Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators

 We are thrilled to share a free guide that will empower teachers and school leaders to capture meaningful reflections as they wrap up the academic year.  🤔✍️ Reflecting on the school year allows us to celebrate accomplishments, learn from challenges, and make valuable improvements for the future. 🎓💡 🔍 In this episode, you'll discover: 1️⃣ The benefits of end-of-year reflection that amplifies storytelling.  2️⃣ Strategies for facilitating reflective conversations with students. 3️⃣ A call to craft menus that dignify the work we do in education Ready to get our free guide? ➡️  Crafting The Story of Our Learning is available to download free https://shiftingschools.lpages.co/crafting-the-story-of-our-learning    

Welcome back to Shifting Schools, the podcast where innovative educational approaches meet the ever-evolving landscape of learning. Join host Jeff Utecht as he converses with renowned educator, forward-thinking leader, and author of "The Design Thinking Classroom," Mr. David Jakes. In this episode, they explore the transformative power of design thinking in the educational sphere. Alongside the stimulating conversation, we're offering listeners a chance to win one of three copies of Jakes' inspiring book. However, this isn't all the episode has in store. In their commitment to future-forward education, the team at Shifting Schools is excited to announce the launch of their 3-month Generative AI Cohort, a program designed to demystify AI for educators and bring its latest developments to their inboxes. The Generative AI Cohort aims to empower educators by providing them with the tools and knowledge to integrate AI into their teaching methods. The journey kicks off each month with a 30-minute live webinar that simplifies AI and explores its applications in education. From there, educators receive a ready-to-roll resource each month, utilizing one of the AI frameworks. This enables them to apply their learning directly to their classrooms. The program also includes updates on AI's rapid evolution, a curated list of new AI tools to experiment with, and new favorite prompts for members to play around with. As an added bonus, there's an optional Slack channel for all cohort members to share, connect, and collectively shape the future of education. Together, this podcast episode and the Generative AI Cohort serve as a compelling invitation for educators to dive into the world of design thinking and AI, powering the future of learning. Links for this episode: Entery to win a copy of "The Design Thinking Classroom" before June 1, 2023 Sign up for the 3-month Generative AI Cohort David Jakes Website Amazon: The Design Thinking Classroom

Ready for an Eggcellent Adventure? Let's explore the Egg Drop Challenge with ChatGPT 🐣🔬 In this egg-ceptionally fun episode for Day of AI, your hosts Jeff and Tricia are breaking a few eggs as they explore the ultimate egg drop competition reimagined with ChatGPT as a learning buddy!  🥚 Episode Highlights: 1️⃣ We explore our Shifting Schools 'PROMPT' framework which helps give clear guidance for prompt writers  2️⃣ We preview a handful of the 18 prompt examples found in our latest free guide (see below to download!) 3️⃣ We talk about the skills involved in effectively integrating generative AI tools 🚀 Go further with our free guide. https://shiftingschools.lpages.co/reimagining-egg-drop/ 💺 Save YOUR seat for our 3-month Generative AI Cohort! https://www.shiftingschools.com/      

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Text Blaze. If you're an educator or a student looking for a powerful tool to boost your productivity, Text Blaze is the answer. It offers you snippets of text that you can insert anywhere you type, saving you precious time. Visit Text Blaze to learn how you can streamline your typing tasks. Episode Overview: In this episode of the Shifting Schools Podcast, we sit down with the incredibly inspiring Rebekah Lowell, a Maine-based author and illustrator with a remarkable story of survival and healing. Rebekah uses her experiences and deep connection with nature to craft beautiful and meaningful children's literature. Key Links: Website: https://rebekahlowell.com/ Book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Br8RmI Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebekahLowell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebekahlowell/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebekahlowellstudio Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/rebekahlowellart/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rebekahlowell  Join us next time as we continue our exploration of the changing landscapes of education and the people making a difference.      

On this episode, we think about ways to spread appreciation throughout the year.  Might your team benefit from spreading positive gossip about fellow team members?  How might that spark the practice of better noticing the strengths within your community? We explore our latest free guide Positive Gossip that you can download by clicking this link. This episode also explores research about the role of gossip, read more by clicking this link. Ready to join our webinar coming up May 11th? Learn all about Skills Based Assessment in the Era of ChatGPT As a listener of this show you can take $25 off that webinar by entering special code "SSNEWS25" at checkout.  

It is teacher appreciation week and we are thrilled to have the award winning Taylor Mali on the show to shower teachers with stanzas of support and care. Taylor talks about his brand new book "The Teachers I Loved Best," as well as the collaborative process behind that book. Listeners may remember his TED Talk 'What Teachers Make' that has now been viewed over 800,000 times. On this episode we talk further about what it means to be an educator, how and why we need to expand on our definition for educator as well as the significance of emotional intelligence. To connect with this week's guest you can find him across social media: Website: TaylorMali.com Twitter: @TaylorMali Instagram: taylor_mali Learn more about our guest: TAYLOR MALI is a four-time National Poetry Slam champion and one of the original poets on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. The author of six books of poetry including Late Father & Other Poems, he is also the inventor of Metaphor Dice, a game that helps writers think more figuratively. He lives in Brooklyn. OTHER FUN FACTS ABOUT TAYLOR MALI:  • In a game of SCRABBLE he once earned a score of 581.  • He is a 13th-generation resident of New York City, descended from Dutch settlers who arrived on island as immigrants and invaders in 1624.  • He convinced 1,000 people to become teachers and then donated 12” of his hair to the American Cancer Society. • He was once the voice of all Burger King commercials.

On this episode, we ask you to consider the ways we might need to rethink traditional career fairs. If your school hosts 'world of work' events, have you thought about ways those events have changed with the needs of learners?   ➡️ You can check out our Future of Work curated playlist by clicking here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Other research links discussed in this episode 🔗: Tech’s hottest new job: AI whisperer. No coding required. How skills-based organizations can use AI to create the jobs of tomorrow Almost 40% of Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram for search instead of Google, according to Google’s own data Curious to see how plumbers are connecting with aspiring workers? Click here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🦾 Ready to learn more about leveraging ChatGPT? Join us for a webinar on May 11th, learn more here. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------   📱Connect with us on Twitter:   Send us your thoughts on this episode and your request for future conversations    

In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff interviews Dan Barak, from Text Blaze, a text-expansion tool that can save users time and make typing more efficient. Dan explains how Text Blaze can be used in education by creating shortcuts for frequently used phrases or words, which can be helpful for students and teachers. He shares examples of how Text Blaze has been used in education, such as providing feedback on writing assignments or taking notes in class. Dan also discusses how Text Blaze can be integrated into existing workflows and tools used in schools. We thank Text Blaze for being a sponsor of the Shifting Schools community and you can try Text Blaze for free at textblaze.me/shiftingschools

Welcome to this special episode of Shifting Schools, where we dive into the exciting world of AI in education, with a special guest ChatGPT. We discuss the potential benefits and concerns surrounding the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in the classroom and explore how educators can integrate this technology effectively to enhance learning experiences. Throughout the episode, we emphasize the importance of responsible and ethical use of AI, while highlighting the need for collaboration, personalization, and the development of higher-order skills. In our conversation, we share practical tips for educators on how to adapt assessments, foster collaboration, and encourage ethical use of AI. We provide examples of creative assessment methods that focus on critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving, enabling teachers to create engaging, innovative learning environments for their middle school and high school students. The discussion also covers the role of AI in shaping the future of education and how educators can stay informed and make the most of AI technology. We encourage listeners to explore the possibilities offered by AI tools like ChatGPT and consider embracing them in their classrooms. By doing so, we can create a more engaging, collaborative, and effective learning environment that prepares our students for the challenges of the future. To learn more about ChatGPT and OpenAI, be sure to visit the OpenAI website. Don't miss this insightful episode that will leave you inspired to try AI in your own classroom! Disclaimer: This episode uses AI created responoes from ChatGPT and an original AI created voice created at elevenlabs.io exclusivily for this episode. 

In today's episode, we have a very special guest, Jennifer LaGarde, aka The Library Girl @jenniferlagarde, an incredible advocate for information literacy and the co-author of "Developing Digital Detectives" 📱🕵️‍♂️. Get ready for an engaging conversation about the importance of information literacy in the digital age, and how we can empower students to be critical thinkers and responsible digital citizens.  Key Points: The Need for Information Literacy: Jennifer discusses the critical need for information literacy skills in today's digital world 🌍. She highlights the importance of teaching students how to effectively evaluate and use online information, navigate digital resources, and critically analyze media messages 📰.  Introducing "Developing Digital Detectives": Jennifer provides insights into her book "Developing Digital Detectives" 📕, which focuses on empowering students to become digital-savvy detectives who can effectively navigate the online world.  We also look at how Jennifer leverages online book talks to encourage readers of all ages.   Our Guest: Jennifer LaGarde Jennifer LaGarde is a lifelong teacher and learner with over 20 years in public education. Her educational passions include leveraging technology to help students develop authentic reading lives, meeting the unique needs of students living in poverty and helping learners (of all ages) discern fact from fiction in the information they consume. Jennifer is the coauthor of the books Fact VS Fiction: Teaching Critical Thinking In the Age of Fake News (ISTE, 2018) and Developing Digital Detectives (ISTE, 2021) with Darren Hudgins. Subscribe to their free monthly information literacy newsletter here! A huge fan of YA Literature, Jennifer currently lives, works, reads and drinks lots of coffee in Olympia, Washington. Follow her adventures at www.librarygirl.net or on Twitter @jenniferlagarde.   Visit textblaze.me/shiftingschools to get started saving time today!