Ice-Breaker Tuesday: My Nursing Inspiration Collage

Today's featured ice-breaker activity presents a fun and engaging way to get to know your students and foster a sense of community within your online learning environment. Collages are a great way to help students express themselves through visuals, whether it be through photos, drawings, or other elements. For this activity, students get to select images and elements that truly speak to their personal journey in becoming a nurse. Let's jump right in!

Objective: Share your personal inspiration for choosing nursing as a career through a creative digital collage.

Materials Needed:

• Access to Canva or a similar digital collage tool
• Access to VoiceThread for sharing your collage and story

Instructions:

1. Create Your Collage:

   • Use Canva or a similar tool to create a digital collage that represents your inspiration for becoming a nurse.
   • Include images, quotes, personal photos, or symbols that reflect your journey or aspirations in nursing.
   • Feel free to be creative and expressive!

2. Upload toVoiceThread:

   • Once your collage is complete, upload it toVoiceThread.
   • Ensure that your collage is clearly visible and properly formatted.

3. Share Your Story:

   • Record a brief explanation of the elements in your collage using VoiceThread's audio or video comment feature.
   • Share any personal stories or experiences that led you to pursue nursing.
   • Your explanation should provide insight into why you chose nursing and what aspects of the field inspire you.

4. Interact with Classmates:

   • After posting your collage and story, view and listen to the submissions of your classmates.
   • Leave supportive and thoughtful comments or questions on at least two of your classmates' VoiceThreads to foster class interaction and understanding.

Tips for a Successful Collage:

• Select images and elements that genuinely represent your feelings and experiences.
• Keep your collage focused and coherent – every element should have a clear reason for being included.
• When recording your explanation, speak clearly and share from the heart.

This activity is designed to be both reflective and interactive, allowing students to explore their motivations while also connecting with their classmates in a meaningful way. It provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about the diverse inspirations and backgrounds of your students. For extra fun (and best practice) create your own collage first and use it not only as a sample of how to complete the activity, but to also help your students get to know you better. You might even want to do a walkthrough video as you create and post your collage from beginning to end that couls also serve as a tutorial for your students. 

I'd love to hear your ideas on this ice-breaker. Share them in The Online Educator Facebook Group!

Would you like me to spotlight one of your ice-breakers? Share your assignment HERE for an opportunity to be spotlighted in The Online Educator Blog.

Happy Ice-Breaking!