15 Second Elevator Pitch

Public speaking...pitching an idea...confidence....

This week we started thinking about our upcoming Ted Talks.  Each student will be writing and giving a Ted Talk based on something they want to share about their current event topic.  This is part of their final project for our website/blog endeavor.

We have been thinking a lot about what makes a good Ted Talk.  What we are realizing is that we need to have a clear point, defend or support this point and entertain our audience.

In order to get us started, I had students write for 20 minutes.  They were answering two questions:  What does it all mean?  Why does it matter or why is it important?

Along with these questions, I asked them to complete these two sentences:  This makes me realize... and What I am really trying to say is....

This writing exercise helped students begin to come to a big idea, a focus, a point or thesis.

The next step was to web this idea.  Our 140 character Twitter headline went in the middle of a circle and branching out from that was the ways we would support this idea.

Finally, students prepared to present this web to their classmates in a 15 second pitch.

As we went around the room and shared, I was so proud of each and every one of them.

We will keep working on these Ted Talks and also our public speaking skills.  It is amazing how fired up some of them are getting about their point.

Collaboration

Now that our website project is off and running, I am finding myself really impressed by the collaboration that is happening organically in the classroom.

Students are collaborating in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes.

There is collaboration through blogs.  Students are starting to catch on to the idea that we can share ideas and resources through blogging.  Students with similar topics are stopping by their peers' sites to check out what they are thinking about.  Certain blogs have become mentor texts for the class, and I am seeing students borrow ideas from their peers.    

There is collaboration face to face.  Just this morning I overheard one student ask another student if she could share the document they created because they had the same topic as a peer.  This sense of leaning on each other has been really awesome to watch.  Students know that it isn't just me who can help with questions; they are going to each other for help.

Certain students are becoming experts in certain areas.  Navigating Weebly has been a little challenge for some and leaders have quickly emerged.  I consider them "tech helpers" and when a student has a technical questions about website construction, we call on these helpers.  They honestly know more than I do about the functions of the site.

Websites are "LIVE"

Students have been working hard on creating websites.  We are using these websites to document our journeys as we immerse ourselves in a current event topic of choice.  Students are learning to post and reply to blogs, to find and evaluate news sources, to document notes and their thoughts and then to post their thoughts and feelings to elicit feedback and comments.

This has been a very engaging and exciting project so far.  The kids are excited to be able to visit each other's websites starting today!