patience you can create your own jewelry from scratch using copper wire and findings. I cheated and purchased a few copper-colored necklaces, hole-punched my pennies, and attached them with jump rings. You can do it too, with these hole punch pliers:
https://www.beaducation.com/p/293-jewelry-making-tools-metal-hole-punch-plier-1-8mm-hole |
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Some years ago, my friend and colleague Claudia Leon and I brought our NYS Liberty Partnerships students on a field trip to the Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park, Long Island. We brought with us:
- wooden toys donated by adviser Steve Kaplan and the students of his Toy Making Club
- pantry items donated by adviser Mary Lapid and the students of the National Honor Society
- True Hope cancer dolls that our students had purchasing through fundraising
- and hats that I had knitted for babies
This year I had been speaking to a group of students about the Ronald McDonald House and what an impact that field trip made. At the same time, a new program was being promoted by DonorsChoose.org and the Born This Way Foundation, led by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, to support mental and emotional wellness. As an advocate for student voice to empower children to become agents of change, I had used the Flipgrid video recording tool for our SLIME event's Make a Difference Charity Pitch Fest. With all of these in mind, tt was time to write a new project with my students:
"Many of us visit the library because it is a place where we can relax and meet with our friends during free time. Our library has a classroom area, a reading lounge, and a makerspace. We even have exercise bikes that we ride on when we read. Our "Kids Kindness Kart" that has supplies so we can make things for others. During a day of working so hard, it's nice to visit the library and make things with our friends like toys for shelter dogs, cards for sick kids, and kindness rocks. Mrs. Holzweiss told us about the Ronald McDonald House, a place where families stay when their children are in the hospital. We want to help these families to cheer them up, and to know that people are thinking about them. We know that it's hard when people you love are sick, so we can take turn our pain into something positive.
If this project is funded we will have the supplies that we need to create beautiful works of art, and enjoy the wonderful smells and sounds of the library. After we paint our pictures, we are going to record video messages of hope with the Flipgrid app. Then we will print the QR code and attach it to the back of the artwork before we give them to the families at the Ronald McDonald House. They will have the artwork and a video to remind them when they need cheering up. If they want, they can even respond to our videos. We can do some awesome things together! This can make our school and the whole world a better place."
A few students participated by creating works of art in the library during their free periods, but I soon realized that it would take quite some time to paint 100 pieces of artwork to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. And so how it usually happens in the library, one thing leads to another...
My colleague Amy Scognamillo, a 6th grade ELA teacher, explained how she had been reading the picture books We're All Wonders by R.J. Palacio and Malala's Magic Pencil by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai with her students so that they could develop not only literacy skills, but also empathy. Listening to Amy speak was magical!
I explained my idea of this Ronald McDonald House art project to complement her lessons, and Amy immediately agreed to join me. For three days, my library was transformed into an art studio. With paints, crayons, markers, canvases, and brushes Amy's students created heartwarming messages of hope and inspiration. They not only learned ABOUT empathy, but they were given the opportunity to make a difference with their hands, hearts, and minds.
This project is particularly special for both Amy and me. Today is the 19th anniversary of her mother Marie's passing, and the 13th anniversary of my sister Laryssa's passing. I thank Amy not only for collaborating with me as a colleague, but the gift of making a difference with her and her students.
Click here to view the student messages: https://flipgrid.com/6af621
ON THE ROAD...
I love to travel. Meeting people and seeing new places is always exciting, but when it also includes a Day of Making then I get REALLY energized! After 5 hours in my car soaking in the beautiful upstate NY scenery followed by a delicious dinner with Diana Wendell, SLS Director & CIS Coordinator of Madison-Oneida BOCES, and her wonderful colleagues I was ready for a full day of collaborating, sharing, and learning!
AN ARTICLE BY MADISON-ONEIDA BOCES...
I enjoy connecting with other teachers and librarians across New York State. I find that our situations and goals are more similar than different, and it gives me a good perspective on what is going on in libraries and classrooms off Long Island.
CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR VIDEOS...
From these videos you can see what great sports these librarians and teachers were. I am confident that their students are in good hands, by seeing how creative and open-minded these educators are. They really know what it means to have fun learning again!
ROLLING OUT A NEW BRAG TAG PROGRAM...
We all have those teachable moments in our lives, and this was one of them for me. But it was also a learning moment. During this workshop I was able to beta test my new "brag tags" program. Combining ideas from Brad Flickinger's Reward Learning With Badges: Spark Student Achievement, a discussion with my new friend Wanda Terral at Edcamp USA last month, and a request by Diana to incorporate standards into our workshop.....tada....I now know how to document learning during my Genius Hour program! Not only did I give brag tags during activities, but the participants gave them to one another and even themselves. Now, that's empowered learning!
Here are my Brag Tags for AASL and ISTE Standards. You can add Common Core Standards, if you like.
BLING YOUR BADGE...
"Bling Your Badge" is an introductory activity that combines low tech creativity and simple circuits. With paint markers, clear badges, lanyards, LED's, coin batteries, and tape participants created badges that showcased their personalities. This simple activity has so much learning "bang for your buck"!
MARBLE RUN...
So Dollar Tree was already out of pool noodles, but on a quick stop to Home Depot I was able to pick up some pipe insulation. It may have been more expensive, but the foam was SO much easier to cut and manipulate. This group were my guinea pigs, and such troopers! I had never done this with a group of educators during a workshop, but I plan to always make this an activity. Through collaborating, communicating, and critical thinking magic truly happened as individuals formed pairs, then teams, and then worked together as a full group. The dynamics that I witnessed during this activity truly made my heart sing. :)
"JUNK IN A BAG" CHALLENGE...
When my little sister used to come home from birthday parties, my mom would ask her how the party went. After sharing details about the games and the cake, my sister would inevitably rummage through her goody bag. Or as she would call it..."$%&^* in a bag." So, I've modified this challenge for schools and call it "Junk in a Bag." What are the rules?
- You may use as many of the 5 items as you need to for the particular challenge. In this case, the participants could use an unlimited amount of tongue depressors, craft foam, coffee filters, rubber bands, and pipe cleaners.
- Adhesives (glue, duct tape, scotch tape), tools (scissors, box cutters, glue guns), and decoratives (markers, crayons, and stickers) are freebies.
- You are allowed to use ONE more additional item that DOES NOT cost more than $5. Since I had so many goodies in my bag, bonus choices included pieces of soda cans, glow sticks, clothespins, pony beads, and paint chips.
BLOXELS VIDEO GAME DESIGNER...
When my little sister used to come home from birthday parties, my mom would ask her how the party went. After sharing details about the games and the cake, my sister would inevitably rummage through her goody bag. Or as she would call it..."$%&^* in a bag." So, I've modified this challenge for schools and call it "Junk in a Bag." What are the rules?
- You may use as many of the 5 items as you need to for the particular challenge. In this case, the participants could use an unlimited amount of tongue depressors, craft foam, coffee filters, rubber bands, and pipe cleaners.
- Adhesives (glue, duct tape, scotch tape), tools (scissors, box cutters, glue guns), and decoratives (markers, crayons, and stickers) are freebies.
- You are allowed to use ONE more additional item that DOES NOT cost more than $5. Since I had so many goodies in my bag, bonus choices included pieces of soda cans, glow sticks, clothespins, pony beads, and paint chips.
BREAKOUT EDU...
Kristina A. Holzweiss
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