Last week, I posted about this year’s Doodle 4 Google contest with the theme, “If I Could Invent One Thing to Make the World a Better Place.” I mentioned that one thing that I am particularly excited about is the page of Classroom Activities that complement the contest this year. Included in this are three live events where students can “Meet the Doodler” online. Fortunately, my 4th graders got the chance to view the first event yesterday, and it was a great experience. If you were unable to participate, you can see the archive here.
Two elementary schools were able to join the Doodler in the Google Hangout. You can apply to be included as one of the video guests by signing up here for the two remaining events (2/19/14 and 2/26/14 at 1 PM EST). Or, you can just do what our class did, and watch the video while posting some questions in the chat window.
Yesterday’s video (less than 40 minutes) featured Sophie Diao, one of the ten Google “Doodlers” that create the fabulous specialized logos we see periodically. She explained the process for creating a Google Doodle, how long it generally takes, and what she does when she can’t think of any ideas. A neat part of the presentation included an assignment for everyone watching to try to design their own Valentine doodles. I’ve included some of the ones my students did during the short presentation, and you should watch the video for some outstanding ideas from the 2 elementary schools that participated. If you are looking for a fun, last-minute Valentine activity, throw this challenge at your students! (For more Valentine ideas, check out this post.)
