ISZL Embraces the Travelling Teddy Bear Project
ISZL has been involved in the Travelling Teddy Bear Project for the last few years. This year, we were lucky to receive Millie (again!) for an extended period of time. Teddy bears start at a host school and travel the world throughout the year. They promote Global and Cultural Understanding, provide opportunities for students to connect with other classrooms and are just plan fun. Everyone loves the excitement of an impending package arrival, and students are no exception. This year the bears also come with specific UN Sustainable Development Goals to promote.
I shared a Padlet (embedded below) I created with the students and their teacher, used during the lead up to her stay with us, during her stay and again after her visit to summarise our activities together.
As Millie the bear loves coding and technology, we used this as an opportunity to really explore Beebots well beyond the Hour of Code during her stay. Students eagerly worked towards 'Beebot Driving Licences', earned only after completing a series of challenges of increasing difficulty.
We attempted to use the Padlet as well as a tool to communicate with the school involved just before ours, with limited success. Time differences and busy schedules don't always allow for authentic communication and collaboration.
The Skype call with the school after ours on the itinerary worked much better, and supported KG's current unit of Inquiry into artefacts and how they can represent our personal and collective stories. Opportunities for continued contact with different schools are of course still available to us.
Participants in the Teddy Bear project must share the story of the visit on the Teddy Bear Blog. Here is our post. And here is our video (sent along with the bear as a secret QR code, along with some Swiss chocolates!)
We've enjoyed the process so much that I will take on the role of 'Teddy Bear' Coordinator next school year. This means we can tailor design a bear (or take on an existing bear) and have the bear begin and end the school year with us. Students will have greater investment and opportunities to connect with other schools, learn about the places the bear travels, and of course--unpack the bear with accompanying goodies picked up along the way at the end of the year.
For me, that means creating itineraries in Google Maps, Printing out passports, the UN Sustainable Goals booklets (we can pick our own goal to promote) ensuring participants keep to the schedule, track the bears and being ready with an emergency bear (just in case it gets accidentally sent to Swaziland, rather than Switzerland) ;)
I am looking forward to this next challenge and have already been planning with several teachers and teams about how this can best support students learning.
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| A highly coveted license for KG students |
We attempted to use the Padlet as well as a tool to communicate with the school involved just before ours, with limited success. Time differences and busy schedules don't always allow for authentic communication and collaboration.
The Skype call with the school after ours on the itinerary worked much better, and supported KG's current unit of Inquiry into artefacts and how they can represent our personal and collective stories. Opportunities for continued contact with different schools are of course still available to us.Participants in the Teddy Bear project must share the story of the visit on the Teddy Bear Blog. Here is our post. And here is our video (sent along with the bear as a secret QR code, along with some Swiss chocolates!)
We've enjoyed the process so much that I will take on the role of 'Teddy Bear' Coordinator next school year. This means we can tailor design a bear (or take on an existing bear) and have the bear begin and end the school year with us. Students will have greater investment and opportunities to connect with other schools, learn about the places the bear travels, and of course--unpack the bear with accompanying goodies picked up along the way at the end of the year.
For me, that means creating itineraries in Google Maps, Printing out passports, the UN Sustainable Goals booklets (we can pick our own goal to promote) ensuring participants keep to the schedule, track the bears and being ready with an emergency bear (just in case it gets accidentally sent to Swaziland, rather than Switzerland) ;)
I am looking forward to this next challenge and have already been planning with several teachers and teams about how this can best support students learning.
Please try this link if the Padlet is not viewing properly.
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| From KGP Parent Communication |
Each year the students participate in a different way with the travelling Teddy. Last year movie making was very popular, this year the Beebots and obtaining a Beebot licence had all the class participating. It was also exciting to skype with the next school and to share artefacts, an authentic link with our unit of inquiry. Thanks Hollie for all your organization and support!
ReplyDeleteI really like this project, maybe it comes from my love of reading Winnie the Pooh stories to my boys and never wanting that to stop. I really like the way that this project provides students a way to connect with others around the world. I especially like however, how Millie has learnt so much about using technology during her two visits to ISZL, I am sure these were standout experiences for her as they would have been for the ISZL students that she shared these experiences with - v neat.
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