Hottest EdTech Tools of 2017-#3

#3 of the 82 Hottest EdTech Tools of 2017 According to Education Experts –

Tutora posted the 82 Hottest EdTech Tools of 2017. I have decided to post re each, and we start with #3 on the list, Buncee :

3. Buncee – Create, Present and Share Engaging Multimedia Lessons

As nominated by Nikolaos Chatzopoulos of Tech Trends for Teachers, Nicholas Clayton, and Shelly Terrell of 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers.

The 4 C’s are essential, and perhaps teachers can have students create, communicate, collaborate and engage in critical thinking with assistance from Buncee.

As noted by reviewers:

“Buncee is a creation and presentation tool which supports educators as they foster the 4 Cs of learning in students: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Some of Buncee’s many features include over 10k student friendly graphics designed by their team to help make learning fun, the ability to record audio and video directly into a Buncee, integration with YouTube and Pixabay images and much more.

Students are able to engage and immerse themselves in what they are learning, be more engaged with the material, and therefore improve their comprehension. Buncee can be used to develop future-ready skills in students of all abilities. Students from as young as six and seven years old are using Buncee to create multimedia presentations which demonstrate learning acquisition, critical thinking and creativity, while also communicating stories.

Teachers integrate Buncee as a tool for individualized, differentiated instruction, language learning and special education, as well as lessons and projects for any subject. It is used as a classroom presentation tool for reviewing and introducing content aligned with curriculum standards. Additionally, Buncee is integrated into modes of expressed student learning including alternative book reports, research projects, digital storytelling, project-based learning, passion projects, and genius hour. With Buncee’s easy to use creation canvas making learning fun is just a drag and drop away.

Our experts recommended using Buncee for outside-the-box lessons, such as creating digital posters, micro-movies or simple games as a class activity.”

“A powerful, yet easy-to-use creative platform that empowers students” – Nikolaos Chatzopoulos

“Buncee hits all 4 C’s by allowing students the opportunity to take a blank canvas and create something amazing. The company has awesome customer support, a content rich blog, and a gallery of ideas. As one of my student’s said ‘it’s the best app we have used all year!’ ” – Laurie Guyon

Hottest EdTech Tools of 2017-#2

Posted by Dr. Dereck Rhoads

#2 of the 82 Hottest EdTech Tools of 2017 According to Education Experts –

Tutora posted the 82 Hottest EdTech Tools of 2017. I have decided to post re each, and we start with #1 on the list, Kahoot!

2. Kahoot! – Making Learning Awesome!

As nominated by Michael Cohen of The Tech Rabbi, Bethany Petty of Teaching With Technology, and Neil Jarrett of EdTech for Beginners.

Very solid pick at #2. I have personally observed dozens of classrooms come alive at the use of Kahoot. Students become move engaged learners, and teachers gain valuable feedback regarding students understanding.

As noted by reviewers:

Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform and one of the world’s fastest-growing learning brands with more than 40 million monthly active users in 180 countries. Kahoot! makes it easy to create, discover, play and share fun learning games in minutes—for any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages.

Launched in 2013, with the mission to make learning awesome, Kahoot!’s free game-based platform engages the heart, hand and mind, creating a wildly more social, meaningful and powerful pedagogical experience. Kahoot!’s platform and easy-to-use features not only attract educators and students but reach beyond the classroom to corporate powerhouses, sporting and cultural events, and any social and learning context.

Kahoot! allows teachers to quickly create fun learning games for students based around multiple choice questions. After creating the game, students can use any device to sign-in to the game ‘room’ using a unique code to complete lessons and compete against their peers.

Displaying the questions and game on a primary display encourages students to use their personal devices only for choosing their answer. This means group engagement and discussion is promoted throughout the session, creating what the Kahoot! team call ‘campfire moments’.

Kahoot! then promotes students to proactively pursue their learning goals by creating their own Kahoots, attempting to beat previous scores and inciting class discussions around the learning topic.

Whether used as an attention grabber at the start of a lesson or a re-energising tactic part way through an intense revision class, Kahoot! Is surely a great tool for any teacher.

Things you never say to teachers!

Posted by Dr. Dereck Rhoads

I recently read a post containing 12 things you never say to teachers posted by Brandon Weber

12. “Teaching is nice, but don’t you want to be more successful and make more money?”

#12 makes me think of the great slam poem by Taylor Mali what teachers make. Worth watching in the TED Talk HERE

Teachers make a goddamn difference! Now what about you?

Read the the full post below:

The 12 Things You Should Never, Ever Say To Teachers

Let me say up top here that I am NOT a teacher — I found this on a blog (listed below) that is all about and by teachers, however. And it’s the kind of thing I hope gets legs so that people stop asking these kinds of silly questions. Oh, and next time your state wants to cut the pay and benefits of teachers, speak up

1. “We’ve all been to elementary school, so aren’t we all kind of experts on it?”

Umm, no. You’ve been sick before, does that make you a doctor?

2. “When I retire, I still want to do something, so I think I might take up teaching.”

Teaching is not a hobby, like gardening or sailing. Teaching will likely make your old job feel like a vacation.

3. “Have you ever thought about making your class more fun?”

No, I do my best to make it as boring as I can.

4. “If you really cared about kids, you wouldn’t worry about the salary.”

I love my students. I love teaching. I also love being able to support my family and feed my kids.

5. “If you managed your time at school, I bet you wouldn’t need to plan lessons and grade on the weekends.”

Okay, I’m a little busy at school. I teach and work with students almost every moment of the day. Spending 20 hours a week outside of school on prep and grading every week is normal for me.

6. “You’ll never be a truly great teacher until you have your own kids.”

Actually, yes I will. The relationship between teacher and student is quite different from that of parent and child.

7. “Why do you make them read so much and write so many essays? Why do you give such hard grades?”

Because it’s my job. Because my students are here to learn. Because they’ll need these skills to survive in the world. How many reasons do you need?

8. “I pay taxes in this district, so technically you work for me.”

Sorry, we’re not your minions. That’s not how it works. Taxes support public goods and services—such as the fire department, police, parks, and yes, public schools—for the community as a whole. And by the way, teachers pay taxes too.

9. “Ohh, you teach kindergarten, that must be fun. Playing and singing all day.”

Yes, my life is just like Disney movie. I sing and the children and the little animals of the forest come running. Actually, in kindergarten, we teach our students the foundational literacy and math skills—as well as the social and emotional skills—that set kids up for success in every grade to follow.

10. “Why are you so strict? They’re just kids.”

We make plenty of time for laughter and fun in my classroom. Rules and routine are not only necessary, they help children to feel safe, secure and valued in the classroom community.

11. “How hard can it be? You have all summer off.”

A longer summer break is one of the benefits of choosing teaching as a career. But keep in mind, it’s not all summer, I spend weeks every July and August on professional development and curriculum planning. And during the school year, I work 12 hours a day all week long and at least one day every weekend. Add it up and our vacation days are about the same.

12. “Teaching is nice, but don’t you want to be more successful and make more money?”

I teach because I want to make a difference. I teach because what I do every day matters for kids.

That’s what success looks like.

BCSD Videos

Posted by Dr. Dereck Rhoads

Leadership Development

Posted by Dr. Dereck Rhoads

This past school year I developed and implemented Beaufort County School District’s (BCSD) 1^st Leadership Institute, designed to provide aspiring school principals with increased school leadership capacity. By all measures, our inaugural year was a huge success. The participants demonstrated excellent leadership growth throughout the institute. Direct feedback as well as anonymous survey feedback was extremely positive; and last but not least, members of the inaugural Leadership Institute filled each of the principal openings for this coming school year!

As an educational leader, it was a true pleasure to develop and implement the Leadership Institute. When asked what I enjoy about providing leadership development training, three specifics always come to mind. 1. School leadership has been cited as the #2 variable on student achievement, second only to teachers. So, if I can help develop excellent school leaders then I’m having a significant influence on student success. 2. It allows me to “give back” to all my mentors and professors by passing on lessons learned, and assisting in developing our next generation of excellent school principals. 3. It’s all about students: better school leaders lead to better students.

The Institute consisted of group sessions as well as field-based assignments for direct instruction and real-world learning. The Institute is design to incorporate practical application of leadership behaviors for effective school administration.

Session topics included:

Understanding and Developing Your Vision as a Leader

Building a Shared Vision

Curriculum Management

Instructional Leadership

Clinical Supervision

Assessment and Reporting of Student Learning

Program Assessment and Evaluation

Effective Management: Smooth Operations for an Effective Learning Environment

Building a Climate of Team-Based Accountability and Collaborative Support

Ethical Behavior: Trust and Trustworthiness

Relationship Building and Engaging a Diverse Community

Providing for Staff Development and a Collaborative Learning Culture

Understanding Change; Leading a Digital Learning Culture

Effective Communication: Written, Oral, and Other

Personnel Management

Organization, Time Management and Building your Leadership Team

Building a Master Schedule

Financial Management and Fiscal Resources

Reflective Practice: Leading Life-Long Learners

What Are You Modeling?

Posted by Dr. Dereck Rhoads

The world is networked. We are more connected today than ever before in our history. As educators, this connectivity represents an amazing new frontier in our journey of preparing students to be successful citizens. Re-read that last sentence. Now, ask yourself the following question: what if teachers and administrators do not embrace the connectivity that the Internet provides? Can we lead something we do not understand, let alone model?