Bitmoji Virtual Classrooms

 Bitmojis are everywhere! So far, few of them (including mine) IMO actually look like the real life people they represent, but they all strangely resemble one another. Maybe it means that we are all related somehow. Sure hope so!

And Bitmoji virtual classrooms? What's up with that? A virtual explosion! Teachers have poured  their hearts, souls, creativity, time, and resources into building and sharing these adorable interactive pages all summer long. I have joined an online group just to watch what they are doing. It is nothing short of pure genius! As difficult as distance learning seems to be, and as hard as the choices districts, schools, teachers, and parents have had to make in this pandemic time, the bitmoji classrooms have made me long for a class of my own once more. This thing is right up my alley! (Do people even say that anymore? Who knows? I've been in the house too long.)

I have viewed literally thousands of these virtual classrooms this summer, and of course, as a teacher for life, I have a few thoughts about the whole thing. Here they are:

These Virtual Classrooms are Nothing New

Since the dawn of Power Point, teachers have been linking slides to other slides to make cool presentations and to engage their students in what they are about to learn. When the internet took off, we got really fancy then. Webquests! Lots of super cool links imbedded into the slides to report back on. 

With the birth of website applications like Wikipages, we continued to grow as graphic designer wannabes and to add links for our students to explore. So guess what? A bitmoji virtual classroom is really just a way stepped up version of a linked introductory page to all the learning opportunities associated with that page. The only part that is new is the personalized emoji.

You Do Not Need to be Present on Every Page

Teachers, can we talk here? Seriously, the bitmojis are beyond cute. I know that mine is a distant version of myself, and maybe the way I see myself in my mind's eye, but as they used to say, "Close, but no cigar." (Colloquial from a 1930's fairground booth. You should know these things! LOL!) 

Anyway, back to your emoji. I've seen thousands this summer, and I always click on the real photo of the person it represents. All of y'all are cute, but your bitmojis seem to look more like each other to me than they look like you. As I peruse the teacher comments in my bitmoji facebook group, I have found that kids ARE somewhat amused by your bitmoji, but kids are legendary for loving their teachers and developing, in many cases, a lifelong bond with some of  those teachers. Use your bitmoji as much as you like, but please make sure to include a real photo of you in real life. Maybe hang a photo of you in a virtual frame on a virtual wall in your virtual classroom. Your students are missing that important physical connection with you as you begin the year virtually. Personally, I would use my bitmoji on the first (main) page only. Any linked pages really don't need your bitmoji dancing around and gesturing. Just my opinion. 

Close Your Door and Teach!

I read in the past few days that some districts are banning bitmoji classrooms. I don't usually understand why districts make all the decisions they make. I usually just squeeze my eyes tight, make a wish, and hope for the best. In this case, however, I believe that is distrust of the unknown. District leaders most likely have not taken the time to try out any of the virtual classrooms developed by their amazing teachers. I believe that they are objecting to the bitmoji part, not the organization of learning activities part. 

Sooo... enter my mantra from my thirty-six year teaching career: Close your door and teach! It means to say as little as possible to those "in charge" who may not understand what you are doing or trying to accomplish, and to go ahead and do what you know is best for your kids. Does your district really have time to check in on every virtual presence that every teacher in their district has? Of course not! 

If your district has said, "No bitmoji classroom!", why not just delete the bitmoji? It doesn't really look like you anyway, remember? Now you just have a super-organized and motivating lead slide for whatever you're teaching. How could that raise an objection?

Since my work was 100% done in a real life classroom (and I realize how lucky I was), if an administrator had a problem with my practice, I would make sure that he/she talked to my students to gauge their understanding, and requested a chance to explain myself. Be sure that your students completely understand why you have organized your virtual classroom this way, with the particular graphic representation that you have set up, and that they understand how to use it. I truly believe that these virtual classrooms have value beyond our current situation. They will make great start the day slides projected on your whiteboard or on your students' laptop screens when you return to real life school. 

For now, if you truly believe in what you are doing, close your virtual door and teach!

Don't Reinvent the Wheel!

Search on Facebook for "Bitmoji Craze for Educators". You will find literally thousands of pages already linked that teachers have created and shared. You will find tons of ideas there also, like creating a phone app for your classroom - great tool for parents! 

If you'd like to start from scratch and just soar with your own creativity and make your virtual classroom really specific to your standards and goals, check out the blog posts and virtual classroom clip art from my friend Amie at Glitter Meets Glue. My blog cover pic above was created with permission, using her middle school resource. If you are a TpT seller, you cannot use Glitter's virtual resources in your products. They were created for teachers to use in their personal virtual classrooms. 

Amie's virtual locker system for students is pure magic! See it here!

However you are headed back to school, I wish you the best year ever. You are strong, you are brave, and you've got this! 

TEACHER TALK IS BACK for the 2020-21 school year! Look for new posts from some of the best bloggers around on the third Sunday of every month! August posts are below!

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Distance Learning or In Person - The Buddy Bench

Teachers. We are tired! What a few months we've had, and what an amazing job you all have done, rising to the occasion of teaching from a distance! And now, the waiting game has begun. Will the new school year find us back in our classrooms, or will we be squares on ZOOM, or will we be expected to manage a hybrid practice? If you are tired, and need to lie down for awhile or go for a walk, I get it. Do that. Come back when you need this!

I believe that you are going to need this at some point though. More challenges lie ahead, and as my teaching colleagues have heard me say so many times through our years together, "I have an idea!" I'm embarking today on a blog series focusing on what lies ahead. The overarching theme is "Distance Learning or In Person?". Each new post will try to answer that question so that we can approach some important learning community issues in both ways. I hope you'll find this series helpful as you begin your new school year!

The Buddy Bench
What is a Buddy Bench? This concept has been around since 2013, when a second grader came up with an idea for lonely kids at recess time. The Buddy Bench doesn't even have to be an actual bench, but it does have to be an agreed upon meeting place. When a child sits on a Buddy Bench, it sends a signal to others that he/she/they would like to interact with someone. This could mean just talking or joining in a game. It's a great way to promote inclusion and to build empathy. I'm all for anything we can do to build these kids up from the inside out. The Buddy Bench is relationship and SEL magic!

The secret to success with your Buddy Bench is to discretely teach what it's all about and to model using it. When we installed one at my school, I discovered that the very kids who needed it most in order to find companions at recess were the kids who lacked skill in interpersonal communication. (Anyone surprised?) That's when I developed a set of cards that could be laminated and left at the Buddy Bench to serve as conversation prompts. You can make your own or find them here, but the important thing is to practice using them. Select a topic and try a model discussion. The topics on my cards all center on finding some common ground on which a friendship may be built.  What are your favorite kind of movies? Music? Ice cream? What do you like to do best at recess? What's your favorite joke? You get it, right?

The Buddy Bench in Normal Times
In normal post pandemic times, your Buddy Bench will be a fixture on your playground. Our PTA even added a second one right outside the office for indoor recess. Kids will use it to signal that they would rather not spend  recess alone, and other kids will join them. They will find something something to chat about, and may move on to a soccer match, a jump rope game, or a race around the track. They may even find a quiet place under a tree to read a book together. As a teacher (or recess supervisor), you need to kind of watch the bench out of the corner of your eye. If a kid has been sitting there for too long, either encourage a child (that you have pre-arranged a buddy position with) or go and sit there yourself. Start up a conversation. No one wants to put himself/herself out there as being all alone, and then stay that way.

My favorite nine year old told me today that the Buddy Bench at his school is just a place to throw your coat if you get too warm at recess. He went on to say that since everyone at his school is already such good friends with everyone else, the Buddy Bench isn't used anymore. My dad had an expression for that which, in translation, means, "It should always be so." I swear I heard his voice telling me that when I heard about this repurposed Buddy Bench! My wish for you is that yours becomes a coat holder as well!

In any case, your Buddy Bench should become a familiar sight and a familiar concept to your students. It's their signal to be good people and to include others whenever possible. How lovely to sit on the Buddy Bench on a perfect Spring day and chat with a new found friend! Sigh.

The Virtual Buddy Bench
At the beginning of a new school year, if we are still delivering our lessons remotely, kids within their new virtual classrooms will still need ways of getting to know each other. By making a virtual version of the Buddy Bench in their online learning environment, you will be adding in an important social-emotional component. You might also get better attendance (all other things being equal) at your online live lessons if the kids know each other in some way and look forward to seeing each other online. If you are setting up breakout groups in Google Classroom, it will be easier to group kids who know each other. We've all known for a long time that kids are more likely to participate in groups if the other people in the group are people that they enjoy being with.

To create a virtual Buddy Bench, the easiest (and most fun) way I could think of was to start with one of those Bitmoji Virtual Classrooms that all the cool kids (in teacher form) are creating. It's a compelling landing page for all of your online lessons, activities, and assignments to be linked to. Add a clip art Buddy Bench to your main page as shown in the first image below. When students click on the Buddy Bench, the link should take them to an activity page like the second image. They can find the prompt of the day or week on the Buddy Bench page. They will "write" their own short response on a virtual post it note and drag it to the virtual bulletin board. Too many students? They can drag notes to the white board and to cabinets.

Once all student responses have been collected, you can use them to group kids into breakout rooms for further discussion, or just discuss the responses at your next online meeting time.

The Socially Distanced Buddy Bench
If the miracle that so many have been wishing for occurs, and you find yourself back in your real life classroom, social distancing will be a must. Your socially distanced Buddy Bench can be set up as a center, as pictured in the second image above. Students should visit the center one at a time, carrying their own sticky note pad and pen. Remember, you don't need an actual bench. For a socially distanced situation, I would use a single chair or desk. Students could also write their responses to the buddy prompt at their own desk, and then place it on the bulletin board or white board when it is their turn at the center. Morning Meeting is a great time to share and discuss some of the responses.

Hope you'll find some of these suggestions helpful as you head back to school. You can get the prompts that I created by clicking on the cover below. Blank clipboard pages are available to create your own as well! To add them to your virtual classroom, just do a screen shot of the prompt that you want to use. I am working on a Google Slide version and will come back here to edit once it is ready!

If you like the virtual classroom backgrounds used in this post, you can find them and so much more to design your own virtual classroom settings at Glitter Meets Glue on TpT!

Check back here soon for the next in the series Distance Learning or In Person - What Are the Rules?

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