DIY video on how to build classroom community with digital buddy boards

Four icons in four corners of the rectangle. Upper left: Two stick figures giving each other a high five. Upper right, a person in a computer screen talking to three other people in computer screens. Lower left: a clipboard. Lower right: a person talking to a buddy on a computer screen.

-by Tim Grivois-Shah, Ed.D.

“Buddy Board” is a framework for ensuring that your school community has frequent opportunities to connect with one another in ways that integrate easily into what you’re already doing. The webinar series on Digital Buddy Boards just finished, and I’ll be working on PBIS for Digital Learning Spaces for while. In the meantime, here is a video to help you get started.

Resources mentioned in the video:

Trello is a free way to create lists. What many teachers like is that not only can you easily rename the lists and the cards, you can also add pictures and information to the cards themselves. That way, as you get to know more about your students, the card becomes a rich record of who they are beyond what we often see first in a classroom, school, or program setting.

Sanford Harmony is a foundation that provides teachers and schools free access to trauma-informed social and emotional learning materials for early childhood, elementary, and intermediate grades. All of their materials are available digitally, and they offer free professional learning to help educators make the most of the curriculum. Part of their curriculum is a set of activities that you can use for Buddy Boards.

Feel free to share the video and to contact me at tim@tgseducationalconsulting.com or find me on Twitter at @tgrivoisshah. I’m eager to hear how Buddy Board supports your learners, program participants, and staff.

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