James Sturtevant Hacking Engagement

Latest Episodes:

112-You Simply Must Try StoryMaps from Knight Lab...Starring Max Muhlbaier and Matt Rease Dec 17, 2018

Show notes

This past summer, I interviewed Michael Brilla about creating timelines on an amazing platform called Knight Lab. I had my students such create timelines this past September. It was a solid experience for all. The only issue we had with this application was that kids had to fill out a Google Spreadsheet and then submit that sheet to the Knight Lab platform. This one variable caused some frustration with my students. Imagine that!
What I love about StoryMaps is there are no spreadsheets involved. Your kids create the entire StoryMap right on the Knight Lab platform. It's totally web-based...which is magical. When kids are done, they hit the share button and they have the link.
This is a perfect activity for any lesson that involves events taking place in various locations. I had my students create a StoryMap on the Mongols.
To help me tell this story is Max Muhlbaier and Matt Rease. These two articulate young students (primary sources) will describe utilizing this platform.

111-A Google Drawing Prompt Template that you can use Over and Over Again...Starring Morgan Schull and Lauren Speelman Nov 16, 2018

Show notes

2 Months ago, I prompted my students to draw. I was hoping to get some masterpieces. In fairness, I did get a few spectacular and inspiring submissions. Most kids, however, were ambivalent. Many commented, "I hate drawing!" Or, "I suck at drawing!" They put forth little or no effort and it showed. The entire episode left me wondering, "How can I do this better next time?"
At this dramatic moment, Google Drawings boldly stepped on stage. I was unfamiliar with this tool, so I watched a brief and empowering tutorial. I use Google Docs and Google Slides and I was encouraged by how my experiences with those 2 tools inspired a rapid learning curve. I created a Google Drawing. As I explain in the program, I became obsessed with the process. I linked my drawing on the prompt I created to give my kids ideas.
I decided to unleash this tool on my students. It was a marvelous decision. In this program, 2 of my students, Morgan Schull and Lauren Speelman, will talk about their experiences utilizing Google Drawings. I love these 2 articulate young women. So will you.

110-TEMPORARILY Morph your Kids into Buddhist, Hindus, and Muslims via the Belief-O-Matic...Starring Sebastian Kirkpatrick and Graham Mackey Oct 28, 2018

Show notes

It's so hard to entice someone to morph into the perspective of another. Unfortunately, it's darned near impossible for adults and not that easy for kids, who hopefully are more open-minded.
I teach in a small town just outside Columbus, Ohio. We are just a couple of miles from the diversity of Columbus. However, our town is growing and diversity is coming. It's my mission to help our kids appreciate different viewpoints. I was overjoyed when I found an online tool that helps greatly in the quest. Introducing the Belief-O-Matic.
I challenged my kids to REALLY understand Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam via the Belief-O-Matic. The students were confronted with 20 questions that they tried to answer as a member of the faith we explored. Please give this a try! I guarantee the experience will be challenging and enlightening. To help me explain how to utilize this cool tool are 2 amazing primary sources. Sebastian Kirkpatrick and Graham Mackey are wonderful guys who are 11th graders at our school and they are articulate salesmen for this tool.

109-Adventures in Standards-Based Learning...Starring Mark Robinson Oct 12, 2018

Show notes

I remember 10th-grade Geometry. I was quite a distracted high schooler. And to accentuate this problem...I was a total humanities guy. Math class was more of a social opportunity as opposed to an academic endeavor. Consequently, I was totally lost. I had virtually no idea what was going on. Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids in Math classes today who resemble the 15-year-old me.
So at this juncture of our journey, Mark Robinson enters the fray. Mark is a fabulous Math teacher who embarked this fall on a Standards-Based Learning journey. Standards-Based Learning is a powerful wave that's churning on education's horizon. Mark stops into today to talk about what it is, how it works and evaluates its effectiveness. The 15-year-old James Sturtevant would have thrived with a teacher like Mark.

108-Ben Momeni and Cecilia Sutton Want you to Deliver your Next Lesson Via Padlet Sep 26, 2018

Show notes

Recently, my buddy Michael Brilla shared information on how to utilize Google Drawings. He sent me a Padlet by Karly Moura. I was mesmerized by this Padlet. The info and the direction were solid...but I was also captivated by the Padlet itself. I immediately started scheming, How can I utilize a Padlet for my next lesson prompt? It was a short skull-session. My World Civ students were due for their research paper prompt. Writing a research paper, for many students, is a daunting task. I decided to deliver my prompt and ample instructions and encouragement via a Padlet.
My efforts were fruitful! To back up this audacious claim, I commandeered two original sources. Ben Momeni and Cecilia Sutton are seniors at our school and students in my World Civ class. I permit them to migrate from study hall to my room during the last period of each day. Since I rescue them every 24 hours, they were happy to help me by appearing as guests. They're wonderful, intelligent, and articulate young people. They'll provide onsite reporting on what it's like to have a prompt dropped on you via Padlet.

107-Gamify your Next Lesson...Starring Stephanie Howell Aug 10, 2018

Show notes

In Episode 68, I demonstrated a zero-tech method of including two classic board games into your instruction. In this episode, Stephanie Howell will take gamification to a whole new level.
Stephanie is an Instructional Technology Coordinator at the Pickerington Local School District in suburban Columbus, Ohio. Stephanie and I have interacted for a while and I wanted to interview her last year, but we kept searching for the perfect topic. We found it! She's going to enlighten all of us about gamifying our next lesson. I'm certainly going to try this this fall. Stephanie promotes challenging students to solve a mystery by mimicking the classic board game Clue.
But here, dear listener, is the exciting part. Stephanie has done much of the work for us! Navigate to my show notes where you'll find a 17-minute step-by-step instructional video and a Google Doc which will be your roadmap to creating your own gamified lesson.

106-47 Years of Enticing Kids to Lean Forward...Starring Jim Mahoney Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

Jim Mahoney is a fantastic public speaker. My original intention for this episode was to help teachers improve their presentations. Yes...this interview provides such direction, but as my convo with Jim evolved, it became apparent that teacher presentations was just one layer of onion skin. Jim's been in the teaching biz for 47 years. He's been a teacher, coach, principal, central office administrator, superintendent, the Executive Director of Battelle for Kids, and finally...he's returned home to the classroom. Jim now enlightens future teachers as a professor at Ohio University.
In this episode Jim delves into hooks, transitions, lesson plans, evaluations, reading, presentation, public speaking, storytelling, student-led learning, and more. This is a man that has seen plenty of change and has embraced plenty of change. What shines through is fierce passion for kids and deep wisdom about how to foster learning. Please visit Jim's website to learn more about him, sign-up for his book notes, or ask him a question. Consider this interview a pep-talk for the 2018-2019 school year!

105 Knight Lab Transforms your Kids into Digital Bards...Starring Michael Brilla Jul 11, 2018

Show notes

I loved being a student. Sometimes as a teacher, I'd like to trade places with my students. I enjoy learning. Well in this episode, I get to do just that! Michael Brilla is a fabulous middle school history teacher from Pottstown, Pa. Michael is my teacher and I'm his student. He's going to school me about digital storytelling.
I'm reading a fascinating book called "Talk Like TED" by Carmine Gallo. Carmine evaluates the presentation styles of the most popular TED presenters. One common thread is powerful storytelling. Teachers have a responsibility to help kids evolve as storytellers. It's an essential skill. Michael Brilla and I became acquainted on Twitter. He promoted the idea of digital storytelling. I was instantly intrigued. Michael's platform of choice is Knight Lab.
Knight Lab is a free platform gifted to the world from a team of brilliant, talented, and creative faculty and students at Northwestern University. Job 1 when I return to school in one month is to master this powerful platform. I was thrilled to listen to Michael because he's already utilized it extensively and successfully. In this episode, Michael highlights his student's creation of Timelines and Story Maps. Please visit these links and marvel at what Michael's kids created. Digital storytelling has great potential!

104-Please try a SILENT Socratic Seminar...Compliments of Peergrade and the Stanford History Education Group Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

Socratic Seminars are a big part of my class. The students circle-up and then dissect complex topics. These are highly engaging, collaborative, and provocative sessions. We do them a lot. However, even if you thoroughly enjoy something, like the taste of a Reese Cup (the relevance of which I'll explain in the episode), if you do it too much...the magic is lost. I'm always looking for ways to improve engagement in class discussion. My kids are totally down with Philosophical Chairs, which I consider a highly successful experiment. A few months ago I ventured down a new a path, the Silent Socratic Seminar. Even as I read the last sentence, it seems absurd. How can you have a class discussion if no one says anything? This episode will demonstrate how you can do just that.

103-Authenticity is how Steady Teddy Bonds with Kids...Starring Ted Diepenbrock May 31, 2018

Show notes

I'm exposed to fascinating guest through common interactions on Twitter. Ted Diepenbrock is one such person. We bantered back and forth about what to discuss in this interview. We settled on bonding with students, while at the same time, empowering them by giving them choices in learning. This is a fine topic and we discuss it thoroughly. But one message came through strongest as I edited our convo:
To bond with kids you have to be authentic.
Ted is authentic. He's a calm and kind presence in his student's lives. His commitment to bonding with students and his commitment to giving kids choice shines through, but I kept thinking as we spoke about the Myers-Briggs Personality Profile. This measurement determines what gives one energy. For those familiar, I am an ENFP. I'm Extroverted, I'm Intuitive, I'm Feeling, and I'm Perceiving. If you're interested in taking an online version of the Myers-Briggs, head to this link.
Ted and I are different. I have the personality of a game show host. This might seem conducive to teaching high school students, but that's a generalization. I've had kids in class that just flat didn't care for me. There haven't been many such youngsters, but I can think of a few. My lack of rapport with these kids bothered me. One brave dissenter finally told me that it was my personality they found off-putting. "You're just so hyper", she informed. This didn't make me feel good, but it definitely altered the way I tried to interact with this kid and the way I tried to interact with standoffish kids moving forward. This somewhat painful episode demonstrated that it takes all kinds to teach. While Steady Teddy might score very different on the Myers-Briggs than me, he might of been a better fit for my students who struggle with my over-the-top personality.
As you listen to Ted, understand that you are what you are. You don't need to try to be something different.

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