Photos below from National Catholic Education Association Left  Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., Bishop of Youngstown, Chairman, NCEA Board of Directors,, Zee (center) and Thomas Burnford, D. Min. , President/CEO National CAtholic Education Association. http://www.ncea.org/NCEA/Proclaim/Awards/Lead._Learn._Proclaim._Awards.aspx The Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Awards were presented at the NCEA 2017 Convention & Expo (NCEA 2017) in St. Louis, Missouri at a special awards dinner on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. 

CUE 2016

I attended  and presented at CUE 2016 a national technology conference held in beautiful Palm Springs, California. Here is a post conference wrap up using Blab with Bill Selak from CUE. More information coming. Click this link to view and listen to the BLAB: https://blab.im/6a70255643cf47a392b5cd5519a7eab6

Here are some interviews in the lobby at CUE: Click on the image below to view on TouchCast.

http://www.touchcast.com/stlnn/zee_in_the_lobby_at_cue16

http://www.touchcast.com/stlnn/meeting_hadi_partovi_at_cue16

Check out my TouchCast about the event:http://www.touchcast.com/stlnn/iste2015_copy/?ref=stlnn&p=channel

PETE&C is the Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference held in Hershey, PA every year. Teachers, administrators, and vendors gather from across the state and beyond for concurrent sessions, networking opportunities, to hear amazing keynote presenters, and to check out the latest technology available for teachers to enhance their students learning.   I had the opportunity to present my favorite app TouchCast.  I just love sharing this great app for media creation and am always surprised to hear how many people are just learning about it for the first time. TouchCast is interactive media for the web.  It allows students and teachers to become creators of technology and not just the consumers of technology. This is a complete interactive video studio in the form of a FREE app for teachers. You can insert lower thirds, interactive whiteboards, polls, questions, annotate information, insert maps, live twitter feeds, add special video filters, green screen effects, sound effects and more. It is perfect for cross curricular activities and the students love it.

https://touchcast.com/stl_lab/touchcast_pete2016

I also shared information about TouchCast’s Studio in a Box which is a great deal and a good way to start up your classroom media studio.  Check out Studio in a Box. For the next step up, or if you are looking for more professional equipment, check out Padcaster. Padcaster equipment is study, durable, and  gives you the ability to expand your program and make your studio mobile. Another great tool that I used during my presentation was Reflector. Reflector allows you to mirror your iPad without being wired to your device. They have other fantastic apps and tools for teachers.I also served as a PETE&C Lead volunteer again.  Serving as a volunteer is a great way to experience the conference and get a behind the scenes look at what’s happening.You can apply to be a volunteer by going to the PETE&C websiteeach year.

This year the weather was great and visiting Hershey, PA is always a “sweet” experience.

The 2015 TRETC Conference was held at Bethel Park High School on November 3rd and 4th.  I shared TouchCast at a pre-conference session and a regular session and invited former students to assist with The Red Chair sitwithme.org project.

I always enjoy sharing TouchCast and all of its features and NEW features.  Having a pre-conference session allowed for attendees to have more time to really explore this FREE interactive media app.  See TouchCast.com for more info and read my earlier posts. My regular session was also lots of fun and I loved having former students there to help.

One of the highlights at TRETC for me was hosting the Red Chair again. This was the second time that the Red Chair was at the Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference TRETC, but there was no shortage of educators who were happy to “sit to take a stand” for women in ED TECH. Teachers, vendors, consultants, and administrators wrote their thoughts, shared a hashtag or held a photo frame in front of a green screen where they could choose their choice of a tech related background.  My former Student Tech Team members who are now High School students continuing their interests in Technology worked to help raise awareness for women in tech.. Sarah Scalise of Seton La Salle Catholic, Tom Wildenhain of Central Catholic, Christian Romano of Central Catholic, and Greydon Tomkowitz of Bethel Park High School (the host school) did an outstanding job promoting the RED CHAIR and documenting the event.

Keynote speaker, Mandela Schumacher-Hodge, former public school teacher, education policy researcher, PhD candidate, and Founder of The Startup Couch was one of many attendees who happily sat in the Red Chair.  When asked if she would like to sit in the RED CHAIR, Mandela gave an enthusiastic, “Yes!”  Mandela thoughtfully wrote the following on the sign she held for her photo in the Red Chair,  “I am diverse and I am an asset #WomenForTech @MandelaSH.”  We were inspired by her keynote presentation at the conference and honored that she took the time to sit in the Red Chair for the sitwithme project. You can see Mandela’s photo, the display, and the all those who joined the fun as they sat in the RED Chair at the Conference.

Red Chair at TRETC 2015 – Teachers at Region Ed Tech Conference sit in the Red Chair to support awareness for Careers in Tech for women. http://get-puppet.com/v/_SK6vFg5nzU?autoplay=true

Album of photos https://goo.gl/photos/nZNUpsL8hLT11tHq8

Keystone Technology Innovators’ Summit

I was honored to be named a Keystone Technology Innovator in 2014. This year, I returned to the summit as one of the  Lead Learners and it was a great experience.  I enjoyed meeting, sharing, and learning with the KTI 2015 Class.  http://keystonespa.org/ I was in charge of coordinating the STEAM playground for the summit and we had a RAILROAD theme for it.It gave the attendees a chance to check out Sphero, Arts &Bots, Finch Robot, Osmo, some coding Apps, and more. One of my presentations was on Digital Citizenship. And I also had the opportunity to share my favorite App – TouchCast.  A group of KTIs wanted to spend more time using the app, so we made this TouchCast. http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/kti_learning_forecast/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

Here are some other TouchCasts from the Summit:

KTI Class of 2015 Sharing at a Reverse 60 in 60:

http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/a_peek_at_the_kti_summit_2015/?ref=mychannel

Digital Citizenship Session

http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/kti_digital_citizenship_session/?ref=mychannel

Clip from TouchCast Session – Inviting everyone to follow KTI on Twitter. We are currently using #ktifamily to stay connected and we have monthly twitter chats.

http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/kti/?ref=mychannel

Build a Tower out of Spaghetti and Marchmallows:

http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/building_towers/?ref=mychannel

Good luck to the new KTI Class of 2016.  You will love being a KTI and expanding your personal learning network with your new KTI Family.

Thanks to everyone who attended the Pre-Institute Session at the American Classical League Summer Institute.  I enjoyed working with Cindy Caltigiorne who was honored at the ACL this year as a Merita Award Winner. On the first day of Pre- Institutue, Cindy presented PREZI a interactive presentation tool. She also shared an album of photos from her last Rome In Situ workshop and the attendees used these fantastic images to insert in the Prezi to create thier own teaching tool for their Latin classes. If you would like to learn more about PREZI go to https://prezi.com/. On the second day, I presented another great tool that can be used in the Latin Classroom, TouchCast – interactive video for the web. TouchCast can be by teachers and students for active learning.  With TouchCast your students become the creators of the technology not just the consumers of the technology. Teachers are having great success using TouchCast to “Flip “their classrooms.

(For more information on Flipped Learning the definition and pillars view this informative PDF from he governing board and key leaders of the Flipped Learning Network (FLN): http://fln.schoolwires.net/cms/lib07/VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/46/FLIP_handout_FNL_Web.pdf.)

To learn more about how you or your students can create interactive touchable videos, visit http://www.touchcast.com/education/.  For information about the The Padcaster, which serves as tripod mount for your ipad, go to http://padcaster.com/ (The insert pops out and it can be used as a cage for your DSLR camera.)

Special thanks to my friends at Ancient Coins for Education, Inc., James R. Clifford, Wayne G. Sayles, and Reflector for donating prizes for the session.

Here is a quick example of a simple TouchCast made with two FIRST TIME attendees at the ACL conference.  We used the green screen and added a background of an internet search for ACL. You will be able to click the image of the ACL website when you see it POP into the video and it will take you to the ACL website In real time. All this is done within the video.

https://www.touchcast.com/embed/104360

And this is just the tip of the iceberg!  You can insert polls, twitter feeds, white boards, and sound effects.  There is also a built-in teleprompter and more.

What did attendees think of these sessions? Here’s what Laura Saltzman of New York thought: http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/09dd3e847e/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

While at Institute, I had a chance to make a couple of short TouchCasts. Here is some of what you missed:

See Dawn Carlin hard at work:

http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/acl_1/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

Amy Elifritz tells us about the Junior Classical League

http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/f8564e04cc/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

Favorite Latin Quotes: http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/acl_latin_quotes/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

PAECT Student Technology Showcase at State Capitol in Harrisburg

May 16, 2015 I was so proud of my students who represented St. Louise de Marillac Catholic School’s Technology Team at the 24th Annual Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications and Technology (PAECT) Student Technology Showcase on Monday, May 11, 2015. The showcase, was held in the East Rotunda of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg. This is an annual event to present legislators and the public with the opportunity to learn how teachers are integrating technology into K-12 classrooms across the Commonwealth.

Emmy Ploskina (Grade 7), Alexis Riske (Grade 7), Brennan Valladares (Grade 8), and Sean Werner (Grade 8) presented how we have been using TouchCast an interactive video App for the iPad and how we have been using it with other tech tools such as ThePadcaster, green screens, microphones, and more to produce cross curricular, interactive video projects and school announcements.

You can see a sample of the student work from the showcase here: https://www.touchcast.com/stlnn/1fe2a53a02/?ref=stlnn&p=channel where they interviewed Senator Matt Smith along with other students and teachers at the showcase. The students also had the opportunity to visit other exhibits and to be “on air” for a livestream to describe their projects.

The livestreamed archive of the all the students who participated in the showcase will be posted here http://ccitv.cciu.org.

Group photo is courtesy of Senator Smith’s office.

Pictured left to right: Alexis Riske, Mrs. Zee Ann Poerio, Emmy Ploskina, Senator Matt Smith, Sean Werner, and Brennan Valladares.

Special thanks to McDonald’s for the MAC (Make Activities Count) Grant I received two years ago to purchase some of the equipment we used at this showcase.  (Middle school teachers of grades 5-8 can apply online for MAC Grants here: http://www.macgrants.com

Thank you to TouchCastEdu and  ThePadcaster  for their continued support and encouragement, and to PAECT, sponsor of the showcase. ( I am proud to be a member of PAECT.  I was honored at PAECT Teacher of the Year in 2014 and the organization had provided numerous opportunities for me to grow and learn as a teacher.  I encourage any teacher in PA to join this group and take advantage of the many benefits of membership.) Special thanks to the parents of these outstanding students for traveling to Harrisburg and allowing their children to participate in the showcase. Our student tech team is fantastic and I am proud to be their teacher.

Educational Technology Fluency at CONTEXT 2015

The Context 2015 Conference held April 21-23, 2015, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was an amazing opportunity to meet, connect, and learn from so many knowledgable and passionate educators. I attended on Wednesday and enjoyed hearing Illah Nourbakhsh welcome attendees in the Carnegie Museum of Art and update everyone on the fantastic work from teachers and students using CREATE Lab resources to connect with their communities and use technology in creative ways. A nice tie in to Earth Day, I especially enjoyed learning about the Lemonade Stand project where “young scientists” used digital data collected with the CATTFish, a device which measures water quality. Do you know what’s in your water?  These kids do; and they found a “sweet” way to educate others and build awareness. Check out out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHBOXeSF4IU

I was inspired by Keynote Speaker, Indira Nair. She discussed how technology at the root of the word means art and expression.  She advised us that “shared language leads to shared understanding.”  She also explained that technology education is “guiding [students] to thinking of and working in a bigger system with appropriate choices, ethics, languages, and voices.”  Her stories about her teaching experiences were entertaining and endearing. She gave an example of a high school student who asked a speaker at the end of his presentation on algae, “Who cares?” Teachers in the audience gave a little chuckle and Indira explained how she quickly rephrased the question for the presenter, saying, “What Joe means is…” But she went on to explain how she thought the student’s question was “very, very deep.” This powerful example stressed the importance of making meaningful lessons. She shared  how she would always “tell her students up front” what she was “trying to do” and that she “made sure her students CARE about and understand WHY” she was “trying to teach something and not  just WHAT she was teaching.” She left us with the same words she delivered to her students at the end of her courses, “I hope you leave with more questions than when you came in.” I would love to have been a student in her class!

We enjoyed a rainy Earth Day walk outside to CMU with a colorful umbrella parade. We were welcomed with hot coffee and dispersed to our choice of sessions or workshops. I enjoyed Riverpoint Academy teachers, Regan Drew and John Marshall, share examples of student’s using “real tools, to solve real problems, for real people.” I loved their way of introducing tools by leaving them out and allowing the student’s natural curiosity to lead them to learning about their uses and build on their own interests and talents.  Robert Bandao and Rick Malmstrom, from the Ellis School had a dynamic presentation on teamwork with collaborative strategies for integrating technology in creativity ways. Their presentation included a cross-cultural exchange with a school in Brazil as an an example of showing how technology makes it possible to expand beyond the walls of your classroom.

It was standing room only in the Tech Fluency Session, followed by a boxed lunch with a choice of sandwich, cookie, and the best potato chips, I ever tasted.  I enjoyed sharing ideas about CREATE Lab and the GigaPan at lunch with some out of state educators who work at the collegiate level. If you haven’t seen any GIGApans yet, check out http://gigapan.com/ as a resource for your classroom and look at http://www.cmucreatelab.org/projects/GigaPan/pages/GigaPan_Education for some great ideas for classroom use with CREATE Lab.

The Context Clinic was a wonderful opportunity to visit different stations to learn about tech fluency from experts!  There were teachers taking notes, brainstorming, sharing ideas and advice.

I joined Mac Howison (Sprout Fund), Gregg Behr  (Grable Foundation), Jim Denova (Benedum Foundation), and Megan Cicconi (Allegheny Intermediate Unit) in a Workshop on Idea Generation: Refining Projects for Grant Writing. The panel presented information on local grant opportunities and allowed time for small group work to craft or develop an idea that could lead to a grant proposal. As a classroom teacher, I was happy to share some grant writing tips including:

1. 1. Be creative and follow your passion when looking for grant opportunities.

2. 2. Look for that “shared language” that Indira Nair talked about in her Keynote.

3. Take advantage of the resources and contacts that you have.

4. 3. Be an innovator.  Indira Nair also told us that “innovators, know one thing well, but can expand beyond it.”  Look for opportunities to collaborate with other groups to make connections for support and for project sustainability.

5. 4. If you don’t get what you need at the start, don’t be afraid to keep asking.  Be positive, and ask someone else for support or help.

6. 5. Say THANKS.  Explain to the group who offered support how you will help share their message.  Speak at conferences to share your work and spread the good news of your success.

The conference was a great experience and a way to connect with some old friends and make new friends. Thanks to conference team, you did a fantastic job.

And special thanks to the conference organizers and teams.  I hope everyone will continue the conversations started at the conference in in the words of Indira Nair, “I hope you leave with more questions than you came in [to the conference] with!”

EdCampPGH

APRIL 12, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT EDIT

It was a great day for EdCampPGH at Baldwin High School. I loved making some new connections to expand my PLN and seeing some of my Twitter friends in  person.  Session were great and I left with a Starbucks gift card! I had the opportunity to present a session on TouchCastEdu and I also interviewed some of the attendees and student volunteers. Check out the TouchCasts below:

Talking with Justin Aglio on PAECT radio: https://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/paect_radio_at_edcamppgh/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

See reactions to teachers checking out some TouchCast features from the TouchCastEdu Session:  https://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/touchcast_edcamppgh/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

Learn more about TeachBackApp from Jeff Ritter one of the Sponsors of #EdCampPGH https://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/jeff_ritter/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

Baldwin HIgh School Seniors’ Reactions to EdCampPGH

https://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/baldwin_hs_seniors_at_edcamppgh/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

Baldwin High School Seniors on EdCampPGH, Teachers at EdCamp, and Dr. Harold

https://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/bhs_students_talk_edcamppgh_/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

KTIs at EdCampPGH

https://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/zee_and_rachelle_at_edcamppgh/?ref=magistrazee&p=channel

Creative Uses for TouchCast

Check out ways that you can use TouchCast in your classroom to engage your students. Announcements, language learning, storytelling, MineCraft, commercials for school events, and more. This is an interactive video, click or tap on the videos that POP up during the video.

http://www.touchcast.com/tca2015/ambassador_touchcast_zee

Check out Code.org and Attend a Workshop

MARCH 15, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT EDIT

If you participated in the HOUR OF CODE, continue the learning! I participated in a training certification program from Code.org in December of 2014. Check out this short Animoto from the December workshop:

https://animoto.com/play/OfGNsgPkzgqVUEzxlMyQ1g

 ) It was a small group with big ideas and a fantastic opportunity for sharing. I jumped at the chance to HOST a similar event at St. Louise de Marillac Catholic School on Pi Day, March 14, 2015, so more teachers in the area could  benefit from the curriculum. Harvey Scribner of Code.org  trained both groups of teachers from the Pittsburgh Area on Code Studio.  I was happy to participate in the workshop in December and then host a workshop and share the great facilities we have at St. Louise de Marillac.

Check out the photos to see all the FUN at the St. Louise workshop!

https://animoto.com/play/30DuhS0bvA0WNnRgw1IYdg

February 9, 2015 PETE&C

Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo & Conference Hershey, PA 

Session Title: Hook Your Students with TouchCast 

Speakers: Zee Ann Poerio and Dr. Ayelet Segal 

Room: Cocoa 2 & 3 – Hershey Lodge 

Description: Add TouchCast App to your technology tacklebox. Use VAPPS, video apps, to provide the interactive elements that today’s learners want. Use built in sound effects, studio backgrounds, lower thirds, teleprompter, polls, quizzes, twitter feeds, and more to create professional looking, interactive projects to share globally. It’s FREE: a great catch. 

TouchCast: Hall Duty – Interviews with attendees in the Hall at PETE&C asking “What will you use tomorrow?”

http://touchcast.com/stlnn/hall_duty_with_magistrazee_at_petec_2015/?ref=stlnn&p=channel

Wednesday, July 1, 1:15 pm–2:15 pm EDT

Title: TouchCast: Interactive Video Creation Tool – Reel It In for Your Students

Speaker: Zee Poerio

Description: Add TouchCast to your technology tackle box. Use it to Flip your Classroom with polls and quizzes, produce school news shows and include studio backgrounds, lower thirds, and more. Create professional looking interactive projects using VAPPS (video apps) to share globally. Project based learning at its best. Great catch. Free!

http://www.touchcast.com/education

March 30, 2015 – Tech & Learning Day

March 30, 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM

Shady Side Academy

Hook Your Students with TouchCast

Add the TouchCast App to your technology tackle box. Use VAPPS, video apps, to provide the interactive elements that today’s learners want. Use built in sound effects, studio backgrounds, lower thirds, teleprompter, polls, quizzes, twitter feeds, and more to create professional looking, interactive projects to share globally. It’s FREE: a great catch.

American Classical League Summer Institute – June 2015

Media Coordinators’ Meeting at AIU3 – Eve of Digital Learning Day

TouchCast Workshop for Media Coordinators at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit#3

I am getting ready for this year’s PETE&C conference in Hershey, PA. Here is information about last year’s conference.  If you have never been to http://www.peteandc.org/ please check out info on last year’s conference and watch this TouchCast.http://www.touchcast.com/magistrazee/petec_2014_february. I was honored to be part of this great group of PAECT members who were recognized at the Awards Banquet last year.

Thinking Back to Last Year’s PETE&C

Proud To Be ATouchCast Ambassador

JANUARY 19, 2015 

I am so proud to be one of the TouchCast Ambassadors for 2015.  TouchCast is an outstanding App for educators! It is a “studio in a box.” It is also a great tool for use in a flipped classroom. Learn more about TouchCast here: http://touchcast.com/

Learn more about the program here:

http://www.touchcast.com/educasts/touchcast_ambassadors_2015