It’s the beginning of a new school year, and educators are searching for new activities to get to know their students.

There are all sorts of ways for teachers to give students opportunities to share portions of their identities with their classmates. From interest surveys to illustrated name tags, these “easy-entry” September activities allow students to provide a glimpse into “what makes them tick”.

Several of these activities can incorporate a “media literacy lean” to them. What media texts reflect you and your personality? What are your favourite websites? What books do you like? What fictional characters are most like you?

I was gifted a new Chromebook recently, to replace my aged laptop. I’ve been particular about what stickers I’ve added to my new device. It hit me – looking at the cover of my portable computer is a snapshot of me at a particular place and time in my life. Take a look.

The stickers on my old laptop reflect my interests, likes, and occupation from 2014-2024. There are several stickers related to my favourite manga at the time, “My Hero Academia”, as well as my favourite video games, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, “MarioKart” and “Minecraft”. There are stickers linked to two volunteer organizations I worked with: Maker Festival Toronto and Maker Ed TO. Two location stickers reveal my homeland and frequent vacation spot. Two stickers are for books I like (one professional [“Inquiry Mindset” by Trevor McKenzie] and one picture book [“The Legend of Ninja, Cowboy, Bear” by David Bruins and Hilary Leung]) and one sticker is for a board game I like (“Food Fighters”).  I picked up several library-themed stickers from the Ontario Library Association Super Conference. Finally, I have stickers that demonstrate professional interests, such as technology integration.

As I contemplated the “blank slate” of my Chromebook, I was very deliberate about what I’d add to the surface. “My Hero Academia” is no longer as prominent or significant for me. This is what the cover of my new device looks like at this time.

This device still has a section devoted to past interests (like Maker Festival and Animal Crossing) but now, there are more generic book stickers. I made my own sticker, using a mini-printer, of a favourite photo of me with my husband, as well as a sticker with a new affiliation (Canadian School Libraries) and one that reflects my humour and my age. (If you can’t read it, it says “Please be patient with me; I’m from the 1900s”.)

I’ve heard first-hand that school IT people don’t like it when students cover their school-issued devices with their personal stickers. If the device has to be returned, they dread the work it takes to scrub off those adhesives. However, educators might consider making a print or digital template of a laptop cover or cell phone and encouraging their students to make a replica or idealized or school-safe version of a personalized device. What would your phone case be? What’s the lock screen wall paper? Which apps would be on the main screen? Another alternative is to have students design their own stickers to place on cell phone covers or share with friends. The discussion about the decorating choices they make might be a fun way to get to know your students, and for them to get to know you!