FableVision Learning Spotlight Blog
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2017 Dot Day Newsmakers
On September 15-ish, over 10 million people in 170 different countries celebrated International Dot Day. A celebration of creativity, courage, and compassion, Dot Day encourages everyone to #MakeYourMark - so it comes as no surprise that many Dot Day celebrations ended up making their mark in the news! Here’s a peek at the newsworthy Dot Day celebrations around the world.
Akron Public Schools on Akron.com
In Ohio, students in Akron public schools made their mark by raising money to benefit victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in partnership with local chapters of the American Red Cross as part of International Dot Day. Students earned money through their own efforts, taking responsibility for running lemonade stands, walking dogs, weeding gardens, and more!
Make Your Mark on Cozad Award on Lexch.com
The Wilson Public Library in Cozad, Nebraska, awarded their annual Make Your Mark on Cozad Award to Ila Davenport and her late husband Gerald Davenport. The Make Your Mark on Cozad Award, presented as a part of the Wilson Public Library’s Dot Day celebration, recognizes Cozad community members who are active supporters of Cozad, its library, and the arts. Congratulations to the Davenports - talk about making your mark!
NIFT-TEA College of Knitwear Fashion in The Hindu
Students at the NIFT-TEA College of Knitwear Fashion in the Kongu Nadu region of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu designed colorful clothing, wall hangings, and decorated bottles based on a Dot Day theme of dots! Up to 202 students worked on their designs over the course of four days until they were finally displayed by students on the college campus in a dot formation. More beautiful photos of the NIFT-TEA students' Dot Day masterpieces can be found here.
Szczecin's Elementary School no. 7 on Głos Szczeciński 24
Students in Szczecin, Poland’s Elementary School no. 7 decorated little trees together for Dot Day, using a variety of materials from paper dots to yarn! This is the school’s third year in a row celebrating Dot Day and these little trees can now be seen brightening up the school’s hallway.
Porter Elementary School in The Daily Times
The Porter Elementary School in Tennessee celebrated Dot Day school-wide - from the classroom to the cafeteria! Students learned Braille, dot balloons floated around the school, and even the cafeteria had a round-food themed menu.
Westfield Area YMCA on Tap Into Westfield
In New Jersey, children from the Westfield Area YMCA Early Learning programs read The Dot and engaged in fun activities such as creating their own paint and paper dots, playing Twister, and participating in a scavenger hunt for dots!
Ready to join in on the International Dot Day media frenzy? Register at The Dot Club if you're still celebrating Dot Day this year or to prepare for next year, and share your mark across social media with #MakeYourMark and #DotDay. You can also stay connected on Twitter @DotClubConnect and Facebook!
Mapping the World by Heart on Dot Day
There are 169 countries celebrating International Dot Day on September 15 — but where in the world are they all? One way to connect the dots this Dot Day is to map out the world from memory using David Smith's Mapping the World by Heart, paying special attention to the celebrating 169 countries!
To get you started on your International Dot Day mapping journey, here are 50 of the countries celebrating this year. Feel free to keep going and map the whole world though!
Can you map:
- Algeria
- Australia
- Bahrain
- Brazil
- Cambodia
- Canada
- China
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Fiji
- France
- Germany
- Ghana
- Honduras
- Hungary
- India
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Kenya
- South Korea
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Poland
- Qatar
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- Spain
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Zambia
The award-winning curriculum is the creation of David J. Smith, a teacher with over 25 years' experience in the middle school classroom. Mapping the World by Heart is an innovative geography curriculum designed to inspire students to study - and love - geography. Through a combination of memorization and the real use of knowledge, practice, mnemonics, large and small group activities, and games, Mapping the World by Heart helps students thoroughly understand essential world geography.
Still want to learn more about exploring geography and joining the International Dot Day festivities? Click here to learn more about Mapping the World by Heart and click here to register for International Dot Day on September 15-ish!
Travel around the World on Dot Day
This blog post was written by Adrienne Poon, FableVision Learning Marketing Intern.
One of the best things about International Dot Day is just how international it truly is! Over 9 million people across 169 different countries have already registered their Dot Day participation, making it a truly global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration. In the spirit of this global International Dot Day community, here’s a sampling of ideas from around the world for how to #MakeYourMark.
Nepal
To kick off this International Dot Day tour, here’s a video of a small group of Nepalese students wishing you a happy Dot Day on the International Dot Day Facebook page!
United Kingdom
Dot Day love is palpable. Our friends in England at the Lammas Independent School know how to celebrate.
International @DotClubConnect #DotDay2017 in England! pic.twitter.com/l9EbQmblIu
— Lammas Indep School (@LammasSchool) September 15, 2017
Poland
Now take a look at one of the most dot-happy countries in the world! Poland absolutely loves International Dot Day - there is an entire Polish blog dedicated to Dot Day, which includes a very populated map of Polish schools participating in Dot Day this year. These photos are from a school in Studzionka, which celebrated with painted dots, Quiver dots, and even dotty photoshoots! Poland even has their own Dot Day song, with an impressive accordion cover by Michał Sawicki.
Denmark
Students in Denmark also celebrated Dot Day, creating vibrant dots in all colors, sizes, and mediums with their art teacher Tatjana Knudsen.
11 Likes, 1 Comments - Tatjana Knudsen Art Teaching (@tatjanaknudsen) on Instagram: "#dot #dots #dotday #dotday2016 #internationaldotday2016 #internationaldotday #tatjanaknudsen..."
Lithuania
In nearby Lithuania, Kedainiai special school students celebrated Dot Day last year by creating dots with markers, collage, and more!
Canada
Not be outdone on the other side of the Atlantic, the Summerside Rotary Library of Prince Edward Island is preparing a special 2017 Dot Day Family Storytime and is inviting every visitor to make their mark through stories, drawings, and a community painting!
Puerto Rico
Further south, students at the Academia San Jorge in Puerto Rico celebrated Dot Day in their computers class. This video not only shows off the students’ drawn dots, but it also includes photographs they took related to dots!
Dominican Republic
In Santo Domingo, Pekepolis EduPark hosted a Dot Day bonanza with artists, a storytime, and a medley of dot-making materials available for everyone to make their mark!
Italy
Back in Europe at Atelierstorytime’s school in Milan, students celebrated Dot Day with fun activities that also reinforced their English language skills through learning numbers, sizes, colors, and action verbs! This year, they will be celebrating Dot Day again with a storytime and workshop.
Spain
Teacher and pedagogical advisor Jenny Silvente painted dots in Spain - but not with paintbrushes. Instead, she used spin painting and elbow grease!
11 Likes, 1 Comments - Ver Pensar Sentir (@verpensarsentir) on Instagram: "Puntos que se mueven y se transforman... #internationaldotday #diadelpunto"
Invited by Jenny Silvente to participate in Dot Day and also located in Spain, promoter of play Yessica used many tiny bead dots to make a single big dot in yet another creative example of how to make your mark!
30 Likes, 5 Comments - Rejuega (@rejuega) on Instagram: "Me ha invitado @ver_pensar_sentir a participar en una preciosa iniciativa inspirada en el libro "El..."
Malaysia
Across an entire continent over in Malaysia, Tadika Impian Kita had a wonderful Dot Day celebration full of classroom activities - and they uploaded video to share with all of you!
Indonesia
Last but not least, from the jungles of Borneo, here's a video of a large group of creative students wishing everyone a happy International Dot Day!
Ready to join in on the international fun? If you haven’t already, register at The Dot Club and share your mark across social media with #MakeYourMark and #DotDay. Stay connected on twitter @DotClubConnect and Facebook!
13 Days and 13 Ways to Celebrate Dot Day
Join million students, teachers, and librarians this International Dot Day, celebrating creativity and courage in 186 countries on or around September 15th-ish! To support your International Dot Day festivities, we assembled this handy list of 15 ways in 15 days to celebrate Dot Day.
1) Discover The Dot
Read The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds to see where all of this started - you can grab a copy over at The Dot Central.
2) Register Your Class
Join the growing community celebrating International Dot Day by registering over at The Dot Club! You can also download our FREE Educator’s Handbook for Dot Day, which features student handouts by Peter H. Reynolds and Dot Day activities by creative educators.
3) Get Inspired by the First Dot Day Class
Learn what Dot Day means to the students of the first class to ever participate in Dot Day, straight from the students themselves. In this video, seniors from Traer, Iowa, who first celebrated Dot Day as fourth graders in 2009, reflect on the history and growth of this creativity movement.
4) Check Out Celebri-dots
Head over to the Celebri-dots website to check out dots created by a variety of individuals, from authors and illustrators to actors and astronauts! Packed with dots from all walks of life - paint dots, pie dots, and even Earth dots - you’ll be sure to find inspiration there.
5) Dot Day Song
Listen, sing, and move to "The Dot Song" with kidlit singer/songwriter Emily Arrow!
6) Gear Up
Stock up on official International Dot Day gear by visiting The Dot Central for materials such as an autographed copy of The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, sticker packs, t-shirts, and posters! If you want even more Dot Day gear, you can also download free multi-language Dot Day posters.
7) Poke Around Pinterest
Still don’t have enough dots in your day for Dot Day? Visit our International Dot Day Pinterest board to see how others celebrate Dot Day with activities, resources, and more!
8) Download Quiver
Quiver brings your 2D art to life through 3D augmented reality so you can interact with your Dot Day artwork in exciting new ways! Download the free Quiver - 3D Coloring App and print out this template to get started.
9) Connect the Dots with Other Teachers
Looking to "connect the dots" with other classrooms nationally and internationally on Dot Day? Whether it's through email or web-based video connection, use the Dot Day Google Doc to make connections. Thanks to creative librarian/educators Shannon McClintock Miller @shannonmmiller, Andy Plemmons @plemmonsa, and Matthew Winner @matthewwinner for overseeing this effort!
10) Fabricate Your Dot
Fab@School Maker Studio is a perfect tool for cultivating your inventive spirit! With this paper prototyping and fabrication software, flex your design muscles and create 2D, Pop-up, and 3D paper models inspired by The Dot. It’s easy to get your design mind rolling when you start small - you can always try again and again! Try fabricating dots that fold, roll, spin, or transform!
11) Make Your Mark Move
With Animation-ish it’s never been easier to bring your drawings to life. Three distinct levels let you practice and animation motion techniques by making your dots roll, bounce, squish, grow, morph, and much more. What can your dots do? Just make your mark and see where it take you!
12) Find Your Ramon
Just like Vashti’s teacher encouraged her to “make her mark,” Vashti later used what she learned to encourage Ramon to make his own mark. Now’s your chance - go out and find your Ramon and encourage them to make their mark too!
13) Share Your Mark
Share your mark and connect with the International Dot Day community through social media! There are over 8 million individuals from 168 countries participating in International Dot Day, so make sure to share your mark with all of them across social media with #MakeYourMark and with the official Dot Club Twitter feed @DotClubConnect!
Let's Have a High-Tech Dot Day!
Want to incorporate technology into your Dot Day festivities but don't know how to get started? Check out these high-tech-inspired projects! And be sure to share your own ideas with us on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter:
Facebook: FableVision Learning, International Dot Day, #DotDay
Pinterest: International Dot Day Board
Twitter: @FableLearn, @DotClubConnect, #DotDay
1. Fabricate Dot Day Projects With FabMaker Studio
Students can use FabMaker Studio to make their mark. Try your hand at creating a Dot Day pop-up or assembling an automaton (found in the ready-mades folder). They can also let their creativity run free by creating their own Dot Day projects!
2. Make Your Mark Move With Animation-ish
Have your students create animations using Animation-ish. Already have the program and ready to get started? Download Peter H. Reynolds' official International Dot Day starter animation for Animation-ish here.
3. Experience Augmented Reality With QuiverVision's 3D Coloring App
Imagine turning your 2D Dot Day dot design into a 3D sphere. With QuiverVision's coloring page and 3D Coloring App you can do just that! Print the coloring page, download the app (Apple App Store, Google Play), and you'll be all set to start making your mark!
Celebrating Dot Day this year? Remember to register here!
FableFive: Terry Shay, FableVision Learning Ambassador Leader
The ambassador of Ambassadors, Terry Shay, is first and foremost a vocal teacher to lucky K-12 students in Traer, Iowa. Terry followed his North Star, connected the dots, and continued his mission to teach creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking when he joined our FableVision family as a FableVision Ambassador. His enthusiasm, passion and heart quickly landed him the position of Lead Ambassador of the FableVision Ambassador Program and is the originator of International Dot Day and the Celebri-Dots blog. For this month's FableFive blog post, we chatted with Terry to learn more about his journey, what it takes to be a FableVision Ambassador, and the Dot movement.
1) Walk us through your FableVision Journey?
Mr. Terry Shay
My journey with FableVision began at the Iowa Technology Education Connection Conference many years ago. I was at a session about a keyboard and the presenter was demonstrating how the keyboard could be used to import into any word processing program and then she demonstrated using Stationery Studio. I ended up not be interested in the keyboard, but I will never forget how amazing the software was. I knew that I had to know more about the company who made it. I called and had the tremendous good fortune to reach Bill Norris, who sent me the software and kept in touch. A few months later, I was asked to be a FableVision Ambassador. A few years later, I was asked to lead the program. Working with and for a company who has a mission that matches my own is a dream.
2) What has been a highlight moment of your experience as a FableVision Ambassador?
Watching someone’s face light up when I ask them if they celebrate Dot Day is certainly at the top of the list. It is a joy to hear all the different ways celebrations are held around the country. Not to mention, the opportunity to work closely with Peter H. Reynolds and Dr. Peggy Healy Stearns.
3) What are the qualities you look for in a FableVision Ambassador and how does one apply?
The main quality I look for in an Ambassador is willingness to share. We are looking for a variety of locations so we spread the mission far and wide. Currently we need Ambassadors in Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming.
4) Tell us about your teaching experience, what has been one highlight of your career?
I am a K-12 Vocal Music teacher in Traer, Iowa. The highlight of each year is watching kids shine in our Swing Show. Kids get to sing, dance, perform in skits, and almost every year I am blown away by a soloist who starts out meek and mild and then steps on the stage and becomes a star.
5) You love children's books! And are the driving force behind Celebri-dots. Tell us about the blog and the dot movement.
International Dot Day, September 15th, started in 2009 and has been a constant source of joy ever since. Inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ book, The Dot, Dot Day is intended to get kids to be creative. In 2011, Newbery Medal winning author, Sharon Creech, sent me a dot on Dot Day. Inspired by seeing the dot that one of my favorite authors made, I wanted to see what other famous people would create. Since then, 216 dots have been published in a variety of media including paint, photography, sewing, raspberry juice, hair dye, computer code, pencil, pen, and more. It’s an amazing gallery of creativity and it inspires kids to make their own mark.
At FableVision Learning we love to celebrate creative educators we meet along the way. The FableFive series is our chance to highlight these folks. The format is simple; we select one person and ask five questions to help us get to know them better, their relationship with FableVision Learning, and to help them spread their mission!
LuLu Jr. makes an AWESOME mark on Dot Day 2015!
What happens when two organizations championing creativity and self-expression “connect the dots”? Something AWESOME! Lulu Jr. and FableVision, after their award-winning My Awesome Book kids’ bookmaking kit collaboration, partnered to create My Awesome Publishing Company, an innovative online writing/design platform that gives teacher the tools they need to turn their classroom into a publishing company.
Designed and hosted by FableVision’s Founder and New York Times bestselling illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, My Awesome Publishing Company guides K-6 students through writing, illustrating, publishing, and promoting their very own book. Currently being piloted in schools across the country, My Awesome Publishing Company encourages kids to make their mark.
Which is why we were delighted to see the team at Raleigh, NC-based Lulu make their own AWESOME mark for International Dot Day 2015, which is now celebrated in by over 4 million people in 116 countries. Check out Lulu Jr.’s video!
It’s not too late to celebrate Dot Day. If you, your company or school are planning something awesome, let us know – and we’ll share it with the Dot Day community.
New Peter H. Reynolds Poster! Creativity, Courage, Collaboration
As a special thanks to all the amazing educators who joined us in celebrating International Dot Day this year — and to ALL the creative, courageous, and collaborative educators moving the world to a better place — Peter H. Reynolds, the Reynolds Center for Teaching Learning, and Creativity, and FableVision Learning are happy to offer this new downloadable poster.
Enjoy! Please let us know how you inspire students to develop these essential 21st Century skills in your classroom.
International Dot Day. . . in Antarctica!
So cool! We were blown away by these photos of International Dot Day festivities in Antarctica from educator and researcher Jean Pennycook, who studies Adélie Penguins. Dot Day, an unofficial celebration of creativity based on Peter H. Reynolds' award-winning book The Dot, has now officially been celebrated on all SEVEN continents! Thanks to Lorraine Leo, Terry Shay, Bill Norris, and Janet Reynolds for "connecting the dots" and getting The Dot down to Ross Island for this tux-only event.
