I’ve Been Everywhere

Man oh man - have I been out and about! My suitcase and I have become best friends as I have had the pleasure of traveling to meet one-on-one with teachers, administrators, and everyone in-between from School Districts up and down the East Coast.

I feel like that Johnny Cash song (or is it the Comfort Inn commercial?), “I’ve Been Everywhere” in fact…

Well, I’ve been to
Long Island, New York,
Arlington, Virginia,
Boston, Massachusetts (that’s where I learned about Google Lit Trips)
Nashua, New Hampshire,
Philly, Pennsylvania,
Bradenton, Florida (and I could name more-in the…)
But I’ve been everywhere man - you get the idea :)

My most recent trip had me in Broward County and Manatee County school districts delivering training sessions on things like 50 Ways to use Discovery Education streaming

And Differentiated Instruction and DE Streaming (click on link to download presentation)

Finally, a million thanks to Super Star, Carole Gooden from St. Lucie County and Karen Seddon, Super Star from Osceola County, FL for sharing their time and expertise with me and our good friends in Manatee County, FL!

50 Ways To Integrate unitedstreaming

I know, I know, we have been stuck on the letter "B" forever.  I promise to resume the march through the alphabet very soon. 

Recently I have been on a whirlwind tour of the states.  I was in Berkeley, CA participating in the DEN Institute, then it was off to MD, VA, PA, NJ (pretty much in that order) to meet with educators and deliver a few presentations.

During the two Days of Discovery in Lawrenceville, NJ, I had the opportunity to deliver the 50 Ways to Integrate unitedstreaming presentation to educators from all over that great state.

Many of them asked for the presentation, and as promised, here it is.  Download 50_ways.zip

Feel free to download, modify, and use it however best meets your needs.  And while we don’t go through all 50 ideas, I encourage you to check it out - it just may spark an idea or two :)

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan

Back to Basics

The idea of this posting, and its subsequent postings comes, from my good friend, and DEN Star Member, Stevie Kline - Intermediate Unit One Coal Center in Pennsylvania.

During a recent conversation Stevie asked me if we could include some information for users that are not only brand new to unitedstreaming, but may be getting their feet wet with technology as a whole.  I thought this is a great way to turn tech-NO-logy into Tech-KNOW-logy (sorry I love a cheesy pun).

As we all know there is a great diversity of tech skills and knowledge within our schools and workplaces.  To help level the playing field (just a wee bit), I’m going to create a series of postings called "Back to Basics." 

Each Back to Basics blog will address technology and/or unitedstreaming terms and break them down into layman terminology.  They’ll also include tips and tricks, and easy-to-follow instructions for you to share with your colleagues. 

I’ve also created a Back To Basics Category (located in the grey bar on the left-hand side of your screen).

Finally, I’ll update and attach this information as a Word document so that you can print it out and use as a reference.

We’ll start with the A’s and go through to the Z’s (I may have to be liberal with some letters like X or Z).  Of course I welcome your input so please feel free to add your knowledge to the postings - I’ll capture your comments and add them to the document.

Ok let’s get started!

A
Adding Content - unitedstreaming allows users to save ("bookmark") links to unitedstreaming assets (videos, quizzes, images, assignments, etc) so that, once they find them,  they don’t have to search for them all over again.  Links to these assets are stored in the "My Content," "School Content," or "District Content" folders. 

Now here’s the really cool thing, you can organize your unitedstreaming bookmarks and create customized folders. 

For example, let’s say that I want to teach a unit on Cells.  I can click on "My Content," create a folder called "Cells" and store videos on cell division, images of mitochondria, articles on the nucleus, quizzes, writing prompts, assignments and more, all in my Cell folder.  Then, when I want to access my unit on Cells, I simply click on My Content, the Cell Folder, and voila - there’s all my stuff!

It is important to note that this material is not physically saved on your hard drive, it is simply saved as a link within unitedstreaming.  To print out step-by-step instructions, click on link at the end of this posting.

You can also go to the blog posting My Content, Your Content, Our Content.

Audio Files - unitedstreaming houses elementary songs, famous speeches, and over 3,000 sound effects.   These audio files are in MP3 Format.  MP3 is an audio-specific computer format. It takes the audio and compresses it (makes it smaller) by filtering off certain sounds that cannot be heard by the listener, i.e., outside the normal human hearing range.

Since the audio files are compressed, they can easily be downloaded and embedded (put inside) things like Word, PowerPoint, and even Google Earth!

To search for a unitedstreaming audio file simply log into unitedstreaming and choose Audio: Songs, Audio: Sound Effects, or Speeches in the "WITHIN" box and hit Go.Audio_search

Now here are some really cool applications:

  1. Use unitedstreaming images and sound files to help English Language Learners by inserting them into Word or Powerpoint
  2. Make your own Student sound files and combine them with images to tell a digital story
  3. Use the unitedstreaming songs as activators in your elementary classroom
  4. Use the unitedstreaming songs, images, and speeches to help illustrate a lesson or unit

Check the attached documents to see how to do step by step instructions for some of these ideas. Download back_to_basics_document.doc

Tune in for the next Back to Basic when we discuss terms like "bandwidth, bits, bytes and more"

Talk to you soon!

Matt
Discovery Educator Network!

Let’s Build Something Together - Writing Prompt Builder

Ok so here we are on Friday and, as promised, here is the third of three postings on The Builders (Assignment, Quiz and Writing Prompt).

Today we’re going to tackle the Writing Prompt Builder.

The Writing Prompt Builder is a tool that allows you to tie together any image that you find on unitedstreaming with a caption they you create. 

Just like the other two builders, you can copy from the unitedstreaming Writing Prompt Builder question bank.  Once you’ve copied them you can customize them to make them your own!

And, like the Assignment Builder and Quiz Builder, your content is stored on the web so your students can access your quiz from any computer that has Internet access - even at home!

The over 500 unitedstreaming writing prompts are based on the national English/Language Arts standards for writing by the NCTE—National Council of Teachers of English.

These prompts also feature:

  • Difficulty levels that cover students from those beginning the writing process to those who are in AP courses
  • Descriptive, Narrative, Expository, and Persuasive prompts for grades 3-12
  • Analysis prompts for grades 9-12

Each prompt includes images that relate to content taught across the country—both literary and non-literary, i.e., social studies, science, philosophy, cultural, community, and more.

To access the Writing Prompt library, log into unitedstreaming and click on the Teacher Center.  Then click on the Writing Prompt Icon.Writing_prompts_3

To search the entire Writing Prompt Library, look inside the Search Writing Prompt Library box and uncheck the top three boxes - leaving only the unitedstreaming Writing Prompts box checked. Wp_library  And in no time you’ll see the 500+ writing prompts appear on your screen.

I have attached a small PowerPoint presentation to this e-mail.  It includes step-by-step instructions for creating a Writing Prompt.  Feel free to download and customize it to meet your needs! Download writing_prompt_builder.ppt

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Let’s Build Something Together - Quiz Builder

True or False - within unitedstreaming you can find three great tools to help you integrate technology into the classroom?

True of course!  Way to go you passed the Pop Quiz!

And speaking of Pop Quizzes - let’s dive a little deeper into unitedstreaming’s Quiz Builder.

The Quiz Builder is a tool that allows you to tie together videos and video segments to questions that you design.  You can create Multiple Choice (Single Answer), Multiple Choice (Multiple Answer), True and False, and even Essay questions (unitedstreaming won’t grade essay answers). 

You can even copy entire quizzes and/or questions from the unitedstreaming Quiz Builder question bank.  Once you’ve copied them you can customize them to make them your own!

And, like the Assignment Builder,  your content is stored on the web so your students can access your quiz from any computer that has Internet access - even at home!

You can find the Quiz Builder by going to the Teacher Center. Once there, click on the blue Go To arrow and let your imagination loose! 

I have attached a small PowerPoint presentation to this e-mail.  It includes step-by-step instructions for building a Quiz and viewing a grade report.  Download the_quiz_builder.ppt

NOTE: I recommend that you use the online grade report to view your students grades.  If you choose to have them sent to you by e-mail you will receive individual reports for each of your students - which can add up to lots of e-mails!

Make sure to check back on Friday when we review the final builder in this series, the Writing Prompt Builder.

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Got More? Get More!

Early last fall we sent out thousands of school kits. Within those school kits were the Get More Booklets.

We posted these 13 page works of wonder within the Professional Development section of unitedstreaming.  Get_more_booklet_2

To access and print these booklets out you can either click on this link: Get More Booklet.

Or you can fill out the form below. Please note - The Get More Booklets are shipped in packs of 10. So if you order 20 - you’ll receive 200 booklets. You can request as many and as often as you want - for as long as we have them in stock.


 

Let’s Build Something Together - Assignment Builder

As you all know by now unitedstreaming is much more than a video library.  It is also full of tools and applications that you can use in the classroom.

This week we’re going to tackle three of those tools, the Assignment Builder, the Quiz Builder, and the Writing Prompt Builder.

Let’s start by saying right off the bat that before creating an Assignment, Quiz or Writing Prompt you will need to turn OFF your Pop-Up Blockers.  When you go to save an Assignment, Quiz, or Writing Prompt, a second confirmation window appears. If you have your pop-up blockers turned on you won’t see this window and thus not be able to continue.

And here’s a helpful hint - even though you may have turned off your pop-ups in your Internet Explorer/Safari settings, you may also have to turn them off in tool bars like Yahoo and Google.

I’ve put together a quick how to turn on/off pop up blocker instruction-sheet for you.  Feel free to download it and share with your peers! Download turning_off_popup_blockers.doc

For this posting we’ll be concentrating on the Assignment Builder.

The Assignment Builder is a tool that allows you to tie together all of the assets (Videos, Images, Sounds, Quizzes, etc) that you find in unitedstreaming and create a unit.  Since the content is stored on the web your students can access the assignment from any computer that has Internet access - even at home!

You can find the Assignment Builder by going to the Teacher Center. The_builders Once there, click on the blue Go To arrow and let your imagination loose!

I have attached a small PowerPoint presentation to this e-mail.  It includes step-by-step instructions for building an Assignment.  I’ve also included notes on most slides.  That way you can print out the slides and refer to their instructions.  Feel free to download the presentation and make it yours!  Download assignment_builder_directions.ppt

Tune in on Wednesday when we explore the Quiz Builder!

Talk to you soon,

Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Holy Cow - Look at all of these resources!

With about one month to go, many of you reading this post may already be dreaming of those picture perfect days at the beach, relaxing in the garden, or spending joyous summer day after summer day outside in the sun -blissfully free of password requests or technical worries.

But before you fall full into a summer trance, I wanted to highlight a few key unitedstreaming resources.  That way when you plan your in-services, professional development days, and set your tech agenda’s you’ll know just where to look!

  1. Interactive Training. These go-at-your-own pace modules are available 24/7 and cover everything from navigating unitedstreaming to in-depth instructional strategies.  You can take these modules in any order and unitedstreaming even remembers where you stop.  That way you can resume right where you left off!  To access these modules, simply click on the Professional Development link within your navigation bar and then click on the Interactive Training  icon.
  2. PowerPoint presentation.  We’ve uploaded a great PowerPoint to help you present unitedstreaming to your staff.  Once you download it you can edit it to meet your needs - after all its yours!   Check it out by clicking on Professional Development , then  Trainer’s Toolkit,  and then the Full Training Presentation  (under the Getting Started  column).
  3. Passcode flyer. The flyer includes step-by-step instruction for getting started with unitedstreaming.  Print it out, insert your school’s code and distribute! You can get to the flyer by clicking on Professional Development , then  Trainer’s Toolkit,  and then the Passcode Flyer (under the Getting Started  column).
  4. The unitedstreaming Training Guide is a great resource for staff developers and trainers. This document addresses training strategies, troubleshooting, training set up, and more. You can get to the flyer by clicking on Professional Development , then  Trainer’s Toolkit,  and then the Training Guide (under the Staff Development Resources column).
  5. I’ve put together a quick, fun and easy unitedstreaming Scavenger Hunt.  Feel free to download and customize - it is your for the taking. Download unitedstreaming_scavenger_hunt.ppt

Hopefully these resources will save you time, and maybe, just maybe, prolong that grass-between-the toes, sun-on-the-back, pass-me-another-hot dog summer time fun.

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

5 Ways Technology Has Made Me Feel Foolish

My best friend and I share a common love for April Fools Day.  Every year we excitedly plan our ruse.  Every year they seem to be more elaborate.  And every year they produce the same result - our wives roll their eyes as we fall to the floor laughing…and then I sleep on the couch that night.

April Fools falls on Sunday this year.  With that in mind I thought I’d share:

Matt’s Five Ways Technology Has Made Me Feel Foolish.

  1. One day a teacher called me to tell me that her unitedstreaming video had no sound.  We rebooted her computer, verified that the video was working on my end, accessed the control panel and adjusted her speaker volume - nothing.  I Googled her computer model, operating system, and sound settings in a valiant effort to solve the problem - nothing.
    Then after 30 minutes of trouble shooting, a beam of light descended upon my frazzled brain and a heavenly choir song a melodious chord, and I said…wait a minute are your speakers turned on?  They were not (sigh).
  2. Early in my Implementation career a teacher called and franticly exclaimed, "I need access to unitedstreaming but I can’t play any of my videos.  Please help!"
    Again much time was spent systematically ruling out the issues to no avail. 
    It turns out the the school was blocking streaming and downloading during school hours…"Ohhhh that’s right, I forgot about that" explained the teacher.  This is now the first thing I check.
  3. When you are replying to a person’s e-mail, and multiple people are copied, be very careful to reply to sender and not reply to all - I’ll let your imaginations run with that one.
  4. It is www.unitedstreaming.com NOT www.unitedstreamign.com - for the life of me I once spent ten minutes typing in the address wrong! I was this close to sounding "The Site Is Down!" alert.
  5. Is it just me or have you sent a fax only to find out later that all you really sent were blank pages? I still have trouble identifying which way to insert the paper in the fax machine

So that you don’t get fooled in the future, here are a few links to past postings.  Check them out and access answers to the most frequently asked questions/issues.

Hauntingly Good Tips and Tricks

Puzzled over PowerPoint? Not any more

Crazy Cool Close Caption Tips and These Too

I hope that you have enjoyed these experiences and that they brought you a chuckle or two.

Now if I could only find that darn "Any key" on my computer.  You know the "Press Any Key to continue…" APRIL FOOLS!

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Webinar Material Made Easy

What are Webinars?
Webinars are Web-based seminars facilitated by a live Discovery Education instructor.  Thousands of educators have participated in these on-line sessions. 

Webinars have covered everything from an overview of unitedstreaming, to integrating its resources into programs like Google Earth, Inspiration, Photostory, and more.

But this is pretty common knowledge.  Chances are that you have already participated in a Webinar…or maybe two.

However, did you know that we’ve posted our most popular presentations on line?  Yep they’re yours for the taking, or downloading, as the case may be.

To access ten of our most frequently requested Webinar Presentations, log into unitedstreaming, click on the Professional Development link, and then click on the blue words, Webinar Workshops in the lower right-hand corner (click on image)Webinar_workshops

After clicking on Webinar Workshops, click on the link "Click here to download Sample Presentations" (click on second image)Webinar_workshops_2_2

Once there, you’ll find presentations for both Mac and PC that you can download, customize and make your own.

The topics cover everything from Digital Story Telling to Primary Sources and everything in between. 

Take a few moments to check them out and make them yours!

Talk to you soon,

Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Blogger’s Block! (Dedicated to Steve Hodgin)

Posting on Monday was no problem.  Tuesday had me scratching my head.  On Wednesday and Thursday time sensitive projects took first priority.  And here we are on Friday and I’m scratching my head again…what to post…what to post…

I think I’ve hit a wall.  Can Bloggers suffer from Blogger’s Block?  If so I think I am suffering from a wee bit of it.

I can tell you that I’m really excited for next week’s blogs!

Next week’s blogs will tackle questions posed by Debbie Bohanan’s (DEN FLORIDA) 4th grade class.  Questions like:
How did the [Planet Earth] camera men feel having to film for 35 hours straight?
How come the snow leopards can’t survive in warm weather?

Why does the Vampire Squid’s name mean "vampire squid from hell"?
How did they know how to find the animals for filming, and know what they’d be doing?

Next week we’ll also talk about one of my favorite non-official holidays, April Fools - look out pranksters, and a few other topics yet-to-be named.

But sigh, this week, well this week will just have to be chalked up to Blogger’s Block.

Talk to you soon,

Matt Monjan,
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Ice Scraper or Back Scatcher?

Isn’t it interesting how culture, climate, and geography shape the way that we interpret the things that surround us?Ice_scraperbackscratcher

Recently, I was in Pennsylvania for the PETE and C conference and was able to observe this phenomena first-hand.   During one snowy night an exhibitor was passing out red ice scrapers to passers by.  Upon seeing the red ice scrapers my colleague - who was born and raised in sunny California and not used to snow or ice- excitedly proclaimed, "Oh cool, look! Back Scratchers!" (bonus points if you can find her posting on the DEN blog).

This got me thinking…well first it got me laughing…but after a few good laughs I got back to thinking about how perceptions are shaped in this digital age.

As educators, you stand in front of a generation that communicates with one another in multiple ways (both on-line and off).  Your students are blogging, interacting globally through social networking sites, text messaging, instant messaging, e-mailing, and-anything-else-ing.  The information they access is constantly changing - constantly being updated, modified, and revised.  Now imagine how that shapes the perception of their world!

So how do you reach these students - students who without blinking, can text messages, watch a video, and surf the Internet at the same time?  By providing your instruction in as many diverse ways. 

And you can do that within a safe environment by using the tools located within unitedstreaming.

The Assignment Builder, Quiz Builder, and Writing Prompt Builder give you the ability to construct interactive lessons and/or inquiry-oriented activities.  For example you can:

  • incorporate video and video segments, images, calendar events, articles, quizzes, writing prompts, and even websites, into an assignment using the Assignment Builder.
  • create an interactive quiz with the Quiz Builder.
  • start your students off with a customized writing prompt created with the Writing Prompt Builder.

Best of all, your students can access your assignment, quiz, or writing prompt from any computer that has Internet access - even from home!

I’ve put together a PowerPoint presentation that includes step-by-step instructions for each of the Builders. Feel free to download this tool and/or share it with your colleagues and, you know, scratch each others backs.  Download the_builders.ppt 

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Exciting your Educators!

When you found out that your school had access to unitedstreaming, you proclaimed the news from the rooftops!  After the campus police encouraged you to come down, you held the initial training, registered your teachers, and familiarized them with the site.  You dutifully passed out your school kit material and hung up your posters.  Teachers were excited about it….and then little or nothing happened.


Is this you (except for the rooftop thing – that was for dramatic effect)?  Are you struggling to re-engage your staff?

How about incorporating a Teacher Challenge into your weekly faculty meeting? 

Sounds’ cool, “What’s a “Teacher Challenge,” you ask?


A Teacher Challenge can be any number of things that encourages teachers to incorporate digital media into their classroom. 

One way you can challenge your teachers is to provide a 10-15 minute demonstration of a new initiative in your school.  You can even work with your dedicated Implementation Representative to present the initiative, create a unique e-mail, newsletter, or just brainstorm.

For example, you and/or your Rep could demonstrate hyper-linking unitedstreaming videos into Inspiration or embedding videos into Power Point.  Then “Challenge” your staff to incorporate this new technique into a lesson during the week. 

At your next faculty meeting, encourage teachers to share how they used digital media the week prior.  This is an innovative way to utilize your staff’s creative energy to inspire the use of digital media.   It’s also a great way to continue to engage your staff.  For more ideas, call your Implementation Representative today.  Or, even better, share some of your "challenges" with us by responding to this blog!

Talk to you soon,

Sabrina-Yvette d’Almeida

Discovery Education unitedstreaming, Implementation

Just Another Mac-IT Monday

I recently queried the Implementation Team and asked them what kind of issues their schools/school districts were experiencing.

Monika Davis, Implementation Representative for the great states of IN, MI, NV, and WA, explained that her Mac schools were experiencing difficulties within the Assignment, Quiz and Writing Prompt Builders, collectively known as "The Builders."

Specifically, when her teachers tried to access the builders on their Macs within the Safari browser, they could enter their information in step one but were unable to proceed to steps 2-5.

Always quick on the draw, Monika experimented with our Mac station and found that the builders work fine when accessed through Internet Explorer and/or Mozilla/Firefox.  She also noted that our development team is working hard to resolve the Safari/Builder issue.

Challenge Champion Story Number Three

For those of you keeping score at home, my second post highlighted two challenges that our customers have faced and how they overcame them.

Our next Challenge Champion highlight comes to us from, who else, that’s right, Mac-Master, Monika Davis!

Monika manages several large regional centers within Washington state.  These regional centers have purchased unitedstreaming  subscriptions for their districts. 

Unfortunately, some of the schools within these districts simply do not have the technology to fully utilize unitedstreaming.

Many technology directors within these districts are hesitant to share unitedstreaming  with their schools because they share a common fear - a system wide slow down.   

Due to their limited bandwidth they do not want their teachers streaming and/or downloading videos during the school day - prompting their network to crawl or, worse yet, crash.  Furthermore, these districts can’t afford to set up Network Manager or houseunitedstreaming content on their servers.

How did Monika and her schools overcome this obstacle?  It is so simple yet so brilliant - the kind of thing that makes you smack your forehead and say "Duh…How did I not think of that before?"

Monika partnered with her  Educational Service District (ESD) Coordinators and together they devised a plan that promoted the unitedstreaming  resources that would not cause servers to crash!

Since there are many OTHER resources available on the site in addition to the great videos, images, lesson plans, clip art, the builders, encyclopedia articles, thematic focus units, etc, Monika and her partners decided to focus on utilizing them.  And here’s the really neat part - these resources minimally affect bandwidth!

Working on the premise that teachers need to see ideas, Monika and her  ESD partners created customized training sessions focusing on the "low bandwidth" resources and provided great integration ideas to go along with them.   

Best of all, her teachers can still access videos at home, save them to a flash drive, and use the downloaded video the next day without causing his/her server to "panic!"

As a result, usage has steadily increased within these districts and yet another Challenge Chapter comes to a close.

Mac Tip of the Day
Hey Matt, I have a Mac and use QuickTime to view my videos.  How do I view your videos full screen?

Great question!  Unfortunately with QuickTime there isn’t a "full screen" option.  However there are steps that you can take to enlarge your screen size. 

Here are the steps that you will need to follow:

  1. Make sure that you have chosen the QuickTime Player as your Media Type within the Media Settings Box
  2. Select the Stand Alone Application as your Media Player
  3. Press the Play symbol
  4. When your QuickTime player appears on your screen, grab the lower right-hand corner of the player with your mouse and drag it diagonally down.
  5. Note: You may not be able to fill the whole screen but you can get pretty close!

As always your thoughts, comments, questions, and ideas are welcome.

Talk to you soon!

Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, Implementation

Challenge Champions

Over the past the year the implementation team has partnered with teachers, principals, technology coordinators, librarians, and more to help launch and integrate unitedstreaming in over 60,000 schools.

Along the way customers have faced an implementation challenge or two.  Here are a few examples of those challenges and the creative solutions used to overcome them!

Plenty of Power in Palm Beach, Florida!

The Palm Beach County School District in Florida is one of the largest school districts in the country. With a district this large it can be a challenge to effectively communicate to and train all of your teachers.

Enter Lee Kolbert, Technology Program Specialist for the Palm Beach School District or, as I like to call her, Technology Superstar!  Lee and her colleague Margaret Kallman have developed training programs, hosted "Discovery Days", and posted unitedstreaming web pages on their district portal. Visit her page, to see things like a unitedstreaming commercial, training event, Power Point presentations, integration ideas, a school kit request form and more!

Living it up in Lebanon, Oregon

What can I say about Brian Bray – isn’t that a catchy start to a tempting tune? Brian Bray, Director of Technology in the Lebanon County School District, had a problem. His district had just purchased a unitedstreaming subscription for every teacher in their school district and trained all of their Media Specialists, however; no one was using the service. The message was not reaching the teachers!

Brian reached out to me; we brainstormed, and came up with a couple of ideas. We knew that his teachers would embrace unitedstreaming, if we could get in front of them and demonstrate how to compliment their lesson plans with video, images and more.

With that in mind we brought in two Discovery Educator Managers, Jennifer Gingerich and Susan Staat, to host a training session after school. They did this completely free of charge! In addition to providing training and integration ideas, they also brought pizza.

Now, I’m not sure if it was the extra cheese or the extra attention that the Lebanon teachers received but, whatever the reason, every school in his district has implemented unitedstreaming into their daily lessons.

In addition to the Pizza Party, Brian initiated a campaign to "Promote our best tech products to our teachers."  He created unitedstreaming pass code fliers and then distributed them to each teacher. Each flier also came with a cup of tea and integration ideas.

A Challenge For YOU

I really enjoy learning about the different ways that schools have integrated unitedstreaming into their classrooms – and I’m always interested in hearing more. So I challenge you, you there on the other side of this computer screen, to send me your unitedstreaming experience(s). In turn, I will highlight them right here in this blog.

And remember to keep checking out this blog as it will update with news that you can use, tips and tricks, and lots of different stories from my team mates and unitedstreaming users from around the country.

Talk to you soon!
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, Implementation

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