#DITCHbook was created by Ditch That Textbook author Matt Miller. The chat focuses on innovative teaching ideas and disrupting standard textbook education.
Elizabeth McCartney, 2nd grade and technology integration model teacher from Davenport, IA! I listen to Kelly Clarkson to get me pumped and ready for the school day! #Ditchpoints#ditchbook
Hello! So excited to be here! Shalyn Steward, Teacher Librarian at Fillmore Elementary! On my drive to work I listen to Pandora! The selection varies every day #Ditchbook
Good evening, #ditchbook!!! Evan Mosier, Technology Integrationist Lead Teacher, Language Arts from Davenport, IA. Since my drive is about 5 minutes, it's usually just @SIRIUSXM. Occasionally a fantastic #DITCHPod episode!
Ohhhh... my drive to school... I usually listen to podcasts, but my drive this year is less than 3 minutes, so I won’t be able to finish a song!! #DitchBook
A1 I always encourage #JR2Proud teachers to bring their A game on day one. Breakout Edus, Flipgrid intro activities, building challenges, whatever they can think of! #DitchBook
This is happening RIGHT NOW!
Join us for a #BackToSchool#DitchBook chat tonight that will make you think ...
... and it's only 30 minutes! Hoping to see you. (Right now!) :)
🎒 Let's get Back to School 🏫 #Ditchbook style!
Join us TONIGHT 🌃 at 10PM 🕙 EST for a fantastic chat 💬 that is sure to get you geared ⚙ up and ready to start 🚀 your year off with a BANG! 💥
@jmattmiller
A1: This year I am completing a room transformation on Day 1! The day will be filled with activities that allow us to get to know each other through stories, games and a little glow in the dark! 😎 #Ditchbook
A1. I read everyone poops and the gas we pass for read aloud. We talk about bathroom and passing gas and then go over etiquette around it moving forward. Why should we feel like we hold it in? #ditchbook
A1: I do my best to make it just as much about the Ss as it is me. I will preview the class a little, but the first few days are HUGE for relationship building and starting off positive. #Ditchbook
#ditchbook Hi! Jen, a MS Sci teacher from MO! :) I listen to whatever my kids want to sing along to (and this way they sing and not bicker! Win!) ...right now lots of the Newsies soundtrack or Moana soundtrack.
A1: I always try to do a team building game, or @burgessdave playdough activity. This year for stats, I'm doing a big hook activity with a quick stats project. #ditchbook
#ditchbook A1: 2 things. 1. The first week students answer questions which determine where they sit. I observe their interactions as my leaders emerge. 2. This year I will be having students introduce themselves to me and each other via #flipgrid!
A1: I always tried to memorize at least every kids first name by the end of day 1. I make it a priority to get to know them. Then we came up with class rules together and I allow them to pick the seat that they will learn best in #Ditchbook
A1: By doing activities that put students first! Interest inventory is a must! That let’s them know that I value them and what they like will be used to help them learn and grow all year! #ditchbook
A1: first I hate just talking at student about how we will do class and instead like to jump straight into learning with some collaborative challenges and problem solving. #DitchBook
A1: I make it about the students! We do tons of get to know you activities! I create a set of challenges that they have to collaborate together to solve the mystery! #DitchBook
A1: I like to get kids excited to come back on day 2 so I'll have them draw rocks to put them on a team and do an interactive activity like a portion of a Breakout challenge (first day is only half day). #Ditchbook
A1: Music, active learning about each other and the teacher. Collaborative activities and games. Perhaps show motivational messages from past Ss on @Flipgrid Be positive and engaged. #DitchBook
A1: I have some fun @flipgrid activities to get Ss engaged in our welcome back activities. Great way for them to share ideas without having to come in front of everyone... and to teach tech expectations! #DitchBook
#ditchbook A1: Our school adopts a building-wide day of activities tailored to each grade level (ex: 6th graders get more locker combo training time than 8th graders) We review school climate & expactations in a fun way with team building activities!
A1: Guns N Roses started with "Welcome to the Jungle." I wanted to start my class with the same level of energy and intensity. We played board games to crank up our brains. I even blogged about it. #ditchbookhttps://t.co/xZnxRpB5rf
A1: Got to get started with building relationships and learning about each other. As must know first that you care about them and then care about the learning. Have fun, play a game, do an exciting experiment! #ditchbook
👋🏼 Hey #Ditchbook ! Jenn, Innovation Coach with @ArcadiaUnified ! Dropping in for a little bit tonight!
🤠 I’m a country music 🎧🎶 fan, rockin’ out on my way to work!
A1: I'm BIG into starting Day 1 without focusing on the rules. They get rules all day from everyone else.
Instead, make class MEMORABLE. And build relationships! #DitchBook
A2 We use Flipgrid to say what we are looking forward to. We have used Slides to make an about me presentation (they learn about the tool too). #DitchBook
A2: I love the idea of an Ice Breaker @Flipgrid. Additionally, a Google Doc Reflection assignment, or a Slides vision board (Thanks, @ShakeUpLearning) to get to know the Ss further can be beneficial! #Ditchbook
A2: I'm super excited this year because I am bringing in robotics the first couple of days with Bee-Bots! and then who knows maybe Dot and Dash might stop by! #DitchBook
A1. I have my 3rd graders imagine the senses that come to mind of a perfect school and draw it. Then we discuss and empower them to be the change agents to move our school close to their vision #DitchBook
A2: We don't get our technology until 2 weeks in so it makes using it at the beginning difficult. I start by making Bitmojis and telling students about how we'll use them. #ditchbook
A2: I’d start with google classroom since that is what will be the main tool we will use. Also like to do something fun like @polleverywhere or @plickers#DitchBook
Completely agree!!! I love getting to know the Ss on a different level, asking them what they wanna be when they grow up, their dream job, or what their proud of. Relationship building beyond the basics! #Ditchbook
In reply to
@gwena_walker, @Flipgrid, @ShakeUpLearning
A2: I would use @Flipgrid or @quizlet Live. Both of these platforms can be used for individual or collaborative feedback/informal assessment. Good way to get to know Ss and check their prior knowledge. Blind @GetKahoot lesson would be fun too. #DitchBook
A1: I always focused on getting to know my Ss. Team building and relationships first! 👊🏼
“They don’t care what you know, until they know that you care!”
#DitchBook
#ditchbook A2: I like to start with something quick and engaging like a Kahoot and then use Digital Turn and Talks to facilitate convos...this year I plan to use more Google Drawings for more creativity!
a2 part 2: I would like to do a @GetKahoot for the syllabus, as soon as I give it to them. So they have to find the info to answer. More fun than reading it. #ditchbook
A2- @Flipgrid to help get to know students and for students to get to know their classmates. @PearDeck
to hear every ss voice! Google for surveys!
#DitchBook
A2. @Flipgrid for introductions and 2 truths 1 lie; this year hope to use Slides and Frayer a Friend ala #Eduprotocols to create a shared collection of how Ss see/define themselves #DitchBook
A1: Start our with a smile and be genuinely happy to see Ss (they see through fakers!). Don’t immediately start with syllabus & expectations. We have plenty of time; don’t scare them off in day 1! #Ditchbook
A2:
⁉️Google Forms: Having kids take a quiz on how well they know their teacher! 👩🏼🏫
🖼 Google Drawings, have Ss draw a picture of something special about their summer vacation.
🚸Google Classroom: Get off on the right foot with disseminating info to Ss #DitchBook
A3: Green screen!! I like having Ss write their favorite thing from the summer then take a picture/video reading their note to share with Ps❤️ #DitchBook
A2: I really love the versatility of @Flipgrid and a good old #breakoutedu! Thinking about trying a #Fliphunt to combine Flipgrid with the game element! #ditchbook
A3: I challenge myself to memorize everyone’s first name, all 150+ of the@. I make it a game when I ask students if they think I can do it or not. And I keep going until I can do it correctly multiple times #Ditchbook
Yes ... please, please, please!
We'll be curating a BUNCH of the ideas from tonight's tweets in a blog post soon.
We'd LOVE to feature yours! #DitchBook
A3: I love the Geometry Notation project we created for out students. They blew us out of the water with creativity last year.
https://t.co/chAzncgtBO#ditchbook
A2: I'm going to 2nd @sdtitmas w/the what I wish my teacher knew @Flipgrid &/or other activities like 2 truths & a lie for a fun way to get to know each other. #Ditchbook
A3! Help! I am here tonight looking for new innovative ways. As a new “specialist” to my building I need new ideas rather than what I used to rely on! #ditchbook
A3: in my Teen Leadership class, I act like I am an airplane. I fly around the room then crash on the floor and "swim" across room to a desert island. I then present class with a list of 10 characters; only 5 can be rescued. They must decide who and why. #discussion#ditchbook
A3: I'm really hoping to incorporate student @Bitmoji images this year. Save them to their Drive, then insert them into assignments as a creative, engaging activity! #Ditchbook
Good Reminder! While I want to dive in, we don’t have our 1:1 completely done before day 1. I don’t want Ss to miss out on experiences just because they don’t have their device! #ditchbook
A3 Stolen straight from #TLAP but I loved Dave’s play-dough activity. I also wonder how we could do something similar but incorporate collaboration👍 #DitchBook
We are going to do this too! I am making big posters with our school motto and then they get to decorate them so we can hang them up in our room! #ditchbook
A3: start a graffiti wall so students can use it to write there Goals they want to accomplish or a question they want to be able to answer for the first semester. #DitchBook
Q3: I teach tech & STEM so I like to use digital breakouts, escape rooms, & STEM building challenges. I also like using Legos & playdough to create something that represents you or is important to you. #Ditchbook
A3: The beginning of the year is a GREAT time to introduce sketchnoting!
✏️ Brain-friendly
✏️ Strong verbal/visual connection
✏️ Creative outlet
✏️ Teaches brevity
Resources: https://t.co/af0DMbo3E4#DitchBook
A2: Twitter: HS Ss love Twitter. I give them my handle & encourage them to follow me. I Tweet about their games/matches/performances so they see I care. I tweet out reminders for class happenings or fun quotes. #ditchbook
P.S. - on my ride to work I’m usually listening to whatever my 2-year-old had requested. These days it’s anything Disney and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”. Haha. #ditchbook
This is SO important to me too! Have you thought about having your kids record @flipgrid videos that allow them to tell you the correct way to pronounce their names and something they want you to know about themselves? #DitchBook
In reply to
@craigklement, @gwena_walker, @Flipgrid
I'm not entirely sure yet. Perhaps as an image next to their name on assignments. Or, as a way to insert them into a Google Slides presentation. Or, if I get the crazy nerve, curate them all and make a class @Bitmoji picture! #Ditchbook
A1: Our first day is always getting to know you activities. We did a school tour because I always got new kids who had never been on our campus before and - teaching SPED - it was a good refresher for the kids who were returning. #ditchbook
A3 As a computer 💻 science teacher I LOVE letting my kids create something fun with @scratch. With the new 3.0 update and the @microbit_edu integrations I can not WAIT to start this year!!! 💥
Check out these awesome activity cards! https://t.co/EIx6byGhkv#ditchbook
Being “called” to be a teacher doesn’t mean you’re called to be a door mat. Use your voice to advocate for the needs of your students & the profession. It will allow you to fulfill your call even more. #TeachSC#Ditchbook
A4: I’m doing the scrabble 4 Ps activity this year. Various scrabble letters at tables. They find others and must creat a 4 P s marketing idea for the word they form #ditchbook
A2: This year we dived right into getting on the Chromebooks - all of my K-3 kiddos! After learning to sign in, we showed them Google Classroom and Flipgrid. They were hooked and we weren’t waiting for November to introduce technology. #ditchbook
A4: as a class we make up our class norms and goals. Post them on large post it paper on the wall and revisit periodically throughout the year #ditchbook
A4 Stem challenges in the past. This year I found an activity where the students make a circle out of a piece of printer paper and have to get their whole body through!! Definitely want to try this!! #Ditchbook
A4: We do a @breakoutEDU box where we talk about working together and solving problems! It is so incredible to build community! We also write positive and encouraging notes to one another, and do a “the best part of me” activity! #Ditchbook
I do a lot of read alouds from @peterhreynolds and we make ish cards and dots and paper airplanes and celebrate creativity and making mistakes that work #DitchBook
A4 I like the idea of Frayer model get to know yous discussed in #EduProtocols. Things like draw your ideal pet. Group everyone by that and discuss why. #DitchBook
A4: definitely @Flipgrid to introduce themselves and share something they did in the summer. I also like @breakoutEDU especially for team building! #DitchBook
A4: Simple relationship building activities! 2 Truths and a lie is so basic, but a fun activity. I think doing that using @Flipgrid would be cool, too! #Ditchbook
Twitter is awesome ... and you don't even need the app to create the experience!
Check out this Google Slides Twitter template. No Twitter account necessary!
https://t.co/ZCt5fWMGpR#DitchBook
A2: Twitter: HS Ss love Twitter. I give them my handle & encourage them to follow me. I Tweet about their games/matches/performances so they see I care. I tweet out reminders for class happenings or fun quotes. #ditchbook
A4:
🔒 It’s already been mentioned, but @breakoutEDU is always great for hands-on learning and team building! Will be doing the Growth Mindset BreakOut with @MrsTedei ‘s classes!
#DitchBook
More than likely they already have one! Then, they would save that image to their phone. Then, save it to their Google Drive. Then, insert an Image from Drive each time they need to put it in. I could see some students creating entire folders of their bitmojis! #Ditchbook
A4: I love getting started right away with #pbl let them jump straight into collaborating and creating ideas. It sets a great tone for the classroom culture as well. Our room not my room. #DitchBook
Thank you 💛 for joining us tonight for #DitchBook chat 💬
We are so glad you came 😀
Remember 💭 to follow others and build your PLN!
Have a WONDERFUL start to the school 🏫 year!
