We had such a fun week in the library, connecting our students with others in honor of Dot Day!

My students had a blast connecting with and learning from students in different parts of the world!

On Monday, my BFF Alaina Laperouse‘s (who just started her new blog!!) students connected with students of some of our dear friends Sherry Gick (in Indiana) and Matthew Winner (in Maryland).

On Tuesday morning, two of my classes had awesome hangouts with some of Sherry’s students, asking and answering questions about our schools and hometowns. That afternoon, a class of our 7th graders did a Mystery Skype with Diana Maliszewski‘s students in Toronto, Canada. After a very lucky guess, my students were able to figure out their location!

On Wednesday, we connected with another of Sherry’s classes. I mean, can I just say how much I LOVE Sherry and her students? By doing multiple Hangouts with her classes, I were able to learn a lot and come up with a format for these types of Hangouts that flow really well! And I loved having out students discover similarities between our libraries, like self check-out and a genrefied shelving arrangement! Of course, my students are ALWAYS jealous when they see others in “free dress” — meaning they don’t have to wear uniforms. And discussing school lunches is always a hot topic for middle schoolers!

Thursday was busy with Hangout/Skypes with three different schools: Kari Healy‘s students in Minnesota, Sherry’s students in Indiana, and another Mystery Skype with Diana’s students in Canada!

Friday was a staff development day, so students didn’t have school, which cut our “Dot Day” week a bit short. But this was one of those weeks that gets you pumped up and excited to see what the school year will bring! I am so excited to make more connections throughout this school year! Connecting virtually with other schools allows students the opportunity to overcome nerves and speak in front of their peers. With speaking and listening being a key element in the Common Core State Standards, I feel that these virtual connections will be more important and powerful than ever!

I’m definitely going to be looking for more opportunities to connect this year — Mystery Skypes, sharing book talks, making presentations, and just fun get to know you Q&A sessions — let me know if you’re looking for opportunities to connect too!