Teachers on Fire

Dale Carnegie once said that “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” And so it is. If we want to build meaningful culture, community, and relationships in our schools, we need to learn our students’ names. This is one way to do it. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/my-best-hack-for-memorizing-student-names-4c005a24beae. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Sunrise Drive by South London Hifi Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

This episode comes to you from a Tim Hortons coffee shop. Host Tim Cavey is joined by fellow edu podcasters Tim Stephenson (Science 360) and Bryon Carpenter (Fresh Air at Five). This is a learning conversation. We talk about what’s firing us up, the content that keeps us going, and the practices that stoke our fires. Join us. My guests today are: Bryon Carpenter @BryonCar: Husband, father, teacher, fisherman, carpenter. Google Certified, EdTech leader. One Word for 2022 is Presence.  Podcaster: @freshairatfive Tim Stephenson @AstroStephenson: Host of the podcast Science360 podcast • Recipient of the 2018 Prime Ministers Award of Canada • Author: Beyond the Classroom • Teach Better blogger • TEDX speaker My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Guess what, administrators. If you want your educators to teach responsively, dynamically, and sustainably, then you’ve got to create safe spaces for experimentation. That means that it has to be okay for teachers to try some new things. To leave the familiar from time to time. To make spontaneous decisions. And to make mistakes. That means that it has to be okay for you as an administrator to walk into a classroom where the lesson plan hasn’t been completely defined. Where the learning activity has yet to appear in a unit plan. Where the teacher asks students to try out new technologies that don’t work exactly as intended. That has to be okay with you. Because if it’s not — if every instructional decision has to be planned, defined, and described in advance — then experimentation simply won’t happen as often. Or ever. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/its-okay-to-be-messy-at-the-start-c4471dc2888c. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Sunrise Drive by South London Hifi Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Think for a moment. What if there was a physical skill that could actively determine an adult’s willingness to write virtually anything of length for any reason? What if this single skill determined whether basic academic tasks required minutes or hours? And what if proficiency in this same skill dramatically limited or expanded the number of academic options available to students outside of high school? Wow. That’s huge, right? If such a skill existed, you would think it would get a LOT of attention in our K-12 education systems. I believe such a skill does exist. But it hardly receives a mention. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/the-overlooked-skill-that-no-one-is-talking-about-cd3ce10a5dc. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Put your K-12 assessment tools to the test with 15 powerful questions. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/level-up-your-summative-assessments-with-this-checklist-3f05312b7ba2. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

We’re all developing learners. Every last one of us. As adults, we often have the luxury of walking away from learning that proves difficult or doesn’t interest us. Students in our current models of K-12 (or at least K-8) don’t usually have that option. So when we see our kids in the learning pit, let’s not panic or shame. Instead, let’s engage in thoughtful conversations. Let’s ask helpful questions. And let’s see what we can do to give them a helping hand. And we’ll celebrate the growth that follows. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/we-are-all-developing-learners-4cc3288aea63. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Sunrise Drive by South London Hifi Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

In 2017, I attended ISTE in San Antonio, Texas. ISTE, or The International Society for Technology in Education, hosts the largest conference for educational technology in the world. My first visit to the exhibitors’ hall was eye-opening. Wow, I thought. There are a lot of edtech companies in education right now. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/are-we-using-too-many-apps-in-education-430819c86ae3. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

I first read Ron Berger’s Leaders of Their Own Learning in 2018, and I’ve been sold on the power of learning targets ever since. I believe they’re an essential part of successful instruction, assessment, and student learning. I post learning targets on my Google Docs. On Slides. On Classroom. On Seesaw. I try to refer to them often in my instruction. And I ask students to use our targets to assess their own learning. But how much attention do students really give to learning targets? Do they actually mean anything or do they just amount to irrelevant teacher talk and background noise? Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/my-students-are-actually-thinking-about-learning-targets-da90d8db352c. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Choosing the path of sanity and sustainability isn’t easy at first. It requires trusting the process. It involves sharing agency and ownership with students. It requires the release of teacher guilt formed by the wages mindset of assessment. But take courage, colleagues. This is the path to joy in our work. The path to doing what we love to do. The path to reclaimed weekends and holidays. The path to healthier humanity and more emotional margin for students, colleagues, and family members. And, if you’re still not convinced: it’s also the path to deeper student learning. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/finding-the-path-to-sanity-sustainability-and-deeper-student-learning-97dfe61e24cc. My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today. CONNECT with ME On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire) On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire) On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Flight to Tunisia by Causmic Tangled by Emmit Fenn Road Tripzzz by Ofshane Mirror Mirror by Audio Hertz Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

In this edition of the Roundtable, host Tim Cavey is a panel of educators who are passionate about the learning opportunities created by virtual whiteboard tools. Join Melissa Aveling, Kate Stevens, Lise Farquhar, Tim Belmont, and Jeffery Frieden on an audio tour of Google Jamboard, Padlet, Whiteboard.fi, and Whiteboard.chat. Whether you’re well-versed in these tools or a complete newbie, I can promise that you’ll be inspired by the ideas shared here. Welcome to Roundtables: livestreamed conversations meant to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice. ⭐️ CONNECT with THESE INSPIRING EDUCATORS on TWITTER ⭐️ @fungooli - https://twitter.com/fungooli @KateTeaching - https://twitter.com/KateTeaching @L_Farquhar_IB - https://twitter.com/L_Farquhar_IB @TBelmontEDU - https://twitter.com/tbelmontedu @SurthrivEDU - https://twitter.com/SurthrivEDU ⭐️ CATCH the NEXT TEACHERS on FIRE ROUNDTABLE LIVE ⭐️ As of this post, I’m still appearing weekly on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time/11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. I’d love to see you join us and would be happy to feature your questions and comments on the show! ⭐️ CONNECT with TEACHERS on FIRE ⭐️ On CLUBHOUSE @TeachersOnFire On FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/groups/teachersonfire On INSTAGRAM @TeachersOnFire - https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire On LINKEDIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey On MEDIUM - https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire​​ On TIKTOK @TeachersOnFire On TWITCH - https://www.twitch.tv/teachersonfire​​ On TWITTER @TeachersOnFire - https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire​​ On VOXER @TeachersOnFire - https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire​​ On the WEBSITE - https://teachersonfire.net/​​ On YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire ⭐️ SONG TRACK CREDITS ⭐️ Business as Usual by Causmic Sunrise Drive by South London Hifi Distant Love by Causmic