Twitter has become a way of life for me. I find myself scrolling through to catch the latest headlines, as well as following inspirational educators. I've been on Twitter since 2014 and love the connections I have made with others. Twitter has become the digital platform I use to share the story of the learners in Room 27! (just search #nrmsproud to see all of the great accomplishments of our Falcons!)
One of my most favorite parts of Twitter is being able to connect with others around the world! During a recent Twitter Chat, hosted by @DiscoveryEd, I read about the Power of STEM Day. I couldn't help but think this would be an incredible experience for our Falcons and what perfect timing as we were about to embark on our first PBL, focusing on STEM careers and higher education.
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| #DESTEMchat |
The more I read, the more excited I became! Check out Power of Stem Day hosted by Siemens for more information. A STEM challenge was planned. Each group's goal was to create the strongest tower that would hold the weight of one marshmallow. Students were split into groups and given 20 pieces of spaghetti, 3 feet of masking tape, 3 feet of string and 1 marshmallow.
Prior to officially starting the 5:00 minutes, learners were asked to think about how they could contribute to the team, based on the task. Would it be by managing the supplies? Leading the creativity? Or encouraging others? After the 1 minute was up, our 5 minutes began. As I walked around our room, I noticed how each group took a different approach to achieving the task. Some collaborated first, while others jumped right into creating! I love how all learners are respected for their contributions to the group. The timer was set for 5 minutes and the innovative problem solving began!
The timer rang and everyone stopped. Again, I asked that each learner reflect on how their group was working and to write it down. Stress was high as they only "had" 5 minutes to create. Another 5 minutes was put on the timer and the creativity continued! Tension was lowered due to not having a time constraint of only 5 minutes. Many learners mentioned that the time parameters stressed them out. Again, all real world learning opportunities!
When we achieved our goal of creating the strongest tower, it was time to take our reflecting past the standard Post-It note and to the digital world! I shared my Twitter feed with all classes, explaining who I choose to follow and why, as well as what I post. It was a great lesson in creating our digital footsteps.
As students began to tweet about our STEM challenge, they became more excited as others across the nation liked and retweeted their pictures! Opening their eyes to what the world holds is what learning is all about. I love sharing new learning opportunities with our Falcons and can't wait to see what amazing things they do with the digital resources they've been exposed to this school year!
How are you using Twitter with your learners?
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