10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher

Latest Episodes:

Top 5 Copilot Breakthroughs Unveiled at ISTE 2025 with Mike Tholfsen Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

Microsoft's Mike Tholfsen unveils game-changing AI breakthroughs for educators at ISTE 2025, including Copilot Chat for teens 13+, the revolutionary Teach module that creates standards-aligned lessons in minutes, and AI-powered study guides that transform how students learn. Discover how Learning Zone on Copilot+ PCs brings AI directly to your classroom without internet, plus exciting updates to Learning Accelerators and seamless LMS integration that puts powerful AI tools right where teachers need them.

Key takeaways:

FREE Copilot Chat now available for students 13+ with enterprise data protection
New Teach module creates lesson plans, rubrics, and assessments aligned to standards from 35 countries
Study guides in Copilot Notebooks generate personalized quizzes and flashcards
Learning Zone app enables offline AI lesson creation on Copilot+ PCs
Unified LTI integration brings Microsoft's AI tools directly into Canvas, Schoology, and other LMS platforms

Perfect for K-12 teachers ready to save time and enhance learning with responsible AI.

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast for weekly classroom-tested tech tips!

Full show notes: coolcatteacher.com/e906

@mtholfsen @coolcatteacher | #10MinuteTeacher #MicrosoftEDU #ISTELive #ASCDAnnual #AIinEducation

3 EFFECTive Strategies: Curiosity Corner, Brain Breaks, Action Teams Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

Sometimes it takes a wake-up call to transform from just being "a teacher" to being "THE teacher" who makes a difference. Math teacher and tech director Josh Korb shares three game-changing strategies from his book "Be the Cause" that you can implement immediately: Curiosity Corner spaces that spark student inquiry, energizing brain breaks using his "Jumping Jack Jam" technique, and Action Teams that tackle real-world problems through design thinking. These mastery learning strategies prove you don't need high energy or expensive tools—just intentional choices that put students in control of their learning.

See the show notes for definitions of teaching terms and links: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e905

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and discover practical strategies that create lasting impact in your classroom!

My 30 Hot June AI and Edtech Tools and EduNews Show (June 2025) Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Ready for a deep dive into the latest AI tools and education headlines? In this special extended news episode, Vicki Davis shares 15 cutting-edge AI tools including Gemini's new video parsing capabilities, Claude Opus 4's powerful features, and Perplexity Labs' research tools, plus 15 critical news stories every educator needs to know. From AI ethics and security warnings to practical classroom applications, this episode delivers real classroom tech use insights you can implement immediately.

Subscribe for weekly teacher-tested edtech tips and join the conversation at https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e904

I'm also including vocabulary and links at the show notes. This week's show includes the vocabulary:

smishing
vishing
multimodal conversational AI
deep fake
rage-bait cinema
LOTS (Living off Trusted Services) attack
Passkeys
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

This vocabulary and links to resources are included to help educate you and to give you a resource that you can use with students about this particular topic.

A Personal Update from Vicki

As school got out, my son got married and I had quite a few speeches here in Georgia, so I ended up with 2-3 weeks of news/tool content to share, so I just put them together on my radio show this week and for you on this longer-than-normal episode.

I appreciate the grace while I'm in the summer months and recovering and I hope you take care of yourself and recover as well. We need the rest so we can be our best! And stay tuned next week for some amazing ISTE 2025 episodes - whether you're going or not, I want you to see the cool things happening!

As always, I want you to feel included, informed, and helped to keep up in practical ways as things are changing.

Stop, Think, Question: A Teacher's Guide to Responsible AI with Audrey Watters Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

with Audrey Watters | Episode 903 | Tech Tool Tuesday

Are we racing toward an AI future without asking the right questions? Author and ed-tech critic Audrey Watters joins me to show teachers how to hit pause, get thoughtful, and keep classroom relationships at the center.

Sponsored by Rise Vision

Did you know the same solution that powers my AI classroom also drives campus-wide emergency alerts and digital signage? See how Rise Vision can save your school thousands: RiseVision.com/10MinuteTeacher

Highlights Include

Why "human first" still beats the newest AI tool: Audrey explains how relationships drive real learning.
Personalized learning myths busted: How algorithmic "solutions" can isolate students.
Practical guardrails for AI: Three reflection questions every teacher should ask before hitting "assign."

🔗 Show page: www.coolcatteacher.com/e903

Call to Action 🎧 Love the show? Head to RiseVision.com/10MinuteTeacher and see today's sponsor in action—and don't forget to subscribe & leave a quick review!

Teacher Brain Burnout? GPT-4.1 and 8 Other Headlines that Matter May 20, 2025

Show notes

Looking for ideas to engage your students in conversation? In this week's quick news roundup, I give you stories about:

The impact of overwork on the teacher's brain,
An idea for an energy drink experiment for science teachers around the chemical "taurine"
NASA and the tectonic plates of Venus
YouTube's new "Peak Points" Advertising strategy as an AI article to discuss with students
ChatGPT 4 going away? And how I teach students to test different models of AI and share their results
How some people are installing local LLM's on their machines
New AI guidance for teachers and common patterns I'm noting
Google's AIME and the future of medical chat bots
DuoLingo goes AI, and
A Star-Wars themed personality test gone to the dark side?

Once a week, I work to share news articles and stories with you that I'm using. I want you to have quick ideas for turning headlines into a warm-up, debate, or story starter.

Show notes and links: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e902

Sponsor: Rise Vision

Do you want to know how I have students share their prompts and test various models of AI? I use my Rise Vision Board! When teaching AI, seeing how each student uniquely interacts with technology is essential. Rise Vision's screen sharing solution turned my aging display into a modern wireless hub without replacement costs. I can now securely moderate which student screens appear—perfect for AI demonstrations and collaborative learning. The Rise Vision system is incredibly user-friendly and costs just a fraction of new interactive displays. I'm saving my school money while enhancing our tech capabilities! Visit Rise Vision to see how you can refresh rather than replace your classroom displays.

Link: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/risevision/

Real-World Math That Boosts Student Achievement with Dr. Erin Krupa May 13, 2025

Show notes

Do you want to help students truly understand and enjoy math? In this inspiring episode, Dr. Erin Krupa shares her powerful research and practical classroom strategies that have helped boost student math achievement. From project-based challenges to integrating meaningful tech tools like Geometer's Sketchpad, Erin brings the research to life in ways every K–12 teacher can use.

She discusses how to spark students' mathematical identity, create engaging tasks, and avoid turning math into a dry, procedural subject. Whether you're a math teacher or school leader, you'll walk away with practical strategies and renewed encouragement.

Sponsored by Solution Tree For over 25 years, Solution Tree has helped teachers and leaders improve student learning with research-based professional development. Discover how real schools are seeing big results in reading and math. 👉 Learn more at www.SolutionTree.com/10MinuteTeacher

Highlights include:

Math That Matters: How real-world connections improve engagement and retention
Empowering Identity: Helping students see themselves as "math people"
From Tools to Transformation: Smart ways to use tech beyond computation
Creative Challenges: How "Design & Pitch" STEM tasks build deep understanding

🔗 Show page: www.coolcatteacher.com/e901

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AI Gone Wild, Canva Code, and Badger Licking?! 15 Tech Stories for Classrooms Now May 10, 2025

Show notes

From rogue AI behaviors to Google Gemini's web-building skills, this week's 10 Minute Teacher Podcast is your fast, fun roundup of the most classroom-worthy education and technology news! 🎙️

Today I'm sharing 15 surprising, hilarious, and serious updates that every teacher and school leader should know—from "GPT tennis" in schools to an AI that tried to be your spiritual guide (yikes - not just yikes but WATCH OUT).

Plus, I give a celebratory hat tip to long time blogger and teacher, Larry Ferlazzo, in his retirement.

I also explain why people are typing nonsense into Google and asking for "meanings" and how this can be a great lesson to use to share the limitations of Google Gemini or any generative AI tool.

Highlights Include:

The Rise of MCP (Model Context Protocol): A new open standard that could revolutionize how your AI connects with school tools.
AI Agent in Windows 11: Microsoft's AI now helps manage your settings—what this means for edtech.
Gemini 2.5 Builds Better Websites (and Raises Questions): Why we still need humans to supervise AI creation.
Don't Play "GPT Tennis": A warning about lazy AI practices in schools.
How AI Is Messing With Spirituality: The wildest (and weirdest) AI news this week.
Bonus Insight: A hilarious viral phrase—"You can't lick a badger twice"—and what it teaches us about AI hallucinations.

🔗 Show page with all the links: www.coolcatteacher.com/e900

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Be a More Effective Teacher with Scientific Principles of Teaching May 08, 2025

Show notes

What does the science actually say about teaching methods that work? In this episode, Nathaniel Hansford shares how you can become a more effective teacher by applying proven principles from education research. Learn how meta-analysis, spaced practice, retrieval techniques, and data-driven strategies can lead to better learning outcomes in your classroom.

Nathaniel also discusses why many PD sessions fall flat—and how we can do better. Whether you're just starting out or refining your craft, this episode is full of actionable insight for educators who want to teach smarter.

🔗 Show Blog Post: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e899

Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Solution Tree. For over 25 years, Solution Tree has provided research-based professional development that helps schools achieve real results. Learn more at https://www.solutiontree.com/10MinuteTeacher

How Do We Know Who's Human? A New Tech Raises Big Questions May 03, 2025

Show notes

On May 1, 2025, Sam Altman's identity project, now called World (formerly Worldcoin), launched iris and face-scanning locations in six U.S. cities.

The goal? Prove you're human — and get a World ID in return. In this episode, Vicki Davis breaks down how the tech works, why it's free, and the serious ethical concerns for educators and parents alike. You'll learn the three major reasons this global ID push is happening: Stopping identity fraud and deepfakes Verifying age online to protect children Distinguishing humans from synthetic AI agents With connections to platforms like Match.com, Discord, and Reddit, and the backing of Visa, this story is about far more than tech — it's about privacy, control, and the future of our students.

I've included lots of links and commentary at the show notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e898

🔍 Highlights Include:

What is "World" and how does it work?
A free iris scan for ID and crypto — but what's the cost to your privacy?
Why human identity matters now: From AI phishing attacks to deepfakes, we're at a turning point.
Classroom connections: Ways teachers can discuss the ethics of biometric data and identity with students.
Surprising partnerships: Why Match Group and Visa are testing this with dating apps and payment systems.
Why I'm not doing it. Ethical and privacy concerns along with the concern of abuse of power if such a tool is controlled by one group.

🔗 Show page: www.coolcatteacher.com/e898

❤️ Found this helpful? • 🎧 Don't miss an episode — subscribe and leave a review! • 💬 Tag an educator or parent who needs to hear this! • 📲 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

How to Truly Connect with Students (and Why It Matters) May 01, 2025

Show notes

Students won't learn if they don't feel seen. 💡

In this inspiring episode, veteran educator Dr. Lucy Lambert-Guesnard shares practical ways to build trust, connection, and authentic classroom relationships—especially with students who struggle. From real stories like "Larry with the hoodie" to "Joey with the basketball," Dr. Lucy offers compassionate strategies that help teachers turn everyday moments into meaningful teaching breakthroughs.

Learn how to give better feedback, handle tough behavior with grace, and build a classroom culture where every student feels valued.

🔗 Show notes and links: www.coolcatteacher.com/e897

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