10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher

This time of year is a challenging one for educators. It is easy to feel overwhelmed. Today's show will encourage and help you to overcome that overwhelmed feeling with 21-year educator Jon Harper. www.coolcatteacher.com/e485 Bio as Submitted Jon is the author of My Bad: 24 Educators Who Messed Up, Fessed Up and Grew, the host of My Bad and the co-host of Teachers’ Aid. During his 21 years in education, Jon was a nationally board certified teacher, a math coach and is currently an assistant principal at Sandy Hill Elementary School in Dorchester County. Twitter: @Jonharper70bd

Dr. Sarah Fine, co-author of  In Search of Deeper Learning, The Quest to Remake the American High School talks about her research into remarkable high school experiences. Also, check the show notes for a transcript. www.coolcatteacher.com/e484 Dr. Sarah Fine, Bio as Submitted Dr. Sarah Fine is an educator, ethnographer, and the co-author of In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School. She currently directs the High Tech High Graduate School of Education's Teaching Apprenticeship Program and also serves as a Lecturer in Education Studies at the University of California San Diego. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Education Week, and a range of academic journals.   Twitter: @sarahmfine

Teachers spend hours giving effective feedback only to have students not respond or use it to improve. In this case, one could argue that the teacher isn't giving effective feedback because it is not being used to learn. Twelve-year English teacher turned principal Jordan Catapano helps us have more effective feedback that actually works to improve learning. www.coolcatteacher.com/483 Jordan Catapano - Bio As Submitted Jordan Catapano taught English for twelve years in a Chicago suburban high school, where he is now an Assistant Principal. In addition to being National Board Certificated and head of his school’s Instructional Development Committee, he also has worked with the Illinois Association of Teachers of English and has experience as a school board member for a private school. You can follow him on Twitter at @BuffEnglish.   Twitter: @BuffEnglish

Dr. Nicol R. Howard champions digital equity issues for children. What are those issues? How can we help? Today we take a dive into digital equity and the issues we should all consider -- and it is not just those with poverty who may not have access. Hear the surprising thing realized at the end of the show. www.coolcatteacher.com/e482 Related Resources Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for Teacher Prep Programs,  Pre-order --- Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for the K-12 Classroom Standing in the Gap: Empowering New Teachers Through Connected Resources Journal pubs: Howard, N.R. (2018). EdTech Leaders’ Beliefs: How are K-5 teachers supported with the integration of computer science in K-5 classrooms?. Technology, Knowledge and Learning. doi:10.1007/s10758-018-9371-2 Howard, N.R. & Ifenthaler, D. (2018). Integrating STEM Opportunities for Young Learners. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 23(2), 1-3. doi: 10.1007/s10758-018-9364-1 Nicol Howard, Ph.D. - Bio As Submitted Nicol R. Howard, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Redlands. She has served as an educator in various capacities over the past 19 years. She has taught at the high school level (9th – 12th grades and Special Education), grades K through 5, and she was a Program Specialist in Personalized and Blended Learning. Nicol has also taught in the College of Educational Studies at Chapman University. Nicol is the outgoing co-chair for ISTE’s Digital Equity Network, and she is the past chair for the American Educational Research Association’s Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning SIG. Her research foci are equitable uses of technology in K16 classrooms, STEM Education opportunities and achievement, and teacher education concerns. Her writing has appeared in the Corwin Connected Educators Series Standing in the Gap: Empowering New Teachers Through Connected Resources, Urban Education Journal, International Journal of Educational Technology, EduCause, Edutopia, and eCampus News. Blog: https://www.nicolhoward.com Twitter: @nicolrhoward  

Preventing burnout, finding the right colleagues, communication, the struggle with perfection... these topics are just some of the encouragements that 30-year special education teacher-turned-college-professor Pat Hensley has for teachers everywhere. This South Carolina teacher has a message of hope and encouragement from her experience in education that will help all of us get motivated this Monday! www.coolcatteacher.com/e481 Pat Hensley - Bio as Submitted Pat taught students with special needs in public school for over thirty years. Now she teaches at the university level to preservice teachers and teachers getting their master's degree in special education. She was nationally board certified in 2002 and in 2006 was Mauldin High School's Teacher of the Year and a Greenville County School District Teacher of the Year Top 10 Finalist. Blog: http://successfulteaching.net Twitter: @looneyhiker

Shalini Shankar has been studying Generation Z. From spelling bee's to sports, this generation seems to be professionalizing their childhood. Learn more about this generation so you can be a better teacher for them. www.coolcatteacher.com/e480  Shalini Shankar is Professor of Anthropology and Asian American Studies at Northwestern University. She is the author of three books, including Beeline: What Spelling Bees Reveal about Generation Z’s New Path to Success. She is a cultural and linguistic anthropologist whose ethnographic research focuses on youth, media, language use, race & ethnicity, and Asian diasporas. She is the mother of two Gen Z children.   Blog: shalinishankar.net Twitter: @shalini_shankar

Joe Fatheree helped co-organize a recent national summit on school safety in the United States. In today's show, Joe talks about the summit, what schools are doing nationwide on safety, and the need to help lonely children who are struggling. www.coolcatteacher.com/e479 Joe Fatheree's Bio as Submitted Joe Fatheree is an award-winning author, educator, and filmmaker. He has received numerous educational awards, including Illinois Teacher of the Year and the NEA's National Award for Teaching Excellence. He was recently named one of the Top 10 Teachers in the World by the Varkey Foundation. He has served as the Director of Strategic Projects for the National Network of State Teachers of the Year in Washington, D.C. and is the instructor of creativity and innovation at Effingham High School in Illinois. Fatheree's television work has aired nationally on PBS, The Documentary Channel, Hulu, and the MLB Network. He is the recipient of 3 Mid America Emmy Awards and a Telly.

Standards-based grading -- where students are assessed by specific standards -- is being discussed or implemented in many districts. Today we talk to an award-winning French teacher turned Instructional Technology Program Manager who can help us understand the pitfalls and possibilities of successful implementation. Nicole Naditz will also give us advice for getting started with standards-based grading as well. www.coolcatteacher.com/e478 Nicole Naditz - Bio as Submitted Nicole has been a Program Specialist in Instructional Technology at San Juan Unified School District since 2018. Prior to that, she taught French for 25 years, winning numerous awards for her work designing authentic relevant learning experiences for her students. Her most notable awards include finalist for California State Teacher of the Year, 2012 and ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year, 2015. Nicole is a sought after speaker and facilitator of professional learning on the topics of literacy, student voice, social justice, standards-based grading and more. You can see her 2015 acclaimed “TOY Talk” on standards-based grading here: https://youtu.be/UYQpqWwStCw. Blog: http://www.3rs4teachers.wordpress.com Twitter: @NicoleNaditz

Extensions can be useful, helpful tools for parents and teachers. There are pitfalls and pluses from each extension and ways to use them in the classroom. In this episode, I'll put my geek hat on and share eleven essential chrome extensions and information on the new web browser, Brave, and why people are using it. In the show notes, I share the links. Enjoy! Extensity Read Write Toolbar Grammarly 3 Ways to ScreenGrab Evernote Google Keep One Note Notion (didn't make it in time for press but I'm testing this one!) LastPass Color Pic Eyedropper Tip: Use with Coolors.co Gmail Notifier Sending Screens to the board (3 ways) Lightcast Sender Airplay (no extension - part of Native iOS) Miracast (no extension - part of Droid OS) Screencastify Too Many Tabs for chrome Link Clump The Brave Browser www.coolcatteacher.com/e477  

Students need to feel valued. Today's featured educator Crystal Willis from Instagram and TpT as "SunflowersandSped" shares five important tips to help students feel valued. From noticing strengths to not making a simple mistake that makes people feel dumb -- Crystal has practical tips to help all of us better make children feel loved. www.coolcatteacher.com/e476 Subscribe to this show on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher Crystal Willis - Bio as Submitted Crystal from SunflowersandSped is an educator with more than ten years of special education classroom experience. Her credential is in mild to moderate special education with a certification in ELA. She has taught in both public and private school settings for elementary, middle, and high school grades, and is currently helping to oversee the implementation of a special ed program at a private school in Southern California. Crystal uses her IG account to connect with other sped teachers, parents, and students. She has a passion for making sure all special ed students feel seen, valued, and loved. As a student who struggled with dyslexia herself, she shares her story to build connections and community with her students and their families. What's next? Crystal is releasing her very own SunflowersandSped podcast in May. The podcast will give multiple perspectives on special education from the students, teachers, parents, and community. She'll be interviewing people representing each perspective, as well as sharing stories, strategies, and resources. The goal of the podcast is to inspire hope and community building.