Attending the Global Education Technology Summit in Calgary was an opportunity that I could not pass up. I was invited as the sketchnoter in residence to try and capture an artifact of the entire event. A daunting task considering I normally fill a page after a 30–45-minute session, never mind over a four-day event. The task was a welcomed one for me. SMART Technologies is not just any EdTech Company.
SMART believes in making Connections that Matter. I know that sounds like a slogan, but it is central to SMART’s business practice. It is their core value, everyone that works there knows that we are infinitely enhanced by genuine human connection that makes whatever we do more meaningful. Their technology solutions are designed to uncover the greatness in every learner. They do that by connecting first to understand the needs of students, teachers, schools, and districts.
The event showcased global leaders in Education Technology, from instruction, to suppliers, distributors, and directors. Everyone there shared their personal story for how they were able to implement SMART solutions in a big way. The focus was to learn from each other. Successes and challenges met knowing nods and affirmations as leaders realized the challenges faced in Alabama, and Texas mirrored the obstacles experienced in Spain and England.
Individual learning continues as the ideas and stories marinate in the memory of the event. SMART is now embarking on a partnership with the N50 Project. They have become the missing link to fuel the N50 EdTech Equity Initiative. Their work will expand in September to India and I am eager to watch that partnership grow. If you are not familiar with N50 and the good work they do take a look and be inspired.
Combine creativity and community and you have my attention. Attending this session at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s all-staff team building retreat in Washington DC sent sparks of inspiration through the room. Mark and Natalie shared their common goals with tangible examples of building community from experience. Images of community murals on huge canvases inspired the room. Mark invited his community to create together and the public art that resulted was powerful.
This session sparked collaboration. Markers and coloring sheets were distributed and in moments there was a silence that enveloped us. All heads bowed as we all became artists again, coloring with abandon. The only words spoken were, “are you using that green” or “can you pass me the pink?” It was gleeful.
The exercise in actual problem solving – using creative thinking to discover unique solutions then began. We were walked through a group of questions to narrow down our path while selecting different possibilities that led to other outcomes with more questions. Thoughtful and swift – we each created our own journey of discovery to engage with communities having specific needs.
The final question was a stumper. Which measure of success do you think is most important? The choices were Outcomes, Process, and Relationships. You could only choose one and I believe the consensus in the room was one of surprise. Most of us were surprised that in the beginning we would have chosen outcomes – did we succeed in our goals? But, after the session I chose relationships – new relationships and trust being established in the community. Many in the room commented similarly.
The final suggestion was for each table to combine the coloring sheets into a larger patchwork, mirroring the table’s creativity, and an analogy of the urban mural example that opened the session. hashtag#mentalhealthfirstaidhashtag#creativityStorycraft Lab
Collaborating with Media Specialists is one of the perks of my job. I support teachers and learners K-12 and working with folks who love books and advocate for reading is pure pleasure. Being asked to present a 3-hour pre-conference workshop on Sketchnoting for the North Carolina School School Library Media Association’s (NCSLMA) annual conference last week was an honor. Preparing for this group held a few atypical challenges as I would have to wait to find out if their interest in sketchnoting was from an individual or professional perspective. Basically, did they want to learn for personal enjoyment and their professional knowlege OR were they planning to share the skill with their students in a specific content area? It was going to be fun.
The typical agenda involves discussing the what and why’s of Sketchnoting, then practicing, building skills, and exploring the different opportunities to try on Sketchnoting. We opened up with a sketchnote selfie, or trading card. This is my way of starting slow and warming everyone up. The objective is to create your image then visualize 3 items that bring you joy or that could represent you, and draw those too. My group set to work, and before long they were all smiling at their introductions. In different settings I then use these cards to organize groups, pick participants, or personalize instruction. Today, we would use them as visual prompts to introduce ourselves. On the back, they were to think of that person or thing that could perch on their shoulders and cheer them on when life got tough. Mascot, cheerleader, talisman, buddy or champion which is the noun the group chose for this selection. This too, was a task that was undertaken with gusto. The sensitive nature of each person’s sharing brought a reverance to the room. Selfie-Trading Cards and Personal Champions
My favorite part of our time was introducing the book “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates” by Ryan T. Higgins. Perusing the attendee list prior to the event I noticed that most attendees served elementary schools, I wanted to personalize the activities to showcase the reading standards that would be apporpriate learning outcomes for K-2, I settled on first grade standards and shared those outcomes with the group. They could choose from identifying the beginning, middle and end of the story. The main problem and solution. The character and emotions from the events in the story, or any of the other apropriate reading standards for younger grades. I showed the cover and we listened to the book being read. The smiles and chuckles from the group were worth the prep, travel, and delivery time. This book is a gem. We discussed creating a dinosaur using only the basic shapes and I shared my own rough sketch of Penelope in rectangle, triangles, and circles. I had also prepared a template of sorts by drawing the main character, Penelope Rex on my iPad Pro and printing those sheets. Penelope Rex helping adults draw their understanding of story details.
I distributed Penelope Rex, but also gave out plenty of blank paper for personal exploration. The quiet was palpable as attendees smiled and thought, remembered and then asked clarifying questions. I had a printed copy of the standards and a hard copy of the book for back up, but for the most part the adult learners in the room took off running. Marci used two pages and numbered events to showcase her learning.
Jerry and Jennifer chose my template and redrew Penelope. Jerry focusing on events and emotions by using arrows to show the stages (connectors in sketchnoting). Jennifer nailed the emotions and Penelope’s reactions in her pages. Jerry’s Product – arrows lend direction and order.Jennifer focused on emotions.
Marina opted for a different set-up and a fabulous emotion meter to assist. This activity was not open-ended and once time was up, we shared out. Marina said she wanted to give the emotion meter to each of the stages, but ran out of time.Marina used a vertical approach to retell the story.
Here is my final product. My final result – Beginning, Middle, and End with emotions. Problem/SolutionWe discussed each submission with awe and upon seeing my outcome, Marci commented on my use of object (symbol) to designate event. She reflected that focusing on redrawing Penelope in action was a challenge and that this choice of object (icon/symbol) was something she would remember and use again with her students. This activity was inspiring and fun. It has educational support in a standards focus, and is easily adopted in the younger grades. The challenge is to work the same magic with literature on a higher level that might require a deeper understanding of symbol, and other text features. I envision more words in those sketchnotes, but an equal amount of joy.
Get your Sketchnote On, indeed. It was such a pleasure exploring together.
Do you have books or poetry that you like to explore with visuals? We would love to hear from you and see your examples as well.
