Buncee has been in my classroom for the past two years and I don’t know where I would be without it. More importantly, where would my students be if they didn’t have the opportunity to be creative, reflect on their learning and share that learning and/or creation with others? I feel that Buncee has opened up a new world of creativity and motivation for students. There are so many forms of media that can be integrated into a Buncee project and so many things that Buncee can be used to create. Presentations take on new meaning when you can create Buncee slides in which you can integrate images, animations, stickers, text, and video components. I personally have been able to create seasonal messages, poems, greetings and presentations that have been quite useful in my classroom and teaching practice.
What better way to testify about an educational tool than to hear from the stakeholders themselves?
“What I like about Buncee is that you can make things and express yourself for who you are.” – Y. (Grade 5)
“Buncee is a way to really express yourself. There are many options for you to choose from so you don’t feel limited. And it’s easy to go on and learn the features.” – K. (Grade 5)
“I like Buncee because you can create things to express things and feelings.” –B. (Grade 4)
“Buncee is a thing that everyone should do. It cheers people up and has a creative side to it. I don’t feel bored when I use Buncee.” – S. (Grade 5)
“What I think about Buncee is that you are able to learn in an unusual way that you might not even know. It also inspires creativity.” – S. (Grade 4)
“I enjoy Buncee because you can be creative and do whatever you want. I also enjoy how there are so many animations, backgrounds and pictures to choose from. I think it is a fun, easy and cool way to design pictures and drawings for essays, assignments or even just for fun.” – P. (Grade 4)
“Buncee is awesome and fun. Kids can express themselves on Buncee and still have fun.” – P. (Grade 4)
“Buncee is entertaining to watch and create. Buncee is a creative way to show how you feel and what you’re feeling. Buncee is useful for many ways, like doing projects, doing advertisements or just for fun. I love using Buncee.” – C. (Grade 5)
“Buncee is a creative way to write a letter with moving pictures and backgrounds or stickers to make a visualization of the letter you’re writing. I adore Buncee because I have made poems and stories on there that looked spectacular.” – G. (Grade 5)
“Buncee helps me comprehend words into pictures.” – F. (Grade 4)
“It is a great way to help people with cards like if they are going through something tough, you can send them a card, so they know it will be okay.” – A. (Grade 4)
“Buncee is an easy and fun way to express feelings or thoughts or anything!” – J. (Grade 5)
“If you are scared to tell someone something in person, you can use Buncee.” – G. (Grade 4)
“I think Buncee should be used in classrooms all around the world because it is so fun and you and write and type. Let’s say you want your students to write an essay. They can do it on Buncee and have fun. Buncee has helped me by letting me have fun while doing my work. It also has worked my brain by having me try to find backgrounds, stickers and animations to fit my theme.” – J. (Grade 5)
“Buncee helps students explore new technology and has a positive influence on other students.” – J. (Grade 5)
“I think that Buncee is a great learning platform for visual learning. When a child doesn’t learn to their best ability, they aren’t learning with visuals. So I think Buncee should be used in the classroom. Buncee has helped me express how I am feeling without words. Sometimes you just can’t explain it, but you can show it and Buncee helps with that. This is why classrooms (especially Language Arts) should use Buncee.” – A. (Grade 5)
“I feel like Buncee is a creative way to do things, from assignments to just a fun project.” – Z. (Grade 5)
“I love Buncee because you can have a main idea and things connected to the main idea. The way that Buncee has helped me in my classroom experience is by helping me make connections with a topic I was assigned.” – T. (Grade 5)
“I think Buncee is a great tool to use in class. You can express yourself with Buncee. I enjoy Buncee because it’s like Google slides except more fun and cheery. It is colorful and fun to use. I think it is a great classroom tool because you have all these things to do and play around with. I like Buncee a lot and I hope that everyone else does too.” – L. (Grade 5)
“I feel like it should be used in a classroom because I feel it’s like a great platform to write a poem and the stickers are great for a visual aid. Buncee has helped me write seasonal poems.” – S. (Grade 5)
One of the things that I feel may easily go unnoticed or commented on is the appeal to all students. There are various components of the platform that students can use to demonstrate their learning or showcase their thinking. You might call that diversity. I also find immense value in that the stickers, images, backgrounds and animations include examples that diverse students can relate to. We were recently working on a Black History month Buncee and students navigated through the platform to synthesize various types of media into a product that shows various aspects of the individual’s life they are studying.
As a teacher I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to engage in Buncee projects with students. Buncee itself is engaging and while using it, the students are completely engaged. In fact, I think they would be content if that was all we accomplished. The conversation, collaboration and interaction around the use of the platform as well as how students learn to be creative is enthralling. I am grateful that is provides students with a voice and taps into their creative genes. As many of my students have said, freedom of expression is important and Buncee provides that space for students.
About Dene Gainey:
Dene Gainey here. I am a twelve-year classroom educator, currently Grades 4-5 English Language Arts, Technology & Gifted. I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education K-6 from the University of Central Florida and my Masters of Education degree in Instructional Technology from American Intercontinental University in 2006 and am currently pursuing a PhD. Never too far from the classroom, I believe that you should never stop learning. I thoroughly enjoy learning and growing by means of my professional learning network, interacting with other educators and teacher leaders through Voxer, Twitter, EdCamps and conferences.
