How Webinars Work with Peggy George There are so many ways to learn. Webinars are an online learning tool that educators love. In her role as moderator of Classroom 2.0 webinars, Peggy George has experience leading some of the most popular webinars on the planet. As Peggy says, "it is important for educators and teachers to realize that education is something we create for ourselves, not that is done for us." Listen to the show online Listen on iTunes Here are some essential questions we discuss in this show: What makes a great webinar? How do you participate in webinars? How can you find free webinars? When do you chat? When do you ask questions? Is it OK to lurk? How do you pull off a great webinar when you’re planning one? (Including a peek into how Peggy plans those amazing Classroom 2.0 webinars.) Why is it important to enter a webinar room early? What can happen in "preshow"? Tips for engaging presenting when you’re the one presenting the webinar. What are the roles of moderators? (Facilitators, Backchannel moderators, Google jockeys) What resources should webinar creators share after the event? How can close captioning help? If you’ve never tried a free, online webinar - why not set a goal to try one this summer? Big Takeaways from This Session Follow @pgeorge on Twitter Peggy’s Livebinder on webinars, free webinars and free virtual conferences for teachers - http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=804872 Classroom 2.0 Live (close captioning available for non-English speakers) Presentation on backchannel netiquette Peggy’s point about making learning part of who we are is an important one. Whether you read blogs, listen to a show like this one, or participate in webinars: make time to learn. Level up a little bit every day. Thank you for the suggestions that have come flooding in this week for great guests on the show! We’re busy booking interviews for this summer, particularly those overseas that are hard to do during the school year. If you have any suggestions, email me at vicki@coolcatteacher.com - thank you for joining the ECM Education community! Remember, dear educators, wherever your classroom - your classroom MATTERS! - Vicki The post ECM150: Education Webinars: The Good, the Bad and the Fabulous appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

Gary Dietz Helps Us Empathize: the Special Needs Episode We Should All Hear Gary Dietz is the father of a special needs child. After his child was born, Gary realized that Dads are often an ignored caregiver for helping special needs kids. He created and edited the book Dads of Disability: Stories for, by, and about fathers of children who experience disability (and the women who love them!). In today’s show, Gary tells some stories. He feels it is important to provide people with the vocabulary to discuss these topics. Listen now to hear his thoughts about raising a special needs child… Listen now to Gary DietzListen on iTunes Add @garymdietz to your PLN @garymdietz Dads of Disability Gary explores in his recent book, the empty-nest syndrome he experienced when his special needs child moved into another living arrangement. He found that there is too much sensitivity surrounding the vocabulary used to discuss those labeled with unique challenges. He noted that many people do not talk about these issues because they do not want to offend anyone with politically incorrect vocabulary. Gary found many stories in the general media are inspirational and upbeat, showing a postage stamp slice of time but not a child’s whole life. The majority of the time, those labeled and their caretakers must live 24/7 with labels, and those are the issues for which Gary wants to provide vocabulary. Listen now to find out more about Gary’s thoughts about raising his son. Production Coordinator Lisa Durff created this notes and did a great job. Here’s one important thing I’d like to emphasize. Let special needs kids create video! -Vicki Gary Dietz wrote Dad’s of Disability You can click "play" on the BAM Radio site to listen in any browser or mobile device. You can also subscribe in a podcatcher. If you need help, use this tutorial.  Every Classroom Matters is a bi-weekly Radio Show by Vicki Davis on BAM Radio network with best practices for busy teachers. Subscribe. Show notes prepared by Lisa Durff, Production Coordinator for Every Classroom Matters. The post ECM 91: Understanding the Anxieties Around Educating Special Needs Kids appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

7 Awesome Ways to Be a Teacherpreneur and Inspire your Students to Be Exceptional Edutopia June 10, 2015 It has been some time since I first coined the word "teacherpreneur" here as it relates to the classroom teacher, but the word is becoming commonplace. ISTE sponsored a series on teacherpreneurship over on Edutopia. (Look on the left side of the post.) I think there are 7 ways that any teacher can be a teacherpreneur that are guaranteed to help students be more awesome. Teacherpreneurs: We’re Here to Inspire "This week, my ninth and tenth grade students had shark tank app presentations. As the culmination of a six-month effort that started with more than 30 ideas, the final seven apps were presented to a panel of "sharks." We initially had funding to put one app live on the Apple and Google Play stores. (Now we can afford two.) Each team had five minutes to present their apps, websites, and app trailers in a last-ditch effort for the rights to "go live." Now, some would think that choosing only one was hurtful to the other teams. It wasn’t. Each team was incredible in a unique way, and the feedback from real-world judges made the whole experience more meaningful than ever. 7 Ways to Inspire As a teacherpreneur, I work to create unique experiences for students that supercharge learning and increase engagement. Let’s dive into what teacherpreneurship looks like in the classroom and how you can show the craftsmanship of teaching every day. Tip #1: Foster Social Connections and Appreciation for Each Other’s Unique Strengths Continue Reading this Article on Edutopia The post 7 Awesome Ways to Be a Teacherpreneur and Inspire your Students to Be Exceptional [Link] appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

ECM151: Eric Walters and his students Isabella and Tylor tell all The first online student technology conference was held this past January 2015 led by Eric Walters and his students. They are furiously planning the 2016 event (you can join in). In this episode of ECM, Eric and two of his students tell all about social media, learning, and their plans for next year. If you want to know all of the details, see this blog post shared back in January. Listen to the show Listen on iTunes The students clearly said what many are shouting: students want to learn anyplace, anywhere, anytime. It isn’t enough to just teach face to face. Students want to connect with teachers online too! Student empowerment was a theme, but see for yourself. You can listen to the recordings from the conference. (I especially recommend Isabella Fitzgerald’s@ifitzgerald15 keynote "Say it with Social Media". ) But Eric Walters@EWaltersScience and his students aren’t done! Here are their plans: Expand and add more types of online student conferences. Include college students in future conferences. Tackle new topics instead of just technology and include current events. Students want to delve into the differences and similarities between STEM and STEAM and think more art should be included. The next conference will be January 30, 2016. Their goal is to have representation from every continent as part of the planning.

ECM 153: Noble Kelly and Education Beyond Borders show how working together changes things. Imagine being the only teacher in a village. You’re alone. You go home on the weekend. You don’t get paid on time. Your students miss school. But one day, another teacher comes to help. You don’t feel alone anymore. Education Beyond Borders  does this now. "Isolated educators don’t have a lack of knowledge, but a lack of access to best practices, resources, and each other," says Noble Kelly. Listen on iTunes Listen to this show online: (11 min 45 sec) Today’s guest, Noble Kelly, started Education Beyond Borders.  After a teacher signs up, they raise money. They travel to help other teachers in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. But chances are everywhere for us to help other teachers. Sharon Brown-Peters, one of the first people I "met" online, first told me about Education Beyond Borders. I admire her work in Mozambique. I admire her questions. (Sharon is now at ASB in Mumbai, India. ASB is a fantastic school.) According to Education Beyond Borders , with 59 million of us, teachers are the largest group of trained professionals in the world. However, we need 30 million more trained teachers to reach every child. When we educate teachers, we help kids. When we encourage teachers, we help kids. As teachers, we believe in the power of our profession. If we’re going to help it improve, that responsibility is on our shoulders. Not every place in the world has money to train teachers. Sometimes, they get whoever they can to "teach". Other times, teachers struggle with the isolation. Teachers are an incredible resource for each other. Embedded in this show are some great truths we can all learn as we work to help our colleagues who work in isolated places. It starts with respect and working together - not arrogance or pity or self-righteous ‘helpfulness.’ Important Take Aways from Episode 153 Follow Noble Kelly @noblekelly Noble gives some essential points for service learning projects. If you plan such projects, you should listen to his advice. Because so many non-working "junk" computers are "gifted" to poor schools, the cell phone is being seen as a key to improving education in remote areas. (See the 2014 GESF Panel where we discussed mobile phones in rural areas for ideas.) As a teacher, there are organizations that need your expertise. Volunteer your time to help other teachers and learn with them. As teachers, we need each other. We need ideas. We need encouragement. We need to feel that we are not alone. Because of discouragement, Noble says teacher absenteeism is a big problem in many remote places. (As USA Today reports, this is a growing problem in the US as well.) Take the time to volunteer your time. As I searched, I found one example of Mission Trip finders for teachers. Many charitable organizations have unique needs for teachers. So if you want to help - tell your favorite charitable service organization that you’re a teacher and let them know your skillset. For my North American friends, take the time to call this summer so you can plan for next year. I just got the stats! Every Classroom Matters is running 65,000 downloads a month now (up from 50,000!) I appreciate those of you sharing the show. A huge thanks goes to the amazing guests who so freely share their best practices, enthusiasm, and talents with all of us. BAM Radio, Errol St. Clair Smith and Jeannette rock the production of this show as does our trusty production coordinator, Lisa Durff. But without listeners, the show can’t go on. I want to give a shout out to Kaitee Monkey on iTunes for the kind review. Sorry I haven’t thanked you sooner! TIP: When you review your favorite podcasts, iTunes uses this as feedback to determine which shows they will feature and recommend to others. I appreciate those who take time to review and rate my show. If you give me your twitter handle in the review, I’ll share that out too! Thanks!   The post Progress Happens when Educators stop looking down their nose at education in Africa and start learning with them. appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

ECM 154: How 30-Year-Teacher James Sturtevant figured out how to relate to most students. Kids don’t get teachers. Teachers don’t get kids. Times change. Life can be hard for some kids. How do we connect when we’re so different? We need trust. We need respect. We need learning to happen. Here’s how. James has taught for thirty years. Although he’s been trained on many tools, James believes most teacher education training misses the point. Teaching is about relationships. Listen on iTunes Listen to James Sturtevant online. When we lose sight of the fact that education is a people business, we get in trouble. @jamessturtevant #edreformPowered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This Don’t believe him? Then, believe the American Psychological Association. Here’s what they say on their website, "Positive teacher-student relationships — evidenced by teachers’ reports of low conflict, a high degree of closeness and support, and little dependency — have been shown to support students’ adjustment to school, contribute to their social skills, promote academic performance and foster students’ resiliency in academic performance (Battistich, Schaps, & Wilson, 2004; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Curby, Rimm-Kaufman, & Ponitz, 2009; Ewing & Taylor, 2009; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Rudasill, Reio, Stipanovic, & Taylor, 2010). Teachers who experience close relationships with students reported that their students were less likely to avoid school, appeared more self-directed, more cooperative and more engaged in learning (Birch & Ladd, 1997; Decker, Dona, & Christenson, 2007; Klem & Connell, 2004)." We need positive relationships with our students. How do we do it? Important Take Aways About Relating to Students Add teacher James Sturdevant to your PLN @jamessturtevant James’ book that was discussed in the show: You’ve Gotta Connect: Building Relationships That Lead to Engaged Students, Productive Classrooms, and Higher Achievement Do you accept your students AS THEY ARE? James says teachers must have "radical acceptance." "We must accept kids wherever they are." Was your first year a disaster  too? James’ first September as a teacher was awful. "They wanted nothing to do with me. That was the longest September of my life. At the end of that month, I felt like a failure." Can you let go of the "good old days" and focus on now? Can you listen to your students so you can relate? Alberty Einstein said "If a is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut." There are times we need to listen to our students. This year, I’m going to be putting a timer on myself and limit my talking. As James said, "Something in me told me ot shut up and listen to their conversatin and I would learn something." Kids need us. Students need us. They need us to be adults. We need to put on our listening ears and not just expect it from them. James’ wisdom from thirty years of teaching speaks to us all. The post Some teachers get frustrated trying to reach kids. This teacher has the answer. appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

The books and best practices that change everything in your classroom Teachers who are leaders change the world one student at a time. Leaders are readers. Leaders are learners.  But where do we start? What do we read? What do we learn? Be a multiplier. According to the book, Multipliers, there are two kinds of leaders: multipliers and diminishers. Some leaders help a person operate at more than they are capable of doing. Then there are those sad souls who diminish others. Poor teacher leaders have students wallowing the squalor of low performance. Teacher Leader Tip #1: Leadership is often neglected in teacher education courses. Educating yourself on what teacher  leadership looks like comes first. Read books like Multipliers and What Great Teachers Do Differently. Understand the characteristics of great leaders. Listen to and Act Upon Feedback from Your Students. In Todd Whitaker’s 1993 research on what makes excellent principals, he found they "routinely consult teacher leaders for input before making a decision." (What Great Teachers Do Differently, p 92) We should do the same with students. College professor Dean Shareski asks after every assignment, "How can this assignment be better?"  For example, in a flipped classroom assignment, one student asked, "why not have us create a flipped classroom lesson?" Dean said that suggestion was an obvious improvement. Teacher Leader Tip #2: Ask after each assignment or unit: How can this assignment be better? Take the time to listen to your students via anonymous surveys or focus groups. Help Students See Their Value and Worth. Booker T. Washington said, "Most leaders spend time trying to get others to think more highly of them when instead, they should try to get their people to think more highly of themselves." When a student is underperforming, I’ve found that it is often an internal struggle. Before students can succeed, they must try. Before students try, they must have hope. Hope comes from knowing that you either have the strength or someone will help you. Teacher Leader Tip #3: Help students find their individual strengths. Teachers should be hope-inspiring coaches on the learning journey. Unleash the Power of Yet. In Carol Dweck’s TED Talk, she shares how  people with a growth mindset will say, "I’m not good at ____ yet." In her research, she calls people who think they have fixed abilities: "fixed mindset." These people rarely level up and are grossly incorrect when they self-assess their talents. Fixed mindset people resist learning. Those who adopt a "growth mindset" believe that they can improve and level up. Growth mindset people see their abilities as separate from their worth as a person. Growth mindset people learn. Incredibly, a growth mindset makes all the difference, AND IT CAN BE TAUGHT. A growing body of knowledge on metacognition helps us teach the growth mindset. Teacher Leader Tip #4: Understand what a growth mindset is by reading Mindset and other research. Learn the metacognitive techniques that will help your students overcome problems and develop grit. Admit your own "not yet" items to your students as you journey to learn too. When faced with mediocrity or injustice, leaders stand up and say "It is not going to be this way."  Leaders are visionaries who see a brighter future just past the problem. Most importantly, leadership can be learned and taught. We need teachers to rise up and lead. We need open minds and a willingness to help students (and ourselves) achieve more. For when a teacher leads, they are teaching far more than content knowledge, but spawn the leaders of tomorrow. The post 4 Tips to Develop Great Teacher Leaders appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

ECM 155: EdGaming expert Kae Novak tells us how to find good learning games for kids. Stop telling kids that every game is fun. They’re not. Some stink. Some rock. The word "game" doesn’t make learning great. Games shouldn’t be worksheets with points. There’s research behind good games. Learn to tell the difference. Your students will thank you. Listen to Kae Novak talk gaming on iTunes Listen to Kae Novak online Where are we going wrong with games in the classroom? As Kae Novak @kzenovka shares in the show, too many games have a "chocolate on broccoli" approach. She should know, she’s the chair of the ISTE Games and Simulations network. She teaches us all how to use games in the classroom. Kae says, Pedagogy first, then technology. @kzenovka Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This What is chocolate on broccoli? I asked teachers on the ECM Awesome Educator Network. They say: "Where the students are "told"  - eat this [game name omitted] game. It’s good for you." Ann Oro @njtechteacher "Pretty much all of the drill and practice ‘games’ are like that. They seemed to work 20 years ago when computers were new and novel. Kids are far beyond that today." Alfred Thompson @alfredtwo Dr. Lee Graham@ak_leeg says the teachers she instructs, "call those games ‘computerized worksheets.’" When I taught my children math facts, flashcards got boring. They preferred Math Baseball. It helped. Memorizing happens. But if it is the only thing happening, you’re not educating. What can good games do for us?  Ernie Easter, 35-year retired teacher from Maine, says, I have seen the results [of Minecraft] with my three granddaughters, ages 6, 8 & 10, at home. Our 8-year old’s reading blossomed when she started playing Minecraft and watching the videos. Her language expression also just exploded. In a good game, learning is part of the fun. Let’s find good games. Let’s teach with them. 6 Ways to Find Good Games for Learning Understand what makes a good game. Jim Gee has researched what makes a good game: identity, interaction, production, risk taking, customization, and agency. The first step in understanding a "good game" is reading Gee’s paper "Good Video Games and Good Learning." It explains good games simply. Become a game master. Kae says to read The Multiplayer Classroom by Lee Sheldon. It will help you create exciting good game learning experiences. Find Good Games. Kae likes the Games for Change website. They focus on the "good games model." She says you should still check every game before using them with kids. (After learning what a good game is, you can find them yourself on sites like  Graphite, Appolicious, and Gamifi-ed.) Learn Best Practices. Join the ISTE Games and Simulations Network. Connect with other teachers using games. Kae has two ways: 1) MetaGame Book Club and the 2) Inevitable Betrayal Educator Guild. Consider how games can teach more. In addition to learning things, some games can impact attitudes, motivation, and successful habits. (Note for educators: Kae says games can also impact the affective domain, not just the cognitive domain.) Before I write a show’s blog post, teachers are talking about the show. We do this on the Every Classroom Matters Awesome Educator Network. It is a closed group on Facebook. You’re invited if you’re an educator. 8 Every Classroom Matters Shows with Gaming/Gamification Experts Listen and learn more about gaming. Game-Based Learning: What Great Games Have That Bad Games Don’t with @kzenovka The Elements of a Great Educational Game with @MatthewFarber author of Gamify Your Classroom Lesson Plan: Enabling Students to Game Their Way to Literacy with @TiffanyPickrell @rockislandgirl @ak_leeg - A Minecraft Project aligned with literature and the Common Core. Zombie Based Learning: Yes, It’s Real and Meets Common Core Standards. Interview with Geography teacher David Hunter, inventor of @zombiebased  learning. Should You Gamify Your Class? Consider These Points? Shawn Young with @Classcraftgame Serious Games: Rethinking Gamification in Education with @catflippen, researcher. How Simulation Games Can Teach Complex Subjects with @stanzj , Professor at University of Michigan and inventor of Arab-Israeli Conflict Simulation and other collaborative games for students Gamifi-ed: Studying Serious Games when high school and masters students studied the current state of serious games in education. @verenanz  @akleeg @costerhout

How to Actually Use Your 3D Printer: 17 Tips I learned my first year Vicki Davis’ Edutopia Blog June 29, 2015 I named my 3D printer Bob Marley. He just jammed and smoked at first. But after persistence, we jammed in a good way. In this blog post, I share 17 tips for using a 3D printer. I learned these tips the hard way. If you read this post, you can save time. Read: Year One with a 3D Printer: 17 Tips 3d Printer The post How to Actually Use Your 3D Printer: 17 Tips I learned my first year [Link] appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.

ECM 156: Alan November shares 3 essential elements for excellent education Students who self-assess are the best? That’s what Alan November says. Research shows that students who self-assess their work become top students. What does this mean? Any school can improve with these three things. Listen on iTunes Listen to the show online. 1. We need to check how rapidly students get feedback, especially in math. Alan tells the story of the student who was struggling in math. After she failed the first test, the math teacher insisted that a man’s daughter move to the lower level math class. The dad refused. Instead, he taught his little girl to use Wolfram Alpha. She worked a homework problem. She checked it on Wolfram Alpha. The step-by-step instructions helped her learn math. Her score on the next test skyrocketed. She ended the year at the top of the class. The immediate feedback helped her teach herself. A students should be able to work a problem, then quickly get the answer. Alan says, Feedback time for math problems should be as close to zero as possible. @globalearner #mathchatPowered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This How do we give instant feedback on math problems? Should we expect teachers to do what a computer could do? Should we teach kids Wolfram Alpha? Many math teachers may view Wolfram Alpha as a threat. In fact, many teachers of young children still see calculators in this way. We should reconsider math. Read more the Wolfram Alpha teacher portal and the SEDL Calculators in Schools research summary. Every single math teacher should look at Wolfram Alpha Pro and what it can do for them! Research by James H. McMillan and Jessica Hearn helps us understand self-assessment and student success. 2. We need to encourage student self-assessment. Alan November says the most successful students have a clear means of self-assessment. In their 2008 report, James H. McMillan and Jessica Hearn say, "In the current era of standards-based education, student self-assessment stands alone in its promise of improved student motivation and engagement, and learning." (emphasis mine) What is self-assessment? McMillan and Hearn go on to define self-assessment as: "a process by which students 1) monitor and evaluate the quality of their thinking and behavior when learning and 2) identify strategies that improve their understanding and skills." Ann Oro  took this comment further on the Every Classroom Matters Awesome Educator Network Facebook Group. She says we need "to have a clear system for self-assessment for teachers." We all need a means of self-assessment. Teachers should become masters of metacognition. Read the research. 3. Focus on having an excellent first five days of school. Finally, Alan mentions the First Five Days of School. This program is fantastic. The First Five Days builds on what we already know from programs like Harry Wong‘s The First Days of School: the first days of school are important. Start strong. Finish strong. Teach every day all year long. Reminders for All Awesome Educators If you focus on learning, learning happens. The test results show it.  Guest after guest on Every Classroom Matters say it. When we focus on the test, nothing happens. (The test results show that too.) In fact, I would say not only does nothing happen, but frustration builds and students and teachers are less engaged. We’re not focusing on the main thing. The main thing happening in good schools is learning. A good education gives students a strong start to a good life. We all should be learning. Want to be awesome? Examine yourself.  Level up a little bit every day. This episode is a great show to share with your staff. Are you self-reflecting? Are you providing rapid feedback? Are you starting the school year strong? These three areas of can make a massive difference in every school. The post Why Wolfram Alpha has a place in math and two more game-changing ideas for schools. appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog.