.svg){kind=logo}
It’s official! Screencastify has partnered with the Nebraska Educational Technology Association. We’re over the moon to be involved with an organization dedicated to helping students learn with technology - just like Screencastify 😉 .
To celebrate the occasion, we spoke to folks at Kearney and Bennington who have been using Screencastify for a while to improve student outcomes. 👀 Take a peek below to see how they’ve used the tool this past year.
Using Screencastify to Keep Students Engaged
As an Elementary school Principal at Park Elementary, Chance Waggoner is no stranger to small group instruction. It’s the perfect way to differentiate and personalize instruction. But, without a teacher around to redirect and focus student attention, things can go awry 😅 .
To make small group instruction more effective, teachers at Park have been able to clone themselves (no weird science involved). Some students work with a live teacher while others watch pre-recorded videos that explain directions, reteach a lesson, or differentiate content. The results have been amazing for overall student engagement!
Next year, Mr. Waggoner has even bigger plans. They’re embarking on a new flipped learning initiative. Students will watch Screencastify videos at home to gain important background knowledge and come to class ready to engage in deeper learning.
Keeping Students Involved from Anywhere
Maddy Kraft, teacher at Bennington Middle School, has a unique solution for keeping absent students up to date. She creates easy instructional videos that students can watch from anywhere.
The simplicity of Screencastify has made the effort easy to adopt. And, students are loving it!
Chris Grinvalds, teacher at Bennington Sr. High School, is using Screencastify to keep live learners engaged and involved, too! He’s found that live instruction is challenging. Some learners have problems with internet connectivity or just need to hear the plan again. Pre-recorded videos allow his students to learn at any time.
Professional Development, Anytime.
Stefanie Green, Librarian at Kearney High School, has led a lot of Professional Development sessions this year! Luckily, she was able to meet with teachers in-person. But, even after attending amazing sessions, teachers had questions about how to implement new tools and procedures.
Stefanie decided to start following up her sessions with tutorials created with Screencastify Record. When teachers had questions, they had videos ready to help them sharpen their knowledge.
Centering Amazing Teachers
At Northeast Elementary, student/teacher relationships have been at the heart of learning. When remote learning began, teachers were worried about how they would honor those relationships without being able to convene in-person.
For Catherine Gundersen, Principal at Northeast Elementary School, the solution came in the form of teachers creating more videos with Screencastify Record. She remarked, “It’s given [my teachers] the opportunity to teach a lesson vs. just hand things out or send things out via email or Google Classroom. Again, having their voice, reflection, and their style involved in the lesson.”
And, students have loved the opportunity to see their beloved teachers (even through computer screens)!
Getting Parents Involved
Communicating with parents is so important. But, it’s been tough.
For both Mr. Waggoner and Ms. Gunderson, COVID protocols mean that parents are literally not allowed in the building. So, the usual open house or parent/teacher conference is no longer an option.
To keep parents informed about everything happening, both principals have created Screencastify videos that parents can watch at any time. Those videos have included information about the new “yellow zone,” recaps from open house, and anything else!
Next year, they’re excited to get more parents involved by continuing to make information accessible anytime.
Ready to get your school community using Screencastify, too? Let us know how we can help here.
Learn more: 9 technology tools every flipped classroom needs
