Recently, I have been playing with the custom backgrounds in the app. I have been adding backgrounds of Moscow or San Francisco and asking students to guess where I am. It's a little like the 90's show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. (I had forgotten how great that theme song was!)
The content of my morning message is the same, but the effect has been exciting. By adding something novel, it captured the students' and staff's attention in a new way. A teacher emailed me, a little sheepishly, asking if the background was Russia. (It was.) Kindergarten students stopped me in the hall to ask if I was REALLY at the Golden Gate Bridge or not. (I wish!)
Yesterday, the first grade teachers asked if I could focus on US monuments in the month of February. It's an instructional practice of theirs. Yes!
I can think of all sorts of educational connections that can be made just by changing the backdrop to my morning message! The third grade has been studying zoology. Imagine the fun I can have with that! Travel the solar system? You bet! Focus on colors and shapes? Absolutely!
I am thankful that I have a job that allows me to sprinkle a little fun and creativity through the day. I'm also thankful for tech-savvy friends who help me when I hit a technology snag. (Thanks, Rae and Ryan!)
