TMST: Thinking Inside & Outside the Box

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Once of my favorite articles I read last year was about the concept of innerput. 

We all need time to digest and process information that we are learning.  That thinking time that happens between input and output is where the learning magic happens...the innerput. Read more about the concept in the article below.



As with the input and output stage of a lesson design, innerput doesn't have to involve digital tools.  There are many ways for learners to make their thinking visible without technology at all.  What technology can do, however, is provide our learners with another outlet to interact with and apply information.

 So in today's post, we will take a digital spin on thinking maps, a great way for our learners to process the information that they are learning and make connections between concepts.

Keynote 

Share this Keynote template that my teammate, Kelly Skillingberg, made with your learners so they have their own deck of options when choosing a map to process thinking.  Have learners screenshot their map or use the "sharrow" to share it via Schoology or Seesaw.

 Want to extend?  Keynote now allows our learners to add shapes, audio, videos and drawing.  Have learners add these to bring their thinking to life.

Markup with Photos

Keep thinking map template images on your educator iPad so that when needed, you can airdrop maps to a learner or class of learners via Apple Classroom.  Have learners use photo markup to annotate and add thinking via text and drawings.  

 Want to extend?  Have learners add their finished image to a Schoology Media Album or use Apple Classroom to airplay different learners' maps for discussion and sharing.
Seesaw Activity

Add a thinking map image to a Seesaw activity so that learners can add drawing, record audio description of their thinking and text labels.  Use this guide to creating activities or your DLC for help!


Want to extend? Have learners share with their parents for a home-school connection.  Ask parents and learners to add a comment that adds to the thinking from their map.


Notability

Share this thinking map PDF or individual map images with learners in Schoology.  Have learners "open in" Notability and add to a new note.  Use annotation and voice recording to add thinking.  

 Want to extend? Have learners add a subject to Notability called "My Thinking" so that they can collect different types of maps in one place.  Have learners use the "the sharrow" to open in Schoology to add to an assignment or airdrop their note to a partner to discuss.
What strategies do you use to help learners with their "innerput"?  Let me know in the comments!


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