Thank You for the #GrowthMindset Idea!

About a week ago, I stumbled across a bulletin board idea on Twitter that sparked my interest and got my wheels turning.  I decided to recreate the board for my classroom.  I don't have much space, since I share a small area with my school's Literacy Coach.  I also don't have any bulletin boards on my side of the room, so I had to adapt the idea to fit on the wall in the entryway of our room.  I chose to make the *growth* side of the board blue and gold (my school's colors), and then added #IrvingPride to personalize it a bit more. :) The idea came from Angie Olson over at Lucky Little Learners.  Her photo that sparked my interest is below.  Awesome, right?

Anyway, I just wanted to give her a shout out for sharing this idea. My students will certainly benefit from changing their mindsets. 

Thanks for collaborating globally, Angie!

Spark Interest with a QR Code Bulletin Board for Reading!

I'm here to share a quick and easy-to-create bulletin board idea for teachers out there trying to spark some student interest in Reading, while incorporating a sprinkle of technology.  If you follow my blog, you know I've created a board similar to this, but it was for the students to guess which staff members in my school love to read. Some teachers wore disguises, which is another fun option you can do for this bulletin board. :)  Click HERE for the post.

I created the "Guess Who Loves to Read?" bulletin board for the outside of the door leading into my classroom.  It sparks student interest, adds color to the hallway and is fun for the students *hiding* in the pictures.  This board shows some of my kiddos I will be working with this upcoming school year. 

If you use QR Codes with your students, you're probably familiar with QRStuff.com.  However, if you are new to them, this site is very straight forward and simple to use.  Once you go to QRStuff.com, you will see a Data Type column.  To create the codes I placed on the students' pictures, click on Plain Text under the Data Type column.  Once you click on Plain Text, the Content box pops up. In that box, I typed each student's name along with *loves to read!* (example: "Isadora loves to read!").

Once you finish typing in the text box, a QR Code gets created and can be downloaded and added to any picture or file you wish to use for the bulletin board.  You also have the option to change the QR Code to various colors.  As you can see, for this board, I kept each code black.  

After a QR Code is created for each of your students, take pictures of them with their favorite book, but don't make their faces fully visible.  Guessing is what sparks the interest!  Having students choose their *favorite* book actually gives you an informal peek into the types of books they like to read.  You're hitting two birds with the proverbial stone!  Some examples are below. 

Students then use iPads to scan the QR Codes.  Up pops the name of the student hidden under their favorite book.  That's it!  Quick and simple.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!