Episodes
Wednesday Aug 13, 2014
Episode 30: Twitter in the Classroom with Leslie Houck
Wednesday Aug 13, 2014
Wednesday Aug 13, 2014
Like most people I taught myself how to do Twitter… but I wanted to make sure that I did it right! I had the chance to take a class titled Twitter 101 and many of my questions were answered.
Leslie Houck is a Social Media Specialist with the Georgia Department of Education who has a background in communication and journalism and says , “I kind of fell into social media as a job.”
Leslie gives advice for educators who might be afraid of using Twitter primarily because they only hear about the bad situations that have happened.
Leslie comments that Digital Citizenship 101 should be taught in every class to all kids and to the staff. She noted that New York City Schools, Facebook, and Edutopia have recently released examples of these guidelines for schools to use.
No matter what, she emphasizes that it is important to “be smart with our on-line reputation.” Make sure that you pay extra close attention to this part of the interview as she makes many points that help to address the use of social media in the classroom and as a professional educator.
We also talk about Twitter etiquette, RTs, MTs, follows, Favoriting, the restriction of 140 characters, creating a handle, the list function, and of course the # Hashtag!
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn about Twitter from Leslie and I know you will, too!
Check out the links below to some of the resources she referenced.
Enjoy!
Length 55:58
Wednesday Aug 06, 2014
Episode 29: Foldable Graphic Organizers and Interactive Notebooks with Lynda R. Williams
Wednesday Aug 06, 2014
Wednesday Aug 06, 2014
Lynda Williams started teaching elementary school and now teaches beginning teachers at Utah Valley University. She has been in education for 28 years. She specializes in how to teach science.
I think that you will really enjoy this very practical and user friendly episode. It is filled with ideas for challenging your students to expand their understanding of the content through the use of foldable graphic organizers and interactive notebooks.
Lynda explains what foldable graphic organizers and interactive notebooks are and describes how to use them. She talks about why teachers should want to use them and how they can help the kids with retention. Lynda states, “The notebook gives the kids a chance to process an idea in writing…it is great for explaining and recording information visually and linguistically.” She notes that kids and students of all ages enjoy using the organizers and the notebook, even her adults in college.
Creating the notebooks is engaging and retention of content information is increased but there are other benefits. Lynda reflected, “ A couple of side benefits of using these resources is that the notebook makes an awesome study guide and the students have created a portfolio of their work.”
Lynda suggests that teachers who are experimenting with the organizers and notebooks should model frequently and keep their instructions clear.
Lynda has an amazing blog, posts on Twitter, has very helpful boards on Pinterest, and has a store at Teachers pay Teachers. See the links below. I hope that you will take the time to check out her many resources.
Lynda's Teachers Pay Teachers Store
Teaching Learning Leading K12/ Lynda's Guest Blog
Enjoy the Show!
Length 35:11
Thursday Jul 24, 2014
Episode 28: Coaching-Supporting New Team Members
Thursday Jul 24, 2014
Thursday Jul 24, 2014
Every organization should have a way to support new staff members.
Induction programs are great but they are just one part of supporting new staff.
Everyone needs a coach.
It can’t be left to chance.
In this podcast I talk about the #1 reason for having a coaching program and the 5 components the coaching program should address.
I discuss why most coaching programs in schools fail and what can be done to make them work.
I hope that you will listen and take a look at your school. Do you have a program for coaching your new teachers or other staff? How about at the system level? Do you have a program in place where coaches work with your principals and others throughout the district? If not, why not? If not then get started! A good coaching program will help you keep good…no... great staff members!!!
As always, I hope that you will share with family, friends, and colleagues.
Here are links to articles that I talked about in the show.
Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership by Terrence E. Deal and Kent Petterson
Making Sense of Social Networks in Schools by Terrence E. Deal
Get the Most Out of Executive Coaching by Steven Berglas
So What is Executive Coaching by Dr. Woody
The Coaching of Teaching by Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers
Teaching How to Teach: Coaching Tips from a Former Principal by Shane Safir
In Search of a Metaphor for Coaching by Elena Aguilar
Enjoy!
Length 36:30
Monday Jul 14, 2014
Episode 27: Teaching Tip/ Learning the Kids' Names
Monday Jul 14, 2014
Monday Jul 14, 2014
It is extremely important that the classroom teacher get to know and use the names of the kids.
The children need to know that you know who they are.
The better teacher has strategies for doing this as soon as possible. Whether it is the beginning of a new semester or school year, the better teacher takes time to learn and use the names of the kids.
Today, instead of an interview...it’s just me talking about getting to know and use the names of the kids.
What ways do you have for learning and using the names of the kids?
Please share them with me. I would love to hear your ideas about this.
Take care.
Enjoy!
Here are the links to the works by Deborah Meier.
The Power of Their Ideas by Deborah Meier
In Schools We Trust by Deborah Meier
Length 22:53
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
Episode 26: Mike Buck and Public Education in Georgia
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
Join us as Mike talks with me about education in Georgia and tells us some things about what makes Mike…Mike.
Mike has served the families of Georgia through public education over 31 years.
He has been a teacher, administrator, high school principal, assistant superintendent and now the Chief Academic Officer for the State of Georgia.
We talked about the responsibilities of the Chief Academic Officer (basically, I asked him what he does…)
Listen to hear Mike explain that his greatest lesson learned as the Chief Academic Officer was... “I didn’t know... what I didn’t know.”
Mike reflected on the initiative called Career Pathways and the positive role it will play for the children of Georgia in their future planning.
I asked Mike what challenges he thought teachers faced today that are different than from when he was a high school principal…
One of his comments was …Time. Check out where we go with this topic.
Mike is the child of a soldier who moved with his career. This meant that Mike had to learn to make friends and to get along with others who were different than him. Mike talks about his love for diversity.
Mike is running for the State Superintendent of Schools of Georgia. He shared his thoughts about the race and what he would bring to the role if he was elected.
Mike is a fan of Jim Collins and John Maxwell as leadership writers and the lessons of life found in the Bible. Currently, he is reading a book called Praying Circles around Your Children by Mark Batterson. He says that he sees the greatest leadership challenge as that of being a parent and raising children. He reflected on a couple of thoughts from the book that have had a huge impact on his interactions with his children and how he lives his life:
· Teaching your own kids how to say and mean…please, thank you, and I’m sorry.
· I try to live my life in such a way that those who know me best respect me the most.
You can find out more about Mike at his website www.buckforsuperintendent.com
Thanks for listening. Please share with your friends, family, and colleagues!
Enjoy!
Length: 26:29