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Sparking Empathy and Learning with Empatico

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Sparking Empathy and Learning with Empatico

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February 2018

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As educators, we make it a goal of trying to develop students into good citizens, preparing them for the world that awaits them once they leave our classroom. This is no easy task and I can't think of much more important for the betterment of our world. Prior to becoming a technology integration specialist, I was a classroom math teacher at a Middle School in Western New York. During this time my focus was on making sure my students developed their mathematical thinking, reasoning and problem-solving. I also focused on helping students to become kind and caring at this transitional time approaching their teenage years. The best way I knew to do this was to form positive relationships and model this behavior myself. It worked for many, but it sure was tough. Middle School kids could sure be cruel to each other. They seemed to enjoy life going about their day to day focused on not much other than themselves and what their peers thought of them. Looking back to my Middle School self, I was just like this. These students were a smart bunch finding their way, making mistakes, finding humor in just about everything, even my math lessons. My teaching was confined to my own classroom. You entered Room 207, we learned in Room 207, asked questions in Room 207 and what went on in Room 207 probably for the most part stayed in Room 207 aside from the few students who actually told their parent or guardian what they did in math class that day when they got the question, "So, what did you do in school today?" Keep in mind, this was prior to digital portfolios and parental communication SMS tools like Remind and Bloomz. What was missing from my classroom was a connection to the real world, beyond the book. A math problem referencing a real-world scenario was the best I did. I needed to do better for my students if they were truly going to be prepared for the real world.

Fast forward several years later to today. The advancement of educational technology and the continued movement towards a global society along with teachers looking to engage and empower students has changed the landscape of classrooms and schools. No longer does learning just have to be contained in "Room 207." In my new role as a technology integration specialist, I aim to bring meaningful learning experiences to the classroom by utilizing technology. To focus on meaningful integration, I love connecting back to the International Society for Technology in Education Standards. I especially like connecting to the latest student standards . These include Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator.

While embarking on my journey of seeking global collaborations with technology I came across Empatico, a project brought to classrooms by The KIND Foundation. The headline that caught my eye was: "Empatico introduces your students to the world, no passport needed." Along with it was also the phrase "Match with another classroom. Discover standards-based content. Connect in real time." This sounded like a recipe for meaningful technology integration and learning to me. Also, the name Empatico hit very close to empathy, something our students need to develop in becoming good citizens. It is aimed at students ages 7-11 ( Grades 1-5 in the U.S.) and is completely free (and always will be). The idea behind creating this for children is that having early positive experiences with diverse types of people can strongly influence how they develop perceptions of others in the future. After doing a little more reading about Empatico, it was clear that this program very well aligns with the ISTE Student Standards.

Within a couple minutes, I had an account created and a profile set. I connected with classroom teacher Lori Wunder of A.J. Schmidt Elementary School, one whom I support in my role as a technology integrator/TOSA. I was excited to share with her this new learning tool. There were four activities for us to choose from. In finding a common match with another classroom, we had to set our availability on their built in calendar as well as select two of the four activities. This would allow there to be a shared interest in topics. The activities available were Helping Hands, Ways We Play, Community Cartographers and Weather Out The Window. The total activity time is 2-3 hours, which includes a preparation activity before the interaction (40-70 min) and a reflection activity after the interaction (20 min). Matched classrooms can and are encouraged to modify or extend the connection to meet their individual needs. In our case, what started just as laid out in Empatico, spun off into a collaborative Kindness Project. Our classes both selected Community Cartographers and Weather Out The Window.

Within the dashboard was a Resources/Materials tab with ready to use items for teachers including printables and ideas. These included and could be filtered by need:

We were matched with a class in Andover, Kansas from Prairie Creek Elementary. Within the Empatico Teacher Dashboard, there was a messaging portal that made communication a breeze. I loved that I also received an email message when our partner class responded. Within a couple days we were having our first connection. Empatico promotes the exchanges as seamless and I couldn't agree more. With one click of a button, our classrooms were connected over video.

You could feel the positive energy in the room as kids were so interested in meeting their partner class. Students asked questions about each other's school day, hobbies, and community. We learned that we both had something in common in starting Kindness Projects in our schools and both agreed to help each other out and share experiences. During this initial video connection, I could see students making connections to how they were similar and also to some of their differences. It was during this call we also learned of our partner class's Kindness Project. They were creating cards and gift boxes for a local children's hospital. It inspired our students in Mrs. Wunder's class to create cards for our local children's hospital connecting on the hashtag #theroadtokindness. We calculated the distance between our schools in Google Maps. 1,142 miles to be exact. We also realized it would take us almost 17 hours to drive there. Students couldn't wait to connect again for the next part of the activity.

We scheduled our second connection to take place a couple weeks later. This allowed students enough time to construct their maps of their surrounding school community and put their cartography skills to work.

When it was time to connect again, we switched between classes describing their school community surroundings. Here is a video highlighting part of the exchange. During this exchange, it was really snowing heavily outside in Angola, NY. The students in Kansas loved to see the snow because it is rare they get much of it. It helped set the stage for our next activity exchange, "The Weather out the Window."

Here are a few examples of student maps shown in this Tweet.

Big thanks to @mrsseibel5th & @AndoverSchools for another powerful @EmpaticoOrg session. Our @AJschmidtLS @LakeShoreCSD Ss with @LoriWunder2 enjoyed learning, sharing, questioning & putting those mapping skills to work. #SparkEmpathy #AJalltheway pic.twitter.com/KAQrMAtfNH

- Michael Drezek (@m_drez) December 14, 2017

I was impressed that a few of our students even labeled specific names of an apartment complex and a lake nearby their partner school. I loved that it forced them to communicate creatively and ask the right questions in creating the most accurate map possible while knowing almost nothing about their partner school's community.

After our connection ended, we took to Google Maps again, this time to satellite view and street view to see just how what it really looked like compared to what students mapped based on what was communicated to them. The students loved being able to explore the area in Google Street View feeling almost as if they were right outside the doors of their partner school. We also found a few of the places referenced that made it feel even more real. It was a fabulous global learning experience and collaboration.

Circling back to the indicators to ISTE Student Standard 7: Global Collaborator. They are listed as:

Students use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning

Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints

Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

Students explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.

Empatico hits on many of these indicators and serves as a launching point to teachers wanting to venture out and explore new global education opportunities. Knowing that I experienced students becoming empowered learners, creative communicators, digital citizens, innovative designers and knowledge constructors through Empatico made it a huge success.

In addition to the 4 activities in Empatico, they also launched a two-week long Caring Kids Challenge that which we signed up to participate in. The Caring Kids Challenge was designed to provide free, simple activities to reinforce positive social skills and help students build stronger relationships while navigating differences with curiosity and kindness, in the present and for years to come. These were short 10-20 minute challenges and they certainly sparked some empathy for our learners. The first week's challenge focused on respectful communication, one of the four Empatico Skill Pillars. The second week's challenge focused on cooperation and critical thinking skills. All activities and challenges take on a focus of perspective taking in helping students relate to the experiences of others and understanding how those others feel.

Getting back to #theroadtokindness collaboration that became an organic extension of our Empatico connection, here are a few snapshots of the magic that took place:

A little kindness spread in the world @LoriWunder2 @m_drez @AndoverSchools @moss5thgrade @MBrownEdTech #theroadtokindness #choosekind #KindnessMatters pic.twitter.com/pUHRMCiisQ

- Shanda Seibel (@mrsseibel5th) February 15, 2018

SIX boxes full of Valentines for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Oishei Children's Hospital from the students at AJ Schmidt Elementary, Angola, NY #theroadtokindness #AJalltheway pic.twitter.com/HpcrXbIvDC

- Lori Wunder (@LoriWunder2) February 11, 2018

Ready to get started in your classroom with Empatico? Visit https://empatico.org , click Get Matched with a Class, create a profile setting available times to collaborate and you're on your way to being matched with another class somewhere in the world. Enjoy the ride and the learning ahead, but more importantly, enjoy the benefits of a classroom actively developing more empathetic students!

As my first child begins Kindergarten next year, I can't help but think that if he is experiencing these during his educational experiences on a fairly regular basis, he will be well prepared for anything that may come his way. I want my son to be a good citizen, a global citizen. I can only hope that he gets to experience the power of Empatico along his journey. Fingers crossed!

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Sparking Learning and Empathy with Empatico

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As educators, we make it a goal of trying to develop students into good citizens, preparing them for the world that awaits them once they leave our classroom. This is no easy task and I can't think of much more important for the betterment of our world.

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January 2018

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The coffee brewed, treats baked, stage set, the edtech-letes (A.K.A. Western New York educators who love the meaningful integration of technology in the classroom) warmed up.

The TIF EdTech Olympics Day at the South Region Forum is in the books. The goal of these sessions is always to connect, share, learn and reflect. At this forum, the goal was reached!

Opening Ceremonies and Warm-Up:
The day started with some humor through the following video. My takeaway from this is that we all play an important role in the "band." Also, technology can be a distraction to someone of any age. Stay focused!

Preliminaries:
All educator participants were assigned a number. Their number matched a Google Slide in a collaborative template where they would share details from a favorite app, website, or resource. In an effort to build personal learning networks, educators would also share their professional websites and social media contacts.

The following qualified for the TIF EdTech Oympics:
http://jakemiller.net/ shared by Karen Kondrick
https://padlet.com/ shared by Melanie Kitchen
https://gobubble.school/ shared by Michael Drezek
https://api.gynzy.com shared by Jen Mikula
https://sway.com shared by Justina Young
https://photofunia.com/ shared by Nicole Holler
https://www.useloom.com/ shared by Mark Drollinger
https://www.frontrowed.com/ shared by Michelle Krieger
https://www.screencastify.com/ shared by Ed Bugenhagen
https://edu.google.com/expeditions/ & http://www.airpano.com/ shared by Candace Phillips
Classroom Split Extension (from Alice Keeler) shared by Joanne Lotter
https://qbbuzzer.com shared by Amanda Pacanowski
https://www.geogebra.org/ shared by Valerie Andryshak (guest pre-service teacher)
https://www.canva.com/ shared by Patricia Lundquist
https://musescore.org shared by Shaun Laska
http://www.chorewars.com/ shared by Jason Hammond
https://www.mysimpleshow.com shared by Elizabeth Schanbacher
PhET Simulations shared by Tom Stokes
https://www.prodigygame.com/ shared by Taylore Flegal
https://www.sumdog.com/ shared by Mark Putney

Semi-Finals:
This breakout session split the group into five teams (one per Olympic ring) of four educators. From here teams discussed integrations of their resource of choice and judged two of their four to advance to this semi-final round. Those making the cut would get the stage for a 5-minute lightning presentation with hopes of advancing to the finals! The following advanced to the Top Ten!

Jake Miller Website, Padlet, Go Bubble, Sway, Photo Funia, Front Row, Canva, Chore Wars, QB Buzzer, Google Expeditions/Air Pano

Finals:
After an intense round of fabulous presentations, educators took some time to experience some of the resources shared in a hands-on session before casting their votes for the finals. The following advanced to the Top Five!

Jake Miller Website, Go Bubble, Photo Funia, Front Row, QB Buzzer

Medal Ceremony:
In true TIF fashion, the medals were 3D Printed! Alas, the bronze, silver and gold medals were ready for the taking. The quest for gold was intense and the room was filled with anticipation as winners would soon be announced.

The final votes were submitted, tallied and the medals were awarded as follows:
Bronze (tie) - Jake Miller Website & Go Bubble
Silver - Front Row Education
Gold - Photo Funia

Don't miss the next Technology Integrator's Forums coming in March and May, 2018!
TIF Talks - TED Talk Style Event at Forrestville High School, March 21, 2018
TIFCon18 - Edcamp Style Unconference at Fredonia College Science Center, May 24, 2018

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TIF January 2018 - Let the EdTech Games Begin

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The coffee brewed, treats baked, stage set, the edtech-letes (A.K.A. Western New York educators who love the meaningful integration of technology in the classroom) warmed up. The TIF EdTech Olympics Day at the South Region Forum is in the books. The goal of these sessions is always to connect, share, learn and reflect.

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Transformational Blended Learning with Buncee

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Transformational Blended Learning with Buncee

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March 2017

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The following is written by Michael Drezek, a K-12 Technology Integrator at Lake Shore Central School District in New York. Follow him on Twitter and check out his bio at the bottom of the post.
In various circles online and in person I sometimes hear things along the line that classrooms today do not look much different than they did 50 years ago. Usually, someone is setting up to make the point that schools are slow to adapt to advancements outside school walls. They'll show you a dated image of a classroom in black and white and a current image in 2017 of a classroom set up exactly the same. Regardless of what a classroom may look like at first glance, what is happening inside of many classrooms today is exciting and is setting the stage for one of the most exciting periods in history for education.

Educational technology in the classroom, when integrated effectively, is paving way for a powerful shift in learning, particularly technology that allows students to be creators and not strictly consumers of content. A blended learning approach helps pave the way for this shift. Blended learning approaches are opening up new and better opportunities for learning. It may look different for everyone, and that is a good thing, but one thing that true blended learning accomplishes is placing students at the center of the learning experience. This approach accelerates learning. Technology is empowering both teachers and students while contributing to this acceleration. The Center for Accelerated Learning describes what is needed in an optimal learning environment . One guiding principle that jumped off the page at me relates to creation.
Learning is Creation, Not Consumption. Knowledge is not something a learner absorbs, but something a learner creates. Learning happens when a learner integrates new knowledge and skill into his or her existing structure of self. Learning is literally a matter of creating new meanings, new neural networks, and new patterns of electro/chemical interactions within one's total brain/body system. Source: http://www.alcenter.com/what_is.php
Learning is creation. These three words are at the heart of my beliefs on technology integration and transformational learning. In my role as a Technology Integrator at the district level, I am able to co-plan lessons with teachers, push into classrooms and support students along the way. We have a shared vision of improving learning with technology. When planning these lessons, I rely on the classroom teacher to pull in the learning standards while I place an emphasis on the ISTE Student Standards . Blending these two is key to an engaging and empowering learning experience. One tool that has sparked some transformational learning experiences at Lake Shore Central Schools is Buncee. It keeps coming back to creation. With Buncee one can create in so many different ways. We must empower our students to create. This drives learning.

Everywhere I turn I see more and more teachers sharing creative uses of this tool. One can explore the variety of uses in various content areas , and . Our district uses Google Classroom as a digital learning hub. Having Buncee for Schools and Districts allows us to connect our Google accounts seamlessly. Even without the Schools and Districts plan, any user can use Google Single Sign On for easy access.

What I really love about the above image is the only item in all caps - CREATE! The exclamation point captures the excitement that usually follows when that button is clicked. Like an artist with a blank canvas, the possibilities are far and wide with what one can do next. Backgrounds from the Buncee Library creatively animated by their team and backgrounds with Creative Commons licensing powered by Pixabay set the stage for creation. I appreciate the attention Buncee has paid to copyright. It is a great talking point with our students around this element of digital citizenship and the fact that Buncee is modeling it for them on the platform is wonderful. ISTE Student Standard: Digital Citizen, check!

After setting a background, there are a seemingly endless number of individual media items to add to a Buncee creation. Buncee doesn't narrow itself to fit into one particular content area better than another. The variety in media types and uses opens pathways to integration that work in any classroom at any level.

Take a look at the media types above. Think of the potential in your own classroom. How could you use this to get your students to create? What would it help them connect to? What would it change for the better?

Once a Buncee is created, where it travels can make a big impact. The 'Share' button helps to get creations to the intended audience. Students can share to peers, students to teachers, teachers to students, teachers to colleagues, and both teachers and students with the world. I have found our "Buncee-Creating" students and teachers happy to show off their creations. Using the Share button to publish work to an authentic audience is powerful. The Buncee Buddies program has been a game changer for our classrooms seeking to boost connections based learning and global collaboration. Every student deserves the experience of learning in a classroom where the walls have been flattened. ISTE Student Standard: "Global Collaborator," check!

I'll start with how I would use it from a math teacher perspective. I left my math classroom in 2014 to take on a technology integration role. At that time I was teaching under the flipped classroom model using my teacher website and some screencasting software. Students had to ask 3 questions as well as rate their level of understanding on a 1-5 scale for each lesson in their notebook. Our collaborative problem solving took place in class. At that time I did not know of Buncee. I have regrets that I didn't get to use it regularly with my own students. I could have embedded my video lesson, added stickers and animations to support the concept, motivational messages, used the freehand drawing tool on this virtual canvas to show procedural thinking and highlight key concepts, linked QR codes to additional support resources, and built in assessment with the free and multiple choice questions to track student understanding. I would have also made sure my students were creating with Buncee to make those key connections. Students could have recorded video reflections using the built-in video tool, posed questions, created drawings and even uploaded images of math work to be shared with peers for analysis. Knowing the potential Buncee has for transformational learning, I do find great joy in sharing it with our teachers of all content areas as they seek ways to integrate technology into their lessons.

Instead of me just telling how I use Buncee, let's take a closer look at what teachers are doing with it in the classroom. I took to some of our Lake Shore classrooms to see how they were blending Buncee into their instruction.

My first stop was Grade 3 at Anthony J. Schmidt Elementary School in Angola, NY. Sara Ware also started using Buncee to connect her students globally through the Buncee Buddies program. They are connected with a classroom in Australia. You will find an intro pen pal letter . She saw right away that the kids were hooked and wanted more. Sara found ways to regularly get students creating for day to day activities. In working through of the Engage NY ELA curriculum, students learned of wolves through stories, folktales and fables. Students selected a characteristic of the wolf in and created a Buncee on this describing word. View a sample and . They also read the book My Librarian is a Camel and learned how books are delivered around the world while also studying various countries. View student samples and . ISTE Student Standard: Knowledge Constructor, check! Students also collaborated on a fun holiday book for parents adding letters, Cinquain poems to work on writing skills. View samples , and .

My next stop was Grade 2 at Highland Elementary School in Derby, NY. Renee Gutowski started using Buncee to connect her students globally through the Buncee Buddies program. They are connected with classrooms in New York and Ontario, Canada. This Grade 2 class has also used the iOS app to create on iPads. Cross platform access helps our younger learners who are comfortable using iPads. On this particular stop I was able to join the class as they celebrated their Buncee Buddies global pen pals with a live streamed concert from Grammy-nominated artist Brady Rymer. The concert was themed around peace and love. Participating in this concert helped make connections to the four pillars of global competence as outlined by the Asia Society, and also helped the classroom meet The National Core Standards for Arts . A special moment came when a class from Kenya at Cheery Education Center Skyped into the concert to sing a song for the class. I captured the moment . Renee's class ended up winning a contest for the event and will have Brady Rymer perform a song of their choice live through Skype. Students are currently creating a Buncee around the quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world." It is sure to reinforce the importance of spreading kindness and the power of global collaboration.
Alison's Buncee Kiara's Buncee
My last stop was Grade 7 French Foreign Language class at Lake Shore Middle School. Madame Denise Drew asked students to create what they've been learning in class about food. Here are a few:
Corinne's Buncee
Kiara even recorded her menu order in French using the audio feature. This feature encourages creative communication and can help develop speaking skills, especially for the students who are shy to speak up in class. ISTE Student Standard: "Creative Communicator," check!

I asked these students their thoughts on using Buncee. Kiara added, "I like how it makes me be very creative." Ryan said, "It allows me to express my imagination better." Corinne said, "I love my last slide so much!!!" Joshua said, "I can see myself using this for all my classes." Aiden added "It's magic." Not long after my visit here, the following week I noticed one of the students using Buncee to illustrate the water cycle in Science class. Another student was using it in a STEM Hub to design a portion a STEM challenge solution. These students chose the tool on their own when not required. ISTE Student Standard "Empowered Learner," check!

With what can seem like an overwhelming amount of technology tools to select from, it is important for teachers to narrow their focus and build a technology toolkit that includes tools that are dynamic, social, and safe. These tools should lend themselves to social learning experiences, engaging discussion and sharing instead of fostering working with the tool in isolation. These tools should amplify student voice and must be user friendly enough that students do not need to spend crucial time learning how to use the tool. Buncee meets the mark on all of this. The only way to truly experience it for yourself is to jump in and bring some added creativity and fun to your classroom. We have and are not looking back.

Whether a school district is 1:1, provides access to carts of laptops and/or tablets or is bring your own device, many more possibilities open up when technology tools are used to connect, create and change. We need students to connect to concepts. Many times this doesn't happen until they create. The creation is what leads to change. Change in what was previously possible. Change in approaches to learning from students and change in ideas for further blended learning approaches from teachers. Ultimately, change in learning outcomes for the better. In a successful blended learning environment, creation is at the center. Creating is empowering. Creating is learning. I hope our Buncee story connects with you and creating with Buncee changes your learning experiences for the better like it has for ours.
Follow me on Twitter @m_drez, and on my blog at https://michaeldrezek.com
I am the District Technology Integrator/Teacher Leader for the Lake Shore CSD. This is a TOSA position I've held for three years after spending ten years teaching Mathematics at the Middle School level. I am passionate about finding meaningful ways to integrate technology in the classroom and understand how it can empower teachers and students allowing for learning to happen that was never before possible. It is my focus to help teachers take some risks in their learning and teaching, stepping out of their comfort zones. Supporting them and serving as a resource is something I take great pride in and work tirelessly toward. Ultimately, I am driven by creating experiences for students that will stick beyond my time in their classroom. I lead professional development in my district and present regionally. I am a Google Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator & Trainer, Apple Teacher, and Buncee, Flipgrid, Seesaw, Bloxels, CueThink & CoSpaces Education Ambassador. I was recently named 2016 NYSCATE Outstanding Teacher.

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Transformational Blended Learning With Buncee - Buncee Blog

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The following is written by Michael Drezek, a K-12 Technology Integrator at Lake Shore Central School District in New York. Follow him on Twitter and check out his bio at the bottom of the post. In various circles online and in person I sometimes hear things along the line that classrooms today do not look much different than they did 50 years ago.

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March 2017

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Michael Drezek is an active voice in our Buncee Community. He is a positive and supportive presence for others in his district community and the professional learning network.

Here's a little bit about Michael in his own words:

I am the District Technology Integrator/Teacher Leader for the Lake Shore CSD. This is a TOSA position I've held for three years after spending ten years teaching Mathematics at the Middle School level. I am passionate about finding meaningful ways to integrate technology in the classroom and understand how it can empower teachers and students allowing for learning to happen that was never before possible. It is my focus to help teachers take some risks in their learning and teaching, stepping out of their comfort zones. Supporting them and serving as a resource is something I take great pride in and work tirelessly toward. Ultimately, I am driven by creating experiences for students that will stick beyond my time in their classroom. I lead professional development in my district and present regionally. I am a Google Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator & Trainer, Apple Teacher, and Buncee, Flipgrid, Seesaw, Bloxels, CueThink & CoSpaces Education Ambassador. I was recently named 2016 NYSCATE Outstanding Teacher.

Follow me on Twitter @m_drez, and on my blog at https://michaeldrezek.com
CLASSROOM MOTTO:
1) Wonder. Explore. Create. Repeat.

2) When you stop learning you stop living (so live life learning to the fullest).
PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR EDUCATION CAREER:
There are so many to list but among them are when a former student is excited to see me outside of a school setting and chat. I know that I've made an impact on that student when they can't wait to tell me all about what they are up to in life. It's all about relationships and when these moments happen it reassures me that I am making an impact on kids. Sometimes we never know how much impact we make otherwise. Other proud moments are when I can connect a classroom globally and the students' world and mind completely opens up. It builds empathy and curiosity in students. Buncee Buddies amongst other projects using technology has certainly helped in this way!
WHY DID YOU WANT TO BECOME A BUNCEE AMBASSADOR?
I really believe in what Buncee is trying to accomplish as a learning tool. As a technology integrator I focus on tools that allow students to share their voice, empower students to be creators and offer them the opportunity to share out to a bigger audience. Because of this, Buncee is at the top of my toolbox. The more teachers I can get to use Buncee in the classroom, the more students will have the opportunity to become creators of content that is meaningful to them. I am a Seesaw, Bloxels, CoSpaces and CueThink Ambassador. I understand that being an Ambassador involves being a model user, presenting to other educators and being enthusiastic to share experiences whenever possible. I appreciate that companies with teacher ambassador programs value teacher input and feedback to continually improve and meet the needs of students.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BUNCEES?
I had so much fun creating this and sharing it with the world!
Click here to check out his Buncee!
Our class sent some e-cards to classrooms in Russia, Australia, Indonesia, Deleware, Kentucky, Canada and New Zealand as part of a "holidays around the world" project. It was neat to see the kids Buncees spread holiday cheer to kids around the world.
Click here to check out his Buncee! Click here to check out his Buncee!
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Michael Drezek is an active voice in our Buncee Community. He is a positive and supportive presence for others in his district community and the professional learning network. Here's a little bit about Michael in his own words: I am the District Technology Integrator/Teacher Leader for the Lake Shore CSD.

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September 2016

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Have you noticed that the world around us is evolving and advancing at an extremely rapid pace? Take a look at the MIT Technology Review top 10 breakthrough technologies over the past years. Yep, "Robots That Teach Each Other" caught my eye too! History supports that school systems are not keeping up with this pace. It can become overwhelming to try. Integrating technology effectively and in innovative ways will certainly help but, I don't believe we necessarily should have to keep pace with the development of the world around us. Our focus must remain on nurturing learning. If we are creating opportunities and environments for our students that allow them to thrive in this rapidly advancing society when they graduate, we are serving them well. The term "future ready" sticks out.

The new 2016 ISTE Student Standards highlight key skills needed by students to be prepared for the future. What I also believe we need to do is be willing to take risks, be willing to step out of our comfort zone and be willing to accelerate our own learning. I hear it over and over again: to transform student learning experiences we must open up to student voice and allow for student choice. Shouldn't the same hold true for educators? To transform teaching experiences, we must make room for teacher voice and teacher choice in professional learning. Mandated professional development sessions are often not well received for missing this aspect. To truly move forward, one must personalize and drive their own PD. Doing so can also offer another challenge: a sea of choice. It may even become easy to drown in this sea of choice. A recent blog post by Lisa Westman provided the following stats:

353 - number of weekly education Twitter chats

2174 - number of EdTech Products available for educators (most with PD/training options)

4,050,0000 - number of Google Search results for "Instructional Strategies"

Too many to count - number of EdCamps, Voxer Chats, Pinterest boards, books, blogs, podcasts, YouTube tutorials, etc.

Where does one turn to narrow their focus? For me, Twitter is the one stop shop for 24/7 access to personalized PD needs. Twitter has led me to forward thinking educators, authentic projects, blogs and chats that push my thinking and allow me to discover new resources and ideas.
Here is a list of my favorite PD resources that I discovered (many through Twitter):

While the above list is full of high-quality, powerful, on-demand, personalized PD, it is difficult for them to pack the same punch as an in-person learning community that connects throughout the school year and beyond. This community exists with Technology Integrators Forum. TIF is also the life jacket that can help keep one afloat in a sea of choice. Some of the best content is curated and shared by members of the group.

If you are an educator looking to share your voice and be offered an opportunity for personal choice, TIF is for you. You also will take risks, engage in quality discussion, accelerate learning, and even get time and space to explore new ideas and tools. A form is already circulating seeking teacher voice! Let yours be heard. Take a break from mandated PD and personalize your PD with TIF. We would be thrilled for you to jump into a sea of learning and join our growing community of passionate educators looking to grow professionally.

However you choose to personalize your PD this school year, I hope that you follow your passion, learn something new and pass it on to those students who will soon be entering that rapidly advancing society. If we take this approach, we are on the path to preparing our students to stay afloat and even get ahead in a world where "robots that teach each other" is a norm.

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Have you noticed that the world around us is evolving and advancing at an extremely rapid pace? Take a look at the MIT Technology Review top 10 breakthrough technologies over the past years. Yep, "Robots That Teach Each Other" caught my eye too! History supports that school systems are not keeping up with this pace.

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May 2014

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To give a little background, I have been using the " flipped classroom " model in my classroom for the past two years. This has been a wonderful experience and has transformed the way I view teaching and learning. I am no longer the center of attention and my students not only control the pace of their instruction, but also get to do more problem-solving in class due to the increased face-to-face time the "flipped classroom" creates. Despite this, I was still searching for something more.

I came across the CueThink website a few weeks back without knowing what to really make of it. I saw three words on the home page, "Make Math Social," and thought this is exactly what I needed to do more of in my classroom. If I know my middle school students, I know they are VERY social. I also know that they are not always social in math class. Even my top students are shy to participate and speak in front of their peers at times. While I often plan to get students communicating and collaborating, it doesn't always happen with ease. I am fortunate to work in a school district that has a great deal of technology available for teacher and student use. Knowing I had access to iPads and students that get excited at any chance to use them, I clicked " Sign Up " to learn more about CueThink and to give it a try in my classes.

After downloading the app on the my iPad and registering as a teacher, I had the chance to play around with some features before my students did. The tutorials on the website were very helpful to explaining how the app functioned. I was impressed. I thought that the app had potential and was anxious to roll it out to my classes. Before jumping into the app as a class, I gave some background on basic app functions and that explained that this was their chance to record a video of their math solutions. Students loved this idea since the only videos used in our class were ones that I created for them. I loved the idea that my students were going to create their own videos! The sign-up process was a breeze and students were engaged right away with choosing an avatar and giving their avatar a fun name. We were ready to start using CueThink.

Traditionally, I encourage my students to underline key parts of a problem before solving and eliminate irrelevant information, but they often don't take the time to do that. Students were doing this on the app using the highlighter tool and the cross out tool. Students also took time to develop a plan of attack for solving the problem. They chose helpful strategies from a list and even created their own. So often they just rush into doing math without making a plan in advance. They loved the digital scrap paper to practice their math! As a teacher, the "Understand" and "Plan" screens were my favorite. As for my students, the "Solve" and "Review" screens were easily their favorites. They were helping each other, they were social, and more specifically, they were social about math. They recorded their solutions into videos and played them back. CueThink refers to these as "Thinklets." I watched some students quickly submit thinklets to their class that were rushed and not checked over for quality. I watched some students try and perfect their thinklets because they knew their classmates would watch them. I think student production quality will improve as we use the app for a longer period of time. Students started watching and annotating each others' thinklets in the class gallery and annotated in some cases. It was great to watch them view how others were thinking. I find tremendous value as a teacher in having another means to tell exactly what my students are thinking as they solve a problem as opposed as trying to analyze their work on paper after it was completed. They gave each other some "thumbs ups" and "likes." Period 8 students got to see what Period 5 students were doing, Period 6 students got to see what Period 8 students were doing, and so on. My individual class sections became one big class instead of three separate ones. This is the classroom community that CueThink has the power to create that goes beyond the physical walls of the classroom.

I truly believe that CueThink can quickly become a teacher's go-to tool for getting students more engaged in math class. I watched shy students speak up and become OK with recording their own voice on the iPad because they found it fun. I watched a couple students who resisted staying after school for extra help stay after school voluntarily to work on their "thinklets." I watched students give positive comments to their peers by annotating each others' videos. I watched students think better and work harder. I watched students create something that was their own and something they were proud to share with others. This is the culture I wanted to create in my classroom. I feel good about bringing this school year to a close knowing that my students had an experience they likely won't forget. If you are a math teacher with access to iPads (and it doesn't even need to be a 1:1 environment since this app lends itself to partner work and group work), are willing to put the students at the center of the learning process, and want to really see how they think and create, I recommend installing CueThink and giving it a try in your classroom. Your students will love it. Mine sure did!

Michael Drezek

Mathematics Teacher

Lake Shore Middle School

Angola, New York

Tagged: cuethink, math, flipped classroom, classroom stories, make math social, student centered learning, ipad education, education, ipad app, math app

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Classroom Stories: Student-centered Learning with CueThink

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To give a little background, I have been using the "flipped classroom" model in my classroom for the past two years. This has been a wonderful experience and has transformed the way I view teaching and learning.