Digital Learning Today

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Having Confidence in your EdTech Purchases with the help of the @EdSurge Concierge Program Sep 16, 2017

Show notes

Is your school district looking to make a change in it's Learning Management System, or Student Information System? Are you tired of getting recommendations based only on reading twitter and edtech blogs?

In this episode of the TeacherCast Podcast, I sit down with Michael Winters and Molly Levitt from EdSurge to discuss their new service called EdSurge Concierge. Recently released and made available to school districts across the country, EdSurge Concierge allows School Districts a simple and personal, 1:1 consultation to speak with one of their technology integration experts to help you find exactly the application you need and put you in contact with that company to help you and your team provide the best learning environment for your students.

According to EdSurge.com:

EdSurge Concierge is a free service that helps schools find the right technology to support their learning goals. Concierge reduces the time needed to find a solution that fits every school's unique challenges.

About our Guests

Michael Winters has served as EdSurge's manager of the Edtech Index for the past 2.5 years. In that capacity, he helps teachers sort through the world of edtech tools to find the tech that works for them. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia (go Hoos!)
Molly Levitt is EdSurge's Community Manager, connecting educators around the US and sharing the great work that they're doing. She is a former elementary teacher, edtech startup founder and a graduate of Boston College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Stay In Touch With EdSurge

EdSurge is one of my favorite places to learn about edtech trends and news. With over 90,000 followers on Twitter, it absolutely should be on your “must follow” list.

Website: www.EdSurge.com
Twitter: @EdSurge

Recorded in 2017

Providing Computer Science Education to over one million students | @CSNYC Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with the Executive Director of CSNYC, Michael Preston and Superintendent Jason Eitner to discuss why students of all ages should have a Computer Science infused curriculum.

About CSNYC

CSNYC is a nonprofit founded in 2013 to ensure that all of New York City’s 1.1 million public school students have access to a high-quality computer science (CS) education that puts them on a pathway to college and career success. To build thriving ecosystems for CS education in NYC and nationwide, CSNYC develops programming across four key areas: community development, teacher pipelines, industry engagement, and research. Together, work in these areas supports our partnership with the City of New York in Computer Science for All (CS4All): a 10-year initiative to bring CS to all 1,700 NYC public schools.

Early access to high-quality opportunities to study CS is critical to breaking down gender, racial and social barriers in the tech sector and related fields. Until recently, CS education was available to only a small number of NYC students, primarily enrolled in selective high schools. In 2012, the NYC Department of Education, with support from CSNYC founder and tech investor Fred Wilson, launched the Academy for Software Engineering (AFSE), the city’s first CS-themed public high school available to all students regardless of academic background. A year later, it was followed by the opening of its sister school, the Bronx Academy of Software Engineering (BASE), and the launch of the Software Engineering Program (SEP), which provides middle and high schools with a multi-year sequence of CS courses. These efforts were tied to the city’s large-scale strategy to encourage the growth of new industries and new jobs, and to ensure that education, both in K12 and at the college/university level, would properly prepare individuals for these new opportunities.

CSNYC was formally launched in 2013 to provide funding and guidance to these initiatives and to support a portfolio of CS education programs managed by other organizations. These programs build capacity in schools by training teachers from other subject areas to teach CS and by recruiting volunteer software engineers to teach in classrooms. In its first three years, CSNYC supported programs reached 150 public schools and 12,000 students citywide—a demonstration that CS was possible for all students if their teachers were provided with high-quality professional development, curriculum, and support.

With Mayor de Blasio’s announcement of the 10-year CS4All initiative in 2015, CSNYC’s mission of reaching every student in the NYC public schools is being realized. CSNYC supports CS4All through fundraising and by providing guidance and oversight to the initiative, and by building the ecosystem necessary to ensure the ongoing success of K12 CS education in NYC and beyond.

Links of interest

CS Education Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/CSNYC-Education-Meetup/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/csnyc
Medium: http://medium.com/@csnyc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csnycorg
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt7A-Y36bLzb61-digpEiAA

About Michael Preston

Michael Preston (michael@csnyc.org) is the Executive Director of CSNYC, the New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education. CSNYC works to increase access to computer science in NYC public schools and is the city’s partner in the 10-year Computer Science for All (CS4All) initiative. Prior to joining CSNYC, he designed and led digital learning initiatives at the NYC Department of Education including programs in middle and high school computer science, personalized learning, and digital literacy. At Columbia University’s Center for Teaching and Learning, he led software development projects and research studies on multimedia analysis tools. He has taught courses in psychology and research methods at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology. He received a B.A. from Harvard University

The Definitive Podcast About Minecraft Education Edition featuring @PlayCraftLearn @MicrosoftEDU Sep 14, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Microsoft Innovative Educator Steve Isaacs, and Minecraft Education Manager Neal Manegold to discuss how Minecraft Education Education is shifting the way our students are learning in classrooms around the world.

What is Minecraft Education Edition?

Minecraft: Education Edition is an open-world game that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive environment where the only limit is your imagination.

Links of interest

Minecraft
Minecraft Education
Minecraft Educator Community
Minecraft Mentors
Minecraft Mentor Application
101 Ideas for Minecraft Learners (Videos)
How to Survive your First Night of Minecraft (Video)
Hour of Code
HOC: Minecraft Edition
Minecraft Twitter Chat
#MinecraftEdu WEEKLY TWITTER CHAT: Tuesdays, 5 pm PST / 8 pm EST
Steve's Blog
gamesandlearning1.blogspot.com
Twitter Links
Minecraft Twitter
Neal's Twitter

About our Guests

Neal Manegold

Neal Manegold is the Senior Manager for Minecraft Education, having previously worked at an educational technology start-up focused on personalized math instruction and real-time authentic assessment. Previously, Neal worked as an Educator and Math Coordinator in California and Washington State and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Neal grew up in Los Angeles and lives outside Seattle with his wife and two children, both of whom teach him something new about Minecraft every day.

Steve Isaacs

Steve Isaacs teaches Video Game Design and Development at William Annin Middle School in Basking Ridge, NJ. In addition, he developed and teaches an online version of the Video Game Design and Development course for the VHS Collaborative.

Steve is a strong proponent of student choice and student voice. It is his mission to provide students with opportunities to pursue and nurture their passion.

Community building and connecting with other educators is one of Steve’s passions. He is proud to be the co-founder of #EdTechBridge, a Twitter chat, and community working to build collaborative relationships with EdTech stakeholders to create better EdTech for our students. The chat meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 pm EST.

On a personal note, Steve has been married for 21 years (consecutively, to the same person 🙂 ) and has two beautiful daughters. When Steve has ‘free’ time, he loves to bike, hike, swim, snorkel, and ski, and play video games.

Please follow Steve’s blog to find out more about his pursuits http://gamesandlearning1.blogspot.com and explore his showcase of student work at http://www.pinterest.com/stevei2071

Steve can be found on twitter as @mr_isaacs and is one of the Minecraft Mentors. You can set up a time to chat with Steve through the Minecraft Mentor community site http://education.miecrosoft.com/minecraftmentors.

How can I Participate in the #Skypeathon with my students? | @MicrosoftEDU Sep 13, 2017

Show notes

On November 29 and 30, educators from across the planet will be participating in the annual Skypeathon. Brought to you by Microsoft Education, the Skypeathon is a fantastic way of bringing together not only classrooms, but it's a great opportunity to invite industry experts into your class to share their passions about their professions.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with New Jersey educator and Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Steve Isaacs and TEDx Speaker and Middle School Educator Marialice Curran and discuss how the Skypeathon has impacted their classrooms.

If your class is looking to engage with amazing educators, I would highly recommend reaching out to Steve and Marialice. Steve not only is a fellow New Jersey Educator, he is one of just a handful of teachers worldwide who are MineCraft Education Experts willing to work with you and your students and share his passions for brick building. Follow Steve online at @Mr_Isaacs

Passionate about Digital Citizenship and Student Voice, I had the pleasure of meeting Marialice and her son and they are VERY inspiring. Follow Marialice on Twitter @MBFXC

About our Guests

Marialice Curran

Dr. Marialice B.F.X. Curran is the founder and CEO of the Digital Citizenship Institute. As a mother and a connected educator, she has served as an associate professor, middle school teacher, principal and library media specialist. As a pioneer in digital citizenship, she developed and created the first 3-credit digital citizenship course for teachers in the United States. She co-founded the digital citizenship chat on Twitter (2011) and the Digital Citizenship Summit (2015). She chairs the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) digital citizenship PLN and is a researcher, keynote, and TEDxYouth speaker.

Dr. Curran is committed to promoting social good through the use of social media and technology. She believes in a community-driven approach to educating and empowering digital citizens to solve problems in local, global and digital communities. Her mission is to turn negatives into positives and help to transform participants into designers, creative thinkers, global collaborators, problem solvers and justice-oriented digital citizens.

Find out more at the Digital Citizenship Institute and follow Marialice on Twitter at @mbfxc and @digcitinstitute.

Steve Isaacs

Steve is a strong proponent of student choice and student voice. It is his mission to provide students with opportunities to pursue and nurture their passion.

Community building and connecting with other educators is one of Steve's passions. He is proud to be the co-founder of #EdTechBridge, a Twitter chat, and community working to build collaborative relationships with EdTech stakeholders to create better EdTech for our students. The chat meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 pm EST.

On a personal note, Steve has been married for 21 years (consecutively, to the same person 🙂 ) and has two beautiful daughters. When Steve has ‘free' time, he loves to bike, hike, swim, snorkel, and ski, and play video games.

Please follow Steve's blog to find out more about his pursuits http://gamesandlearning1.blogspot.com and explore his showcase of student work at http://www.pinterest.com/stevei2071

How can I participate in the Skypeathon?

It is very easy to participate in this years Skypeathon

Visit the Microsoft Educator Community and signup for a FREE account
Connect with another educator or industry professional and invite them into your classroom

For more information, please check out this SWAY:

Search Engine Optimization in the Classroom | @coolestguyinseo Sep 12, 2017

Show notes

Search Engine Optimization is a skill that we all should be thinking about when we teach our students about Digital Citizenship. When we teach our students to comment on each other's Google docs, we are really setting our students up to improve their search rank. In this episode, learn all about SEO and how we can set our students and our websites up for a global audience.

About Company

Ardor Media Factory is the ultimate multi-national backlink building company. We help businesses achieve utmost success in their respective niches. By using the most innovative methods of marketing online, we offer a wide range of services with awesome results including search engine optimization, search engine ranking, and link building. We also produce high-quality content for business websites through informative articles. Moreover, we offer free services such as keyword research and web analysis.

We dedicate ourselves in simply giving you the best content marketing results for your business niche. We provide solutions to your problems efficiently in the shortest amount of time possible. As a client-friendly company, we also strive to give you the best customer service you could ever experience. We evaluate your problem, develop an effective solution, and deliver the perfect end results.

Links of interest

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/coolestguyinseo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArdorMediaFactory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ardorseocom/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coolestguyinseo

About Kris Reid

Kris Reid started Ardor out of necessity. Living in Russia and not speaking the language, he had to find a way to make some money. As a way to bring in some cash, he decided to employ himself and started his entrepreneurial journey. As the Founder and CEO, he is dedicated to turning out a quality product for his clients and creating an exciting and nurturing work environment for his employees. His office in the Philippines employs more than 40 locals, and provides them with invaluable training and education. Kris is a philanthropist and an inventor who constantly has his finger on the pulse of his customers so he can adapt the business to meet the changing demands of the ever-evolving marketplace.

The Innovation of Music Education and Creativity with @JohnKao Sep 11, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with speaker, author, and “Serial Innovator” John Kao, founder of EdgeMakers.com. In this episode, John and Jeff discuss how creativity can be fostered in every child by developing a strong interest and love for Music Education.

Join Jeff and John on September 24th for “Hack the Classroom” Presented by Microsoft Education LIVE from 8-10AM PST. For more information: TeacherCast.net/HackTheClassroom

Links of interest

About John Kao

Dubbed “Mr. Creativity” and a “Serial Innovator” by The Economist, John Kao is a thought leader, practitioner and activist, who has played a leading role in the fields of innovation and business creativity for over 30 years. His knowledge is eclectic and blends the perspectives of musician, facilitator extraordinaire, former Harvard Business School professor, Harvard-trained psychiatrist, best-selling author, serial entrepreneur, and Tony-nominated producer of film and stage. Recently, Yamaha Music Corporation named him their first “innovation artist.”

John has spent much of his career developing compelling learning experiences for innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders. As a Harvard Business School professor from 1982-96, John created acclaimed MBA and executive courses on innovation and entrepreneurship. He ran an executive program on innovation at Stanford University’s Bowman house for three years and also served as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Innovation at the US Naval Postgraduate School.

For the past three years, John has focused his innovation pedagogy on young people. He is founder and CEO of EdgeMakers, whose mission is to empower young people worldwide to become highly effective innovators “ahead of schedule.”

John was an early proponent of what he calls “large scale innovation,” or innovation at societal scale. And for those that seek to develop innovation capacity, he counsels them to invest in innovation learning. He has been advisor to the governments of Finland, Singapore, Abu Dhabi among others, as well as to a variety of US government agencies. For three years, he served on a White House/Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology Innovation Policy Dialogue led by Dr. John Holdren and Minister Wan Gang. His advisory work has lead him to interact directly with world leaders including Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Finnish Prime Minister Esko Aho and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

John chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Innovation Council and has served as an advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative. His work has received coverage in such media as the New York Times, The Economist, CNN, and The Colbert Report. As a self-described innovation activist, John is a trusted advisor to leaders of companies, startups and nations who are on the hot seat to deliver meaningful innovation strategies and action agendas.

He is author of the best-selling Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, which describes what leaders can learn from jazz, as well as Innovation Nation, which documents America’s growing innovation challenge. His education includes BA and MD degrees from Yale, a residency at the McLean division of Massachusetts General Hospital and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

In the summer of 1969, John apprenticed to rock legend Frank Zappa. In his spare time, he plays jazz piano.

Lets have a serious discussion about Digital Literacy | Tips Tricks and Strategies w/ @DrCorinneHyde Sep 07, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Dr. Corinne Hyde, a fantastic professor at USC Rossier School of Education and an amazing educator to have a very candid discussion about Digital Literacy. In this interview, we touch on every topic from Social Media use to working with teachers who may be afraid of stepping out of the box in their classroom.

About Dr. Hyde

Dr. Corinne Hyde is an Associate Teaching Professor of Clinical Education at the USC Rossier School of Education. Her areas of expertise include Educational Leadership, Elementary Education, Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology.

Hyde has a wide variety of experience in the field of education, including classroom teaching, special education, community education, and educational administration. She currently resides in St. Gabriel, Louisiana (near Baton Rouge) and was the first full-time faculty member in the online Master of Arts in Teaching program to be fully off-site, teaching through the MAT online program’s virtual campus. Hyde is currently researching student engagement in virtual classrooms and best practices in synchronous online pedagogy.

She received both her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Educational Psychology and her Master of Science in Education in Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology from the USC Rossier School of Education. She also received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Central Florida.

Are you afraid of things you don't know ... but your students do?

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About USC Rossier School of Education

The USC Rossier School of Education strives to prepare educators who achieve positive learning outcomes across a range of settings. To better serve our students, we offer a number of our graduate programs in an online format. These innovative programs are designed and taught by the same renowned USC faculty members who teach on-campus, and take advantage of a state-of-the-art online learning platform to blend live, face-to-face online classes, dynamic self-paced coursework and field-based experiences. Learn more about our online degree programs by visiting rossieronline.usc.edu.

An Educators Guide to Pinterest

https://rossieronline.usc.edu/pinterest-for-educators/

Links of interest

Twitter: https://twitter.com/USCTeacher

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RossieratUSC

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/uscteacher

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uscteacher/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uscrossieronline

Learning about Kindness and Caring with The @BuzzyLuvz Bees. Sep 05, 2017

Show notes

Jeff sits down with author Marnie Howard to discuss her new educational books called The BuzzyLuvz and how moms and dads worldwide are teaching great behavior skills to their students with the help of some little bees.

About BuzzyLuvz

“Kindness is essential in our world today and must be reinforced during the early stages of childhood. As a former elementary school substitute teacher, I have launched a Children’s Kindness Campaign starting with my six-book series BuzzyLuvz®: Practice Kindness. This series includes Be Helpful, Be Generous, Be Polite, Be Loving, Be Positive, and Be Thankful; all brought to life by whimsical, colorful bees. These books are currently being sold on Amazon.com in both Paperback and Kindle formats.

You are certainly aware that bullying has become an even more important issue in the United States today, as our society is witnessing an unprecedented amount of violence and deaths in our schools. BuzzyLuvz® is working to resolve this issue by focusing on the root of the problem: our children’s core values. I believe that kindness is the solution to bullying. Much of the feedback I have received from parents and educators is that we need more books and programs such as BuzzyLuvz® in our school systems today. My BuzzyLuvz® book series isbeing very well received and I am grateful to be able to share it with you.”

The BuzzyLuvz® Effect

The flutter of a bee’s wings will create a flood of kindness that can be felt in schools and homes across the world.

Links of interest

About Marnie

Marnie Howard currently resides in New York, NY and is actively involved in several children's charitable organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Project Sunshine, and Little Lighthouse Foundation.

In addition to her elementary school substitute teaching experience, Marnie Howard has twenty years of sales and marketing expertise in the advertising, pharmaceutical, and real estate industries. She is the author of the book Giving is Living: 101 Ways to Practice Effortless Generosity (released 2009) published by Hatherleigh Press and distributed by Random House.

Originally from Colorado and have lived in Denver, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, and traveled to over two dozen countries, gives her a unique global perspective on kindness in the world we live in today.

QR Codes, Augmented Reality and other Scannable Tech from @ClassTechTips Sep 04, 2017

Show notes

Jeff sits down with educator, author, and Apple Distinguished Educator Monica Burns to discuss her book Deeper Learning with QR Codes and Augmented Reality.

Why Scannable Technologies?

Social Media:

About Monica Burns

Monica Burns is an Curriculum and EdTech Consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and Founder of ClassTechTips.com. As an educator, Monica was part of her school’s Federal Magnet Funding leadership team and was a vocal advocate for bringing 1:1 technology into her 5th grade classroom. During her tenure as an educator, Monica used iPads to create engaging, differentiated learning experience to meet the unique needs of her students. Realizing the power of tech tools in the classroom, Monica started ClassTechTips.com to provide a resource for educators and administrators on implementing EdTech in the classroom.

Since starting ClassTechTips.com, Monica has presented to teachers, administrators and tech enthusiasts at numerous national and international conferences including SXSWedu, ISTE, and EduTECH. She is a webinar host for SimpleK12 and a regular contributor to Edutopia and Channel One News. Monica is the author of Deeper Learning with QR Codes and Augmented Reality: A Scannable Solution for Your Classroom (Corwin, 2016).

Monica visits school across the country to work with PreK-12 teachers to make technology integration exciting and accessible. She also provides support to organizations using technology to reach children and families in need. In addition to being named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2013, Monica is an Amazon Education Teacher Innovator, Book Creator Ambassador and Nearpod Pionear for her use of engaging creation and formative assessment tools. Monica is a graduate of the University of Delaware and Hunter College, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Global Education Leadership at Lamar University.

Her mission is to help educators place the task before the app and promote deeper learning with technology. You can follow Monica on Twitter @ClassTechTips or visit her blog at ClassTechTips.com.

@RecapThat Provides Teachers With Simple To Use Video Feedback Between Teachers And Students Sep 03, 2017

Show notes

About Recap

Recap is a free video response and reflection app developed by the makers of Swivl. It gives teachers and parents insight into students’ learning and progress by introducing video as a quick, simple and everyday tool to collect student data. Recap provides evidence of student thinking, improves formative assessment, and supports personalized learning. Sign up at www.letsrecap.com!

Teacher Resources

Videos

Commercial: https://vimeo.com/153864626
Tutorial: https://vimeo.com/159384850

About Our Guest

Krysta Curtis is a Sr. Product Manager at Swivl – the makers of the professional development robot that can be found in over 20,000 schools worldwide. As Project Lead for Recap, the new student video response and reflection app, she has held conversations with hundreds of educators who’ve been instrumental in guiding the product’s development. Krysta has 10 years of design leadership experience spanning the education, game and toy industries including three years at design innovation firm, IDEO.

Recorded in 2016

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Stay In Touch With EdSurge

About CSNYC

Links of interest

About Michael Preston

What is Minecraft Education Edition?

Links of interest

About our Guests

Neal Manegold

Steve Isaacs

About our Guests

Marialice Curran

Steve Isaacs

How can I participate in the Skypeathon?

About Company

Links of interest

About Kris Reid

Links of interest

About John Kao

About Dr. Hyde

About USC Rossier School of Education

An Educators Guide to Pinterest

Links of interest

About BuzzyLuvz

The BuzzyLuvz® Effect

About Marnie

Why Scannable Technologies?

Social Media:

About Monica Burns

About Recap

Teacher Resources

Videos

About Our Guest

Related Podcasts

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