Your Friend is My Friend

One of the great things about using GoBubble with students is that you KNOW who their online friends are.  This is the beauty of GoBubble Groups.  They invite your students to engage with other about designated topics.  You can create your own group and invite other classrooms to join it or you can join a group that someone else has created.

Right now, my third and fourth grade students have been posting to four different GoBubble Groups: #GratitudeChat, #HolidayGreetings, #Wish19, and BubbleBooks.  These groups have generated a lot of excitement with students to share with other kids.

One thing I really love about my students participating in GoBubble groups is that it gives them opportunity to connect with others in a way that embraces diversity and empathy.  They really get a glimpse of how others think, feel, and live.

I typically see my kids for about 30 minutes and they have about 20 minutes to complete an activity or task.   You would think that they need longer than 20 minutes to thoughtfully create and post online, but they are now starting to get done in five to ten minutes.  Here is what an engaging activity in GoBubble Group typically looks like in my setting:

1. Introduce Activity: "As empathetic communicators you can share what you are grateful for with others.  GoBubble is a great place to talk to other kids about this!"
2. Model and Answer Clarifying Questions: "Let me show you how you can use stickers in GoBubble to communicate what you are grateful for."
3. Work: kiddos go post!
4. Share: "What is one way that using GoBubble made this fun and engaging for you?" or "How were you thoughtful about what you posted today?"

This may slightly change depending on what we are doing.  For example, if we are AppSmashing, then I provide them with dedicated time to create first.  When they were posting in the #HolidayGreetings, BubbleBooks, and #Wish19 Groups, I gave them 5-10 minutes to create and save a 3D Bear video.  Then I showed them how to upload that video into GoBubble   After that, they had time to read and respond to what others had posted!  All of that in under 20 minutes. 

Once you get your kiddos on GoBubble,  join a group.  The groups you join, automatically become your students' groups.  And that means that the friends you have in that group are now also your students's friends!  Below are two official GoBubble activities for your kiddos.  We hope to see you there!  

          

(I am a GoBubble Ambassador, and all views on GoBubble are my own.)