ThingLink Teacher Challenge Launched at ISTE 2015

We are pleased to launch the ThingLink Teacher Summer Challenge today at ISTE 2015!  This free, online, self-paced professional development is designed for busy educators who want to build a professional learning network and have fun learning through collaborative play.

We hope to make some noise here at #ISTE2015 and grab the attention of enthusiastic colleagues who have come together to connect and collaborate. To join the challenge, simply sign up.

Week 1: Design Your Digital Self

Objective

IIn this activity you will create an interactive image to introduce Your Digital Self to other members of the ThingLink Teacher Challenge PLN. You will create an interactive image to define yourself through through multimedia by creating tags to to whatever it is that defines your Digital Self. You can revisit and add to your Digital Self as you change and grow. Use the guided channel below to guide you through the process. Consider using the activity with students at the start of the school year.

Please include tags with your name and social media tags to make connections with other participants. Use the hashtag #TLChallenge.

Rationale

To engage students in learning, it's important to help them make connections to their own world. This classroom kick off activity sets the tone for making those personal connections . The activity can also be very useful for gauging students' problem-solving and research skills as you serve as facilitator it in the classroom. In addition, the activity provides teachers with the opportunity to remind students about protecting their identities when publishing digital work. With access to a web full of resources and the opportunity to create, this activity is built for success.

Steps at a Glance

1. Create an avatar or use an existing avatar you have.
2. Upload your avatar to ThingLink
3. Add Rich Media Tags to your avatar to Design Your Digital Self.
4. Add your annotated avatar to the channel, "Design Your Digital Self"
5. Get to know other participants as you explore their work.

Get Interactive Directions

Classroom Connections and Modifications

• Take advantage of the teachable moment and combine this activity with an Internet Safety lesson to help students distinguish between personal and private information when sharing on the web.
• Introduce the activity at the start of the school year in place of a traditional getting to know you activity and encourage students to add tags as they learn, change and grow throughout the year.
• Create a class channel of student digital selvess for use as an introduction to another classroom when collaborating.
• Adapt the activity to fit into your curriculum and use it throughout the year as a place for students to showcase their growth and progress in a particular area.
• Ask students to create a channel of their own to track their progress towards specific goals, adding tags to highlight accomplishments throughout the year.

Get Started

Create a ThingLink for EDU

Additional Help and Support

• Create an Avatar
• Adjust Image Size
• ThingLink Help Center
• Build a ThingLink Classroom
• Rich Media Tags

Join Us

We hope you will join us for this flexible summer learning adventure. All you have to do is sign up. After you sign up, you will receive a step-by-step guide to help you join our group with the invite code. This will give you access to the EDU Premium trial so you can truly explore the powerful possibilities of teaching and learning with ThingLink EDU.

We will begin the first challenge activity during the week of July 5, 2015.

We hope you will join us for this fun filled and excited, self-paced professional learning opportunity. Questions? Please email Susan@thinglink.com.