We are excited to begin the month of June with a guest post by Mimi Bino, a librarian at New Visions Elementary school in 
Long Island, New York. Mimi previously taught for 19 years as a Special Education Teacher in NYC and has her Masters in School Administration. She loves her schnoodle dog Charlie, golfing, going to the beach, and a good book. Favorite quote: “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” ― Maya Angelou
As librarian in a K-4 building, each school year I am posed with the question:
“How can I make my student’s research projects educational, engaging, and fun?”
Well, this year I was lucky enough to have found Buncee! My third grade ENL students worked on a research/fiction paired unit that starts with the research of the seven continents and goes into plotting the different versions of Cinderella stories told around the world. Each research “team” was assigned a continent to investigate and become experts in knowing the culture, animals, climate and famous places of that continent.
Click to be transported to Africa by one of Mimi’s students (hold on tight!)
When I first introduced Buncee to my students and told them that they each had their own accounts, they cheered. They couldn’t believe that they could make projects with stickers, animation, and audio! They loved having their own login and password, and I loved that they could access their projects from home. My students would ask to stay in the Library to work on their projects rather than go outside for recess. They would whine, “Buncee is better than the playground!”
Some of the teachers in the building are using slide presentation software with their students, and when those students saw the Buncee presentations they said “wow, this is so much better than the slide presentation software I’m using. I want to use Buncee for my next presentation!” Using Buncee to present student research was fabulous! It allowed my students to be creative in designing their presentations.
By using Buncee to create presentations, my students are engaging the learning skills necessary to ensure 21st century readiness. The QR code option made it possible for my students’ parents to come to open house night and take their child’s animated, voice recorded projects home with them right away. It is so gratifying to know that I have introduced my students to a platform in which they can feel good about expressing their thoughts and be confident in their presentation skills.
Click here to visit this Buncee!
