Spicin' Up Learning with #FOODSNAPS

When Tara Martin took education by storm with her #booksnaps post on Dave Burgess’ Teach Like a Pirate website over a year ago, I was HOOKED!  I loved the idea of making learning and thinking visible by snapping pictures of what I was reading and adding bitmojis, emojis, thought bubbles, and text! Talk about powerful reflection! I began creating my own #booksnaps of what I was reading and immediately found myself making deeper connections to the text and retaining what I learned. My mind started spinning….this may be the answer to a puzzle I had been trying to solve! I was determined to find a way to adapt this amazing idea into my culinary world?

In Culinary Arts, reflection time is sometimes difficult.  In my hands-on Career and Technical Education class, students are preparing amazing culinary creations on the daily.   I build in time to evaluate and reflect on learning at the end of the class period, but the reality is….sometimes we run out of time.  Learning is messy...literally. With dishes to clean, counters to sanitize, and floors to sweep, the ending of class can be rushed. There isn’t always enough time to taste the food and give valuable feedback.  This was a problem. When students make amazingly delicious food, what do they want to do? Eat it, of course! It would be cruel and unusual punishment to make them wait to eat it until the next day.

So it made me think....  My students love taking pictures of their food and posting it to Snapchat and Instagram! How cool would it be if they created #foodnaps of their finished products while their learning was still fresh in their minds and posted them to a Padlet!? We could look at them the next day and evaluate together as a class!  I had a good feeling this was the answer I was looking for!

I couldn’t wait to get my students foodsnappin’ the next day.  I created a Padlet with columns for each period and shared the link on my daily announcement in our Google Classroom.  As I gave students instructions for the day’s lab, I explained we were going to reflect a little differently. I mirrored my phone to our AppleTV, gave them a quick tutorial, and showed them how to upload their pictures to Padlet. Of course, most already Snapchatted anyway, so they immediately caught onto the idea and couldn’t wait to start snappin!

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There are so many things I love about reflecting with #foodsnaps!

Flexibility. Time is of the essence in Culinary. Not every team finishes at the same time. One false move during the lab, and it can set a team back 10 or more minutes. Some students finish their creations with time to spare, and others are running out the door in a frenzy as the bell rings. Flexible reflecting allows some students to complete their #foodsnaps during class if there is time, and others can wait till they get home and have time to process.
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Personalized Reflection. I love that in a class where students are collaborating in teams to create, they have an opportunity to personalize their creations with bitmojis, emojis, backgrounds, and text. It also allows for them to reflect individually on their learning; making connections to past recipes they’ve made or food they’ve eaten.

Speaks their Language. As my friend Tara says, “let’s speak in a language that kids understand”. Students were already speaking in “Snapchat” language and sharing their pictures of food with friends and family, why not use this in a deeper and more meaningful way to reflect on learning!

Global Connections. One way we’ve taken #foodsnaps to another level this year is by sharing our learning through global collaborations. Brandi Miller’s 1st grade class in Auberndale, Florida has partnered with ours to experience a little piece of culinary with us. I have shared the link to our #foodsnaps Padlet and her students vote on their favorite with the star feature! My students love to share their creations with these first graders, and the first graders love to take part in the learning by voting on their favorites.

Attach Recipes. With the link feature in Snapchat, students can upload their recipes! Not only do they have a visual representation of their learning, but with resources attached! Students can also upload sketchnotes and other resources they've created for their learning.

Here is a quick video tutorial of how to create a #foodsnap... 

Get Snappin!
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If it wasn’t for #booksnaps, this idea wouldn’t have been born.  Check out @TaraMartinEDU’s website, for many resources for creating #booksnaps not only on Snapchat, but also Google Slides, Seesaw, Google Draw, and more!  Also, follow @TaraMartinEDU on Twitter and join in the #booksnaps community!

Would love to see your #foodsnaps on Twitter!  Don’t have a culinary class? Take pictures of your own culinary creations.  Also, #booksnaps have lots of cousins! How could you use this powerful form of reflection in your world?!