Using Google Keep as a Writer's Idea Book

I am in the thick of a course about teaching writing.

One suggestion I learned from this course, and I've heard it before in a workshop on the Readers and Writers Workshop Models, is to have students keep a notebook of ideas for future writings. These ideas, or seeds as I first heard them referred, are just that -- seeds for future stories to grow out of. It's another way of saying curation.

While reading, I thought of what I would do if I were keeping a notebook. In fact, I am keeping a notebook, it's just in the form of this blog. So understanding that I am more digital than paper, got me to think about how I curate content from around the web.

I use Twitter and have an IFTTT recipe set up so my "favorites" on Twitter are saved to a separate blog I keep for me or anyone who is looking for interesting teaching ideas.

That got me thinking about students. I would prefer that students use a notebook. But what if I had students who were able to curate content from the internet? This year in Grade One, it seems like a far-off dream, but I will be teaching Grade Four next year, so teaching curation is on my list.

Two tools came to mind - Google Bookmarks and Google Keep. I don't bookmark much, so aside from messing around with it a little, I don't have much experience with Google Bookmarks. I wonder if bookmarks can be shared.

I do use Google Keep regularly, however. I like how notes can be tagged and colored. I was thinking for a seed journal to introduce students to the Google Keep Chrome Extension that allows you save web content with a click of a button. 

Once content, or seeds, are collected in Keep, they can be tagged and color coded. If students are already using Keep, maybe they could choose a color to use for their writing notes since you can filter notes by color in Keep.

Diigo could be another option. It also allows for tagging and sharing. In Diigo, you can make groups.

Combining Making Thinking Visible Activities

Honghe Rige Terrace Micro-Ecology
via Visual.ly

While planning for my current unit about the ecology of rice fields (ecosystems, food chains, and life cycles) I came across the above infographic on Visual.ly. Thinking it could make an interesting provocation, I printed it onto an A3 piece of paper and put it up in the front of the room on the first day of the unit.

Wanting to focus on the rice field in the upper left, I asked my class what they saw.

When they started talking about the people, I knew I had to take it further.

I started by taking out some See, Think, Wonder sheets I made up, and I covered up most of the picture, so they focused on the terraced rice field.

Image 1

Despite seeing the picture beforehand, when I asked what they saw in the small square, I still got interesting responses like fossil and alligator tail. After discussing their responses a little, we wrote them down and moved out.

As I zoomed out more, I again asked what they saw. This time I got responses like mountain, stairs, and one student said rice field.

Image 2

The students talked a little about the woman, but surprisingly, since I was focused on the terrace, they were too. They ignored the field to the top. I asked them to write down what they think about the image.

Honghe Rige Terrace Micro-Ecology
via Visual.ly

When I pulled back the curtain, again, I told them that it was indeed a rice field. I think every student's hand went up and the air electrified. Finally, I asked them if they had any wonderings or questions. I had them write them down.

I really like going through the questions the students have after they get worked up about a topic like this.

I will be ready for this in the start of the units from now on. This was as interesting as when I showed the students pictures of rice field art.