#osmoambassador

Osmo Ambassador Ana has jumped at every chance to spread the word about Osmo. She has created her own slides, her own posters, and has even enlisted her own children to demonstrate Osmo's awesomeness at events! After all, if it's good enough for your own children, it's good enough for your students, right? Thank you Ana, for all you do to make sure the educators around you know the power of Osmo in a classroom!

Ana, in her own words:

“Becoming an OSMO ambassador was a natural extension for me- I have been proclaiming the benefits and abilities OSMO brings out in every child since I purchased the program for my own children.”

Thanks, Ana, for being an Osmo Ambassador!

Ambassador Robert is fairly new to our community, but that doesn't mean he's new to sharing Osmo. Robert goes out of his way to talk about the magic and wonder of Osmo to everyone and anyone who will listen! He has also shown incredible ingenuity in the ways he uses Osmo with his students. Robert teaches English to ELL/ELA students in middle school and high school and he has found that using Osmo to enrich his curriculum makes a world of a difference! So much so that he's caught the attention of news stations. Robert, your wealth of knowledge on using Osmo is formidable and your willingness to share Osmo is truly humbling. Thank you so much! And keep up the good work!

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Mr. Wind, in his own words:

I become an Osmo ambassador to share the platform with others.   It does not matter if I am at the chiropractor getting an adjustment or on the golf course discussing parenting—I always mention the efficacy of Osmo for early learning.   I give Osmo genius kits as gifts to friends and family have young children.

Last year, I was a media specialist at a middle school and the Osmo station remained out and utilized all year long.  I especially loved using Osmo Masterpiece as our maker space center.   I recall one girl drawing a family portrait, from a photo she had, for her mother for Mother’s Day.

As a Literacy Specialist (Reading Teacher) Osmo Words immediately caught my eye as a tool that has limitless potential in today’s classrooms.  I began making word sets that morphed Words Their Wayword sorts with the Osmo Words platform.  I used this with my daughter for two years while teacher her on the weekends and summers prior to Kindergarten.

After three years outside of the classroom, two years as a reading coach and one year as a media specialist, I have returned to a 10th grade English classroom teaching struggling readers and English Language Learners (ELL’s).   I knew from the beginning that OSMO would need to be a station in my classroom.   I took me until November to figure out how to incorporate it with fifteen and sixteen year old students.   I decided to us Osmo Words for my students to simply increase their vocabulary.   After a while, I noticed I could not get the students to utilize the words they were learning or to get them to stop talking in the station in their native languages.   The other dilemma I was having is that I was not giving my ELL’s enough opportunities to speak and write.   That is when it hit me.   I needed to adapt Osmo Words and Coding to provide opportunities for my students to speak and write in English.   I created companion sheets for my students to keep in their interactive journals and made minor adjustments along the way.   Now my students write sentences in English about what Awbie is doing in Osmo Coding.   They also record their words from Osmo Words on the companion sheets and then look them up later to incorporate into their interactive journals.   Thus far, Osmo has been the missing link in my secondary English classroom.

What the Osmonauts in Mr. Wind’s class are saying:

“Osmo Coding helps me to learn how to write in English.” ~ Olivia

“Osmo Words helps me to learn new English vocabulary words.  ~ Olivia

“Using Osmo Words and Coding makes learning English fun because we get to talk to each other about the new vocabulary.” ~ Gianna

“Osmo Coding is a fun way to learn to write sentences in English that I could not write before.” ~ Josefa

Want to see more from the talented Mr. Wind? Check out his YouTube video and channel.

Ambassador Nikki wants everyone to know the magic and engagement Osmo brings to students. She's a champ at sharing Osmo with large groups. Most recently, Nikki presented Osmo at EdCamp Omaha and did SUCH an awesome job. We are so proud of Nikki and her desire to bring Osmo love to those around her - Osmo Ambassadorship at it's finest! Thank you Nikki!

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Nikki, in her own words: 🍏

“I absolutely love Osmo, and have spread that love to as many schools in our district as possible! In my role as a Technology Facilitator, I am tasked with finding, learning, and using the newest tools available to students. My search for new tools led me to look for iPad compatible ideas, and I stumbled upon the Osmo. It has been love ever since. Osmo in schools gets students engaged and excited to learn, and the kid-friendly apps cater perfectly to school-aged children. This wonderful experience is what prompted me to become an official "Osmo Ambassador". I figured, I'm already promoting this wonderful learning system, why not get ideas from a collaborative group who are all working from the same goal?”

A few words from Ms. Schaffer students:

"This is MATH??" - 2nd grader playing Numbers (This quote was after 20 minutes of playing, when a fellow classmate asked him to share the "Math game.)" "I want one of these at home!" - Various 5th grade students working with Awbie on some coding "Best day EVAR!" - Kindergartener reacting to Mo using the student's drawing of a submarine to ride off on "Can we have more time??" - Almost every student AND TEACHER I have presented to. 😄

Connect with Nikki: @NikkiMusicTech  🐦

MC worked her tail off to create a presentation for her school board to show them that her school MUST have Osmo! It worked, of course! And now, after a staff meeting all about Osmo, MC's entire elementary school staff is hungry for more - including the principal! In fact, the principal at her school decided to dedicate the entirety of the school's weekly blog post to Osmo and it landed in the local newspaper. You go, MC! Thanks for doing so much to spread Osmo-mania!

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Ambassador Ashley Jones didn't let her lack of official ambassadorship stop her from sharing Osmo with those around her - no way! This past summer, she did a a district-wide presentation on Osmo and all its wonderful uses to around 600 educators! And what a killer presentation it was (she shared it with us). And to think this was BEFORE she was given the official title of Osmo Ambassador - I can only imagine the effect she'll have on future Osmo educators. We also had the pleasure to meet Ashley in person while at the ISTE conference. Such a pleasure. You've done some strong work, Ambassador Ashley. We're so glad you're finally an official part of our community! 

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Ashley, in her own words: 🍏

“I love Osmo because because it reaches students of all ages and ability levels in a fun and engaging way! I became an ambassador so that I can share all of the things Osmo has to offer and how it can be implemented in a variety of ways. Fellow educators love all the resources Osmo has to offer and how the standard apps can be used in different ways! Osmo is a great supporter of education and I love being part of what they are doing and creating for children!“

A few words from Ashley’s students: 🍎

"I love Osmo, it makes Math fun"   

"It's not spelling, it's a game!"

Osmo Ambassador Matthew Cheek is primarily a math teacher, but he doesn't let that stop him from using Osmo as many ways as possible! Besides all the tweets (he tweets at LEAST 10 times a week about Osmo), Matthew has also had a news story done about the amazing ways he's been able to engage his students using Osmo. He's now got the attention of his entire district and everybody wants in on the Osmo action! Thanks for your support, Matthew! Keep up the great work!

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Matthew, in his own words:  🍏

From the moment I saw Osmo it was clear that it had a “wow” or “cool” factor and I wanted to try it out and see for myself. Once I did, I was blown away by the potential in a school setting. I knew that I had to get this technology into the hands of my students in any way I could. As I began to get Osmo in our classrooms and I saw student’s reactions and successes I wanted to help spread the word to those who may not have heard about this amazing tool.

A few words from Matt’s boss:  🍎

Matt Cheek is a student focused educator that is always finding ways to meet student needs at their academic readiness while holding learner engagement through choice and voice at the forefront! Matt brought in his "Osmo" that he originally purchased for his own children at home. He saw the power in engaged learning with varied level of readiness that adapts to the students. Matt's excitement was brought to the school from the moment the first student tried...and was posted on twitter with the our schools trending hashtag #celebratinglearnersatJC. The second I saw a picture of a 5K student with a smile of pride holding up their own extended math problem that was inspired from learning with Osmo, I HAD to see it for myself. As the Director of Teaching and Learning, I got Matt to my office and we purchased eight more sets! Thank you Matt and Osmo. 

~ Director of Teaching and Learning at the Johnson Creek School District: Lisa Krohn

Osmo from the kids’ perspectives:

HL - I like masterpiece because I follow the lines and trace and color pictures.

AH - I like using the Tangrams so I can see what made. I like Osmo because you get to play putting the numbers up and getting fish.  

BS - The fish game is super cool! We get to pop the bubbles and get the fish. It helps me learn my numbers.  

MW - Osmo helped me find how to make the numbers. I liked how there was no wrong answer.  

EZ - I liked Osmo because its always fun to play and makes me happy. I like Coding Jam because it helps me make music like my family.   

EH - I like the song one cause you get mail from people and its so cool. You can make songs with different characters and they all have a lot of different ways they play their instruments.   

AS - I like Tangrams you get to build the pictures.  

 RB - I like the fish game. We get to do use numbers to pop the bubbles.   

BH - I like that when you are adding and counting it is really helping you with your math a lot. It helps you with equations when you are starting math. It will really help you! It feels like your trying to save fish.    

RC - The coding one with Awbie is fun. It can be hard when Awbie is going into a tree but with a friend and help we got Awbie to the strawberry. Coding Jam is also fun, because the girl that does the experiments dances crazy like Mr. Cheek and Ms. Leonardi!   

AB -  It helps you with addition, in case you forgot how to do addition, it can help you with it because when you are trying to get to a number there is more than just one way to do it. I feel great when I use Osmo.   

LW - It is fun because we get to do activities we don't get to do very often put numbers together to try and get the fish free. It can be tricky because you only want to build the numbers in the bubbles and not get the hooks.   

PR - I like the Numbers game because its hard. Its harder because the hooks take your fish and sponges suck up your water. Osmo makes math easy and fun.

Osmo Ambassador Angie has been on FIRE this year! 🔥🙌🏼 She's presented Osmo at 3 conferences so far (with more to come in June), she's done teacher trainings, she's collaborated on a press story, and she's been posting up a storm on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram. 

Angie, in her own words: 

When I first saw Osmo, I knew it had potential for great things in education.  I had been looking for something that would keep students actively engaged beyond the regular iPad and computer "games".  When I first got to try one from our local AEA (Area Education Agency), I was hooked immediately.  Ever since our class sets arrived, I have been incorporating Osmo and differentiating instruction for all students in my classroom and helping other teachers learn about Osmo.  Becoming an Osmo Ambassador seemed like a natural transition to earn some rewards for doing presentations, leading additional sales, and joining the Osmo community.  It wasn't until about 6 months into the Ambassador program that I really realized the impact I could have as an educator and Osmo Ambassador beyond my school district.  I have been able to positively impact so many students, teachers, professors, learning communities, and families by presenting at STEM festivals, workshops/conferences, and sharing the potential Osmo has for them.  In addition, my own kindergarten and first grade students even stepped up and are teaching other students and teachers about Osmo in my place. In the past 18 months, being an Osmo Ambassador has become less about the title and more about the direct impact I am having on student learning outside of my own classroom, school, city, and region. It is about sharing an immense love for learning through exciting, new, and innovative technology. 

What the students are saying:

K - “Osmo is great! Monster is the best because you get to color and I like to color.”  🖍

B - “I like Osmo because they have different kinds of games. My favorite game is Monster because you get to pick what you want to do and color. Mo is silly and makes learning fun. He uses MY pictures to make stories.“

A - “I love Monster because you get to color and I like to color.”

P- “Pizza company teaches me how to make pizzas and to make them fast.”  

G - “I like Coding because after Awbie eats the strawberries it leaves a mark and you have to figure out where to go next.” 🍓🍓🍓

T - “I like to verse my friends with Words because I am a really good speller!”   

B- “I think Osmo makes me smarter. I get lots of trophies when I play.”

A - “Pizza company is fun because you have to make pizzas and it teaches you how to make change.” 💷💶💴

E - “I get to practice my words everyday and get better at spelling.”  

M - “Osmo numbers is fun because I can add using dots and numbers and get lots of points for getting the bubbles and extra stuff.” 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣

📣 There's probably not a single soul that hasn't heard of Osmo in Northeast Iowa thanks to Angie. And we LOVE that!!!! Keep up the good work, Angie! 🙌🏼

Osmo Ambassador Micah Brown has been with us from almost the very beginning. She takes time out of her VERY busy schedule every year to do a presentation on the benefits of using Osmo in the classroom for her region. And she does staff trainings on Osmo as well! Micah has also been influential in the build of our games - specifically Pizza Co. Without her feedback and advocacy, we wouldn't be nearly as successful as we are. We owe you quite a lot, Micah! Keep up your amazing Osmo-ness!

Micah, in her own words:

“Creating unique, engaging learning opportunities for students is one of my passions. I wanted to to become an Osmo ambassador because it is a company that supports that passion. I have seen firsthand the power of Osmo in the classroom and love being able to share the ways that it creates opportunities for students to collaborate, think critically, and problem solve.”

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One of Ms. Brown’s 5th graders: "I enjoy using Osmo at school because it is a fun way to practice. We get to play Osmo during reading, math, and science time. I love playing Pizza Co. and using Words to play Breakout Edu!"

Thanks, Micah, for being an Osmo Ambassador!