The TeacherCast App Spotlight

Jeff sits down with Jack West to discuss why Hapara is the perfect tool for any school district wishing to properly and effectively manage their GAfE environment.About HaparaHapara is a Māori word for dawn or daybreak. Teacher Dashboard was first conceptualized by a pioneering group of educators and developers working together to serve an underprivileged population of students in Auckland, New Zealand.The tools were built in a collaborative fashion to solve the knowledge management challenges teachers face when going all in with Google Apps. The Hapara team has grown significantly since the inception and now has team members in New Zealand, California, Boulder, Colorado and Washington DC.Hapara’s exclusive focus on K12 education solutions for Google Apps has won the team several awards including the New York City Gap App Challenge Best Administrative App, the Texas Association of School Administrators iZone Award, and a Gates Foundation Literacy Challenge Prize.Links of interesthttp://www.Hapara.comhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Hapara/242919002543124https://twitter.com/hapara_teamhttps://plus.google.com/u/0/105010971601195484607/postsRecorded June 2015

Jeff sits down with Ami Shah to discuss how Peekapak is able to help promote child development in grades PK-2.About PeekapakPeekapak aims to improve learning outcomes in early childhood by enabling teachers and parents to work as partners in a student’s education. Through Peekapak’s platform, teachers are provided digital access to Peekapak’s character development curriculum and extended home activities for families to reinforce the learning in the home. The platform will also track student progress so that both teachers and parents are able to get a complete view of how a student is developing in the class and at home. Peekapak is currently in private beta and is looking to partner with educators to test and pilot their program.Links of Interesttwitter.com/peekapakfacebook.com/peekapakAbout our GuestAmi Shsh is the CEO & Co-founder of Peekapak, a recent graduate of the Imagine K12 Edtech Accelerator program based in Silicon Valley. Ami is passionate about improving youth education and has previously taught in Vietnam.  She has extensive marketing experience from roles at Procter & Gamble, and most recently, as Director of Retail Marketing at a consumer products start-ups. She has an MBA from INSEAD. You can connect with Ami on Twitter: @amishahdotca or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amishahdotcaPodcast Recorded: June 2015

Jeff sits down with Mik Tholfsen and Ari Schorr to discuss how Microsoft OneNote is being used in classrooms to help teachers and students stay&nbsp;digitally organized. &nbsp;About MicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that develops, manufactures, licenses supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics, and personal computers and services. Its best-known software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, Microsoft Office office suite, and Internet Explorer web browser. Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox game consoles and the Microsoft Surface tablet lineup. It is the world's largest software maker measured by revenues. It is also one of the world's most valuable companies.Links of InterestOneNoteMainhttp://www.onenote.com&nbsp;– Free copy of OneNote on any platform, any deviceSocial&nbsp;OneNote in Education Blog:&nbsp;http://blogs.office.com/onenote/educationOneNote Twitter:&nbsp;http://twitter.com/msonenoteOneNote Facebook:&nbsp;https://www.facebook.com/OneNoteOneNote Blog:&nbsp;http://blogs.office.com/[email protected]://www.onenoteforteachers.com&nbsp;– Bite-sized interactive Teacher Training for OneNote in EducationOneNote and Learning Styles pamphlet:&nbsp;http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24895OneNote Toolkit for teachers&nbsp;– an interactive OneNote notebook designed for teachers on OneNote best practices in the classroomOneNote for School Administrators and Staff&nbsp;– interactive trainingOneNote Class Notebook CreatorOneNote Class Notebook Creator blog:&nbsp;http://blogs.office.com/2014/12/09/onenote-class-notebook-creator-updated-top-educator-requests-new-language-support/OneNote Class Notebook Creator interactive guide:&nbsp;<a...

On this episode of the TeacherCast App Spotlight, Jeff welcomes Global Marketing Director Tanya Mas and Sydney Harper from the Aspen Academy to discuss how Rosetta Stone is transforming the way students are able to learn and master a new language.About Rosetta StoneRosetta Stone is a global leader in technology-driven language and learning solutions, and for 25 years has provided educators with interactive English and World Language programs that change their students’ lives. More than 22,000 education institutions worldwide have partnered with Rosetta Stone to develop their students’ natural ability to read, write, and speak with confidence in a new language. Rosetta Stone® Foundations for K-12 is designed for beginner to intermediate students to learn skills needed for conversational proficiency. Foundations combine EdTech and proven methodologies for easy integration into a school’s language program, increasing students’ instructional access and opportunity in up to 24 languages. As students complete interactive language instruction they unlock the ability to practice their language skills through games, activities, stories, and live online conversations—leveled to their learning progress. Learn how combining Rosetta Stone Foundations with traditional language instruction complements any curriculum at http://www.rosettastone.com/K12.Links of InterestTwitter: @RosettaStoneEdFacebook:Facebook.com/RosettaStoneEducationK-12 Resource Hub:&nbsp;k12hub.rosettastone.comYouTube:&nbsp;http://k12hub.rosettastone.com/videoAbout Our GuestsSydney Harper is pleased to be teaching for her eighth year at Aspen Academy.&nbsp;She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Denver in International Studies, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.&nbsp;This will be Mrs. Harper’s eleventh year teaching in independent schools.&nbsp;Through her teaching career, she has taught Spanish, American History, Global Issues, Health and Wellness, World Seminar, Drama and Music to students ECE-12.&nbsp;She makes it her goal to integrate across the curriculum and throughout the community to provide the most enriching education possible.&nbsp;She has lead students on service learning, outdoor expeditionary and history based outings to Costa Rica, Mexico, Moab, Dinosaur National Monument, Flaming Gorge and Historical Route 66.&nbsp;On these outings, Ms. Harper&nbsp;wrote and utilized various curricula to provide enriching, educational experiences throughout.&nbsp;&nbsp;In her spare time, Mrs. Harper sings professionally with symphony orchestras, local theatre and music groups, and writes and performs her own music in Denver venues.Tanya Mas is Rosetta Stone’s Global Marketing Director and&nbsp;is responsible for the strategy and execution of the global demand generation programs for the Enterprise &amp;...

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode,&nbsp;Jeff sits down with Vlada Lotkina, founder of ClassTag and Renee Angle, a 4th-grade teacher to discuss how teachers can shave hours off of their workweek by using the effective communication struggles found in ClassTag.About&nbsp;ClassTagClassTag is a web and mobile platform co-developed by teachers, families and parent engagement experts to specifically increase parent engagement based on research-based practices, helping teachers turn parents into partners by simplifying all communications and scheduling, motivating parents to get involved and guiding them to success.Links of interestClasstag.comFollow on Twitter @CLASSTAGMEFollow on Facebook&nbsp;About GuestVlada Lotkina is a co-founder and CEO of Classtag. She is a former Fortune 500 Executive and a Wharton MBA.&nbsp;She is very passionate about education and helping parents be a powerful force to unleash their children’s potential.Renee Angle is a 4th Grade Teacher in Idaho. She has been teaching for three years and is a general education teacher teaching all subjects. She is a National Elementary Honor Society advisor for students in grades 4-6 at her school. This is a second career for Renee after a successful 20 year management career in the retail lumber industry. Renee knows every student can learn and looks forward to discovering students’ talents with them. Renee believes student achievement in the classroom increases when parents are active participants.Why ClassTag?The ClassTag approach was co-developed by teachers, families and parent engagement experts to specifically increase parent engagement based on research-based practices and is an opinionated platform that early results show helps teachers leap over parent engagement barriers and turn parents into partners.Specifically, ClassTag helps teachers:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Set and manage high and clear expectations with parents&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Move from transactional engagement to relationship-building activities&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Create simple and meaningful ways for parents to support learning&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Reduce amount of effort required with automation and consistent system&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Get visibility into the level and type of family engagementThrough this approach, ClassTag has a staggering 90% parent participation rate on the platform.Game changer for what teachers expect, how they adjust their strategies and, most importantly, an amplifier for student success.&nbsp;&nbsp;Contact MeHost: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCastEmail: [email protected] Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemailYouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/videoiTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/audioRecorded&nbsp;July 20, 2016

Jeff sits down with Aliza Aufrichtig from Flocabulary to discuss how rap can be combined with current events to help boost student test scores.About FlocabularyFlocabulary is an online learning platform that delivers educational hip-hop songs and videos to students in grades K-12. Founded in 2004, Flocabulary is now used in over 15,000 schools and reaches a weekly audience of 5 million students. Our mission is to motivate kids and help them reach their full academic potential, not only by raising test scores but by fostering a love of learning in every child.Recorded June 24, 2014

Jeff sits down with Vikram to discuss why Edusight is simply the best standards-based portfolio to help teachers document student achievement.About EdusightEdusight is a standards-based portfolio to help teachers document student learning with grades, notes, photos, and audio/video comments.Use Edusight on the web to manage assessment, grading, and standards seamlessly (includes Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, and state standards).Edusight Notes for iOS lets you capture learning evidence in the classroom as it happens – quickly take a note or record a video of students as they learn, tag standards, and instantly add it to their portfolios!All of this evidence comes together in beautiful, easy-to-digest student portfolios that can be shared with students, parents, and administrators in real time so everyone is engaged in improving student learning.Why Edusight?Edusight is used by over 140 schools and districts across North America, including schools in New York, Chicago, California, and Ontario.Edusight is available for individual teachers for free – always. For schools and districts who wish to manage Edusight at an organizational level, we offer premium subscriptions which include features like SIS integration, reporting modules, teacher collaboration, and administrator dashboards.Educator&nbsp;Feedback“The best designed gradebook I have ever encountered.” – Mike R., Instructional Leader at a top Canadian private school“What used to take me 2 weeks to learn takes me 15 minutes with Edusight!” – Maria A., kindergarten teacher, Brooklyn public school“Edusight&nbsp;is&nbsp;SO&nbsp;MUCH&nbsp;EASIER&nbsp;TO&nbsp;USE&nbsp;than&nbsp;my&nbsp;last&nbsp;gradebook.”&nbsp;–&nbsp;Stacy&nbsp;I.,&nbsp;high&nbsp;school&nbsp;teacher,&nbsp;Palo&nbsp;Alto&nbsp;charter&nbsp;schoolCurrent Featuresstandards-based or traditional gradebookiOS apps (iPad / iPhone) to document notes, photos, audio and videostandards tagging for all evidence of learningsimple student portfoliostudent / parent web accessanalytics and data visualization for teachers, students, and parentsEdmodo Single Sign On and roster syncshared data across school accounts, allowing teachers to collaborate when working with the same students across classes (premium feature)administrator analytics (premium feature)Integrations with other systems – e.g., SIS / LMS integration (premium feature)Upcoming:&nbsp;Google&nbsp;Classroom&nbsp;integrationLinks of InterestWeb: https://edusight.coTwitter: @edusightFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/edusightEmail: [email protected] Walkthroughs: http://bit.ly/1J1tYaICustomer Testimonial: https://vimeo.com/123037422Additional InformationLaunched September, 2014As of July, 2015 – 2000+ teachers, 10% weekly growthVision: to help everyone in K-12 education make better decisions with dataImagine K12 Fall 2014 cohortBased in Toronto, Canada, with customers across North AmericaOfficial&nbsp;vendor&nbsp;for&nbsp;NYC&nbsp;Department&nbsp;of&nbsp;Education&nbsp;and&nbsp;Chicago&nbsp;Public&nbsp;SchoolsContact MeHost:&nbsp;Jeff Bradbury&nbsp;<a...

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Margaret Weigel from Lego Education to discuss the amazing LEGO&nbsp;Mindstorms products and how they can fit into your STEM Education Curriculum.&nbsp;About&nbsp;Lego EducationFor 35 years LEGO® Education has been working with teachers and educational specialists like to deliver playful learning experiences that bring subjects to life in the classroom and make learning fun and impactful. We have a wide range of physical and digital educational resources that encourage students to think creatively, reason systematically and release their potential to shape their own future. We believe that expanding knowledge and building academic and 21st-century skills will create active, collaborative, lifelong learners. Together with educators, we aim to enable every student to succeed in education and be prepared for future life challenges.What is Lego Mindstorms?The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 Core Set contains the software and elements to start teaching STEM subjects using robotics to middle school students. Through hands-on learning, LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 will enable students to understand forces and motion; graph and interpret rotation sensor data; develop robots capable of complex thinking using logical structures and sensor feedback; understand that complex system are created from subsystems; and design, build and program a fully-functioning robotic system.Key Points of Focus/Facts &amp; FiguresLEGO MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 is now currently available for Chromebooks™. The introduction of this new technology expansion meets the growing demands of school administrators and teachers around the number of Chromebooks currently being used in classrooms.The LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 platform includes customizable curriculum and digital workbooks; a hardware platform based on real-world robotics technology for engaging, hands-on activities; an intuitive software platform consisting of both programming and data-logging interface and a science expansion pack.LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 is being used in 1/3 of middle schools in the U.S. and more than 3 million students over the course of the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education existence (18&nbsp;years) have had an experience with the platform – starting with RCX, through NXT, now to EV3.FIRST®LEGO® League, a global robotics contest, had more than 230,000 students involved using LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 for the competition.Links of interesthttps://education.lego.com@LEGO_Education https://www.youtube.com/user/LEGOeducationUSWhat can you do with Lego?LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3: Inspiring the Engineers of TomorrowLEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 Beginner Computing ActivityLEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 Advanced Computing ActivityAbout our GuestMargaret Weigel is the Senior Marketing Manager,

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Mariel Warnock from School Specialty to discuss the launching of their AMAZING Foss System for Middle School students.&nbsp;Learn how your students can learn Next Generation Science Methods today!About School Specialty, Inc.®School Specialty (OTCQB: SCOO) is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace.&nbsp;The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources.&nbsp;Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential.&nbsp;Through its SSI Guardian subsidiary, the Company is also committed to school, healthcare and corporate workplace safety by offering the highest quality curriculum, training and safety and security products.&nbsp;Through its recently launched SOAR Life Products brand, the Company offers thousands of products that sharpen cognitive skills and build physical and mental strength in fun and creative ways. From childhood through adulthood, they help individuals live life to the fullest – engaged, happy and well.&nbsp;SOAR Life Products is a customized offering for hospitals, long-term care, therapeutic facilities, home care, surgery centers, day care centers, physician offices, and clinics.&nbsp;For more information about School Specialty, visit&nbsp;www.schoolspecialty.com.Links of interesthttp://www.deltaeducation.com/http://schoolspecialty.com/https://www.facebook.com/DeltaEducationhttps://www.pinterest.com/deltaeducation/https://twitter.com/deltaeducationAbout&nbsp;MarielMariel Warnock is the Marketing Manager for FOSS and Delta Education at School Specialty. She has a B.A. in Earth Science Teaching and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education and taught 11th&nbsp;and 12th-grade Geology and Environmental Science before moving into the world of educational publishing.About Delta EducationDelta Education, part of School Specialty’s family of brands, delivers the best of hands-on, inquiry-based science education to K-8 students. Trusted products from Delta Education include FOSS, Delta Science Modules (DSM) and engaging informational texts including Delta Science Content Readers. For more information about Delta Education, visit&nbsp;www.deltaeducation.com.&nbsp; Thank You For Your Podcast ReviewsAre you enjoying The TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network? Please share your thoughts with the world by commenting on iTunes today. I enjoy reading and sharing your comments on the podcast each week.Contact MeHost: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCastEmail: [email protected] Mail: <a href="http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail"...

Are you looking for a quick to prepare, easy to use, real-time formative assessment tool that your students are going to love?&nbsp;In this episode of the TeacherCast App Spotlight, I welcome Francesco Busiello on from Zzish to discuss how classrooms worldwide are being turned on to Gamification through an amazing application called Zzish.About&nbsp;ZzishZzish is a data-driven app platform that turns educational apps into powerful classroom tools for formative assessment. Founded by ex-Googler Charles Wiles, Zzish is a next-generation platform for schools designed around real-time data, mobile apps and personalized learning.Our real-time dashboards mean teachers can quickly understand who needs help and what they need help with and then immediately personalize their teaching in class. The real-time team game view turns app activities into a fun class experience that engages students of all ability. Our mastery dashboards let teachers track student progress and monitor learning gaps so that no child gets left behind.Any educational app can plug into Zzish in hours to add these rich classroom features. Teachers can then search the Zzish App Store to discover in-app activities mapped to the curriculum, assign those activities to students, get real-time insights and track student progress over time.Quizalize our own app plugs into Zzish and lets teachers quickly create their own assessments to use in class with Zzish. Teachers can also search the marketplace for free assessments shared by other teachers or paid assessments created by premium publishers such as HarperCollins and Oxford University Press.With over 650,000 students and 50,000 teachers from 110 countries using Zzish already, Zzish is rapidly growing to become a global platform.Links of interestZzishTwitter @zzishcomFacebook https://www.facebook.com/ZzishCom/Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsN-UvRQ-hYUAndrQePJkMAQuizalizeTwitter @quizalizeappFacebook https://www.facebook.com/Quizalize/Pinterest https://uk.pinterest.com/quizalize/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/quizalizeapp/About&nbsp;Francesco BusielloCurrently working as Head of Growth at Zzish. I'm part of the team building the new Zzish hub, using the latest in web development technology (React, Relay, etc.). Love working at a start up, every day is a great opportunity to learn something new. I learned how to JavaScript on the job since I joined in May 2015 and I'm looking forward to new challenges. It's deeply satisfying getting the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our users every day.Thank You For Your Podcast ReviewsAre you enjoying The TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network? Please share your thoughts with the world by commenting on iTunes today. I enjoy reading and sharing your comments on the podcast each week.Contact MeHost: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCastEmail: [email protected] Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemailYouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/videoiTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/audioCheck Out More TeacherCast ProgrammingTeacherCast Podcast (<a href="https://www.teachercast.net/tcp"...