FableVision Learning Spotlight Blog
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- Teacher Spotlight 14
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- The North Star 2
- Words and Their Stories 1
- Zoombinis 3
New Hampshire's SAU 6 Celebrates Dot Week With FableVision Learning
I Am Brave! This special message was celebrated by every student in Claremont/Unity New Hampshire during the FableVision Learning week of creativity that launched with the Creatrilogy Family Night and continued during the week with a coding activity at each elementary school.
I Am Brave!
This special message was celebrated by every student in Claremont/Unity New Hampshire during the FableVision Learning week of creativity that launched with the Creatrilogy Family Night and continued during the week with a coding activity at each elementary school.
To activate the district’s goal of student growth, the team at FableVision Learning helped SAU #6 kick-off the year with energy and joy through a hands-on student activity to remind them that they are brave and they can do hard things. By creating and deciphering binary code necklaces, students carried the important message of bravery with them around their necks.
The most exciting part of the week, though, was The Creatrilogy Family Night. All of the families in the district were invited to come to the high school for a Stories that Matter, Stories that Move animated film festival followed by activities all related to Peter H. Reynolds’s Creatrilogy of books The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color. Families worked on collaborative art, searched for hidden dots, and stretched their minds with brain teasers and challenges.
There is a lot more in store for SAU#6 Claremont/Unity this year. We are so happy to be part of their year of growth. If you’d like to bring exciting programs like this one to your school or district, contact us at info@fablevisionlearning.com.
Oak Lawn Middle Schoolers Create Digital Picture Books to Share Messages of Peter H. Reynolds
The following blog post was written by Tyler Stott, an intern at FableVision Learning.
Students from Oak Lawn Middle School create a painting activity for the book Sky Color.
At Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School in Oak Lawn, Illinois community service is at the center of everything they do.
Heather McCarthy, a media specialist at the school works with over 1,100 middle school students and shares, “My library centers around empathy, inclusion, and service learning…Throughout the years, they have raised over $50,000 for clean water projects in Africa, have packaged over 250,000 meals for families in need, and host an annual walkathon to raise money for pediatric cancer patients. We even host a ‘Day of Service’ where the entire school spends the whole day completing community service projects. “
This passion for helping others didn’t slow down during the pandemic. McCarthy and her students kicked into high gear. As recipients of a Hershey's Heartwarming Action Grant, McCarthy and her students got to work creating interactive story books using the stories and messages of their favorite author Peter H. Reynolds. These books were then donated for children at Child Life at Hope Children’s Hospital.
“Peter H. Reynolds is one of our favorite authors since his books and illustrations encompass the themes of resilience, bravery, confidence, patience, and individuality,” McCarthy shared. “These are all qualities our middle school students strive for. We use Peter H. Reynolds’s books for our SEL work, STEM projects, and to read for enjoyment. When we wanted to send picture books over to the children’s hospital, we knew Peter’s books would be the perfect fit.”
For this project, students selected books by Peter H. Reynolds, and filmed a reading of the book and a video of a project. By adding QR codes to each book, recipients could follow along from anywhere.
We recently connected with McCarthy and her students to learn more about the project and school. Read on to learn more.
Abby Murphy reads Our Table
Your students created interactive story books for children in the hospital, how did that journey begin?
McCarthy: “The idea for this project came about when we were remote learning. We had a classmate whose little sister was in need of a heart transplant. The class of students really bonded over this experience. They showed great empathy and love for their classmate and her sister. We decided that as soon as we were back at school in person, we would put together a project to support the local children’s hospital. When we saw the Hershey’s Heartwarming Grant, everything fell into place.”
What has the response been from these children and their families when they were given the books, videos, and podcasts?
Angel Swiatek and Sophia Falcon read The Dot
McCarthy: “We delivered the books to the staff of Child Life at Hope Children’s Hospital. Then they chose which patients would receive our books. They reported the patients absolutely loving the books, videos, and projects. Many of the children watched the videos over and over again. The parents and families were grateful that there were children outside of the hospital thinking about their child in the hospital.”
What has been your favorite part about this project?
McCarthy: “I love that this entire project was student led. The students came up with the idea, collaborated together, and did all the creating, filming, and editing. This project really showcases the power of allowing student voice and choice. I believe when you give students the freedom to design their own thinking, they can come up with amazing ideas. I loved how this project highlighted how empathic, kind, and caring our students are.”
Isabel Bello, a 7th grade student at OLHMS: “My favorite part of this process was the filming. Me and my friends were all able to collaborate with each other and filming together. I also loved that it was for a good cause. It was amazing!”
Selena Garza Prieto, a 7th grader at OLHMS: “My favorite part of this process was imagining the smiles on the kids' faces as they listened to our videos of us reading to them.”
ZZ Cabanas and Selena Garcia create a STEM project to go with the book Going Places.
What advice would you give to other students wanting to do a similar project?
Sophia Falcon, a 7th grader at OLHMS: “If you want to do this, I would recommend talking to someone that could help you and pitching the idea to them. For example, maybe you should talk to your principal, librarian, or even someone on the school board. They could help you with getting together the community, and help you get the things you need to do something like this.”
Isabel Bello: “Whoever wants to get involved in this, if you're doing this for the "fame" don't. I was doing this only out of good spirit. All the attention this project has received was never the original intention. It was all done out of the kindness of our hearts.”
Angel Swiatek, a 7th grader at OLHMS: “If someone wanted to do this in their community or school I would tell them to have fun with it and to express themselves in any way they want. They should feel free to be open to enjoying this experience knowing how others will benefit.”
Selena Garza Prieto: “My advice to others working on a project like this would be - Don’t be nervous while you're reading. Instead just think of the smiles you are giving to kids who need an extra smile right now.”
Principal Dr. Sean McNichols, Aidan Zak, Kendall Phipps, and Grady Gilhooly do the Cow Pose for guided meditation and yoga for I Am Love.
What is your favorite Peter H. Reynolds book?
Angel Swiatek: “My favorite book by Peter H. Reynolds was 'The Dot' because to me the book was teaching about no matter what you think you can't do, you can always do it and it's a way to express yourself.”
Selena Garza Prieto: “My Favorite book by Peter H. Reynolds is ‘The North Star’. I enjoyed reading this book with my best friends because it really shows you that you experience difficulties but you should never let it pull you away from following your own path to happiness.”
What’s next?
McCarthy: “Our school motto is, ‘Create a dream; make it a reality.’ The students of OLHMS know that in the library, anything is possible. We strive to make the world a better place through our community service, creativity, and empathy. If they have an idea, we will do everything we can to help them bring their ideas to life. April 29th is our Day of Service and we will host our annual walkathon for Live Like Abby to raise money for pediatric cancer patients in May.”
Travel around the World on Dot Day
This blog post was written by Adrienne Poon, FableVision Learning Marketing Intern.
One of the best things about International Dot Day is just how international it truly is! Over 9 million people across 169 different countries have already registered their Dot Day participation, making it a truly global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration. In the spirit of this global International Dot Day community, here’s a sampling of ideas from around the world for how to #MakeYourMark.
Nepal
To kick off this International Dot Day tour, here’s a video of a small group of Nepalese students wishing you a happy Dot Day on the International Dot Day Facebook page!
United Kingdom
Dot Day love is palpable. Our friends in England at the Lammas Independent School know how to celebrate.
International @DotClubConnect #DotDay2017 in England! pic.twitter.com/l9EbQmblIu
— Lammas Indep School (@LammasSchool) September 15, 2017
Poland
Now take a look at one of the most dot-happy countries in the world! Poland absolutely loves International Dot Day - there is an entire Polish blog dedicated to Dot Day, which includes a very populated map of Polish schools participating in Dot Day this year. These photos are from a school in Studzionka, which celebrated with painted dots, Quiver dots, and even dotty photoshoots! Poland even has their own Dot Day song, with an impressive accordion cover by Michał Sawicki.
Denmark
Students in Denmark also celebrated Dot Day, creating vibrant dots in all colors, sizes, and mediums with their art teacher Tatjana Knudsen.
11 Likes, 1 Comments - Tatjana Knudsen Art Teaching (@tatjanaknudsen) on Instagram: "#dot #dots #dotday #dotday2016 #internationaldotday2016 #internationaldotday #tatjanaknudsen..."
Lithuania
In nearby Lithuania, Kedainiai special school students celebrated Dot Day last year by creating dots with markers, collage, and more!
Canada
Not be outdone on the other side of the Atlantic, the Summerside Rotary Library of Prince Edward Island is preparing a special 2017 Dot Day Family Storytime and is inviting every visitor to make their mark through stories, drawings, and a community painting!
Puerto Rico
Further south, students at the Academia San Jorge in Puerto Rico celebrated Dot Day in their computers class. This video not only shows off the students’ drawn dots, but it also includes photographs they took related to dots!
Dominican Republic
In Santo Domingo, Pekepolis EduPark hosted a Dot Day bonanza with artists, a storytime, and a medley of dot-making materials available for everyone to make their mark!
Italy
Back in Europe at Atelierstorytime’s school in Milan, students celebrated Dot Day with fun activities that also reinforced their English language skills through learning numbers, sizes, colors, and action verbs! This year, they will be celebrating Dot Day again with a storytime and workshop.
Spain
Teacher and pedagogical advisor Jenny Silvente painted dots in Spain - but not with paintbrushes. Instead, she used spin painting and elbow grease!
11 Likes, 1 Comments - Ver Pensar Sentir (@verpensarsentir) on Instagram: "Puntos que se mueven y se transforman... #internationaldotday #diadelpunto"
Invited by Jenny Silvente to participate in Dot Day and also located in Spain, promoter of play Yessica used many tiny bead dots to make a single big dot in yet another creative example of how to make your mark!
30 Likes, 5 Comments - Rejuega (@rejuega) on Instagram: "Me ha invitado @ver_pensar_sentir a participar en una preciosa iniciativa inspirada en el libro "El..."
Malaysia
Across an entire continent over in Malaysia, Tadika Impian Kita had a wonderful Dot Day celebration full of classroom activities - and they uploaded video to share with all of you!
Indonesia
Last but not least, from the jungles of Borneo, here's a video of a large group of creative students wishing everyone a happy International Dot Day!
Ready to join in on the international fun? If you haven’t already, register at The Dot Club and share your mark across social media with #MakeYourMark and #DotDay. Stay connected on twitter @DotClubConnect and Facebook!
13 Days and 13 Ways to Celebrate Dot Day
Join million students, teachers, and librarians this International Dot Day, celebrating creativity and courage in 186 countries on or around September 15th-ish! To support your International Dot Day festivities, we assembled this handy list of 15 ways in 15 days to celebrate Dot Day.
1) Discover The Dot
Read The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds to see where all of this started - you can grab a copy over at The Dot Central.
2) Register Your Class
Join the growing community celebrating International Dot Day by registering over at The Dot Club! You can also download our FREE Educator’s Handbook for Dot Day, which features student handouts by Peter H. Reynolds and Dot Day activities by creative educators.
3) Get Inspired by the First Dot Day Class
Learn what Dot Day means to the students of the first class to ever participate in Dot Day, straight from the students themselves. In this video, seniors from Traer, Iowa, who first celebrated Dot Day as fourth graders in 2009, reflect on the history and growth of this creativity movement.
4) Check Out Celebri-dots
Head over to the Celebri-dots website to check out dots created by a variety of individuals, from authors and illustrators to actors and astronauts! Packed with dots from all walks of life - paint dots, pie dots, and even Earth dots - you’ll be sure to find inspiration there.
5) Dot Day Song
Listen, sing, and move to "The Dot Song" with kidlit singer/songwriter Emily Arrow!
6) Gear Up
Stock up on official International Dot Day gear by visiting The Dot Central for materials such as an autographed copy of The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, sticker packs, t-shirts, and posters! If you want even more Dot Day gear, you can also download free multi-language Dot Day posters.
7) Poke Around Pinterest
Still don’t have enough dots in your day for Dot Day? Visit our International Dot Day Pinterest board to see how others celebrate Dot Day with activities, resources, and more!
8) Download Quiver
Quiver brings your 2D art to life through 3D augmented reality so you can interact with your Dot Day artwork in exciting new ways! Download the free Quiver - 3D Coloring App and print out this template to get started.
9) Connect the Dots with Other Teachers
Looking to "connect the dots" with other classrooms nationally and internationally on Dot Day? Whether it's through email or web-based video connection, use the Dot Day Google Doc to make connections. Thanks to creative librarian/educators Shannon McClintock Miller @shannonmmiller, Andy Plemmons @plemmonsa, and Matthew Winner @matthewwinner for overseeing this effort!
10) Fabricate Your Dot
Fab@School Maker Studio is a perfect tool for cultivating your inventive spirit! With this paper prototyping and fabrication software, flex your design muscles and create 2D, Pop-up, and 3D paper models inspired by The Dot. It’s easy to get your design mind rolling when you start small - you can always try again and again! Try fabricating dots that fold, roll, spin, or transform!
11) Make Your Mark Move
With Animation-ish it’s never been easier to bring your drawings to life. Three distinct levels let you practice and animation motion techniques by making your dots roll, bounce, squish, grow, morph, and much more. What can your dots do? Just make your mark and see where it take you!
12) Find Your Ramon
Just like Vashti’s teacher encouraged her to “make her mark,” Vashti later used what she learned to encourage Ramon to make his own mark. Now’s your chance - go out and find your Ramon and encourage them to make their mark too!
13) Share Your Mark
Share your mark and connect with the International Dot Day community through social media! There are over 8 million individuals from 168 countries participating in International Dot Day, so make sure to share your mark with all of them across social media with #MakeYourMark and with the official Dot Club Twitter feed @DotClubConnect!
FableVision Learning’s Teacher Spotlight: John Long
Let Helping Teachers Develop Students that Learn Through Creating
“My classroom is a bit large these days,” explains John Long, technology program specialist in the Department of Educational Technology for the School District of Palm Beach County. “It involves working with several hundred teachers and thousands of students at about 30 schools a year…I like to consider myself a digital learning architect at any of the 183 schools in Palm Beach County. My role involves designing professional development for the schools and implementing professional learning communities for integrating technology embedded into the curriculum.”
John recently chatted with FableVision Learning about his unique method of integrating technology into the curriculum, his work with programs like Animation-ish and Fab@School Maker Studio, and plans for Dot Day! If you are curious about what he is up to in the classroom, follow John on Twitter: @adigitallearner
Can you share a bit about your creative teaching style?
I focus on coaching, modeling, curriculum design, and creating professional learning networks for educators. I believe it is important for students to create based on their learning instead of constantly consuming content and having to be assessed on it.
I started years ago training in educational technology on how to use programs but they never seemed to understand how to use it in their classrooms. Over the years I changed my methods to include ongoing professional development with time to implement and receive feedback. Then took the professional development into the classrooms and talked with teachers, librarians, administrators, and parents. I researched their standards and curriculum. I have built quite a community of teachers over the past 20 years and decided to head back into the classroom to work directly with teachers and students on integrating. This was the key to getting teachers comfortable with using technology into their curriculum.
The first emphasis was to focus on teaching and learning. It is hard for teachers to see this because they focus on the “wow” or “cool” factor and it is more show and tell and not about learning from technology. The second focus is to design a project where the teacher is comfortable enough to watch and learn. Teachers are still learners too. Focusing on a core set of apps or tools that allow students to create projects. Once teachers get comfortable they turn it over to them and observe and give feedback. Each project and class is different so the learning never stops. This process is my methodology in a nutshell.
You have created a fantastic collection of videos that show how Animation-ish can be used in the classroom. Can you tell us about the subject of some of these videos and the inspiration behind them?
I believe in developing a core set of apps or tools to work with in the classroom and then supplement with more tools based on grade level and subject area. The core set of apps should be used in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade. One of my apps in that core set is an animation app. Animation allows students to design and draw concepts that they have learned and demonstrate that learning. It allows them to synthesize and apply the learning. I learned about Animation-ish back in 2009 talking with a dear friend, Dr. Peggy Healy Stearns. I started to see all kinds of uses in Science but also in language arts. One of my first projects was to create a animated dictionary of words. Here is a great example of this in action..
Animation-ish is great in Science. Using it to document things like the water-cycle, or the butterfly life cycle, and even things like cell mitosis. This got me thinking of another project creating digital student portfolios in iBooks Author or now Book Creator. Students can create e-book portfolios by recreating through word processing, video, pictures, or animation using Animation-ish. I started working with a biology teacher and a fifth grade teacher to design these projects. This is an ongoing project that keeps evolving over the years.
A few years ago, a librarian colleague of mine shared with me her fairytale project, which was part of the second grade curriculum. I got to thinking about making it digital and letting students create a digital fairytale. The premise was to start with writing a fairytale including the characteristics then let the students animate the project. Since it is electronic, let the students read their passage with the animation and create an e-book to share. I decided that I would become the story wizard and began to dress the part. This is a fun and challenging project. We have now completed three digital fairytales. One of the favorite parts of the projects is the students learning how to use Animation-ish. You can see how the project is implemented below.
After we did the second digital fairytale, I thought wouldn’t it be interesting to try a digital mystery and what would that look like? In the digital mystery, I became the digital sleuth to guide them through creating a digital mystery. How do you create a mystery, you have to start with the ending first. Then you need to develop four or five clues guiding the students to veer away from inappropriate types of mysteries. Once you have the ending and the clues decided, you start from the beginning and guide them through creating the story including the clues. You have to keep them focused on the clues, the characteristics, and the ending as they forget and need reminding. You even have to narrow the focus of some of your most “creatives” in the class. Then they can start to use Animation-ish to create their scenes. It was a most rewarding experience with students thanking me. Check out the video with student and teacher feedback.
Do you have any cool Fab@School Maker Studio stories to share?
I have followed the development of Fab@School Maker Studio for 6 years since Dr. Peggy Healy Stearns showed it to me in Denver, CO at the 2010 ISTE conference. I was so excited to see this product was the missing key to teaching STEAM in the classrooms. I first used (Fab@School Maker Studio) a few years ago to design a jack-o'-lantern with an electric circuit with fifth graders and now use it with other groups. It is perfect to build something and teach. I always refer back to the literacy aspect as most schools need to still focus and that is the hook to using it.
We are just getting started in Palm Beach County and with all large districts, it takes time but as the video below will show - we are Going Places...
You love to find creative ways to mark International Dot Day. What has been your favorite celebration and what do you have planned for this year?
Terry Shay challenged me at 2013 ISTE in San Antonio, Texas to bring International Dot Day to Palm Beach County. This is a big task due to the nature of a large district with over 13,000 teachers and 187,000 students.
I am sure that some teachers in this district celebrated International Dot Day way before I brought it up. I had heard about it but never really did it. So, I decided to take him up on his challenge. I went back home and discussed with my supervisors and they agreed to support it. It took six weeks to approve it and it finally became a bulletin, which is how information is officially communicated to the schools.
The first year was a test and I developed some ideas to support International Dot Day. I came up with the basic illustrations and language arts activities. I even came up with the idea to create the first “Dot”cumentary to share how people use it in their classrooms. The first year was definitely a trial run. After the first year, I spent a whole year thinking of new ways to develop ideas for the next year. It is truly a yearlong process. We have had math teachers, science teachers, art teachers, music teachers, and everything in between participate. I have had librarians use it for teaching digital citizenship about making their digital footprint and leaving their mark. Each summer after school is out, I work on the “Dot”cumentary from that year as a way to gear up for the next year.
2013 “Dot”cumentary
2014 “Dot”cumentary
2015 “Dot”cumentary
In 2014, one of my professional learning networks called eMobilize developed a workshop around The Dot as a way to promote and build projects for International Dot Day. The workshop is called the Excellent Learning Adventure and the premise is to learn to use the iPad with Common Core (aka Florida Standards) to help students make their mark in the world through learning. We conduct the workshop a month before International Dot Day so that teachers become aware and promote creativity.
2015 Excellent Learning Adventure
Each year gets better and better with more people learning about it and innovating. The past school year, I started working with a librarian and art teacher at a middle school. The librarian wanted to do a digital project but didn’t know how to get started and lacked the confidence to try. She works well with the art teacher and she wanted to do something with International Dot Day even though it was January. The art teacher was using Photoshop in their class. I brainstormed with both of them and came up with a project. The art teacher would teach them Photoshop by making backgrounds out of dots. Then I would work with the librarian and art teacher to coach them on how to film their students in front of a green screen talking about “how they will make their mark” in the world. It was amazing what came out of the middle school students.
You can see it here:
Check out his awesome Dot Day ideas for the classroom, here.
International Dot Day Website, Posters, and Certificate!
Join more than a million educators and students for International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity in the classroom based on Peter H. Reynolds' award-winning book The Dot. Learn more by visiting the official Dot Day website.
Will you be joining in the fun this September 15th? Please let us know by signing up — you'll also receive the free Educator's Handbook for International Dot Day.
We're all looking forward to Dot Day, but we'll be celebrating creativity all year long — and we encourage you to do the same! Here are some new posters by Peter...
¡Estamos Celebrando el Día del Punto Todo el Año!
Here are two more - an English poster and a Spanish poster to celebrate getting ready for Dot Day 2013:
Here's another new poster — this one features the official International Dot Day logo:
And here's the new Spanish version — we LOVE seeing the International Dot Day logo en español!
Enjoy this other wonderful poster in French — it's such fun to see the logo en français!
Or maybe you plan to celebrate on September 16th? We've got a English poster and a Spanish poster for that too!
Download this certificate of participation that Peter designed for educators, students, and all other creative individuals who are making their mark:
If you want to help spread the word about Dot Day, please feel free to also download this poster by Peter H. Reynolds:
Many schools are also celebrating on September 14th, during the school week. If your school is celebrating on the 14th, Peter whipped up another poster for you! Enjoy:
Are you connecting with another school via Skype in the Classroom this year? Click here to get this as a printable poster!
Make your mark by printing out this Dot Day poster.
Here's a Dot Day poster in Italian! (Clicca qui per leggere tutto Dimensioni Poster Day Dot stampa.)
Here's an alternate version in Italian. (Clicca qui per un supplente piena di poster formato Giorno Dot stampa!)In closing, here is a Spanish version too! (Haga click aquí para una versión imprimible de este cartel.)
International Dot Day. . . in Antarctica!
So cool! We were blown away by these photos of International Dot Day festivities in Antarctica from educator and researcher Jean Pennycook, who studies Adélie Penguins. Dot Day, an unofficial celebration of creativity based on Peter H. Reynolds' award-winning book The Dot, has now officially been celebrated on all SEVEN continents! Thanks to Lorraine Leo, Terry Shay, Bill Norris, and Janet Reynolds for "connecting the dots" and getting The Dot down to Ross Island for this tux-only event.
"Make Your Mark" by Emma Wallace
Emma Wallace has created a song for International Dot Day, listen to it here!
Emma Wallace has written a very cool song called "Make Your Mark" in honor of International Dot Day.Make Your Mark by iamemma. See her original post here. Learn more about Emma here. Thanks to Emma for the song and permission to post it here.
Pictures From Dot Day in Teacher Gaby's Classroom
Ambassador, Gaby Richard-Harrington, sent these great pictures from Dot Day 2009.
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Portugal and Pennsylvania Dots!
Dots from Portugal!
Bruaá Editora_ _O Ponto_ a fazer das suas
Dots from Portugal!! Goodnoe Elementary School, Newtown, PA -- 3D Dots!! Thanks to Maryann for sharing!
Community College Dots
Sue Glascoe's Dot Day!
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DotDay2
Our friend, Sue, had her students create dots.
More Examples of Dot Artwork!
International Dot Day was a huge success! Click to see examples of Dot artwork
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International Dot Day was a huge success! Pictures are still flooding in!
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