Jamboard For the Win
“My face is SOOOO big on ZOOM!” “I mean I seem so HUGE!!!” Ugh. Many of us know this feeling, and this led me to begin sharing my screen with teachers during our weekly “mentoring” meetings. BOOM! But, what should or could I share on my screen that will facilitate a conversation, allow others to contribute and be visually appealing? Google Slides and Google Sheets, are great, but Jamboard is winning!!! Jamboard provides an excellent format to facilitate conversations in meetings.
I create a new Jamboard by going to jam.new! Then I title the JAM with the teacher’s name. I add sticky notes ahead of time to remember certain topics that will guide our conversation. The state of California requires one hour of support each week for Induction teachers and as a mentor I need to document that support in writing. Typical information to be included each week; the date, successes, challenges, next steps, lessons ideas. These topics are usually in my head. The teacher meets with me with little or no idea what we will be discussing. The visual Jamboard, gives teachers an immediate overview and creates a more interactive conversation. I begin the meeting with the Jamboard shared on my screen and SHARE the Jamboard with the specific teacher.
Meeting Development with Jamboard
BEFORE THE MEETING: This is similar to an agenda and I also use this format in Jamboard for meetings with small groups of teachers as well. I love using the laser tool in Jamboard to “circle” a topic.
DURING THE MEETING: Most things the teacher says during the meeting are documented with a Jamboard sticky note. If I ask the teacher a question, they can also answer using a sticky note. I am noticing much more focused conversations and more engagement from each teacher. It’s like working with students. They want something fun and engaging, not just a big picture of me on Zoom. This gives me a chance to drag my bitmoji on the Jam for encouragement, or acknowledgement of their birthday or other exciting news.
AFTER THE MEETING:
After the meeting I put the link to the Jamboard in the Induction document as “evidence” of our conversation. This is much quicker and more efficient than my previous work flow. The other idea I have is just making a new FRAME each week, with a new date and topics. By the end of the semester the teacher will have easy access to all of their conversations, brainstorms, lesson ideas, successes and challenges. When I take them through a mid-year review or end of year review, it will be easy and quick to see all of their accomplishments.
Convert Your Google Jamboard Jams to FigJam
Google is discontinuing Jamboard. GOOD NEWS! It is super EASY to convert your files into FigJam. Sign up for a FREE educator account at figma.com/education. Go to figma.com to import your Jamboards Jams. Check out my converted files at figma.com/@alicekeeler.
About the Author
Guest Blog by Marcia Carrillo. Marcia has been a secondary educator and Mentor to new teachers. She is passionate about student centered learning and using technology to improve learning. Connect with Marcia at @MCarrilloEDU on Twitter and Instagram.
