Digital Drawing - Our first time

“I’m drawing Elyse! I’m drawing!” - Saul, 3.5 years

Finding a platform for us to do a collaborative, digital drawing experience was inspired by Audrey's love for using the digital drawing feature of Seesaw, our interactive platform for sharing photos, videos, and our work.  With a little help from Jen, we found a way to do this through the Zoom app! 

We started our call by reading a book about drawing, painting, and erasing.  The tools used in the book were similar to the ones available to us with the Zoom Whiteboard.  

On the Zoom whiteboard, you can use multiple tools, including an eraser.  The only catch is that you can only erase your own work unless you are the host. 

While screen sharing is not new to our virtual classroom experience, this certainly was a new and exciting thing to do together. 

“Will we be able to see you?” - Sylvie
You won’t be able to see me on the big screen because you’ll see the whiteboard, but you’ll see us in the little boxes. 
“It’ll be kind of magic. Like if something didn’t take away anything, but it’s gone.” - Sylvie, 4.0 years 
I just want to remind everyone that we’re going to be working on the same screen, so we’ll have to share the space.

Most of the dialogue during this call was about navigating the features of our digital drawing program.  There was also a lot of silence during this call because everyone was so busy working on the collaborative drawing.  

“I want to press the one that changes colors.” - Saul, 3.5 years
Audrey is this the same or different than when you’re drawing on Seesaw? 
“Same.” - Audrey, 3.9 years 
“I drew a triangle.” - Saul 
“I don’t know what that is.” - Audrey 
That’s an eraser.  It’ll erase things you’ve already done. - Sarah 
“Can you erase all of that again?” - Saul 
[Jamie helped Saul erase his own marks.] 
“How do you make the color bigger? Because I don’t know how to do that. How do you make the line bigger?” - Giacomo, 4.1 years 
It looks like you guys have figured out all of the different features.  Saul is adding circles and ovals.  Have you tried the stamps? 
“What’s a stamp?” - Audrey 
It’s at the top on the toolbar.  Oh, I see Sylvie found the stamps! 
Wait, how did you guys add a donut? 
“Emojis. We got emojis.” - Audrey 
How did you find them? 
In the text. - Sarah
“How can I write inside there?” - Audrey
Audrey, you can write next to it.
Do you want to write next to it? - Sarah 
“Yeah!” - Audrey
“Hey did you know that you can even move this around? I can change this.” - Giacomo
He was telling me that you can move the option panel (toolbar). - Alex
[excitedly] “I made all that blue!” - Sylvie, 4.0 years
Somebody must have the eraser!  Who’s erasing? 
“Me!” - Sylvie
The whole screen is about to be blue.  Audrey found a new tool [the large arrow]. 
​“Mommy, it’s blue.” - Audrey

Here are some samples of the work that we did together.  At times, you will notice that you can see a gray box with a name, which pops next to an individual's drawing as they work.  

“Daddy? How do I get my own paper? They dragged too many things and now I don’t have enough space.” - Giacomo
That’s a good question. 
When we’re all drawing together I can’t give you your own space, but you know what I can do? I can clear the screen and we can start over.  Would you guys like to do that? 
“Yes.” - Audrey 
I can use the eraser to do that [erases a few things] or I can use a button that says clear, and it erases everything.  
“Oh, that makes sense.” - Giacomo 

Sylvie's reaction to the screen disappearing "like magic". 

Everyone’s so quiet. 
Audrey loves this. - Sarah
[time passes]
Alright friends, I think we’ll have to pause our drawing for today.  I’ll save the photos and post them to Weebly. 
“And maybe we can do this again another day?” - Sylvie 
We are going to do this again tomorrow.  

Sylvie's mom, Katie, shared this photo of Sylvie during our digital drawing call.  

Our favorite way to end our calls each day is to do "Sleeping Bunnies".  With each passing day we are getting more and more creative.  

Sleeping Bunnies

Sylvie had expressed interest in being “sleeping computers” for the end of our call. Alright, so we’re going to be sleeping computers, but what are they going to do when they wake up? 
“They’re going to do the same thing we were doing today!” - Sylvie 
They’re going to draw? 
“Yeah, they’re going to draw on themselves.” - Sylvie 
Quick question though.  You wouldn’t actually draw on yourself would you? 
“No, but in one of my books I saw someone draw on their face?  With a red marker.” - Sylvie 
That is so silly.  I do not recommend that. 
“Do you know that bunny Max and Ruby?  Max is so little that even did that.  He drawed on his face.” - Sylvie 
But you wouldn’t do that. You wouldn’t draw on yourselves? 
“Yeah only if I was a baby.” - Sylvie 
[Giacomo leans into the computer, puts his hand to his mouth and said:] 
“Sometimes I draw on myself. It’s not a lot.  Just some tiny marks and stuff.  Sometimes on my hands. Like watercolors last night” - Giacomo 
Giacomo, you made it sound like a secret because you were whispering like this. 

"Drawing" on ourselves.

---

Giacomo whispering his secret. 

Audrey and Tegan spend time drawing after our call

Person with house; Dog with house

I heard you were drawing with Tegan yesterday. What were you drawing? 
“Puppies.  Only one puppy.” - Audrey 
Were you drawing together? 
“Yeah! Mommy has a photo of it on her phone.” - Audrey 
She drew it on paper after. - Sarah