At the end of that presentation I give examples of several beginner "collaborative" project ideas I have created and carried out to help guide students in understanding how to contribute their fair share. I put the word collaborative in parentheses because the kids aren't working in the same space throughout the entire project but rather creating their own piece of work to add to a bigger project. Think of it like a puzzle. Each child creates their own piece and then the class works together to assemble the puzzle.
These project ideas are the beginning steps to students working "collaboratively".
Project Ideas
Here are a few ideas that are all similar in nature. Students design their own creation in Google Drawing, save their creation as a png image by going to File>Download as PNG. Then they upload their creation to a collaborative template in Google Slides and hyperlink it to a description slide. Let's take a peek at what this looks like...
Design a Book Cover
I mentioned this first project idea in my blog post 15 Digital Book Report Ideas Your Students Will Love. Students are assigned a book cover template I designed in Google Drawing. They decorate the book cover using the different design tools to fit with any topic (biographies, historical fiction, book report, etc.). They save the book cover as a png image and upload it to a collaborative Google Slides presentation that contains a bookshelf on the very first slide. Students resize their book to fit on the shelf and then hyperlink their book to a description slide (a slide that has been assigned to each student). On their description slide they add their book cover again and type a description. You can find all of the templates and step by step directions for this project available in my TpT Store HERE. 2nd grade teacher, Gina Marchionda, took this project a step further and used green screen technology to create videos of her students reading their book description while standing in front of their book cover!
Create a Map
This one is seriously SO fun and best completed in smaller collaborative groups rather than as a whole class. Discuss the types of businesses and buildings that would make the perfect community. Each child will design an icon for a building/business in Google Drawing and save it as a png image. Next, they will upload their icon to a collaborative Slides presentation that has a blank map template set as the background. After resizing their icon and placing it somewhere on the map, they will also add it to the legend. Students hyperlink their icon to a description slide to type a description. You can find all of the templates and step by step directions for this project available in my TpT Store HERE.
Design a T-Shirt
Same process above applies to this design a t-shirt project. Each child is assigned a t-shirt template I created in Google Drawing to design. They save their creation as a png image and upload it to a collaborative Google Slide deck. The first slide has a template of a clothes line where students "hang" their t-shirt. The more students you have on the same presentation, the smaller the t-shirts will be so they can all fit. I have done this project as a whole class as well as in smaller groups. You can find all of the templates and step by step directions for this project available in my TpT Store HERE.
Design a Flag
This project is just like the others except students design a flag to go along with any topic. The example below is for a beginning of the year activity for students to get to know one another. I love how each flag is unique to represent each child! You can find all of the templates and step by step directions for this project available in my TpT Store HERE.
Design an App for Your Class iPad
This one is a favorite for letting students exercise their creativity and work on persuasive writing! Each student designs an app in Google Drawing to add to a collaborative Google Slide deck that has a blank iPad set as the background image. Students add their app icon and hyperlink it to a description slide where they type how much their app would be to download and why someone should purchase it. There is even a "camera roll" where students can add their selfie! You can find all of the templates and step by step directions for this project available in my TpT Store HERE.
Design an Ornament for Your Class Tree
This one is a fun one for the holidays! Each student decorates an ornament template that I have created in Google Drawing. They save it as a png image and add it to a tree template in a Google Slides presentation. This can be printed and hung in the classroom or even turned into a holiday card! The more students you have, the more ornate your tree will be! Trees could have a themed such as Fire Safety Tips, Digital Citizenship, Kindness, etc.. You can find all of the templates and step by step directions for this project available in my TpT Store HERE.
@mvsroomone on Instagram had her students create a digital card AND a life sized tree in the hallway by printing the ornaments:
I also love how Mel Bogaert's class card turned out:
End of the Year Class Poster Keepsake
Last but not least, this end of the year class poster keepsake makes an adorable gift that students can take home to remember their year spent with you and their classmates. Each student designs a balloon to add to a collaborative poster template in Google Slides. Before assigning the template to students, the teacher will take a picture of himself/herself while looking up with his/her hands in the air. After cropping out the background (directions and links to different free tools included), the teacher will upload the image to the template and position it at the bottom of the canvas. You can find all of the templates and step by step directions for this project available in my TpT Store HERE.
That's it for now! Happy creating😁
