December 2024 Community Newsletter

Warm Winter Greetings from ScreenPal! ❄️

As the year winds down and classrooms buzz with holiday cheer, we’re here to help you wrap up 2024 on a high note and set the stage for a successful 2025! From must-know video tips for engaging students to celebrating the incredible work of our newest ambassadors, this month’s newsletter is packed with opportunities to inspire and connect. Whether you’re gearing up for our December webinar, exploring mindful teaching strategies, or planning to join us at FETC in January, there’s something for everyone. So, grab a cup of cocoa, settle in, and let’s make the season bright with ideas to enhance teaching and learning! 🎓✨

🎓 December webinar spotlight: must-know video tips for engaging students

Ready to level up your teaching in 2025? Join us for Countdown to 2025: Must-Know Video Tips for Engaging Students, led by Monica Burns, EdD, author of EdTech Essentials.

In this free, live webinar, Dr. Burns will share practical strategies to:
✅ Personalize instruction with video
✅ Flip your classroom effectively
✅ Spark creativity with engaging student video projects
✅ Foster self-paced learning and connect with families

Whether you’re just starting with video or a seasoned expert, you’ll walk away with fresh ideas to enhance student engagement and drive learning success. 🎥

🗓️ Date: December 18, 2024
🕒 Time: 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT
📍 Reserve your spot: Zoom registration

Don’t miss this chance to bring lessons to life and make 2025 your most impactful teaching year yet! 🚀

🎉 Celebrating our newest ScreenPal Ambassadors

We are thrilled to announce our three newest Ambassadors- Allen Schagene, Allyncia Williams, Rachel Zonshine, and Sam Jones.

Allen Schagene serves as the Director of Innovative Learning at The Shlenker School in Houston, Texas, and as a consultant for Rice University’s Office of STEM Engagement. Passionate about enhancing education, Allen focuses on integrating subjects to elevate student learning and empowering elementary school teachers to harness AI for transformative classroom experiences.
With over 20 years of experience in learning design, Allyncia Williams has crafted innovative, learner-centered solutions for hundreds of companies worldwide, including industry leaders like Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. Her international background and diverse portfolio reflect her expertise in designing custom coursework that spans industries and cultures. As a Learning Experience Instructional Design Architect, she applies methodologies like ADDIE and Agile to develop multimedia strategies that blend formal, informal, and social learning approaches. Allyncia is skilled in a variety of tools, including Articulate 360, Adobe Creative Cloud, ScreenPal, and other AI-powered applications, which she leverages to create engaging, accessible, and impactful learning experiences. Her work encompasses eLearning, game-based learning, and virtual classrooms, all designed to close performance gaps and inspire transformation.
Rachel Zonshine has been inspiring learners since 2008, teaching across a diverse range of settings—from the vibrant classrooms of Bangkok, Thailand, to schools throughout the Los Angeles area. With experience spanning TK through 8th grade, Rachel embraces every new teaching challenge, often joking that she’s a “first-year teacher” each year due to her adaptability in switching schools, grade levels, and curriculums. Passionate about innovation in education, Rachel relies on ScreenPal to create engaging videos that enhance her Modern Classroom approach, bringing lessons to life for her students.
With 11 years of experience as a K-12 educator, Sam James now serves as a dedicated Student Success Coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College. Passionate about supporting students on their academic journeys, Sam draws on a rich teaching background to inspire and guide learners toward achieving their goals.

📅 Save the date: upcoming webinar on EdTech quality standards

Kick off the new year with insights that will transform your approach to educational technology! Join Marlo Gaddis, retired Chief Technology Officer for the Wake County Public School System and CoSN Executive Board member, for a live webinar on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at 1:00 PM ET.

This session dives into the Five EdTech Quality Standards—safe, evidence-based, inclusive, usable, and interoperable. Marlo will share how these essential standards, developed with leading organizations like ISTE, CoSN, SETDA, and more, help schools and educators select and implement research-driven technology solutions.

📚 What You’ll Learn:

Actionable strategies for ensuring data security and promoting equity
Best practices for fostering usability and seamless technology integration
How to make informed decisions that enhance teaching and learning outcomes

📍 Don’t miss this opportunity to gain practical insights and participate in a live Q&A session. Reserve your spot now and start 2025 with the tools to elevate your EdTech game!

🧘 Elevating mindfulness education with ScreenPal

Destiny Wagner and Kris Thurston, the dynamic duo behind EdTech Nerds, are on a mission to empower teachers with innovative tools and strategies to combat burnout. When creating their Mindfulness Mini Course, they sought a platform that could seamlessly host videos while providing an intuitive user experience for their audience. Enter ScreenPal—the perfect solution to bring their vision to life.

With ScreenPal, Destiny and Kris effortlessly uploaded and organized their video content into a cohesive course structure. They were especially impressed with the ability to embed videos directly into emails, eliminating the need for viewers to navigate to another platform. ScreenPal’s closed captioning feature also exceeded expectations, requiring minimal edits across the entire course.

Thanks to ScreenPal’s user-friendly interface and powerful tools, Destiny and Kris crafted a stress-free, impactful mindfulness journey—allowing them to focus on what matters most: helping teachers thrive.

✈️ Join ScreenPal at FETC 2025!

We’re thrilled to announce opportunities to chat with ScreenPal at the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) from January 14-17, 2025, in Orlando! Here’s a sneak peek at what we have in store:

🎉 Booth Bar with Mobile Mind

Stop by the Mobile Mind booth, #1577, on January 16th from 3:30 to 5:30 PM for a special Booth Bar event! Join us and our Mobile Mind partners for networking, refreshments, and a hands-on look at how ScreenPal and Mobile Mind are transforming professional learning for educators.

📹 Engaging the Digital Generation with TikTok-Style Videos

Don’t miss this Mobile Mega Share session facilitated by our Community Engagement Coordinator, Sarah Eiler, where she’ll showcase how educators can leverage TikTok-style videos to boost student engagement and creativity. Learn how to turn traditional assignments into interactive, short-form video projects that resonate with today’s learners. Make sure you make your way to South 320EF on January 14th at 1:30 PM!

💻 Maximizing Efficiency and Building Empathy: Strategies for Compassionate Coaching

Join ScreenPal Ambassadors Destiny Wagner and Kris Thurston on January 16, 2025, from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM EST to discover innovative coaching techniques that combine efficiency and empathy. As part of this interactive session, attendees will engage with ScreenPal’s powerful video-sharing capabilities by contributing to a dedicated Channel. Participants will upload videos responding to the prompt: “Share a strategy you use in your coaching role to shift mindset and regain control of time.” This hands-on activity not only showcases the ease of using ScreenPal for collaborative learning but also fosters a space to exchange actionable strategies that can transform coaching practices. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the intersection of technology and compassionate coaching!

➕ Additional Sessions Mentioning ScreenPal

ScreenPal is featured in several dynamic sessions at FETC 2025, showcasing its versatility for educators and coaches. In “Agile Lesson Design: Meeting Diverse Needs Without Burning Out” (Jan 16, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM EST), ScreenPal is highlighted as a tool for digitally anchoring lessons, providing flexibility when plans change unexpectedly. During the workshop “Finding Calm in the Classroom Chaos: Tools for Educators and Students” (Jan 14, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST), participants will explore mindfulness strategies and create personalized lessons using a ScreenPal template designed to bring calm to chaotic classrooms. Additionally, in the poster session “Amped Up Assessment: The Power of Digital Portfolios” (Jan 15, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM EST), ScreenPal is introduced as one of the tools for crafting digital portfolios, complemented by a practical 6-step process and a downloadable template.

Whether you’re looking to explore new ways to engage your students or connect with like-minded educators, FETC is the place to be. Mark your calendar, and we’ll see you there!

✍️ New blog post alert!

In her latest blog post, “10 Must-Know Video Tips for Engaging Students,” Dr. Monica Burns shares actionable strategies to elevate classroom engagement through video. Here’s a sneak peek at some of her top insights:

The Importance of Blended Learning: Blended learning combines traditional classroom methods with digital media to create a more flexible and personalized learning environment. Dr. Burns highlights how video content can bridge the gap, offering opportunities for students to revisit material at their own pace and deepen their understanding of key concepts.
The Power of Student-Created Videos: Encouraging students to create their own videos fosters creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. From storytelling projects to explainer videos, these activities empower students to take ownership of their learning while building essential digital literacy skills.
Effectively Flipping Your Classroom: The flipped classroom model transforms traditional instruction by delivering lectures via video for students to watch at home, freeing up class time for hands-on activities and discussions. Dr. Burns provides tips on how to design effective video content that enhances this approach and keeps students engaged.

Dive into the full blog post for more expert tips on using video to spark creativity, foster self-paced learning, and connect with families. Start implementing these ideas today and see how video can transform your teaching!

🧑‍🏫 Present on ScreenPal

🙋Interested in sharing ScreenPal at an EdTech event near you?

NCTE-NCTM Joint Conference– Chicago, IL- June 16-18, 2025- due December 16
Learning Forward– Boston, MA- December 7-10, 2025- due January 30, 2025
InnEdCo– Breckenridge, CO- June 8-11, 2025- due January 9, 2025

Please fill out this survey for more information. A member of the ScreenPal community team will get in touch with you ASAP!

Let’s Make 2025 Unforgettable! 🌟

As we close out the year, we’re filled with gratitude for the vibrant ScreenPal community that continues to innovate, inspire, and share. Whether you’re joining us for upcoming webinars, celebrating our newest ambassadors, or connecting at FETC, we’re excited to support your journey every step of the way. Stay tuned for more tools, strategies, and opportunities to elevate your teaching and learning experiences in the year ahead. Until then, happy holidays and best wishes for a joyful and impactful start to 2025! 🎉🎥

💙 The ScreenPal Community Team