When I was a young teacher, I used to bring my newspaper to study hall. Students would perch on their desks and observe me like vultures. As soon as I was done with the Sports Section, or the Life Section, they would swoop down and devour it! Today, I’m not sure kids could identify a newspaper in a police lineup. What I loved the most about consuming the newspaper each day was the Comic’s Page and the Editorial Cartoons. Unfortunately, I don’t get a paper anymore. My exposure to comics has diminished significantly. I miss them!

So…in this episode, I’ll demonstrate how to revive this wonderful medium with the help of a tremendous tech tool called StoryboardThat. I’ll also give non-humanities teachers an idea on how they could use it in their curriculum.

To start, however, I must explain the prompt I layed on my kids. Episode 92 featured Brad Gosche of the Columbus Council on World Affairs. He introduced me to Geert Hofstede and the Country Comparisons Model. My lesson built off this exposure. My students were required to craft a comic where they played the role of a Westerner attempting to interact with India. Here is a link to the HyperDoc I assigned on Google Classroom. Students then created amazing 3-panel comic on StoryboardThat fulfilling these 3 jobs:

Panel 1:

You’re a foreign power describe YOUR OBJECTIVE in India. It could be setting up colonies in the past, or doing business in the present.  

Panel 2:

Describe the applicable CULTURAL DIMENSION.  

Panel 3:

Indicate how your ADJUSTED APPROACH will succeed.

Finally, kids shared their comics with classmates on a class Google Slide presentation.

Episode Template

The Problem:

Comics are an underutilized medium for student expression.

The Solution:

Challenge kids to create with StoryboardThat.

What you can do Tomorrow:

• Become familiar with StoryboardThat by creating your own comic.
• Craft a 3-panel comic prompt.
• Demonstrate to students some of the StoryboardThat featured in this episode.
• Create a Google Slide presentation to act as a landing pad for finished comics.

Your kids will have an absolute blast with this tool. They also will demonstrate deep understanding about their topics.

Listen to “98-StoryboardThat will Transform your Kids into Editorial Cartoonists” on Spreaker

Student videos started to get on my nerves. It was the same thing over and over. The kids put most of their efforts into making them funny and violent. The videos seemed more slapstick than expressive.

I retooled the way kids create videos and the results have been spectacular. This episode is about HOW I have my students do this and HOW they present their work to one another. Episode 44 is about student presentations via the gallery walk. In this program, I’m going to promote the idea of creating a virtual gallery walk. I was impressed a couple of years ago when I had my kids take a virtual tour of the Caves of Lascaux.  I remember thinking…Wouldn’t it be cool if my kids could create a virtual exhibit?

My students mastered this challenge with the help of Google Slides and wonderful screen recorder called Screencastify.

Building off the ideas Jason Connally proposed in Episode 96, students built a 1-2 minute video with Screencastify, uploaded it to YouTube, and then placed a link on a Google Doc which acts like a landing page. This landing page then became the virtual museum. On exhibition day, students wandered from exhibit to exhibit and learned from their classmates…all in a virtual fashion!

Episode Template

The Problem:

Student videos need a makeover.

The Solution:

Utilize Google Slides and Screencastify.

What you can do Tomorrow:

• Create a prompt for kids such as have students describe a concept, place it context, and then determine its significance.
• Have students build a Google Slide presentation that is image rich and text poor. 4-5 slides is perfect!
• Direct students to craft a script that tells a story about the compelling images on the presentation.
• Have kids utilize the Screencastify addon to record their desktop as they tell a great story.
• Students then upload the video to YouTube.
• The last step is for kids to put the link on a Google Doc which acts like a landing page. This landing page will be the virtual museum.

Take your student’s video presentations to a whole new level!

Listen to “97-The Virtual Gallery Walk Compliments of Screencastify” on Spreaker.

Many moons ago, I read a fascinating book about the future. Bill Gates’ book The Road Ahead inspired me greatly. I couldn’t wait to see if Gates’ fascinating predictions came to fruition. Guess what…most did!

This episode will feature a Gates-like futuristic prophet in regard to lesson delivery.

Jason Connelly

Jason Connelly is an instructional designer at Columbus State Community College. I became acquainted with Jason last year. Columbus State commissioned your humble narrator to create the online version of World Civilization. In this massive creative challenge,Jason was my mentor and muse.

I’ve taken all that I learned from Jason and applied it to my virtual lesson creation. I’ve guided student to create superior projects based on what I learned from Jason. Don’t be intimidated by what you hear today. In my next episode, I’ll explain how to transform a basic storyboard, which I encourage you to create, into a powerful video. Here’s a 3:21 example of Jason and my efforts:

[KGVID]https://jamesalansturtevant.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Task-8.4.mp4[/KGVID]

Next weekend I’ll be in New Mexico with my lovely wife on spring break. I’ll be back in 2 weeks with easy instructions for transforming your storyboard into a powerful video!

Episode Template

The Problem:

Lesson delivery is need of an upgrade.

The Solution:

Create lessons that are portable, interactive, and collaborative.

What you can do Tomorrow:

• Search your current unit for an engaging lesson that you could transform into a short video.
• Create a storyboard on Google Doc. This doc will be the script for your video.
• Secure compelling images for each chunk of your narrative. Use the insert tab on Google.

The next episode will provide the technical instructions. We’ll take our storyboard and morph it into a captivating video. Stay tuned!

Listen to “96-Jason Connelly is the Man Behind the Curtain…Crafting Powerful and Futuristic Classroom Presentations” on Spreaker.

In the midst of your last class discussion, you may have felt some pangs of disappointment. Perhaps, there was not enough engagement. Or maybe, the participation level was not satisfactory. Some students may have monopolized the airwaves. Well…I’m here to help.

In this episode, you’ll be treated to a step-by-step approach to epic class discussions. This template can be used repeatedly. Welcome, dear friends, to Philosophical Chairs Sturtevant-Style!

Step 1: Formulate a topic. This doesn’t necessarily have to be an ultra-engaging topic. Last week, my fourteen-year-old freshman dove headfirst into the issue of Indian Partition in 1947. You will not catch these kids tweeting about Nehru, but they sure were invested in debating about him. It was shocking how well it worked. That’s what the tactics I’ll outline can accomplish. You can make a pedestrian topic enthralling.

Step 2: Accumulate compelling sources. Here’s a link to the hyperdoc which set up my discussion on the slave trade. The primary sources come from the Stanford History Education Group. Please check out Episode 40 if you’d like to learn more about thee free resources. Embed provocative prompts inside the sources to get the kids thinking.

Step 3: Create a self evaluation sheet for students. Here’s mine. This sheet will add accountability. The students will demonstrate that they digested the prep material and be motivated to participate in the discussion.

Step 4: Compose 4 or 5 prompts. Students will have 3 choices with each question:

• A Yes
• B Unsure
• C No

The prompts will be unveiled to the kids and then they’ll be given 3 minutes to formulate responses. They should review the prep material and certainly conduct internet searches as well. Here is my slide presentation. 

Step 5: Arrange the room so there’s 3 different sides. This is where the kids will go to demonstrate their feelings about the prompt. I have the A and C sides face one another and the Bs I place in the back facing you. Students should be encouraged to migrate freely during the discussion. It’s quite fine if they change their minds and it’ll give them an opportunity to contribute by explaining why they moved.

Step 6: Embrace the role of debate moderator. Draw kids out, call on reluctant students, ask students who move for an explanation, summarize a kid’s thoughts to help them express themselves, and occasionally, play devil’s advocate…but remember, your goal is to remain neutral.

Please try this Sturtevant-Style discussion. At the end of the class, there’ll be a number of hands frozen in the air…their disappointed owners sad that they couldn’t contribute just one more thought.

Listen to “95-Your Step-by-Step Guide to an Epic Class Discussion Sturtevant-Style” on Spreaker.