Welcome to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast. Each week we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning to better serve their learners. In this episode, Toni Rose Deanon is joined by Margie Tiner, a Kami Certified Educator, about the benefits of using Kami in the classroom.

Kami is an edtech tool that allows teachers to annotate documents and create interactive lessons, while students can collaborate and engage with the materials. Tiner highlights Kami's versatility, mentioning features like adding multimedia annotations, embedding videos, and real-time class monitoring through Class View.

Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:

• Kami offers a feature-rich suite for interactive document annotation and student collaboration.

• Tiner highlights, “...it’s not just for folks who don't need those extra supports [accessibility features], it's really for everyone who wants to use any of the features.”

• Kami prioritizes teacher feedback and is constantly evolving to meet their needs. Tiner mentions, "Kami listens to teachers' needs and feedback for future development."

The conversation concludes with a focus on the revamped Kami Certified Educators courses. These free, 30-minute courses (Levels 1 & 2) cover using Kami for assessments and class view. Completing them enters participants in a drawing for a $1,000 classroom makeover (deadline: June 1, 2024). Anyone can enroll, including educators and administrators.

Discussion questions for PLC and PD: 

• The podcast highlights Kami's features for creating interactive lessons. Share your experiences (positive or negative) using technology to increase student engagement in your classroom. What specific Kami features do you think could be most beneficial for your students?

• The discussion mentions Kami's auto-grading capabilities. How do you currently handle formative and summative assessments in your classroom? Do you see potential benefits or drawbacks to incorporating auto-graded elements into your assessments?

• The Kami Certified Educators program offers free training for teachers. Discuss the importance of professional development in integrating new technologies into your curriculum. How can educators best collaborate and share best practices when exploring new edtech tools?

Our Host

Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that they never had growing up, so they focus on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around them. As a queer Filipinx, they understand just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. They especially love being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.

Our Guest: Margie Tiner

Margie, a seasoned educator with nearly two decades of experience in education, has held numerous pivotal roles throughout her career. Her contributions extend from district-wide to international professional development sessions, where she has been inspiring educators to embrace innovative teaching strategies since the early 2000's. Margie's multifaceted experience, from school leadership to curriculum development and technology integration advocacy, positions her as a dynamic and influential educator, ready to empower fellow teachers to elevate their instructional approaches. As a Teacher Success Champion for Kami, she helps educators streamline their workflow and create engaging, interactive learning experiences for all students. Kami allows teachers to transform the materials they are already using into dynamic learning hubs where students can engage and interact with voice and choice. Join Margie to discover how Kami and other transformative technologies can enhance your teaching and boost student success.

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