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Supporting Lessons for “About Me”
h
ttps://myblueprint.ca/products/allaboutme
Congratulations! You have created a classroom for your students and are
ready to fi ll the blank slate of your learners’ digital portfolio. For webinars
and tutorials to ensure you and your families are properly set up check these
out:
https://myblueprint.ca/support/videos/all-about-me
A great introduction is to
establish their
avatar
.
Here are some valuable
picture books and video
reads, if you do not
have access to the
physical text, that
can serve as a hook.
1
Quick access?
Print student QR
codes, download
Class Pass app, or
bookmark website
Create Activity
You are able to link
documents,
pictures, and tag
assignments.
Journal & Media
Multimodal ways for
students to reflect.
S. BUYCO-GALLOWAY
DECEMBER 2020
Getting Started
My Blue Print
Digital Literacy &
Avatars
Students need explicit
teaching around
privacy, ethics, and
safety to be active and
engaged digital
citizens.
Students in the primary grades are already
active users of digital technologies at home:
Roblox, Minecraft, Kids Messenger, etc.
Especially for primary grades (which this
document is intended for), children are still
distinguishing the difference between reality,
non-fi ction, and imaginative, fi ction.
I have found that students enjoyed having their
work mirrored on the class projector so other
students could see them working live. We often
take gallery walks when we get “stuck” on ideas.
Below is a great lesson plan to
present
to K-3 students before getting
started on making their avatar:
https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/fi les/lesson-
plans/lesson_representing_ourselves_online
The Media Smarts
website is an
excellent
resource,
complete with lesson plans to support
any digital literacy activities.
Some extensions:
•
Creating
inside/outside
trait graphic organizers
of characters from picture books
•
Drawing self-portrait using a mirror/camera
function on device
•
avatarmaker.com
to create a realistic and
imaginative avatar: write a description of each/
use a character in a story.
Here are some examples of
student-made avatars:
Need to see a
tutorial
before
introducing
this to your
students?
Click below:
Avatar complete. Now
what?
2
GETTING STARTED: AVATAR
DECEMBER 2020
https://myblueprint.ca/support/videos/all-about-
me/3WuYqYNlblrImLB8djEaY
This is the order I have presented About Me
boxes to my students. Do what works for you.
Picture books and
video read alouds
about families:
B.C.
Curricular
Competencies
Lesson Ideas
After introducing a book about families:
Think/Pair/Share -
Tell about your family. What
is one thing that makes your family special
.
Why
is your family important to you?
Students write on a post-it and share on a the
board/chart paper, or if you are feeling
especially savvy, try Padlet,
https://padlet.com
/
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
You can click on the
video to the right, to
get a peek of what the
About Me section in
MyBluePrint would
look like from a
student’s view:
Once
students
are logged
on, they
will go into
ABOUT ME:
They click
on My
Interests:
Each interest box may
look different, but the
prompts are easy to
follow:
4
MY BLUEPRINT ABOUT ME
: INTERESTS
DECEMBER 2020
By now, students
are familiar
with logging in
and accessing
their portfolio.
After creating
their avatar and
telling about
their family,
students really
enjoy sharing
about their
interests.
At this point,
introducing more
collaborative
opportunities for
students to explore
the options of
presenting: audio,
typed reflection,
pictures, video, and
fi le additions, would
facilitate personal
learning networks.
As each box of
interest is added, I
like to introduce
one or two features
like tagging,
changing box
colour, and adding
additional boxes to
build their skill sets
slowly.
B.C. Curricular
Competencies: Career
Education
My BluePrint was designed to align with the
B.C. Curriculum and many Career Education
competencies can be taught utilizing the
portfolio. My Background box in About Me can
be an easy two clicks, but most students will
choose Canada. Unless they are indigenous,
they should be choosing a different box.
My Background
literature support:
Lesson Ideas:
-
Create a VENN diagram with a classmate/
little or big buddy from different class, to fi nd
differences and similarities. Find a co-teacher!
-
Make art using traditional mediums and
materials from local and global indigenous
5
MY BLUEPRINT ABOUT ME
: MY BACKGROUND
DECEMBER 2020
communities. Share on school’s online weekly
newsletter.
-
SHARING/ORAL LANGUAGE: students can
share a cultural tradition.
-
PLAY: With support from family, students
teach the class a traditional game. Connect
with your Indigenous Support Worker as they
may have indigenous games they can
introduce to your class.
-
MAPPING: pinpoint on a map where your
students originally were from, and extend to
where they have lived, visited, etc.
Be cognizant of
cultural appropriation
and cultural
appreciation.
Most classrooms are culturally diverse and
educators derive their teaching through
meaningful, authentic resources.
In MyBluePrint...
One student said “I’m half Portuguese and I can
only choose one box.” This is a great
opportunity to show your students that they can
create another My Background box. He was
happy to add that he was also Italian.
Students are able to type text, add video, audio,
photos, and fi les here. Nothing is permanent
and they can go back in another time to do this.
Once they’ve clicked OK, they can change the
colour of the box, add tags, and add more
reflections.
6
The My Strengths section follows the similar
process of My Interests. When students click on
a box, Storytelling, it automatically makes a
box. Depending on how far you want to go, it
can stop there, or students can enter reflections,
add audio, photo, video, or fi le. If you are
making literature connections, the reflection
box or adding a fi le/photo of their written work
can capture more of their learning.
Supporting Texts &
lessons ideas:
https://wedolisten.org/uploads/8e8628_listen
%20counselor%20lesson.pd
f
Howard Binkow will meet virtually with your
class from Skype In The Classroom!
https://education.skype.com/search?
q=Howard+binkow
+&t=guestSpeakerSession&t=virtualFieldTrip
&t=classroom&t=collaboration&t=resourc
e
https://
www.scholastic.com/
teachers/lesson-plans/
teaching-content/stand-
tall-molly-lou-melon-
lesson-plan
/
https://www.teachingbooks.net/
tb.cgi?tid=44393
#
Resources
Every September 15th, you can celebrate Dot
Day with your students and
celebrate their courage,
creativity, and
collaboration. Connect
with your TL for co-
teaching ideas as well.
http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/
7
MY BLUEPRINT ABOUT ME
: STRENGTHS
DECEMBER 2020
Curricular
Competencies: Social
Awareness &
Responsibility
The My Values section in MyBluePrint support
teaching and learning of the B.C. Core
Competencies for social awareness and
responsibility. Part of being a 21st century
learner, we want our students to be inclusive
and engaged learners.
Here is a quick video of My Values in
MyBluePrint:
The process of entering My Values is identical to
the entering boxes for My Strengths. To make
this more meaningful, I would suggest after a
visit to the school garden, have students
complete a reflection for “Caring for the
Environment” or after collecting cans for the
food drive this holiday, have students complete
a reflection for “Giving Back to the
Community”.
Having a poster/visual of the values (plus what
you might add for “Other”) from MyBluePrint
up in the classroom will allow students to
decide themselves when they would like to add
a reflection. If you do not have devices
available on-hand, students can add a fi le/
photo of their physical reflection at a later time.
8
MY BLUEPRINT ABOUT ME
: MY VALUES
DECEMBER 2020
Cross-Curricular:
Social Studies &
Language Arts
SHARING CIRCLES FACILITATED BY YOUR INDIGENOUS YOUTH CARE
WORKER/DISTRICT SPECIALIST CAN SUPPORT TEACHING AROUND
VALUES AND ATTRIBUTES.
https://passthefeather.ca/sharing-circles/?
v=e4b09f3f8402
http://fi rstnationspedagogy.ca/circletalks.html
My Attributes
These are the boxes offered for My Attributes,
the last section of About Me in MyBluePrint.
The visuals may enhance understanding if
posted year round.
Related Literature and
Lesson Ideas:
9
MY BLUEPRINT ABOUT ME
: MY VALUES AND MY ATTRIBUTES
DECEMBER 2020
https://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword
/
-
Create a class book about attributes in
MyBluePrint.
https://studentreasures.com/
start-your-classbook/
-
Co-teach with your school indigenous youth
care worker or district presenter to teach the
Seven Sacred Teachings:
http://empoweringthespirit.ca/cultures-of-
belonging/seven-grandfathers-teachings
-
The picture books below and valuable
teacher’s guide are available at
https://
www.portageandmainpress.com/wp-content/
uploads/2015/05/
TG_7Teachings_Sample.pdf
-
Wonder
is a great read
aloud for late primary and
early intermediate
learners. Auggie’s
teacher, Mr. Browne has
students write about
precepts; words to live by.
https://www.readingsanctuary.com/wp-
content/uploads/2018/10/Wonder.pd
f
Now What?
By now, students are familiar with all boxes of
About Me in MBP. Throughout the year, they
can re-visit, revise, and add to their digital
portfolio. Work can be shared with other
teachers, like ELL, resource, PHE, and TL, as
well as added to. Family can also use from
home, add to, and comment.
Recommendations:
-
Create your own PLN (personal learning
network) of colleagues in your district and
globally pursuing digital portfolio programs.
It will help you trouble shoot, establish more
ideas, and keep you motivated!
-
Take time to reflect, for yourself too, after
each exposure so you can learn, re-learn, and
allow for flexibility next time.
-
Praise the perseverance and the process
10
MY BLUEPRINT ABOUT ME
: MY ATTRIBUTES AND CLOSING THOUGHTS
DECEMBER 2020
