Tag: gratitude

Education, K-12, Student Products, Videos, Web 2.0

I’d Be Thankful for a Lizard Named CheeseDoodle, Too

Terri Eichholz
Screen shot from 3 Leaders Episode #1
Screen shot from 3 Leaders Episode #1

So, this is a perfect example of the power of being connected.  The other day, I saw a tweet from Principal Brad Gustafson in Minnesota (@GustafsonBrad – check out his great interview on The Two Guys Show!) about a video showing kids being thankful.  I clicked on the link and was immediately charmed.  The kids are fabulous, and throw in a few surprises (such as the lizard named CheeseDoodle- what a cool name!).  What’s unique about this video, though, is that three schools collaborated to make it.  The project is a combined effort from Minnesota, New York, and New Jersey.  I think it’s great the way the students from Byram Intermediate (who collected comments from the elementary school – so I think that technically makes 4 schools), Greenwood Elementary, and Cantiague Elementary shared their gratitude.  They can see what they have in common, which is a lot, and have a conversation about some of the different things that were mentioned.

The 3 Leaders used Touchcast to create the video, and you can view the Touchcast version here.  (If you want to read more about the Touchcast app, here is a brief post I did about it in August.)

This leads me to mention something I am thankful for this year that I did not have on my list (or even on my radar) last year – my online PLN.  Without Twitter, I would not have known about this awesome video, which has already given me numerous ideas for project suggestions for my own students.  And this is only the latest in a very long list of inspirational tidbits that I have gleaned from the folks on Twitter.  I know everyone in America is busy today with your Thanksgiving preparations, so I won’t waste your time by getting all gushy and sentimental.  Just know that I appreciate all of you – readers, Tweeters, co-workers, family, friends, and students!

Thanks for sharing, Byram, Greenwood, and Cantiague!  Great job!

The 3 Leaders who connected to bring you this video
The 3 Leaders who connected to bring you this video
Apps, Augmented Reality, Education

Can You Keep a Secret?

Terri Eichholz

I debated about whether or not to post this, yet, and finally decided to take the plunge.  The con of doing this is that I am planning a surprise for my co-workers, and I don’t want them to find out.  The pro of posting today is that some of my readers might want to try a similar project, and would like some time to actually plan it (rather than barreling into it blind as I, sigh, seem to have the tendency to do).  So, I decided to remind everyone of the time you snuck a peek at a gift when you were little, and how totally not fun it was to have to act surprised when you got the gift.  I will leave the choice up to you.

Now that you have received your Spoiler Alert, those of you who would like to continue may click on the link below to take you to my real post for today.  As long as you are not someone who works on my campus, I promise you won’t suffer from any residual guilt – at least not for this particular action.  Of course, now that I’ve built it up, I hope no one is disappointed, either…

Click here.

Oh, here’s the password 😉

IDoNotWorkWithTerri

3-12, Education, Motivation, Student Products, Websites, Writing

Thanks for Teaching Us

Terri Eichholz

Thanks for Teaching Us is a site that allows students to publicly thank their teachers.  With Random Acts of Kindness Week just around the corner (Feb. 13-19), this might be a great activity to offer your students.  Talk about the qualities they have liked in past teachers. Ask them to choose a teacher and to write a letter of gratitude.  If they have permission to have their work and first name on the internet, allow them to type their thanks on this site.  Once it is posted, the letter can be e-mailed to the teacher.  Searches can be done on the site, as well, for teachers and schools that have already received thanks.