This year @HulseAnnMarie and I will be continuing connected learning that our classes began last year. This evening, she and I got together to plan. This planning time looked much different than any other planning time I've ever had. We didn't meet in a classroom, the teachers' lounge, or even at a coffee shop. Meeting in the traditional way would have required passports, plane fare, and a lot of time. See, Mrs. Hulse's class is in Ontario, and my class is in Missouri.
Last year I began tweeting with my kindergarten class, @LRKindergarten. Twitter time became one of our favorite times of the day. We connected with other classes around the world, learned with them, and learned from them. These learning experiences were organic, student led, and provided my students with some of the most authentic learning that we achieved in kindergarten. One activity we enjoyed was playing math games with @KinderLAPS, Mrs. Hulse's class.
This year, she and I decided that we would be more intentional about connecting our classes. Tonight, we sat down to figure out what that would look like. Through Google Docs, she and I were able to work together to create a series of math games that our classes will play together.
These games are intentionally designed as a way for our classes to learn together and from each other. However, the collaboration and planning provided Mrs. Hulse and me the opportunity to learn together and from each other as well. We experimented in Google Docs to figure out the best way to design our games, and we bounced ideas off of each other to fine tune the activities to ensure the best instructional integrity.
When I began tweeting with my class last year, I knew it was going to be a great experience for my students. I knew it was going to open their eyes to a world of learning outside of our classroom. What I didn't know was that it was going to do the same for me!
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