Bitmoji Classroom | Buncee
The technology tool that I used to create this Bitmoji classroom was Buncee. Bunce is a great learning resource because you can use it to design many different resources such as creative PowerPoints, posters, brochures, awards, and newsletters. Buncee also allows you to link content to objects or items in your PowerPoint or on your poster! In addition, it reads text aloud, allowing you to use it as a scaffold for student with special needs or students with reading challenges. The first step to using Buncee is selecting a template and/or a background. As you can see here, I chose one with a bookshelf and with a pastoral scene on the walls. Then, you can add many different items to the background including videos, shapes, animations, images, QR codes, and URLs. In my classroom, I chose to put many different objects into it that I found by using the search bar from the + Items section. These include: books, beanbags, a desk, and a blackboard. Another feature of Buncee is that you can link content to objects. So, I linked my content (Book text, the C.R.A.A.P. test handout, and the grammar test) to different objects in the room. I also inserted text to help my students navigate the classroom easily and to inspire them with a quote from Winnie the Pooh. One editing tip to note with text in Buncee is that to edit text you must click on the text box twice and to move the text you only need to click on the text once. In addition, Buncee makes it very easy to layer objects in a frame by using the "to front" and "to back" buttons at the bottom toolbar of the page. Also, in the search feature, you can select multiple pieces of Buncee Art or pictures to insert at the same time which makes it very convenient to browse and select options for content. It is a very diverse and creative tool!
Buncee falls into the Danielson Framework for Teaching because, through my use of it, I was able to organize the physical space of my virtual classroom (Danielson Domain 2: The Classroom Environment, Component 2e, Organizing Physical Space). By organizing this space in my classroom, I am able to create an online classroom environment where students feel comfortable to learn and safe. This Bitmoji classroom is a great resource because it allows student to feel like they are in a real classroom, which many of them may miss as they are doing school at home. It also provides an organized space for them to find their work and see the order of their work for the day up on the blackboard. Therefore, this technology tool also falls into Domain 3: Instruction, Component 3a: Communicating with Students because I am using it to express the classwork and homework that the students need to complete for the day and linking their assignments to objects in the classroom. In addition, I am communicating to them who I am through my design of the classroom by incorporating books, plants, a pastoral scene in the background, and the Winnie the Pooh quote. Additionally, you can use Buncee to create class newsletters or flyers for students to take home that describe what is happening in the classroom or an upcoming event at school. This use of Buncee would fall under Domain 4: Professional Development, Component 4c: Communicating with Families.
I can definitely see myself using this tool in my future classroom! I love how it is a creative tool that you can use to communicate with students in a non-traditional way about what we are doing in class. I also love how I can add some of my own personality to the design of the classroom through the decorations. It is a good one stop shop to direct students to the tasks that they must do for the day and it is a welcoming environment. I know from personal experiences of having online classes that it can be difficult for students to keep track of assignments and the tasks that they must accomplish each day because they are typically found in different places such as the different Files and Assignments tabs in Teams. This resource is really great because it allows the students to find all of their needs for that school day in the same spot. As a teacher, I can also update my Bitmojis frequently to change up the classroom and provide a fresh look, depending on the time of the year and the day of the week. I hope to use this tech tool if I am ever teaching an online class to help students find their schoolwork and provide a welcoming environment. I may also use it for an in-person class to provide homework links through a fun outlet. Finally, I can use the other templates and features of Buncee, such as making awards and flyers, to congratulate students and communicate with parents.
Buncee falls into the Danielson Framework for Teaching because, through my use of it, I was able to organize the physical space of my virtual classroom (Danielson Domain 2: The Classroom Environment, Component 2e, Organizing Physical Space). By organizing this space in my classroom, I am able to create an online classroom environment where students feel comfortable to learn and safe. This Bitmoji classroom is a great resource because it allows student to feel like they are in a real classroom, which many of them may miss as they are doing school at home. It also provides an organized space for them to find their work and see the order of their work for the day up on the blackboard. Therefore, this technology tool also falls into Domain 3: Instruction, Component 3a: Communicating with Students because I am using it to express the classwork and homework that the students need to complete for the day and linking their assignments to objects in the classroom. In addition, I am communicating to them who I am through my design of the classroom by incorporating books, plants, a pastoral scene in the background, and the Winnie the Pooh quote. Additionally, you can use Buncee to create class newsletters or flyers for students to take home that describe what is happening in the classroom or an upcoming event at school. This use of Buncee would fall under Domain 4: Professional Development, Component 4c: Communicating with Families.
I can definitely see myself using this tool in my future classroom! I love how it is a creative tool that you can use to communicate with students in a non-traditional way about what we are doing in class. I also love how I can add some of my own personality to the design of the classroom through the decorations. It is a good one stop shop to direct students to the tasks that they must do for the day and it is a welcoming environment. I know from personal experiences of having online classes that it can be difficult for students to keep track of assignments and the tasks that they must accomplish each day because they are typically found in different places such as the different Files and Assignments tabs in Teams. This resource is really great because it allows the students to find all of their needs for that school day in the same spot. As a teacher, I can also update my Bitmojis frequently to change up the classroom and provide a fresh look, depending on the time of the year and the day of the week. I hope to use this tech tool if I am ever teaching an online class to help students find their schoolwork and provide a welcoming environment. I may also use it for an in-person class to provide homework links through a fun outlet. Finally, I can use the other templates and features of Buncee, such as making awards and flyers, to congratulate students and communicate with parents.