Cartoon Students Presenting to Class
3-12, Creative Thinking, Fun Friday, Games, Independent Study, Research, Student Products

Host a Classroom PowerPoint Party

My daughter began college in 2020 when the majority of her classes were still on-line and most extracurricular activities were still shut down. She lived in the dorm, but was definitely not experiencing the typical first year for obvious reasons. When she started talking about “PowerPoint Parties” that her close friends would host, I thought that was another amazing example of how creativity can be born from constraint. They couldn’t go out to many places, so they found a way to entertain themselves inside.

PowerPoint parties are when small groups of people meet and — you guessed it — show PowerPoint presentations. But these are not the “Here is what I learned about Abraham Lincoln” kind of presentations. Sometimes there is a theme for the the party, such as “The Best TV Show Ever” or sometimes participants are just invited to do one on whatever they’re passionate about. One of the favorites that my daughter’s friends have shared is when they pick which Disney character each of their friends would be. It seems that, usually, the purpose of the presentations are to persuade — and to entertain, of course. Sometimes they offer prizes at these parties, but not always. There are also parties where the presentations are timed (usually 3 minutes) or there is some kind dress code that goes with the theme.

I recently saw a TikTok from a teacher (Noelle Cheney) where she let her students have a PowerPoint Party in class (wouldn’t this be a fun class reward?) and here are some of the topics her high school students did: why you should give us a free day every other Friday, why baby trucks (aka compact trucks) are stupid, why the Shrek tetrology is a piece of cinematic brilliance, and why Miss Cheney should get a fish as a class pet.

I like the class pet idea if you work with younger kids. Some others could be: things you like that no one else does, the best board game, which fictional character would make the best president, the best super hero, where your class should go on its next field trip, or even a theme proposed by your students.

PowerPoint parties can be a fun class reward, interspersed as Brain Breaks, used on those chaotic class days right before a holiday, or an introduction to Genius Hour. You could also make them “semi” educational. For example, if your class has just finished a novel you could host a PowerPoint party where they argue which dog each character would be and why.

What are the benefits of PowerPoint Parties? Practicing persuasion, research, technology, and presenting skills, giving students the opportunity to use their creativity, learning more about each other, and bringing some laughter into your classroom!

Do any of you use PowerPoint parties in your classroom? Comment below!

@noellelovessloths This is a genius idea that you can use for several different lessons. 10/10 recommend #powerpointnight #teacherlife #highschool #noellelovessloths ♬ original sound – matt
6-12, Fun Friday, Problem Solving, Uncategorized

The Social Distancing Puzzles

Yesterday’s post, which was about finding creative ways to make Zoom (or any online conference) calls fun, was a nice lead-in today’s shared activity. Eric Berlin, puzzlemaker extraordinaire, (see my Puzzlesnacks post for more info) came up with an ingenious idea that adds a twist to social distancing while earning money for charity.  When you use the form linked on this page to donate to Feeding America, and then provide a screen shot of your receipt, you will be e-mailed two sets of eleven puzzles in PDF form.  Choose a puzzle partner to give Set A or B to, and you will work on the other.  You can do some of the puzzles independently, and others will need collaboration.  The combination of puzzle answers from both sets will be needed to solve the final puzzle.

I haven’t done all of the puzzles, yet, but they look like they are probably suited for teenagers and up.  With your two sets of challenges comes a third file of hints and solutions.  For more information about Feeding America, you can visit this page on their website.  However, be sure to go to Eric Berlin’s page through this link so your donation will be correctly allocated.

Word Puzzle Grid
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

5-8, 6-12, Fun Friday

Punny Literary Pet Names

Coming back to posting on a regular basis means that I am restarting my “Phun Phriday” posts, which are silly-and-not-necessarily-educational-but-they-could-be things that I’ve found on the web.  I curate these in a private Flipboard magazine that I turn to whenever I need a laugh.  Today’s entry comes from McSweeney’s.  It’s an article called, “Literary Pet Names Using Puns Unworthy of Their Namesakes.”  Mary Laura Philpott and Kristen Arnett have created a short list of nicknames for animals that includes cute, simple illustrations.  The first one, for example, is a dog named, “Virginia Woof.”  You can find a second list by the duo, with Mary Shelley the snail as its introduction, here. (Just be wary if you show this to kids, as the final one uses a synonym for donkey that some may find inappropriate – though I find it wildly funny.)

Happy Friday!

puns
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tearable_puns.jpg

Fun Friday, Videos

A Man and His Dogs

It’s Phun Phriday, and I wanted to share this heartwarming video of a man who is on a mission.  We need more stories like this every day.

Education, Fun Friday, Games

The Rubik’s Cube Revolution

I have a private magazine on Flipboard where I save all of the weird things that might make future Phun Phriday posts.  When I see a few that seem to fit a theme, I curate them for you.  They are not necessarily educational – just random stories that catch my eye.

It’s a mystery to me why the Rubik’s Cube continues to be a “thing.”  I didn’t like it when it first came out, and still find it frustrating.  I realize this is completely my own fault, and that my feelings say a lot more about my own stubborn laziness than the quality of the toy.  But that’s why I found it interesting to see that, decades after its initial introduction to the toy market, the Rubik’s Cube continues to fascinate people.

This guy, for example, has posted a tutorial on Instructables on how to make a fully functional Rubik’s Cube – out of paper.  I was intimidated by Step 1, so I can’t really advise you if this actually works, but it seems on the up and up.

Then there’s this man, who made a Rubik’s cube out of cheese.  This achievement should not be confused with his other Rubik’s cube accomplishments: the candle cube and the ice cube.

I doubt either of these men would be willing to loan their creations to this robot, who can solve a Rubik’s cube in .38 seconds.  (Watch the last video on this page, and you’ll see why they might be reluctant to trust their art to this robot.)

I think I’ll just stick to the virtual ones.

rubiks.jpg
image from William Warby on Flickr

Fun Friday

Amazing Domino Rainbow Spiral

Happy Phun Phriday!  I bookmarked this a long time ago, and just re-discovered it.  For those of you new to the blog, I like to share random things on Fridays that usually have very little to do with education.  I suppose you could have your students do some math with this – or you can just enjoy it!