We love using Buncee in my classroom and in the middle of December, my students enjoyed participating in the Holiday Hugs initiative and creating Buncees to add to the Board. Not long after that, my students wanted to know when we could create with Buncee again. The students in my upper level Spanish classes have used Buncee for the past couple of years, but for my Spanish I students and some new students in my classes, this was their first experience and they loved creating a Buncee for the Holiday Hugs initiative!
New year and new ideas!
Now that we are in 2022, the beginning of a new year is always a great time to explore new ideas. Not sure where to begin? Don’t worry, Buncee definitely has you covered when it comes to trying new ideas, promoting student engagement, and curiosity in learning! There are endless possibilities for using Buncee regardless of your role in education or grade level of students. The Ideas Lab can help you to find exactly what you need, or just start from scratch and have some fun creating with your students! Sign into your account, click “Create” and look at the newly added templates or search through the possibilities from the menu on the left!
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is so important for our students. Finding ways to help students to build SEL skills is essential. Buncee is a fantastic choice! I recommend taking the course called “Creative Expression and Social-Emotional Learning with Buncee” available in the Microsoft Educator Center which was co-created by Francesca Arturi and Laura Steinbrink. After taking this one hour course, you will better understand SEL, the five competencies and how Buncee helps students to build their skills in these areas. The five SEL competencies are: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. Also explore the Buncee SEL toolkit with template activities for grades K-6 and 7-12 that will help educators bring SEL into the classroom!
1.Check-ins and SEL
There are a lot of ways that we can help our students to build SEL skills. With Buncee, using some of the ready-to-use templates, students chart their emotions or set goals which will help them to process and manage stress.
2.Introductions
Whether you are starting a new course or perhaps connecting your students with other students for a global classroom, using Buncee to create an About Me or Meet the Teacher are always fun to use at the beginning of the school year or during the year for open houses or parent nights. These are even great for doing some icebreakers throughout the year to continue to build the classroom community. We know the importance of SEL, and with activities like these, we can help students to develop greater self-awareness, social awareness, and build relationships. Developing relationship building skills is essential for future workplace success and to help students work as part of a team.
3.Goal Setting and Journaling
For many, the start of a new year is the time to set new goals. Some people focus on selecting “One word” for the year, making a list of resolutions, creating a vision board, or reflecting on their learning and setting new goals for 2022.
There are many ready-to-use choices available within Buncee for goal setting. Select one to use with your students and they can make it their own! Students can even create a reflection journal and use their Buncee to add audio or video reflections too!
4.Lessons
Creating lessons through Buncee is fun for teachers, and enables us to include a lot of content and a variety of media formats all within one space. Think about some of the lessons that you teach throughout the year, that maybe you could create a presentation with Buncee to share. Add links, record a video or audio message, and easily share the lesson with your class. Explore some of the lessons available in the Ideas Lab to get started. You can also have students teach a lesson to classmates about a topic of interest, or as part of genius hour or project-based learning. Many of my students have used Buncee to create their own presentations for our class and take the lead, which helps them to build confidence in learning and essential skills for their future.
5.Newsletters
Consistent communication is important, and sometimes we can find that we are using a variety of tools to share the activities that are happening in our classroom, which can be overwhelming. Why not use Buncee to create a Weekly Newsletter to share with students and families? Share class information, include links to any resources, record a video or use audio to talk about what’s coming up or what has happened during the week. Educator and fellow Buncee Ambassador Laurie Guyon has made a ton of great newsletters, and there are many templates available to choose from. Newsletters are also a great activity to have students engage in! Share Buncee with friends outside of education because it is definitely a great option for anyone!
6.Portfolios
Buncee can be a space for students to build a narrative of their work. Students can create a multimedia representation of their learning which includes images, documents, and they can even record audio or video to talk about their learning. Hyperlinks to other evidence of their work can be included and accessible within one space. Teachers can then share individual student digital portfolio Buncees on a Buncee board.
And don’t forget about Buncee Boards! Check out this post on 10 ways to use Buncee Boards in your classroom! They are such a great way to collaborate and share ideas, connect with others, and build a learning community! Use Buncee Boards to share lessons, projects and more!
For even more ideas, join the Buncee Educator Community on Facebook and connect with educators and their classrooms from around the world. It is a great community to learn from and share ideas with.
Meet the Author
Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher. Rachelle teaches Spanish and STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology at Riverview Junior Senior High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. She is a Consultant and Speaker, owner of ThriveinEDU LLC Consulting. She is an ISTE Certified Educator and currently serves as the past -president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and on the Leadership team of the Mobile Learning Network. At ISTE19, she received the Making IT Happen Award and a Presidential Gold Award for volunteer service to education. She is also a Buncee Ambassador, Nearpod PioNear and Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert.
Rachelle is the author of seven books, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU” (EduMatch) and “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” Rachelle Dene’s latest book is with ISTE “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World.” True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us, Your World Language Classroom: Strategies for In-Person and Digital Instruction and Things I Wish […] Knew.
Rachelle is a blogger for Getting Smart, Defined Learning, District Administration, and NEO LMS.
Follow Rachelle on Twitter @Rdene915 and on Instagram @Rdene915. Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU https://anchor.fm/rdene915.
