Arianna Lambert Digital Citizenship, Literacy, Media Literacy, Technology

Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Resources

I love it when a good plan comes together. I’m currently taking my Teacher-Librarian AQ and was recently tasked with creating a Digital Toolkit with resources for Digital Literacy. Considering October marks Media Literacy Week and Digital Citizenship Day, I thought it was serendipitous as it gave me the opportunity to reflect on past tools that I have used with students and consider what else I might use. In this post, I’m sharing the resource and a few other ideas that we might use with students. 

My Digital Toolkit

By no means is this an extensive list. I tried to get a few different types of resources to include in the toolkit – digital, books and a video. I also tried to include information for teachers and students. Click on the image below and you will be able to access a PDF version of the file. The links are live and will take you to the resource. 

Additional Resources

Listed below are a few other resources that I found particularly helpful when reflecting on activities I wanted to try with my students. Please check them out!

TDSB’s Digital Citizenship and Cyber Safety Guide – Resources for different panels of students and educators. Many include resources we have access to through the TDSB Virtual Library.

Lego Build and Talk – Great conversation starters for families around Digital Citizenship.  Lego Gloom Busters is an online activity to help children learn about online safety. Lego Doom the Gloom is an interactive experience to build online safety skills.  Lego Smart Dash is an online game to teach children how to make the internet a safer place.

PBS Learning Media – Digital Citizenship Lessons for a variety of grades

Media Smarts – Media Literacy 101 – Simple videos that support students in learning the key concepts of Media Literacy. Videos include a question or challenge at the end for students to consider what they have learned and/or a real-life application. 

While we’re close to saying goodbye to October, there’s an ongoing need for students to further develop their Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship skills. I hope that you may have found something new or useful to use with your students.

Will Gourley 21st Century Learning, Challenging Topics, Constant Learning, Curriculum Documents, Differentiated Instruction, General, Health & Safety, Literacy, Math, Professional Learning and Growth, self reflection, Start of the year, Wellbeing

P.A. day

Psst. The ‘s’ in P.A. is silent. Well that would be how many outside of education might see these days when staff are at schools while students frolic and faff about with their families. Nothing could be further from that misconception. I wonder if there are any educators left who can recall a time in their careers when these days didn’t exist. A quick search on the interwebs revealed very little information beyond some government pages. After this week’s learning, my full brain was not willing to click on for more.

It was a P.A. day in my school board and, in the spirit of “P.A.” days past, come with their share of work for educators at all phases of their careers. On the day’s menu: attention to countless operational matters, safety videos, wellness/mental health videos, and new curriculum/instructional insights. As anyone who has participated in this day in prior years this year’s “P.A..” day learning lineup seemed much more robust.

At my school, we met in the morning to discuss students at risk, sign off on safety plans, watch important video reminders related to our professional duty and safety. There we were 50+ together, synchronizing our minds on all aspects on so many important pieces to the puzzle picture we call education.

Hours of learning/refreshing our minds plus some prep time later, we were then given a chance to work through some fresh thinking on literacy and math by division. This included some instructional approaches to the new language curriculum, as well as some time to browse board curated math resources. With all the boxes ticked, there was just enough time for some planning during an afternoon prep time which included giving some feedback on an assignment.

It was a full day. As I worked through the day a couple of questions came to mind;
1a. Was this enough time to really allow the flood of content to permeate my cerebral space?
1b. If not, when do I find time to let that happen?
2. What was it like at other schools? How much time was spent in self-directed/exploratory activities around the new approaches in language and math? Was it enough? If there are others like me, when do we find that time to continue with this learning? Is there a life/work imbalance expected then?
3. With so much of the content prescribed from the system level, are there other approaches to consider in order to deliver the mandated compliance pieces while maximizing new learning opportunities?

For many of us, it is impossible to forget the stark differentiation between losing a finger or a toe and loss of limb in the Workplace Injury module, and those dearly departed ladder safety videos. I still wipe the rungs of my ladder because of them, even at home. Even as much of this familiar and important content has evolved, I felt overstimulated and overwhelmed with all of the learning that was prescribed for this “P.A.” day. Was I the only one? Was it the pace?

In the weeks and months to come, there will be more learning added, and I will have to proceed with it at my own pace as a learner. In some cases, it might already mesh with my learning style as I discovered that the suggested strategies for math learning have finally caught up with my teaching style.

I am happy to try out and learn new things, but even when I go to the grocery store and load up for a week or two, I have never cooked everything that was brought home for just one meal. That shared, it will be a couple of weeks before what I started will truly be processed and completed even though we were given a day. I guess this “elephant will be eaten one bite at time” (adapted from Desmond Tutu).

Kelly.McLaughlin Celebrating Success, Inclusion, Inspiring Teachers, Literacy, Professional Learning and Growth, self reflection, Teacher Appreciation, Wellbeing, Year End Reflection

Celebrations

Congratulations, you did it! We all made it through another year and are now on our much deserved summer vacation. This calls for a celebration! Yesterday at my school’s final PA day of the year, we were asked to reflect and share with our table-top the celebrations of the year. Things that have happened that we can positively reflect on. After everyone shared in the small groups, we were asked to share with our entire staff. It’s funny that with 10-12 different table groups, almost everyone shared the same general ideas. I am sure as you read this, hopefully you will also be able to share in the same celebrations. 

Reasons to celebrate the 2022-2023 school year:

  1. Student growth- the common idea amongst us all was that students grew from September to June. Not only with their reading, writing, etc. but their character developed. Behaviours settled down and students matured as the year went on. We were all able to identify a specific student that amazed us, specifically with their personal growth. I shared about a student who found it challenging to come to school last school year but thrived this year in a new classroom environment. Tears came to my eyes sharing about how proud I am of this student as his personal growth inspired me in so many ways.
  2. Writing- teachers shared about how their students could only write a few words at the beginning of the year but by the end, were writing stories by the end of a school day. I can also relate to this as I have so many students who doubled their writing samples by the end of June. 
  3. Reading- our school’s plan this year was small group guided instruction and we especially focused on this in our language classrooms. Many  of us noticed the impact this had on our students, focusing on phonics really allowed our students to grow as readers. Many of the primary  teachers worked with programs that helped their students read. They noticed large gains and were so excited to share the success that the reading specialist and these programs helped them to achieve. We are continuing with this goal next year and I look forward to starting small reading groups in September. My class especially amazed me with their reading abilities, decoding at grade level and making connections to what they read. 
  4. Making good memories- with the year having minimal disruptions, students had a hard time picking just one memory to share that was their favourite. Opportunities were available again for students to make memories and they were all so excited to share during the last few days of school. When my own students shared this was their favourite year of school, I was so happy to hear! I look forward to creating new memories in September. 
  5. Feeling like a family- something that I am personally celebrating is that feeling of togetherness that every educator hopes to achieve with their class. By the end of June, I can fully look back on the year and say we achieved it. With respect, random groupings, positive affirmations and weekly celebrations, I know that everyone felt that our class was a family. This feeling made the final bell especially hard to hear on the last day of school. However, I look forward to next year and hope to achieve that same feeling again. 

As we reflect on our successes from the year, they are probably some things we wish to “leave behind”. Whether it be a project, a mindset or a seating plan style that we didn’t quite like, it’s important that we don’t dwell on the negative, but look at the positives. I encourage you all to make a list of things that you want to celebrate from this year and think about it during your much deserved summer break. See you in September!

 

Arianna Lambert Literacy, Math, Outdoor Learning, physically active, Science, Year End Activities

Ideas for Learning in June

June is finally upon us. It might just be me but I sometimes find it hard to compete with the warm weather and the idea that summer is fast approaching. With cut-off dates for report cards set for early June in many boards across Ontario, keeping the learning going all month long can be challenging. In this post, I’m sharing some ideas that might make things a little easier as we work towards keeping learners engaged over the last few weeks of the school year.

Literacy – Podcasts

I’m a huge fan of listening to podcasts and over the years, I’ve seen first-hand how much students also enjoy listening to them. Here’s a list of some podcasts that I have listened to with students that have been a hit:

Six Minutes

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian

Podcast listening is great but you might be wondering what else you might do beyond listening. 

Here are a few ideas:

  1. Have students draw what they hear as they listen to an episode of a podcast. In some series, the podcast is describing the setting. Have students draw what they imagine the setting would look like. For example, Mars’ room or The Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station where Finn and his friends live. 
  2. Have students make predictions and explain why they made their predictions. When finished, ask them to compare what they thought would happen to what really happened.
  3. Have students consider one thing that they might change in an episode and share how that might affect future episodes or change the entire podcast.
  4. Have students compare themselves to a character. How are they similar? How are they different? 
  5. In most of the above podcasts, there’s some form of tech involved. Give students materials and have them build a prototype of the tech. What improvements would they add to solve a particular problem for one of the characters in the podcast?

The ideas are endless! Take a listen and see what you and your students might come up with!

Literacy – What’s Going On in This Picture?

I’ve been a long-time fan of The New York Times’ What’s Going on in This Picture? Simply put, this site is a compilation of interesting New York Times images that have been stripped of their captions, and an invitation to students to discuss them by answering 3 questions:

  1. What is going on in this picture?
  2. What do you see that makes you say that?
  3. What more can you find?

When I have done these with students in the past, I’ve found that in the beginning, students are quick to provide an answer without sharing much of the reasoning behind their answer but as time goes on, I have found that many students take the time to really analyze the picture so as to justify their responses. I found this simple activity a great way to get the day started and get students thinking about inferences. 

Numeracy – Which One Doesn’t Belong?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of math and love a great math talk. When students are able to share what they know or are able to justify their thinking, I get excited. Which One Doesn’t Belong offers a great opportunity for students to share their thinking around a variety of Math concepts, often leading to some rich conversations as they battle it out to ultimately prove, which one doesn’t belong. In the past, I have printed out images from the site and added them to chart paper or to the whiteboard for students to come up and add their thoughts and ideas. Because the only way to get a wrong answer is to not justify your thinking, I’ve found that some of my most reluctant mathematicians are eager to participate and are often the first to write out their stickie notes and add them to the image that doesn’t belong.   

Numeracy – Coding

There are so many resources out there for coding. From guided activities on Code.org to lessons in Minecraft, there are so many possibilities for helping students to solve problems and create computational representations of mathematical situations by writing and executing code.  Recently, I was working with a group of grade 5 students who were working through the Artemis: Rocket Build. While the Educator Guide was super helpful, it was really my students who were running the show and helping guide me through some of the builds. I currently have a group of grade 4/5 students who are working in Minecraft to build their own town based on the work that they are doing with their classroom teacher for Social Studies. Don’t have access to tech? No worries, Code.org has some great unplugged coding videos and activities that you can try with students. Check them out here. 

Science – Scavenger Hunts

Create a simple scavenger hunt for your students with items found in the schoolyard or a local park and get students outside, checking out nature. I’ve done this with students from kindergarten to grade 5 and no matter the age, finding something out in nature and taking the time to explore it, is pretty cool. 

Science – Planting

The kindergarten students this year had a blast planting their Grass Heads. In classes around our school, students have been planting seeds and beans and have been recording observations and taking measurements. Some classes have been growing lettuce from existing lettuce heads while others have been doing experiments where plants are put in a variety of conditions to see what happens. Our kindergarten students have also been out planting in our garden with parent volunteers. Consider planting with students. Spring is a great time for planting as things are sprouting all around us. 

Physical Education – Student-Led Workout Circuits

Early in the pandemic, while teaching online, my students and I got really creative in designing our Physical Education classes. We were already used to student facilitators for our activities so when we went online, students were eager to create great lessons to keep the movement going from home. Students were asked to create short 15-minute workouts that they could challenge their peers with. The results were amazing. I haven’t taught Physical Education since we’ve been back in school but this is definitely one thing that I would incorporate if ever I teach Physical Education again.

French – Créez votre monstre

I recently facilitated a workshop for ETFO’s FSL Conference and shared this idea with teachers. Participants were asked to create their own monster using found materials and they had the opportunity to write 4 short sentences about their monster. From there, they used Adobe Express to create short videos about their monster. Half the fun was in building the monster and getting the opportunity to create. We used Adobe Express to create short videos but if you have access to tech, there are so many possibilities of what you might do. Some teachers mentioned using Flip while others considered recording short videos and including them in a Google Slides presentation. Why not create and have fun in the last month of your FSL program? 

I hope that there’s something here that might be of help as you navigate these last few weeks. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful end of the year!

Kelly.McLaughlin Inspiring Students, Learning in a Real Life Context, Literacy, Modern Learning, Resume Writing, Year End Activities

Job Interview Season

It’s that time of year again when students in grade 7/8 create their very own resumes based on their volunteer experiences in and outside of school. My students got to thinking about all of their volunteering that they had done this school year. It was so impressive to see how full their resumes already are and they are only 13/14 years old. Some of their experiences include:

  • Student leaders during school-wide events: Pink Day, Winterfest, Mardi Gras, etc.
  • Selling pizza on pizza day
  • Scorekeeping at volleyball/basketball games
  • Reffing soccer games
  • Coaching junior sports teams 
  • Helping in the music room 
  • Selling cookies and popcorn

The list could go on and on as so many students are involved in our school community. So as students came up with these volunteer experiences, they also had to list skills on their resume that they thought could relate to a part-time job. It was very interesting to read all of the things students considered to be within their skill set. 

After writing the resumes, students once again had the opportunity to interview for the food sales job at the soccer tournament. I created five interview questions for students to answer:

  1. What experience do you have selling food?
  2. Tell me how you would deal with a challenging customer.
  3. Why should you be hired to sell food?
  4. Why do you want to sell food?
  5. Who are your two staff references?

Students had to answer three of the five questions and I also spoke to their two references. It was quite the process as over 42 students interviewed and staff had a hard time selecting between all of the students. We narrowed it down to the top 12 and let them know that they had gotten the job. Students were so thrilled and are looking forward to representing our school in this unique experience. Many of the students I hired last year have now started part time jobs and have let me know that this experience selling food helped them prepare for not only the interview process but also their actual job. This real-life skill is something that I look forward to each year and once again, was thrilled with the results. 

 

Kelly.McLaughlin Assessment and Evaluation, Combined Grade Classes, Curriculum Planning, Literacy

Not your usual reading groups

Recently I have been working a lot with flexible grouping in the classroom since I have been experimenting with Liljedahls’s thinking classroom in math. But flexible grouping does not need to stop in math, it can work in your literacy classroom as well. 

I know most of us are used to ability groupings when it comes to literacy centers but recently I have been using random groupings in the literacy classroom. I wanted to take you through a quick journey of my literacy centers. 

Our focus as an intermediate team this year is reading, more specifically fluency. We are happy with the comprehension of our intermediate so we are digging deeper into their actual reading fluency. For this, I decided to allow each student to select a novel. We discussed what to look for when selecting a novel and what to do if we end up deciding we dislike that novel. Students are welcome to return the book if they do not find it intriguing enough. Once they have selected a novel, we read for about 15 minutes during our literacy lesson. Then students can answer one question related to their book in their language duotangs. These questions are centered around vocabulary with a small percentage based on comprehension. Students keep a vocabulary journal to write down any words they are unsure of. They then have to define them and use them in a sentence. 

While my students are doing this, I take three random grade sevens and three random grade eights. I use a random name generator. Students then read one page from their book in a circle with myself and their classmates. I use this as a fluency mark. We then discuss their books orally including questions such as:

  1. If you could read any of the other books in this circle other than yours, which one would you read and why?
  2. Were there any words heard here today that you are unsure of?
  3. What would you rate your book so far out of 10 and why?

This random grouping makes all students feel comfortable as they can tell it was done randomly and that they are all created randomly. They also feel confident in their abilities as they get to work with students whom they may view as a stronger reader than them. The fluency skill is still being assessed but in a way that makes all students feel equal. I enjoy getting to work with each student in my class at least once a week as I meet with all students (five days x six students per day). I think my students enjoy the personal connections they get to have during these groups as well. Also, some of my students who usually sit at their desk with their book shut are now participating in literacy at least once a week as opposed to not at all.

I encourage you all to try random groupings in your literacy classroom to increase confidence!

 

Iyanuoluwa Akinrinola General, Literacy, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Learning

The Streets Belong to Us: Seeing One’s self in their Environment.

 

Teaching kids to see themselves in their environment is crucial for holistic development. Author, Karleen Pendleton-Jimenez takes readers on a journey of the importance of this (the environment, self-awareness, and community) in her book, ‘The Streets Belongs to Us.’

“I don’t recognize our street anymore. It’s turned into a big mess of piles of brown dirt and deep holes. It’s like a garden right before you plant the seeds. Everything is torn up and ready for new life to grow. It’s the summer of 1984 in Los Angeles. Twelve-year-old Alex Richardson-Salazar is a mixed-race, Mexican American tomboy who would rather wear her hair short and her older brother’s hand-me-downs. And Wolf is a troubled kid who’s been wearing the same soldier’s uniform since his mom died. But when the city’s digging machines tear up their street to build sidewalks, the best friends seize the opportunity to turn Muscatel Avenue into a muddy wonderland” (Pendleton-Jimenez, 2021).

Navigating difficult and exciting changes is essential to a child’s growth and development. These experiences help children develop important life skills, build resilience, and learn how to adapt to new situations. As educators, we have unique gifts, tools, and resources to guide and encourage students in this meaningful development.

When kids are able to see themselves in their environment, it helps them develop a sense of self-identity and self-awareness. They begin to understand who they are, what makes them unique, and how they fit into the world around them. This self-identity and self-awareness are fundamental aspects of healthy psychological development and can contribute to positive self-esteem and confidence.

How is this evident in this book? Encouraging kids to see themselves in their environment promotes cultural and social awareness. It helps them understand their culture, heritage, and background and appreciate and respect the diversity of cultures and communities around them. This can foster empathy, tolerance, and inclusivity and contribute to the development of socially responsible individuals who can thrive in a multicultural world.

By seeing themselves in their environment (being a part of their environment), kids can develop a connection and appreciation for the natural world. They can learn to value and respect nature, understand their role in protecting the environment, and develop a sense of environmental consciousness. This can foster a sense of stewardship towards the planet, leading to responsible environmental behaviours and actions.

When kids learn to see themselves in their environment, they develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They learn to observe, analyze, and interpret their surroundings, which promotes cognitive development and nurtures their ability to think critically and solve problems. This skill can benefit them in various aspects of life, from academics to personal and professional relationships.

Emotional and Mental Well-Being is developed richly and deeply rooted when children see themselves and can be themselves in their environment. It helps them develop a sense of belonging and connectedness, which is crucial for healthy emotional development. When kids feel like they belong in their environment, they are more likely to have positive emotional experiences, develop resilience, and have better mental health outcomes.

Teaching kids to see themselves in their environment is vital for their overall development, including self-identity, cultural and social awareness, environmental consciousness, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and emotional and mental well-being. It nurtures their sense of self and connection with the world around them, preparing them to thrive as responsible and engaged individuals in their communities and beyond.

Karleen invites us as educators to explore what our classrooms and communities could sound like, look like, and feel like when we foster spaces for students to see (inquire) and to be seen (explore). Or, as she said in her own words, “Bursting with life and feeling, both the people and the land come alive… The Street Belongs to Us is a story of family, friendship, and unconditional acceptance, even when it breaks your heart.” (Pendleton-Jimenez, 2021).

 

References:

Pendleton-Jimenez, K. (2021). The Streets Belong to Us. Vancouver, BC: Arsenal Pulp Press.

Arianna Lambert Kindergarten, Literacy, Math, self reflection, STEM

Spring Has Sprung!

After what has felt like a long, cold winter, I think it’s safe to say that spring has sprung. Well, at least in our classroom! The kindergarten students have been hard at work learning about plants and what they need to grow. We’ve even started growing our own grass heads. We’re pretty excited about it!

During the first week back after the break, we were talking all about spring and we were also building. Students used Lego to build something that reminded them of the season. Many students built gardens that were full of interesting flowers and animals. They were quite beautiful and this sparked some of our conversations about all the changes that we expect to see over the next few weeks.

After seeing all of the beautiful Lego gardens and I must admit that I have quite a love for plants, we thought it might be great to try our hand at a little gardening. Using some eye, nose and mouth stickers, students were tasked with creating a face for their grass head. Once they added the faces, cups were filled with soil and they began drawing and writing in their journals about what their grass heads would need to grow. Now, I think that I mentioned before that I’m relatively new to kindergarten so it was definitely interesting to see students trying to copy off the whiteboard. EEK! I can’t say enough how grateful I am to work with and learn from two amazing ECEs! Of course, they were there to the rescue and showed me that some students required more support and that tracing might be a way to get them to practice forming their letters. I tucked this one away for our next class together.

Time truly flies when you are having fun. During our first class, we were able to prepare our cups but the fun came during our second class when we had the chance to mix our soil and grass seeds and add water. Let me tell you how excited the students were. Little fingers got mixing seeds in soil as students were reminded that we needed soil, water, sun and seeds to make their grass heads grow. During this class, we also wrote the first entry in our observation journal and this time, we were able to do some tracing. Students also had the opportunity to draw a picture of what they observed. I asked students to make predictions on how long it would take to see the grass grow and we got answers anywhere from the next day to two weeks. This was on a Friday and imagine my surprise on a Monday morning when I started to see some little green bits popping out of some of the soil.

 

We haven’t yet had a class together this week but I’ve had a few visitors come up to water and I’ve taken down some of our grass heads for students to see their growth. They are amazed that they started growing so soon and that some already have a lot of “hair”. Yesterday, one student noticed that in some cups, the grass is growing really long roots. On Friday when we meet again, we’ll start to measure our grass and we’ll continue to record our observations. I wonder at what point our grass heads will need a trim!

 

Arianna Lambert Climate Change, Coding, Global Warming, Inspiring Students, Literacy, STEM, Technology

Scratching the Pollution in Our Oceans

Last year I blogged about a new book – The Global Ocean. This past month we were lucky to have a virtual visit with the author, Rochelle Strauss. Rochelle gave students context on the importance of her book and read passages in order to support students in understanding the need for immediate actions for change. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how the actions of each of us can have a significant impact on the environment, and ultimately our world.  There we a number of students who had questions and based on our visit, one student said that he was inspired to think about his passions and how he might use writing to share that with the world. It was a great visit and our learning didn’t stop there.

During our visit, students learned more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and were eager to find out how that much garbage got into the oceans in the first place. Students researched about causes and also learned about the work being done to clean up the oceans. During our visit, we learned about the Turtle Extruder and one student was particularly interested in how people who fish might use different kinds of nets so as to be more responsible when fishing. 

This term, students are furthering their knowledge of coding and are specifically learning to use Scratch. As part of our action to raise greater awareness, students were tasked with creating a story, PSA, or game in Scratch that they could share with others about what they learned. Some students were excited to remix an existing catch game, changing the sprites and adding additional text to share their learning. Other students were excited to use the program to create stories to inspire others to learn in an interactive way.  Projects were due last week and yet there are still some students who are eagerly wanting to add more information to their projects, so their work is ongoing. 

This entire experience reminded me of the importance of purposeful uses of technology. While we could have spent time learning about the different blocks in Scratch, I think this activity allowed students to learn how to use blocks in an authentic way. If they wanted their sprite to do something specifically, they learned about how they might use specific blocks to achieve the task.  Students learned how to effectively use the blocks in their code because they had a purpose for learning how to use them. They were also able to share how they used the code to perform different tasks with others, allowing them to be “the experts” in the room. 

Last year I found a great picture book that spoke to the urgency of protecting our oceans. Little did I know that a year later, students would have the opportunity to hear from the author, get inspired, and then share their learning with others in a creative way. What a great journey!

Arianna Lambert Literacy, Technology

From Consumption to Creation – Media Literacy

Over the while, I’ve noticed that content creators are getting younger and younger. While many of our students are consuming media, many are also creating on a variety of platforms, often in their spare time. Keeping this in mind, I’m realizing more and more that my media lessons of creating a poster or a cereal box also need to evolve. While there is still value in these lessons, this year, I’ve been trying to see how I can support students in using technology tools that are board approved to extend these lessons. One tool that I have found great success in using this year is Adobe Express. In this post, I’m sharing what we’ve been working on and how I’m hoping to support students in creating media connected to curricular areas.

Media is all around us. Simply put, media can be described as words, images, graphics and/or sounds working together to convey a message to the reader. When teaching Media Literacy, I often start off by having students identify the purpose, meaning and audience for a text. Almost every time, I start off with print media which is probably something that I could expand on since there are so many different forms of media. We often do move into commercials. From there, we often create a list of conventions and techniques associated with media and how they are used to create meaning. Finally, students often are asked to demonstrate their learning by creating their own media work; speaking to the specific conventions and techniques they have used. 

This year, I had students design a new menu item for a fast-food restaurant. The item had to be something that would be appealing to a specific audience and would have to be in line with the identity of that specific restaurant, but elevating its existing offerings. Some students picked well-known fast food places in our school community, while others chose local less-known places where they enjoyed meals with their families. They designed their menu items and then we jumped into Adobe Express to learn about how they could create a short commercial, pitching their item. The idea of being able to create their own short commercial took the activity to a whole new level of excitement. Once I helped students to log in and showed them a couple of features, they were off to the races. With limited tech, we’re taking turns and have used it as an opportunity to get feedback from peers.

The results so far have been incredible. Students have added sound effects and some tried to create their own music to add to their commercials. All of the images they have used have been their own creations and some have even worked on creating clay images to represent their food. Many of their commercials have far exceeded my expectations and it’s been a pleasant surprise. While there has been great value in my lessons of the past with posters and cereal boxes, this has been a reminder of how extending this work and using tech can really spark some great ideas that far exceed my expectations. While students enjoy consuming media, they’re really excited to create and share with others.