Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators

How is Minecraft a powerful tool for building community, fostering inclusion, and engaging learners? This week's amazing guest Mashfiq Ahmed has an answer for that question and tons of wisdom to share. Meet this week's special guest: ➡️ Mashfiq Ahmed (he/him) is a high school chemistry teacher at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York. He has been playing video games ever since he was 4-years-old and they have positively shaped him into the person that he is today. As a teacher, Mashfiq utilizes classroom gamification tools in order to support all of his students and make science more engaging. When the 2020-2021 virtual school year started, Mashfiq created an after school Minecraft Club in order for students to have a place to relax and de-stress through gaming during the pandemic. Since then, the club has grown to become something so much bigger than he could have possibly imagined. For example, Mashfiq’s Minecraft Club participates in esports building competitions with designs that promote equity, accessibility, and sustainability in New York City. Mashfiq strives to create a safe space for all, especially neurodivergent, people of color, and LGBTQ+ students, to express themselves through Minecraft and gaming. His Minecraft Club members are also Minecraft Student Ambassadors who have provided Minecraft training for other teachers and have showcased their work globally, such as at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference. Mashfiq hopes that the future of gaming continues to be more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Additionally, he is also a certified Minecraft educator and a global Minecraft mentor. Due to Mashfiq’s efforts he was recently inducted into The Game Awards Future Class of 2022, which honors inspiring individuals who represent the bright, bold, and inclusive future of video games.  🔦 Ready to connect with Mashfiq? Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrAhmedGaming YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MrAhmedGaming Minecraft Club Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdhsminecraftclub/  Minecraft Club Linktree: https://linktr.ee/MinecraftClub 🔗Additional Links discussed and further ways to learn about Masfiq's work: New York City's DIIT presents Minecraft Education - Battle of the Boroughs The Battle of the Boroughs: A Win for Education and Esports BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS: EMPOWERING YOUTH FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE NYC 🎮 Connect with our sponsors 🎮   Daigon and X-Sense Unlock the potential of Esports for your school with DAIGON's platform, solutions, and expertise guiding your International School to success in the world of esports. X-Sense is an innovative company providing home safety products, including cutting-edge smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, and other smart home security systems designed to keep you and your loved ones safe 24/7. With easy-to-install devices and smart technology,  you’ll have peace of mind knowing that X-Sense is always on guard. Protect what matters most with X-Sense. Check out the great X-Sense deals for Amazon Prime Day. Ready to continue your learning with Shifting Schools? Connect with our pathways and continue your journey of learning. Reach out to us with your questions and comments, we LOVE hearing from listeners: info(at) shiftingschools (dot com)

Our summer-long series on esports continues with a great conversation about aligning your curriculum with esports and leveraging esports as a way to build and nurture your school community. Meet this week's special guest: ➡️ Mike Dahle is a Business Teacher at Elkhorn Area HS and President of the Wisconsin HS Esports Association.  He was a second-year teacher when he learned how far PC gaming had come since his younger gaming days when a student gave a presentation on the League of Legends World Championship. Ever since that presentation, his interest in esports has grown exponentially. He started one of the first state associations that has since grown to 125+ schools around the state, serves as a Board Member for the Milwaukee Esports Alliance, serves as a Board Member for the Interstate Scholastic Esports Alliance, and is constantly trying to push esports to the next level in the state of Wisconsin.   🔦 Ready to connect with Mike? Find him on Twitter Connect with him on LinkedIn Learn more about his organisation.   🎮 Connect with our sponsors 🎮   Daigon and X-Sense   Unlock the potential of Esports for your school with DAIGON's platform, solutions, and expertise guiding your International School to success in the world of esports.   X-Sense is an innovative company providing home safety products, including cutting-edge smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, and other smart home security systems designed to keep you and your loved ones safe 24/7. With easy-to-install devices and smart technology,  you’ll have peace of mind knowing that X-Sense is always on guard. Protect what matters most with X-Sense. Check out the great X-Sense deals for Amazon Prime Day. Ready to continue your learning with Shifting Schools? Connect with our pathways and continue your journey of learning. Reach out to us with your questions and comments, we LOVE hearing from listeners: info(at) shiftingschools (dot com)  

🏁This is the first in our summer-long series on esports!🏁 Meet this week's special guest: ➡️ Dr. Krista-Lee M. Malone is the Director of both the UW-Madison Game Lab and the game design certificate. Her past research has included MMORPGs massively multiplayer online role-playing games, the making of educational games in Taiwan (where she concurrently worked as a designer and consultant) and using game design in the social sciences, especially anthropology, and for community outreach. Dr. Malone is currently working on designing game for prosocial communities as well as experimenting with pedagogical uses of Twitch.tv and Discord. Outside of academia she works in user research and consultation and is a board member of MKEsports, an alliance aimed at positively growing the culture and connectivity of regional esports groups, gamers, businesses, and community partners. If you want to geek out with her, she can be found on Twitter and Twitch under the tag “GamerAnthro.” 🔦 Ready to connect with Dr. Malone? Explore her university profile. Find Dr Malone on Twitter. As discussed on this episode check out this earlier interview via The Academy of esports 🎮 Connect with our sponsor: Daigon Unlock the potential of Esports for your school with DAIGON's platform, solutions, and expertise guiding your International School to success in the world of esports. Ready to continue your learning with Shifting Schools? Connect with our pathways and continue your journey of learning. Reach out to us with your questions and comments, we LOVE hearing from listeners: info(at) shiftingschools (dot com)  

On this episode of the podcast Jeff and Tricia speak with Allie Cornejo who is a High School Librarian/Lead Librarian in Harlingen, TX. She is chair of the TLA Public Relations and Marketing Committee, as well as chair for TASL's Legislative and Advocacy Committee, and co-hosts the Libraries Transform Texas Podcast. She is an enthusiast of YA lIt and graphic novels, and can often be found reading them late into the night with her booklight. Ready to connect with this week's guest? Twitter - @allie_cornejo, Instagram & Facebook - @alliethelibrarian More about Libraries Transform Texas: https://txla.org/tools-resources/libraries-transform-texas/ Books recommended on this episode Miss Quinces: A Graphic Novel The Weight of Blood Indivisible BookTubers Recommended Hailey in Bookland Jesse The Reader Learn more about Shifting Schools www.shiftingschools.com

Why do book groups need scaffolding? How can we make the facilitation of book clubs just a tiny teeny bit easier? That's what we discuss in this special episode. To get the free guide explored in our conversation: https://shiftingschools.lpages.co/book-group-protocol/ Learn more about our AI offerings: https://www.shiftingschools.com/learn Follow us online and let us know what you are reading this summer On Twitter On IG On TikTok

On this episode, we talk with Zackary Grady about their award-nominated production Gay Pride and Less Prejudice. Learn all about that show: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26518740/ Learn more about Zackary: https://www.thackarybinx.com/about Check out the books he recommended: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/40779647 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60141378-nikhil-out-loud Take 25 dollars off the Media Literacy and Inclusion Shifting Schools Course: Use promo code 'BABA25' at checkout: https://www.shiftingschools.com/store-2/p/media-literacy-and-inclusion

Angeline Aow, author of 'Becoming A Totally Inclusive School,' discusses the construction of a comprehensive guide on inclusivity in education, the importance of advocacy alliances and accountability in schools, the agricultural knowledge of Indigenous Australians, valuing different ways of knowing, and gratitude towards the community for engaging with their book.

In this episode, we discuss our latest free on-pager to help you reimagine your relationship with social media this summer. Inside that one-pager, we have our B.A.L.A.N.C.E. framework: B - Boundaries: What is ONE new boundary you might set for your use of social media? A - Assign an Intention: Know what you are going online for L - Limit Notifications: Can you try to decrease the number of apps and notifications you receive?  A - Arrange and rearrange: Move apps around on your phone and notice how it influences use. N - Notice your emotions:  How do you feel before, during, and after using an app? C - Consider experiments: Might you make one meal a day a tech-free time? E - Emphasize curiosity: how might you encourage more conversations? Ready to get the free one-pager? https://shiftingschools.lpages.co/summer-social-shifts/ Ready to check out the guide with more guidance on sparking conversations about our relationship with social media? https://shiftingschools.lpages.co/exploring-social-media/  Learn more about the 3-Month Generative AI Cohort and lock in our early bird rate before June 10: https://www.shiftingschools.com/store-2/p/3-month-generative-ai-cohort

On this episode we hear from Tan and Beth as they talk to us about the incredible new book: Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals "This practical, easy-to-implement, cross-curricular instructional framework includes strategies, implementation prompts, templates, and essential actions that create the conditions for  experienced multilinguals to process content and clearly communicate discipline-specific ideas."   Learn more about our guests: www.bethskelton.com tankhuynh.com   And be sure to learn more about their book. Use special code "Save20" on checkout to get a discount.  

How are your conversations about generative AI tools like ChatGPT centering and focusing on equity and inclusion? On this episode, we dig into that and provide listeners an opportunity to go further with our latest free guide! You can download AI LIteracy and LGBTQ+ Inclusion here Did you want to enter to win a seat to the June 3rd Pride and Less Prejudice celebrity panel? Download the guide by 9pm EST on June 1st to enter or email tricia (at) shiftingschools.com by that deadline using the email subject 'enter to win' and you'll be entered. Learn all about the June 3rd fundraiser here. Research discussed on this episode: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2023/ai-chatbot-learning/ https://ideas.ted.com/you-can-help-fix-wikipedias-gender-imbalance-heres-how-to-do-it/