The Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools (Fairfield County, CT), is transforming the paradigm of Catholic education. This requires a bold change in the way that we look at instruction, assessment and the classroom environment. Our personalized learning initiative will begin with the 2018-19 school year at 6 of our 30 schools. In preparation for this launch, all 30 schools received professional development on using BUNCEE in the classroom during the 2017-18 school year.
Why did we choose BUNCEE to help kick off our personalized learning initiative? Students love BUNCEE because it’s engaging, and that excites the teachers! With BUNCEE, students can communicate via words, pictures, drawings, music, and video—all in one application. Using BUNCEE is intuitive for students, and teachers don’t have to spend a lot of instructional time showing students how to use it. BUNCEE is adaptable to any age group. While its appeal is obvious for younger students, older students can showcase their knowledge by the subject level and sophistication of their presentation designs.
Teachers mention ease of use as one of the main benefits of BUNCEE. The built-in safe search uses Creative Commons Images, and Youtube searches are performed within BUNCEE itself, so that any fears teachers, administration or parents have of their children surfing the internet and stumbling on an inappropriate subject matter, is quickly dispelled. The camera, voice recording, and video features are simple to use, and the drag and drop feature makes creating a BUNCEE effortless. It brings many resources together in one place.
What we like best about BUNCEE’s use in personalized learning is that it’s great for differentiated instruction, small groups, and specific learning interests—students consider it an extension of their voice.
BUNCEE brings many media resources together in one place, which allows students to demonstrate their knowledge in a more personal way via media they select. It reaches the students with more diverse learning styles and gives them a platform to exhibit their understanding. Students love the stickers and animations and challenge themselves to earn badges.
Lastly, BUNCEE encourages and supports the four Cs of personalized learning—communication, creativity, community, and collaboration. It reinforces project-based learning by connecting students in classes within a school, schools within a district, schools outside of the local community, and communities around the world. We look forward to the exciting learning that will take place in our schools next year, and thank BUNCEE for their help and fabulous customer service!
Kathryn Cioffi graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, and got her Master’s Degree in Computers in Education from Fairfield University. Kathy has worked as an applications programmer in the U.S and Europe for some time. She has taught technology for 18 years in all grade levels and has been with the Diocese of Bridgeport for 1 year, she is with the Office of Superintendent as Director of Educational Technology and Innovation. You can contact her through her email: kcioffi@diobpt.org.
