MLK

Biggest, BEST Fail of the Day

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Yesterday I wrote about the MLK Hyperdoc my students are doing this week. Today we discovered that at least one other class is using it. While doing their work today, a student approached me asking, “Who are some of these people?” My student was on the MLK Padlet doing their assignment. I looked, and sure enough, there were names on it of students who weren’t in our classroom or school.

When I shared the Hyperdoc I forgot to unlink the padlet and make a note to create your own padlet. The other teacher must not have thought about it either.

padlet-1I got pretty excited about this. THIS makes their learning even more relevant. They now have a chance to talk with another class somewhere in the US. I encouraged my students to answer questions and check out what the other students had written. Some were silly (a string of letters) and my students were disturbed by this. Which I took as a compliment. This means they know what I expect from them and that that sort of Internet activity isn’t acceptable. My students then began answering questions and reading the information.

This was such a GREAT learning opportunity for them (and me). So yes, my Padlet is a ‘hot mess’, but a wonderful ‘hot mess’!

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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This week we went back to school, after 3 weeks off. My partner teacher and I decided to start book studies on the 17th which left us wide open for this week. Well, we have Benchmark Assessments (I know, who does those the first week back from a break? Apparently, my district). This got me excited. I never feel like there is enough time to study some of the important people and events in our history. That’s when I decided to create a Hyperdoc! I have fallen in love with the model. It’s work on my end in the beginning, but so worth it! The experience and learning are so much richer for the students.

I have shared this out with my PLN and some might be using it. This is what we want! Sharing really is caring. As my students were working on it today, one came up to me and showed me that there were 3 ‘anonymous’ animals on one of the required documents. I said yes, that makes sense since I shared it. He was confused. I explained to him that others were looking for an MLK Hyperdoc and I shared the one I created. He was satisfied with the answer and walked away.

I LOVE that I can model a collaborative mindset for my students. They know I find Hyperdocs and activities online (and am sure to point out the author and give credit even when they don’t know the person). This is what I want my students to do in the future; reach out to others online to create better products and help one another.

If you’d like to use the MLK Hyperdoc, go for it and feel free to pass it along. Sharing really is creating a caring world!

Make The World a Better Place

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This week’s writing prompt for #youredustory: Inspired by MLK: How will you make the world a better place? Suggestion by Nancy Minicozzi


creative commons licensed ( BY-SA ) flickr photo shared by dougbelshaw

As I sat and reflected upon this, I thought, “What DO I do to make this world a better place?” I then began thinking about the people who inspire ME to be a better person; which in turn makes the world a better place.

I began thinking of people who help others, quietly. I thought of my friend Bryan who stands in front of malls offering ‘Free Hugs’ near the holidays. He is a person that is there for his friends and will do what he can for others. He teaches me what true kindness, and generosity is.

Then there is Jen. Years ago I went to a conference with her. She witnessed a man digging through the hotel’s trash. We were on our way out when she made me stop the car. She jumped out of the car, ran over to the man and gave him some cash. I was raised NOT to do such things, so I asked her why she did it. She explained that a person must really be in a really bad place to have to resort to such actions. From that moment on, I have given to others. I learned empathy from Jen.

Finally, there are those that participate in the ‘Pay It Forward’ movement. I immediately thought of Liz and Lisa who have often done this. Who knows how many lunches, coffees, and drinks they have given to others anonymously. They most often have done this good deed in the drive through lane. I have learned generosity, giving, and selflessness from both of them.

So back to the question at hand, what will I do to make the world a better place? I will use the lessons that I learned from those mentioned, and many who were not. I will continue to show generosity, empathy, and kindness to others in the hopes that I can affect others the way my friends have affected me.