10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher

Caring for our earth is a focus of Earth Day. Today we discuss ways that any classroom can talk about sustainability and caring for the environment, no matter the political landscape of your community or school. Teachers will find ideas they can use to help their students year-round know how to care for their environment and community. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e735 Episode Sponsor: The Stone Soup Leadership Institute would like to invite you and your students to be delegates at the 17th Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainability - from June 21-25, featuring inspiring speakers from their new book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes. In May, there will be a teacher orientation on how to use the companion educational curriculum. At the culmination of the Summit, you will be guests at the World's Largest Book Signing. And in honor of Earth Day, the Institute is offering you a pre-order link on Amazon to buy the book at a discounted rate. Do you know any students who are passionate about sustainability? Well, from now until May 6, just go to www.coolcatteacher.com/apply and apply now Rebecca Anderson - Bio As submitted Rebecca came to the Alliance for Climate Education in its inception in 2008 as an Educator, and now serves as ACE’s Director of Education. Rebecca develops ACE’s science content, manages the online climate education resource Our Climate Our Future, oversees the ACE Teacher Network, and works with schools in the Reno-Tahoe area. Rebecca holds a B.A. in Geosciences from Williams College and an M.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Colorado. For her graduate degree, she studied melting ice caps on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Some of the ice caps she studied in 2005 are now completely gone. Rebecca has also worked in Antarctica as a member of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Core Drilling Project, where she analyzed the age of the ice core, shoveled mountains of snow, lived in a tent, and worked in an (no joke) air-conditioned room at -30ºF. When not fighting climate change, Rebecca enjoys chasing her husband Andy and young son Huck over the slopes, rocks, and trails around Truckee, CA. Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Thursday, April 22 is Earth Day. As citizens of this planet, we should all care about caring for this world. Today, Monica Burns gives us practical ways to teach and encourage students to be good caretakers of the world we live in. Every teacher will find an idea they can use any time of the year to encourage sustainability and caring for our environment. www.coolcatteacher.com/e734 Monica Burns - Bio As Submitted Dr. Monica Burns is a curriculum and educational technology consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and founder of ClassTechTips.com. As a classroom teacher, Monica used one-to-one technology to create engaging, standards-based lessons for students. 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. Monica is the author of Deeper Learning with QR Codes and Augmented Reality: A Scannable Solution for Your Classroom (Corwin Press, 2016) and #FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scannable Formative Assessment with Technology (Corwin Press, 2017). Monica visits schools across the country to work with PreK-20 teachers to make technology integration exciting and accessible. She also provides support to organizations using technology to reach children and families in need. Her mission is to help educators place tasks before apps and promote deeper learning with technology. You can find out more about working with Monica, and her books and resources by visiting ClassTechTips.com.

Professional Development can be an adventure! You can create fun, exciting professional development. With hyperdocs and a "choose your own adventure" format, Laurie Guyon helped her teachers get excited about learning new tools (and gave them a model they are now using with students.) Learn about this approach to professional development and teaching and how you can use it in your classroom. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e733 Laurie Guyon - Bio As Submitted Laurie Guyon is the Coordinator for Model Schools at WSWHE BOCES and a trainer with NYSCATE. Laurie was named one of the NextGen: Emerging EdTech Leaders for 2020 with CoSN.   Laurie is part of the first DigCit Institute Global Impactor Cohort and is a member of the NYSCATE Social Media Team and Volunteer Hall of Fame.   Website: https://sites.google.com/wswheboces.org/smilelearning/home   Twitter: @smilelearning

Combatting the coronavirus with apps is a challenge. With privacy and tracking concerns being an issue, how can it be done? Today's guest Po Shen Lo from Carnegie Mellon University talks about an app he's invented that uses a mesh network to help his college and also Georgia Tech combat COVID-19 among their students. This is a fascinating conversation that you'll want to hear about a new way to use smartphones in a way that doesn't compromise privacy but can be used to help many kinds of societal issues.   Show Notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e732   Po Shen Lo - Bio As Submitted Po-Shen Loh is a social entrepreneur, working across the spectrum of mathematics, education, and healthcare, all around the world. He is the founder of the free personalized learning platform expii.com, a social enterprise supported by his series of online math courses that reinvent the middle school math curriculum with a focus on creative thinking. He is also a math professor at Carnegie Mellon University and the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team. Upon the outbreak of COVID, he turned his mathematical attention to create NOVID, the world's first app to introduce the fundamentally different network radar paradigm for pandemic control. https://www.poshenloh.com/

As we consider how we move back into school, we need to think about neuroscience research about how students learn. Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath talks about stress, learning duration, homework, spaced repetition, and sleep as well as computers and technology. You can't just have a longer school day to improve learning. You also can't always expect every technology to improve learning either.  www.coolcatteacher.com/e731 Sponsor: Advancement Courses’ Tournament of Teachers bracket challenge is back again for the fourth year in a row and voting is now open from March 22 to March 31. This year’s “Remember When. . . Edition” features 32 scenarios that educators both miss and don’t miss about classroom life before 2020. Things like “taking students on field trips vs. hosting classroom parties” or “fire drills derailing your lesson vs. a broken air conditioner.” Vote for which scenarios you want to see advance in each round and see the winners announced on April 1. This is going to be fun! Visit coolcatteacher.com/tournament to learn more and start voting! Jared Cooney Horvath - Bio As Submitted Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is an expert in the field of Educational Neuroscience. He has conducted research and lectured at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, the University of Melbourne, and over 150 schools internationally. Jared's work has been featured in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Economist, and NOVA. He currently serves as Director of LME Global: a team dedicated to bringing the latest brain and behavioral research to teachers, students, and parents. His latest book is 10 Things Schools Get Wrong and What We Can Do About Them Blog: https://www.lmeglobal.net/ @jchorvath

If you need safe, fun ways for students to connect and learn while keeping their distance in the classroom then augmented reality apps might be for you. But there are best practices you can use to teach math, ELA and more using Augmented reality. In today's show Mitchell Weisburg, cofounder of the nonprofit Games4Ed, shares pedagogical best practices for using augmented reality in the classroom with 3D Bear and other tools. www.coolcatteacher.com/e730 Sponsor: Advancement Courses’ Tournament of Teachers bracket challenge is back again for the fourth year in a row and voting is now open from March 22 to March 31. This year’s “Remember When. . . Edition” features 32 scenarios that educators both miss and don’t miss about classroom life before 2020. Things like “taking students on field trips vs. hosting classroom parties” or “fire drills derailing your lesson vs. a broken air conditioner.” Vote for which scenarios you want to see advance in each round and see the winners announced on April 1. This is going to be fun! Visit coolcatteacher.com/tournament to learn more and start voting! Mitchell Weisberg - Bio as Submitted Mitch helps organizations succeed in the education market. Mitch co-founded Academic Business Advisors in 2005, to help organizations reach teaches and students in the US. In 2014, Mitch co-founded Edchat Interactive with Tom Whitby and Steve Anderson, a service to share best practices among educators through live online interactive events. In January 2015, Mitch co-founded the nonprofit Games4Ed with Larry Cocco, to facilitate collaborations between educators, researchers, game developers, publishers and policymakers to further the use of games and other immersive strategies in schools. Mitch served on the Board of the Ed-Tech Industry Network (ETIN) of the SIIA from 2012-2019, was cochair from 2015-2016, and was the chair in 2019. In January 2019, Mitch became US COO of 3DBear, a Finnish EdTech company that uses Augmented Reality to motivate students to engage and learn deeply. If you are at all interested in what Mitch did before 2005, buy him a glass of wine and ask. Hint: he taught and developed over 200 courses. Blog: https://blog.academicbiz.com/ Twitter: @weisburghm

We know that to teach students, we must relate to educate and one of the first things we must relate to is their emotions in that moment. In today's show, Robin Fox shares four techniques you can use in your face-to-face or distance classroom to connect with your student's social and emotional lives. She reminds us that student emotions are constantly in motion but we have to help them so we can unlock their ability to live better lives, listen, and learn. Let's tune in to our student's social-emotional learning and help them succeed. Sponsor: Advancement Courses’ Tournament of Teachers is here! Enter now for a chance to win prizes like a $1,000 Amazon gift card and more by submitting your bracket from now until March 21. This year’s is a fun “Remember When” edition which will feature 32 scenarios that we educators miss and don’t miss about classroom life before 2020. Things like “taking students on field trips vs. hosting classroom parties” or “fire drills derailing your lesson vs. a broken air conditioner.” Voting runs from March 22-31 and you can vote for the ones you want to advance. Register now and let the tournament begin! Show Notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e728 Related Resources eBook: 3 Fun and Simple Games to Teach Relationship Skills to Students: https://www.social-eyes.org/3games/ SocialEyes Together® SEL Curriculum: https://www.social-eyes.org/curriculum Robin Fox M.Ed is a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) educator, lifelong meditator, and professional improv actor. She has been working in private and public schools, K-12, as a special educator, professional trainer, and consultant for over forty years. Her SEL curriculum, SocialEyes Together® transforms children’s lives to walk forward into their future with self-confidence, empathy, and resilience. Robin is a member of the Connecticut Social and Emotional Collaborative. She is also part of a working committee revising the Components of Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Habits: Grades 4-12 for the CT State Department of Education. Visit her website at www.social-eyes.org Blog: https://social-eyes.org FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/socialeyestogether/  Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Did you know that you can play massive Kahoot games with many students as players? Today's guest, George Pearce, talks about how he streams Kahoot games, handles security and privacy, fights bots that allow cheating and attack his Kahoot games and also how he deals with lag to make game competitions more equitable even when hundreds of miles separate the learners. He also shares the software he uses and tips to get started. You'll be able to use what you learn for any multiplayer gaming you want to hold across your school, district, or even across the world. www.coolcatteacher.com/e728 Sponsor: Advancement Courses’ Tournament of Teachers is here! Enter now for a chance to win prizes like a $1,000 Amazon gift card and more by submitting your bracket from now until March 21. This year’s is a fun “Remember When” edition which will feature 32 scenarios that we educators miss and don’t miss about classroom life before 2020. Things like “taking students on field trips vs. hosting classroom parties” or “fire drills derailing your lesson vs. a broken air conditioner.” Voting runs from March 22-31 and you can vote for the ones you want to advance. Register now and let the tournament begin! Related Resources Kahoot OBS Software - Open Broadcast Studio Bio as submitted   George is a Kahoot! Ambassador from Winnipeg Manitoba Canada. He teaches his grade 7 & 8 students math, science, and STEM. George is focused on providing students with fun, engaging, and joyful learning experiences. He is a Makey Makey certified educator, Microbit ambassador, Microsoft Innovative Educator and general tech enthusiast.   George loves to make learning a hands on experience, infusing technology, coding, and electronics into common classroom activities and projects. George also teaches his students the power and importance of contributing to online communities. He models what it means to be a connected and responsible digital citizen in global learning communities. George wants students graduating from his classroom to love learning, with the hope of fostering a life long passion.     Twitter: @GPearceWSD Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/georgepearce & https://youtube.com/c/GBGAMING204   Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.  

Some schools need to reset their relationships with parents. Others want to make it stronger as they transition to a different form of learning. At the forefront of all of this is the psychological health of students during this time. JT Taylor is helping schools connect with parents and support them and today he gives advice to schools and teachers who are ready to move to better relationships with parents. Check out the show notes and links at www.coolcatteacher.com/e727 Jahkari "JT" Taylor - Bio as Submitted Jahkari “JT” Taylor is an award-winning educator, author, researcher, and passionate speaker. JT is a 2016 Iota Phi Lambda Emerald Educator, the 2016 Teacher of the Year for Oscar F. Smith High School, and the 2017 Overall City-Wide Teacher of the Year for Chesapeake Public Schools. JT has presented at numerous K-12 schools, colleges/universities, and professional conferences across the nation. He has been featured in a WHRO commercial titled, “The Teaching Profession,” and he was recently selected as a 2019 ASCD Emerging Leader. With three earned degrees and over 12 years of experience working as a Special Education Teacher, a Title I Instructional Coach, and an Educational Consultant, JT brings a unique perspective to the field of education. As the CEO of Purpose Pushers LLC, JT serves as the Chief Equity Officer. He provides consulting services, job-embedded coaching, and staff development in the areas of social-emotional learning (SEL), culturally responsive teaching practices, special education, and best instructional practices for reaching all learners. JT’s motto is simple: “Know Your Why!” Learn more at www.purposepushers.com  Dr. Alexander's Twitter: @purposepushers

Teachers are stressing over so many things. Today, Dr. Desiree Alexander tackles three of those issues: distance learning, hybrid learning, and digital equity. She shares the WHO system for evaluating technology, tips for hybrid learning, and timeless principles for considering digital equity and relating to your students and colleagues in professional and respectful ways. Check out the show notes and links at www.coolcatteacher.com/e726 Today’s sponsor: Advancement Courses. Choose from over 280 online graduate-level PD courses in 20 subject areas that are self-paced with up to six months to complete. Go to advancementcourses.com/coolcat and save 20% off each course by using the code COOL20. That’s just $120 per graduate credit hour or $160 for 50 clock hours. You can also receive graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited university partners for continuing education requirements. Never stop learning! Dr. Desiree Alexander - Bio as Submitted Dr. Desiree Alexander is an award-winning, multi-degreed educator who has been in the educational field since 2002. She is currently the Regional Director of North Louisiana for the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana. She is the Founder CEO of Educator Alexander Consulting, LLC. She consults with members of several schools/businesses and presents at conferences nationwide. Dr. Alexander is lifetime certified in Louisiana in Secondary English Education, as a Reading Specialist, as a School Librarian, as an Educational Technology Facilitator, as an Educational Technology Leader and in Educational Leadership 1. She is certified in Texas as a Principal, in English Language Arts and Reading for grades 4-8 and grades 8-12, as a Reading Specialist for grades EC-12, and as a School Librarian. She holds multiple technology certifications, including, but not limited to, IC3 certification, Google Certified Trainer and Innovator, Apple Teacher 2016, and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer and Expert. She holds a Bachelor, a Master + 30, and an Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University, a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University and a Master of Educational Leadership with a concentration in Educational Technology Leadership from Nicholls State University. She also holds a Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Lamar University. She is a 2020 International Society for Technology in Education Featured Voice, 2020 Future of Education Technology Conference Featured Presenter, 2019 Customer Commitment Award Honoree from Better Business Bureau's Torch Awards for Ethics, a 2019 Shreveport National Pan-Hellenic Council Mover and Shaker, a 2017 Young Professional Initiative 40 Under 40 Awards Honoree, 2017 Center for Digital Education Top 30 Technologists, Transformers & Trailblazers, 2017 PBS Learning Media Digital Innovator for Louisiana, 2016 Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana Member of the Year, 2015 Librarian of the Year for Louisiana Librarian Association, 2014 Leader of the Year for Region 2 Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators, and her recent campus's 2015 Teacher of the Year in the Zachary Community School District. Learn more at www.educatoralexander.com. Dr. Alexander's Twitter: @educatoralex Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."