Welcome to Day 3 of the March Open Write. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, capable hands of today’s host, so just read the prompt below and then, when you are ready, write in the comment section below. We do ask that if you write, in the spirit of reciprocity, you respond to three or more writers. To learn more about the Open Write, click here.
Our Host
Stef is an Associate Professor of Education at Aquinas College in Michigan. She teaches courses for pre-service and inservice teachers in instructional design, literacy, ed tech, and research methods. Her K-12 teaching was in California prior to moving into teacher preparation. She is an ISTE Certified Educator, Google for Education Certified Trainer, Apple Teacher, Microsoft Innovative Educator, and an Adobe Creative Educator. She promotes the authentic integration of technology into human-centered pedagogy. @stefboutelier
Inspiration
I love to consider gamified learning and particularly enjoy a fun scavenger hunt or escape room.
In connection to those, I recently learned about a Flip Hunt using the ed tech tool: Flip (formerly Flipgrid; Learn more about Flip Hunts here). Then as I started exploring, I discovered Poetry Flip Hunts.
We don’t have time for a full Flip Hunt (put these in your tool box for later) but I would like us to connect with poetry via Flip.
WHY TECH?
Flip is great for community building, allowing students to verbalize their responses, provide choice in responses (with video, voice only, text), accessibility, and/or formative assessments.
Your Turn
Pick one or all:
- Read a poem you wrote
- Recite a favorite poem with credit
- Talk about digital poetry resources
- Respond with opinions about the previous two tech-poetry prompts (i.e., AI and Canva Template)
- Check-in with our Open Write Community
- Jump the Flip and just submit a poem in our digital Open Write community
- *whatever you chose above, your commenting with care can be in either platform
Thank you for joining me the last three days and considering how we might integrate tech for authentic (or not) learning.
Oh I always wanted to write a book spine poem! Thank you for the nudge.
Poetry:
Starting from Scratch
The Salt Path
Mindful Walking
Shifting the Balance
Rebel with a Clause
Winter Hours
Seat of the Soul
This is fun to do. I should do this more often. Lord knows, I have a lot of books to play with!
I posted mine to Flip — thanks Stef! It’s a busy week here, so I appreciated the opportunity to read someone else’s poem. I read “Dead Stars” by Ada Limon in honor of trash night tonight. It was fun listening to everyone’s voice, so I decided I ought to give it a try myself!
https://flip.com/s/Yci6dKqhEQ7F
Open Write Friends, if I didn’t comment to you below then I did on Flip. As of 9pm EST, Flip showed 6.2 hours of discussion on our Open Write Flip Group today. I always love that type of stat and appreciate how you all played along and explored.
Stefani,
I am a late arrival today, but I did listen to all but one original poem on Flip and commented. I also checked out and. commented on the hellos and tips. I don’t know if folks get notifications from Flip. I’m writing this comment after midnight (12:29 a.m. on 3-21-23).
Flipped
By Mo Daley 3/20/23
Today I just about flipped my lid
when a kid flipped the script on me
and laughed when I told the class about a death in my family
he flipped me the bird without lifting a finger
“That’s not what I was laughing at,” he said flippantly
but by that time, my switch was flipped
I wasn’t in the mood for his flip flopping
I couldn’t flip my wig in front of everyone
I’m just going to catch him on the flip side
Mo,
First, I’m so sorry about the death and your grief. You took that entire situation and created a very clever poem.
Indeed – so sorry, Mo. I’ve found students are very supportive and caring when we choose to share our personal challenges and issues with them, though occasionally, there’s an oopsie in the bunch. Even though not directed at you, it’s still a careless social response – more involved in self than others – and those can still sting. What you captured so well is how it plays out in our role as teachers. We are public professionals but keep so much private. And then write poems about it. : )
Oh, Mo! I’m sorry for your loss. I am amazed you were able to craft such a witty poem using flip in all its variations and meanings!
I wasn’t in the mood for his flip flopping… (that’s me all day!)
Mo, I didn’t get a chance to respond earlier but thank you for sharing this–love the play of flip throughout. I am sorry to hear about your loss and this situation. 💙
Stef, thank you for providing this opportunity for us to play with Flip! It was a lot of fun seeing and hearing our fellow poets today! Here’s the poem I read, tweaked just a bit for this medium (instead of for Flip).
I couldn’t decide
which poem to
choose for today’s
prompt so I thought
I’d throw a dart and
allow fate to decide,
(now, in retrospect,
I’m glad I didn’t just
take a shot in the dark,
but I probably should
have just rolled the dice
but I didn’t)
I held the dart aloft
and threw with all
my might
(now, again,
in retrospect,
I realized albeit
a bit belatedly
that I should have
printed out the poems
and placed them
on the wall or
corkboard or
something
instead of
keeping them
in grid layout view
on my desktop’s
computer screen)
which is, of course,
why I’m writing a
new poem
for this prompt
and uploading it
with my phone.
https://flip.com/groups/14413652/topics/35497200/responses/417757980
Stef, you nailed it with the tech prompts this month! Thanks so much. Here is the poem I shared on Flip. It’s a draft, needs a little work but I love it for now.
A Sweet Smell-Memory of School
Seven years old
chalk in my right hand
a key ring full of stinky old keys in my other hand
whistle on yarn ready for blowing
My miniature chalkboard
propped against my headboard
leaving sufficient sitting space
for my dolls to learn in rows
Encyclopedia “M” open to the page on mammals
that week’s spelling list in perfect manuscript on chart paper
addition equations on flash cards in pungent blue marker
all prepped and ready for “class” to begin
Some days I dressed up in Mommy’s orange blazer
with a paisley scarf around my neck
red lipstick and pink nail polish
“Good morning, class. My name is Miss Johnson.”
15 years later, wearing my First Day of School skirt and blouse
with two classroom keys that smelled like power
and a new box of colored chalk
releasing the aroma of possibility
draft: Stacey L. Joy, 2/8/23
Oh! You were one of those little girls! Your imagery is perfect. I almost feel like I was one of your dolls, ready to learn!
Whooodoggy! That was tons of fun, Stef! I am actually trying to be more ‘luddite’ this year after being so washed in way too much tech throughout the pandemic, but I’m definitely down with trying out short, easy, accessible tech. Thank you!
https://flip.com/s/HHBFBhzDZ8pz
Here’s the poem I recorded:
My Desk
In a corner against the wall
my launch point
My books, my mentors
Lynda Barry & Ivan Brunetti
teach me drawing’s unique expression
My pens, the avenues
through which my thoughts
wander aimlessly or relentlessly
release tormented emotion
My colors, so many rainbows
crayons, markers, paints, pencils
pressed to paper – empty space
filled with meditation –
My desk – my launching pad
each journey centers
and grounds me.
Denise, I love your repetition of “my” in showing the how the objects (and people) around you influence you. I will have to look up Lunda Barry and Ivan Brunetti! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Larin. Burnetti was an inspiration for Barry, and I recommend her book Syllabus. It’s as much about writing as drawing. Brunetti is a bit more “bawdy,” and I think Barry contemporizes his work in a way that makes it more acceptable. She changed my life. No hyperbole.
Denise,
This image of your desk as a launching pad is just perfect with all the tools it needs to go, to propel into possibilities. The phrase “relentlessly release tormented emotion” resonates so deeply with me.
Desk as launch pad … of ideas … yeah!
Kevin
That launching pad is a perfect metaphor. You nailed this one, Denise!
Stef, thank you for stretching me with technology for poetry these past three days! I apologize for not attempting the flip poem; my day did not lend itself to trying new technology. I did try a new kind of puzzle for myself – book spine poetry. Here’s my offering today.
learning to walk in the dark
when things fall apart
time and again
night came with many stars
inciting joy
in other words
everyday sacred
Love this other kind of a pile poem, Maureen.
This is perfect, Maureen! Those titles fit so well. (And I’m so happy to see Ross Gay in that stack. I so enjoy parsing out his prose and poetry!)
Maureen, I love spine poems – – and this one has deep meaning. Savor every day.
Book spine poetry is a great way to express the current mood too. The order and choice of books may change depending on our day. I love it, Maureen! Thank you for sharing.
Maureen, I love that you call this poem format a puzzle–indeed it is. You’ve created such beauty through these words and the image. Thank you for sharing today.
Maureen,
Your spine poem offers us another kind of flip, that of the bad to a positive outlook.
Hi, Friends! I am not great at recordings, but wanted to share with you my favorite childhood poem. I thought it would be interesting for you to hear a poem in a foreign language 🙂 Thank you for your prompts, Stef! I followed on Saturday and Sunday readings poems and even played around myself, but didn’t post.
Such beauty! I left you a comment on the video. Childhood poems are so powerful, and live on with us throughout our lives.
Thank you, Kim! The poem itself isn’t categorised as children’s, but we we learned it early. It has that special message that thinking about others and caring are much rewarding than being selfish. I love it’s rhyming and easy flow. Like a true poem, it is about breathing in and out effortlessly (Mary Oliver).
Hello, I recorded a poem I want to try to perform. It’s definitely needing some work, but this helped me to figure out what I need to do to improve the cadence, etc. I didn’t use the video, but I could see how this would help me to evaluate my facial expressions.
My link on flipgrid: https://flip.com/s/XxJgKMNFtfUx
Barb, I loved your recitation. I left you a comment on the video. Don’t worry about that poetry slam. You’ve got this!
Hi! I recited my pile poem from yesterday. It was so lovely to see and hear you all today, and I wanted to experience the flipped process. Took me several takes to record because I had video and no sound, then I was stumbling on words, so after several takes, my fluency improved, I think.
Link on flipgrid: https://flip.com/groups/14413652/topics/35497200/responses/417834276
Sarah, I just watched your video. I thought your fluency was great. There is something a bit awkward about recording a poem you might not have memorized. I’ve been wondering about the socks part of your pile poem. Do you do the darning because you love the socks and don’t want to lose them? Just curious because you must be a Harry Potter fan or someone you know is. Anyway, I appreciate playing around with the technology, but I wasn’t as brave as you to video record myself. I just used the audio.
Hi, Barb. My niece is a lover of Potter, and I bought her a pair of socks for her birthday last year from a bookstore. She loves those socks, but almost every time I see her she is showing me a new hole. I don’t think the socks were made well, and I think my sister likes pointing that out to me, or my niece likes the socks so much that she wants them mended by her aunt rather than getting new ones or (gasp) throwing those away.
Thanks for sharing. I hope your sister isn’t being too hard on you and that your niece just wears them too much. Sounds like a super fun pair of socks to wear. I know my oldest granddaughter would love them, too, since she’s a huge Harry Potter fan.
Sarah, I enjoyed hearing you recite your poem – – I left a comment on the video link and smile when I think about being reminded of our roots.
Here is my poem:
There is
A shadow under my pen
trailing along with
scratchy feet
of peacock blue ink.
Shadows auguring on the page
ever more distinct feedback
as they near the pen’s tip.
A deep breath—
and the full stop of a period.
rendering the world
clear
then opaque.
Here is my poem recitation.
Here is a post that discusses all the relevant tech I used including an AI recitation using Lumen5
Terry, the imagery here is beautiful, the shadowy pen, the peacock ink color. I’m mesmerized by this.
Did you see the Lumen5 versions? That is where music and text and image and voiceover mix so does the amplitude of all the other sensory images. Thanks so much for your response.
I was responding during our silent reading time so didn’t listen. I’ll check it out now. Thanks!
Terry, I added a not in Lumen5, I haven’t used this tool so I have added it to my explore list. Thank you for joining and expanding our toolbox today.
I saw your note there, Stef, and added one, too, for Terry.
I think I responded at Lumen5. If not let me know. Thanks for going there. I had forgotten that every slide has a comment function. And let me know if you want to get together for an adhoc Zoom or Meet session,
Terry,
That first line got me — ” a shadow under my pen” — lingering in the possibility of what will come. And then that peacock image was striking. Makes me think of the peacock display in the sway between “rendering the world/clear/then opaque”. That movement.
Sarah
I went with the color over the image. Lumen5 lets you make an amazing variety of artistic choices. Makes you realize that there is so much creativity possible even within digital constraints. Not really constraints at all, are they?
I really liked the effort you put into your reading and enhancing it with images. I left you a note on Lumen, too.
Thanks, Barb. I hope that we can keep connecting.
When they are side by side like that, it’s your authentic voice that shines through for me, and brings another layer of depth to your words.
Kevin
I recorded a video in flip of me reading a poem I wrote this morning. Here is the typed version:
Roast Beef
My brother hates roast beef.
When I say it’s my favorite, he cringes.
He would rather have steak or chicken, which is fine.
But I love it.
For the memories it gives of my childhood,
For how a taste can remind you of who you love and
Where you come from.
My nana would make it for Sunday lunches after church
For her sons, their wives and children
Slow cooking overnight
With carrots and potatoes,
Served with some bread or nothing at all.
Her love displayed in her cooking prowess,
My family ate gratefully;
And when she makes roast beef for me today…
When I come home from college,
Or for my birthday,
Or for anything I ask her to…
I remember those early years of my life
Where Sundays were full of church and family and food at nana’s,
Especially roast beef with carrots and potatoes.
I love getting to use Flip to share my own voice and to hear others. Looking forward to responding to others later! 🙂
Hi, Larin! So great for you to join us today! “My Nana would make it…” is a lovely anecdote that is so much more than roast beef with carrots and pototoes — I can see/hear the way she and your family nourish you!
I’ll have to try to find your recording. Your poem made me think of roast beef meals we used to have that always included carrots and potatoes.
I created a tip slide in Flip. I’ll come back later to see what others have done. I didn’t want to record myself in my pjs so early in the morning. I’ve used Flip with my students and they’ve enjoyed it. Flip also host authors such as Peter Reynolds for International Dot Day. Thanks for all the tech tips. It’s been fun exploring.
Stefani, perfect timing for the exploration of Poetry Flip Hunts. We begin our poetry unit after spring break. I spent a bit of time wandering through all this could become and decided to use the poetry generator option to craft a poem today. I entered Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman into the site, along with the first line. Super cool process!
The air is at peace with itself
Hung over land in autumn mist
Last night it passed beyond the shelf
Where only such things may exist
Looking for morning as it knows
To stand by the fence in the night
The moon appears, fall wind still blows
I think the wind must get it right
Jennifer, this has the feel of a Cento poem, and my favorite lines are
looking for morning as it knows
to stand by the fence in the night
Pleasing and fruitful combination of the keywords using poets to generate this poem today!
I have a love/hate relationship with wind. Before I was a teacher, I was a chimney sweep.
Wind was dangerous. Nowadays I love it because of the wind chiming on our front porch. I think that anything that encourages an improvisational or playfilled approach to wild words is a happy thing. I love the ambiguity of your last line.
Jennifer, I am loving the variety/cross-over of personification that was created from this. I am still thinking about how we cite the use of these tools, any thoughts? Thank you for sharing.
Good question. We definitely need to be acknowledging how it came to be. But it’s also a blend, since the user provides the first line and then selects options. I also changed words, here and there, to fit. But I wouldn’t want to claim this as my work. Do I see works cited pages for individual poems in the future??!!
Thank you, Stef, for your time and tech teaching this week! I’ve enjoyed adding some new tools to the toolbox! I will return later to explore more with today’s flip, but since I have to go in to work earlier than usual this morning, I’m writing a springtime palindrome poem in 3-21-23 fashion for today as the first day of spring and tomorrow as a palindrome date. I can use syllables, words, or apply a function of math to each line to write this. I saw gorgeous azaleas at the campground over the weekend and add them to my pile of good things I celebrate today! I’ll try to get to the flip at lunchtime!
Springtime 32123
Pink azaleas bloom
Buds burst
Open
Promising
warmer days
ahead….welcome springtime!
Kim, hooray for spring (I could not be happier)! I’m jealous of the azalea blossoms you are already experiencing. What a beautiful photo and poem. Love the idea of a palindrome poem to go along with the date (I might borrow this for classes tomorrow if I can pull it together with all to be done today).I am latching on to “burst” and “promising” to get me through to warmer weather.
Kim, I am always loving the promise of warmer days…until it is too hot;) Thank you for the image and for creating today!
I’m glad I’m able to see these buds burst in your poem and photo! I need some gorgeous blooms and sunshine!
I’ll try to get into the Flip Space later but here is an audio of a found/blackout poem from my Pile Poem from yesterday — discovering a second poem from within the first poem.
https://sodaphonic.com/audio/I5C4NSs33UQIp4f3sWD6
Kevin
Kevin, I like the idea of using sodaphonic to craft a found poem from a previous write. You reused some favorite phrases from your poem the day before (nooks).
The blackout from the pile poem, then sodaphonic’ed into the poet’s actual voice (yours) is an incredibly rich-layered treat this morning. From one comes another and another joyful surprise. And music. Always music! Perfect!
Deep mine that sucker. I know you will.
Kevin, wow, loving this idea of a black out from your pile…and then the audio. Do you use this tool for your music as well? Thank for joining and giving us more ideas to percolate.
This is just a tool for quick audio in a browser. I like its ease and flexibility.