What Teachers Are Saying
About JumpStart
I haven’t stopped talking about this course since I began! I’m so proud of my new website and so pleased with what I have accomplished that my family keeps teasing me for bragging about all the new skills I have learned.
My school announced it was going 1:1 with little notice. I found myself anxious and cynical, wondering if this decision was a marketing one. This course has shifted my mindset to a much more optimistic one. I have come to believe in the true power of technology in the classroom.
I feel more confident implementing technology after taking this course. I was pretty savvy in some apps and programs, but this course gave me different skills that I wanted to obtain but never sought out on my own.
I recommend the JumpStart course to other educators because the focus of the course is not solely on tools, rather it enforces that good teaching is what creates effective results in the classroom. The course is appropriately named JumpStart because the integration of the strategies helps the instruction enhance and transform the learning that is taking place. Teachers can use these strategies with any number of tools and take their teaching, classroom environment and student achievement to the next level.
I have always been intrigued by the novelty for students, however, I didn’t want them lost in the tools disregarding the content or intent. This course keeps the perspective that we first focus on what we want students to do and then think about the most effective engaging way to do that without losing sight of original intent.
I finally took the first step in writing my first blog post ever! This has been something on my professional to-do list — I can’t wait to continue blogging. I have always had a fear, but now that I have taken the “JUMP!” all fear is gone!
I have generally approached technology on a “need to know” basis. In other words, if I identify a need in my own teaching, I seek out appropriate technological solutions and learn them. Since taking this course, I think my mindset has shifted a bit in that I have renewed enthusiasm for digging more deeply into the pedagogy behind the use of tools.
The course design was excellent – there are many things built into this course that I would like to apply to my own teaching. I’d recommend taking this course in the cohort model – I loved viewing the work of my colleagues and found their work inspiring as well as helpful. I also appreciated the feedback from the moderators. I don’t think I would have pushed myself nearly as hard had I done this on my own.
I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much again for letting me take this course! I have learned a ton of new information from you all and can’t wait to continue to use it in my classroom. I’ve developed more patience with working with technology before implementing it for sure. I really enjoyed this process!
The modules helped me visualize actual assignments or uses for the tools. Going through each module and actually designing a lesson or activity got my brain spinning – in a good way! – about all the other things I could do with technology. Another great part for me was genuinely using the tech tools; I didn’t feel that I was curating links just to curate links; I wasn’t inserting QR codes just to say I did. I found an instant, valid use for each tech tool and it got me excited about getting back into the classroom.
Can’t shout out thanks enough to Jennifer Gonzalez at Cult of Pedagogy for her Jumpstart Course — this course strengthened what I knew and introduced me to SO MUCH MORE! I highly recommend you consider taking this and also consider her Teacher’s Guide to Tech.
I have never been afraid of technology, but as both a mom and a teacher it is hard to carve out time to learn new technology skills. I intentionally took this course because the quality of your work is amazing and I knew it would force me to find the time to learn. I’m so glad that I did because the tools I have learned have already been put to use in my classroom this year! I want to learn even more, and that, perhaps, is the biggest takeaway–a renewed passion for learning!
My most important takeaway from this course is that technology not only helps students be more engaged, but it also allows me to more effectively differentiate my instruction. Technology should be used for a reason. Purposefully integrating technology allows me to reach more students and provide students more choice in the mode that they learn and interact with a concept. I think this course has helped me recommit to raising the level of my purposefully designed instruction overall.
I am ON FIRE to start creating new resources for my students and fellow teachers. I know that the creation will be a time consuming process, but the benefit will be UNMEASURABLE.
Really mind blowing! Jenn is expert at calmly and professionally sharing knowledge but in a fun and friendly, approachable way. The lessons are well planned and thought out. We are given feedback, but nothing is made easy. I learned so much from having to redo courses and resubmit. The mentors really keep us on our toes and guide us into finding our own mistakes.
It is somewhat surreal that one course could have such a mind blowing effect on me, but you gave me my confidence back. I had been a caregiver for two years (my dad has Alzheimer’s). I was still using PPT and Prezi. Which at the time were IT. Now I feel like I am ready to take on the world! You are really making magic here!