Saturday, January 14, 2017

Dot Day

On September 15, over 5 million participants will celebrate the 7th annual Dot Day from all over the world. Dot Day is an opportunity to connect your students, promote creativity, and build a positive classroom environment.

Based on the story by Peter H. Reynolds, The Dot, students find the author's hope is to inspire others to express themselves creatively and "make your mark" on the world around you. Dot Day began in 2009 on September 15th when a teacher by the name of Terry Shay shared The Dot with students. What started as a small, creative idea has grown to be a worldwide, collaborative event - the exact idea The Dot celebrates. FableVision and Peter H. Reynolds continue this tradition by inviting others to join in. The mission of FableVision is to support educators to inspire creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and compassion in students. 

After you register to participate, you will receive a free planning guide to assist you. The level at which you participate is flexible to meet the needs of your classroom. You could choose to read the book, have a conversation about the characters and the story, and create your own dot. Or, you could further enrich the experience by Skyping with other classrooms, connection with others on social media such as Twitter or Facebook, or view the LiveStream to celebrate with Discovery Education on September 13. 

Participating in Skype, viewing LiveStream, connecting with #DotDay on Twitter, and viewing augmented reality are options for integrating technology to enhance your students' learning experience. By selecting these options, educators are providing engaging opportunities for learning that are not possible without technology.
Quiver app - AR
Students can design a dot and watch it come to life using augmented reality. Students will create their own dot design using the downloadable page, then use the Quiver app to make their 2D dot appear 3D.

Other Ideas:
*Wear Dots (and provide dot stickers so all students can participate)
*'Dot Up' (Circle Up) - use a sentence stem "I will make my mark by __ ."
*Dot Search - take a Dot Walk and search for dots/circles inside and outside; document with photos and create a PicCollage to save in a class Google Slide so all can view
*Connect with another class using Padlet to share Dot Day creations
*Create a Dot Plot after forming a question and collecting data. Share your results with your peers.
*Reflect on how you will make your mark on your blog
*Read The Dot to reading buddies and partner up to make a Buddy Dot to display

Additional Ideas:
Dot Activities

The Dot Q&A from Peter H. Reynolds 
Search Pinterest for Dot Day ideas
Facebook International Dot Day for teacher connections, ideas, and resources
Another book to discover from Peter H. Reynolds is Ish. This is a great story about focusing on the process, not the product, and embracing a growth mindset. If your class is unable to participate in Dot Day on September 15th, consider having 'Dot Day-ish' on a day that is more suitable. 





Connect:
@FableLearn
@peterhreynolds
@DotClubConnect
#DotDay
#MakeYourMark
#CelebratewithDE

Resources:
thedotclub.org
peterhreynolds.com
fablevisionlearning.com

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