2016 and 2017 Archives

December 12, Monica Burns Discussing the Shift from Consumption to CreationMonica led a discussion on how we can leverage technology to inspire students to think, dream, create, and learn. Participants and Monica shared why we want students creating and watching and listening and how we can incorporate creating into lesson plans in any subject area. You can also see Monica live at FETC in January, 2018.

November 20, Why Should We Ban Cellphones is not the Right Question with Lee Watanabe Crockett and Andrew Churches Andrew and Lee led a discussion on the underpinnings of digital citizenship, and how and why modeling correct behavior is actually the more effective method for engaging classrooms and molding young minds.

November 1, Building a Safe Personalized Learning Community with Andy Wallace and Leo BrehmSome of the questions discussed: How do we advance current curriculum and pedagogy to embrace modern learning, communication styles and techniques? How do we make technology in our schools meaningful to learners, teachers, and the community at large? How have schools, teachers, students, and parents leveraged technology to meet students' needs and challenges? You can access the handouts here. And don't forget to register for FETC to interact with Andy and Leo in person.

October 26, Educating our Most Connected Generation about Digital Citizenship with Eric ButachSome of the questions discussed: What do we know about students in today's digital landscape and how has it evolved? How do you define and model digital citizenship to students and faculty? What are the "Do bees" and the "Don't bees"? What topics are students struggling with the most; safety, privacy and security, cyberbullying, relationships and communication, digital footprint, information literacy, or something else? Where are the best digital citizenship resources? You can download the slides here, and see Eric at FETC 2018.

July 6, Techniques and Tools for Teaching Language with Content with Letizia Cinganotto and Daniela CuccurulloLanguage is the main path to and from the minds of our students no matter what the topic. Join Drs Letizia Cinganotto and Daniela Cuccurullo as they explore Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and how web tools and handheld devices can enhance active learning and integrate Language, Subject Content, and Technology for better outcomes. Download their slides here and here.

June 15, Giving Voice to All Students with Sandi Novak Author Sandi Novak discussed how providing guidance and using proven techniques can propel all students to participate and learn from discussions, both those who typically monopolize discussions AND those who generally don't speak up. You can access the slides here, and you can find additional resources on Sandi's website.

April 27: How to Run a Game Jam with Tammie SchraderTammie rolls out game-based science programs in 39 districts. In this Edchat Interactive, Tammie discussed her 9-step plan to get the game jams off the ground, and will discuss with participants their experiences with game jams and how they can replicate her success.

April 20: The Create Excellence Real-World Learning Framework with Rebecca Stobaugh and Janet TassellThe Create Excellence Framework is a research-based, lesson-plan framework that can guide students, parents, and teachers in thinking about learning in a different, yet comprehensive way. In this Edchat Interactive, authors Rebecca Stobaugh and Janet Tassell helped teachers improve instruction for students by designing real-world instructional tasks that include cognitive complexity, student engagement, and technology integration. We used the CREaTe Framework and a sample project in the session, and you can also download the slides.

March 15: The Politics of Education with Dave Henderson and Jeff MadlockGot an opinion on politics and how it should or should not affect schools? Join two educational leaders from Arkansas as they take on all comers in a spirited and sometimes irreverent but always interesting discussion on what is and what should be the influence of politics on our schools. Jeff Madlock and David Henderson are the EduTechGuys.

March 9: The 20Time Project with Kevin BrookhouserTeachers around the world are motivating kids by allowing them to tie their learning into their passions. Kevin outlined how to effectively communicate the rationale of a Genius Hour or 20% Time Project to administrators, parents, and students, and how to execute the program so students are able to manage their time effectively for a successful final project. Click here to download the slides.

February 16: Strategies for Teaching Argumentation with Kathy GlassNot only does argument writing prepare students for high stakes assessments, it prepares students for the real world. Kathy Glass provides concrete strategies that you can embed within your lessons, such as teaching the author's purpose, writing a strong thesis, and how to guide effective revision. Click here to download the slides.

February 9: How Do You Teach the E in STEM when it's not part of the curriculum with Sylvia Martinez In this interactive, online event Sylvia Martinez discussed methods of integrating engineering into the school day, while motivating students to learn by solving problems and designing solutions.

January 18, Make Your School Something Special: Tech enhanced approaches to School Improvement with Rushton Hurley

How do you help your school improve for everyone? Rushton Hurley led us through a number of simple activities one can use in the classroom right away. Join in for an interactive exploration of technology-enhanced approaches to making your school something special. You can download the slides here, and view all of the More than Cool: FETCs Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators.

January 12, Girls (and Boys) and STEM with Sylvia MartinezSylvia Martinez will guide us as we explore how to make sure STEM opportunities are open for all.

• What assumptions are we all making that inhibit girls from pursuing and thriving in STEM careers?
• How can we take advantage of the differences between male and female approaches, skills, and aptitudes in STEM?
• How do we strengthen the STEM <–> Playfulness connection?
• What gender-inclusive practices can we all embrace?

You can download the slides here, and view all of the More than Cool: FETCs Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators.

December 21. Finding and Evaluating Great Digital Resources with SETDA's Tracy Weeks.The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is talking to educators around the country about shared models to find, evaluate, and deploy EdTech resources in classrooms. Listen to a conversation with Tracy Weeks, Executive Director, to hear what different educators and states are doing, and also to share your ideas and concerns. You can download the slides here, and you can also view all of the More than Cool: FETCs Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators.

December 6, We All Vary, Why Universal Design for Learning is for All of US with Luis PerezWe are all on a continuum when it comes to our abilities. This challenges the labels (“special needs,” “gifted”) we have placed on learners based on their divergence from the mythical average learner. In this session, Luis explored the key assumptions and beliefs about learning that make Universal Design for Learning (UDL) a much needed framework for designing education to meet the needs of today’s diverse learners. You can download the slides here, and you can also view all of the More than Cool: FETCs Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators.

November 30, Technologies and Literacy in Early Learning with Gail LovelyThey can't read yet, can they be purposeful tech users? Gail leads an exploration of the potential and possibilities of using technologies with early learners ages 3-7 with a focus on Literacy. She discussed tips, trick and tools to share ideas and best practices from the field. You can download her presentation here, and you can also view all of the More than Cool: FETCs Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators.

November 16, Managing Digital Resources in the Classroom with Houston ISD's Beatriz ArnillasBeatriz led a discussion on how schools and districts can make it easier for teachers to find and use digital resources that engage students and promote learning. Tips included models for finding, curating, accessing, and creating content. You can download the slides, and you can also view all of the More than Cool: FETCs Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators.

November 10, Leading Change in Challenging Times with Ann McMullanEducators are change agents. The opportunity and responsibility of leading others falls on every educator's life every single day. Ann McMullan led a discussion of five basic principles that will help all of us lead people through change. Ann is a featured speaker at FETC, a long time educator, and co-author of Life Lessons in Leadership: The Way of The Wallaby. You can download her slides here. You can also view all the archives of the series More Than Cool: FETC's Discussions with EdTech Leaders.

November 9, Behavioral Interventions for Challenging Students with Howard KnoffDo you have a straightforward effective process for working with disobedient, disruptive, defiant, or disturbed students? Howard Knoff, in this third Edchat Interactive of the series reviews the causes of and the processes to minimize and ameliorate issues with at-risk, underachieving, unresponsive, and/or unsuccessful students. With the new provisions of the ESSA, we have an unprecedented opportunity to help all students. You can download the slides here. You can also review the archives of the entire series.

November 3, Professional Development for Learning, It Starts with Planning, with Fred EndeEngaging effective professional development doesn't just happen by accident. Join ASCD author Fred Ende as he leads us in a discussion on making our PD activities more meaningful. In this Edchat Interactive, participants reflect on the Professional Development for Learning (PDL) design framework, consider what research says about professional development for learning, and dive deeply into the Planning phase of professional development design as a means to start learning off on the right foot. You can download the three documents discuses here, here, and here. And you can download the slides here.

November 2, Intentional Use of Technology to Meet the Needs of All Learners in an Inclusive Classroom with Mary SchillingerLooking for guidelines to help you intentionally and selectively use tech to achieve your desired curriculum goals and student achievement outcomes? Mary Schillinger discusses how to plan for, select, and deploy educational technology tools to realize their potential to help all students across all subjects. Her handout is here, and you can download her slides here. You can als view the archives of the entire FETC Series More than Cool, FETC's Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators.

October 26, Dave Blanchard on Robotics, Programming, and Computer ScienceDave discusses techniques and tools for incorporating robotics and programming into classes in order to teach computational and critical thinking skills. The data shows that kids like coding and robotics A LOT, and Dave describes how he works with teachers to engage students in fun and difficult projects. This session was sponsored by Promethean ClassFlow. You can download the slides here, and you can also view archives of other sessions from ClassFlow's practical education technology tips here.

October 20, Howie Knoff on Effective Multi-Tiered Assessment to Intervention Approaches for Students with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral NeedsThis session discussed both (a) a district/school systematic multi-tiered decision-making process that guides the assessment to intervention process when students are not academically or behaviorally succeeding in the classroom; and (b) a school/classroom data-based functional assessment problem-solving process used to assess specific students so that the underlying reasons for their difficulties can be linked with high success instructional or intervention approaches. Here are the slides, and here are the archives for the series.

October 13, Kathy Perret on Engaging AssessmentWhy is assessment so motivating for kids in games, and so demotivating in schools? How can we use assessment to drive effort and achievement? Kathy discussed using both high-tech and low-tech forms of assessment as part of the learning process. You can download the slides here, and you can view archives of other sessions from ClassFlow's practical education technology tips here.

October 6, School Discipline, Classroom Management, and Student Self-Management with Howard KnoffUnder the new ESSA, there is now an emphasis on approaches that directly impact school discipline, classroom management, and student self-management. Howard discusses the act, and what teachers and schools can do to comply and help students become more better able to manage their own learning. You can view the slides here and/or the rest of the series here.

October 4, Your Role in the Privacy, Security, and Innovation Discussion with Robert DillonFETC featured speaker Robert Dillon discusses frameworks for using education technology while simultaneously addressing concerns for student privacy and security. Fear - Change - Communication, or Communication - Change - Fear; which way does your school operate? You can download the slides and/or view all the FETC archives.

September 28, Designing a STEM Program Sponsored by ClassFlowCindy Wallace, Jennifer Hoskins, Kay Lynn Sumner, and Carol Kordsmeier, all veteran educators from Marshall Independent School District share the evolution of their district’s STEM program, how it improved student achievement, and what steps you can take to implement similar programs. You can access their slides here. You can access all the ClassFlow STEM, Engagement & Robotics Series archives here.

September 21, FETC's Jenn Womble on EdTech Trends

Jennifer Womble reviews 1500 speaker presentations for the FETC conference in January. What do the speaker presentations say about EdTech trends? What tips can Jennifer offer you on submitting to speak? Jennifer opened up the series More than Cool: FETC's Discussions on EdTech with Leading Educators with a bang. You can view her slides here. You can view all the archives of this series as they become available.

September 15, Keeping the focus of EdTech on Pedagogy with Monte TatomMonte led a project at Free-Hardeman University to ensure that the Technology they were deploying had a positive impact on student learning. In this session, Dr. Tatom discusses what they learned, and the application in other educational settings.

Here are the slides. Note that the slides contain links to additional resources.

July 18, Integrated a Mobile Learning Mindset in the Classroom, with Carl HookerAn engaging, interactive discussion with Mobile Learning Mindset author Carl Hooker. Carl is famous for his classes that involve using all five senses, inspiring his students to lead lives filled with learning. During this chat we'll discuss the four things every classroom with mobile devices should be considering and any traps and pitfalls teachers should avoid on the way to mobile learning success. You can download the slides here.

July 12, Design Challenges in Problem-Based Learning with Kathleen FritzKathleen reviews a 9-step process for problem-based learning that motivates students and helps keep them on track. Kathleen works with schools all over the country to help integrate problem-based learning. You can download the slides here.

June 6, How to Drive School-wide Teacher Inquiry with Brad and Genevieve ErmelingMany schools and districts have carved out time for teachers to collaborate and solve problems of practice. But once teams are up and running, assisting each group to maximize the value of collaborative inquiry can be a daunting challenge for any instructional leader. In this webinar, Brad and Genevieve Ermeling provide practical guidance and resources from extensive US and international research to help school leaders support and sustain schoolwide teacher inquiry. You can also download the slides here.

May 26, Overcoming the Obstacles to Games in the Classroom, with Lucas GillispieLucas and other educators discussed ways to introduce video games into their classes. Students become more engaged in exciting ways for powerful learning, but budgets, prescribed curriculum, administrators, and time seem to conspire to keep games out of the classroom. Learn how to get started, get buy-in from administration and parents, and enjoy learning with your students. This event is part of the Serious Play Conference series.

May 25, Designing Professional Development that Sticks, with Fred EndeDuring this Edchat Interactive, participants dove into what makes professional learning resound for educators. We reflected on research supporting effective professional learning design, talked about how we can move from professional development (PD) to professional development for learning (PDL), explorde the phases of effective PDL (and a potential thinking model to make it stick), and chatted about a number of practical strategies that we can all use to truly support life-long learning for all. There were two documents: an Organizational Framework to make PD sticky, and a Design Checklist. You can also download the slides.

May 18, Game Mechanics you can use in the Classroom with Lucas BlairLevel up your teaching with three key elements of game design that accelerate learning for ANY class. The way games help players set goals, the ways they provide feedback, and the ways they set up challenges motivate players to stay on task and keep coming back. Lucas discussed ways to integrate these elements into the projects, assignments, and activities you use in your classes. Lucas is also talking at the Serious Play Conference July 28 in Chapel Hill.

May 11, Monthly School Conversations with Russ QuagliaRuss discusses School Voice efforts around the world with Simon Feasey of the UK and Melissa Phillips Morse of Cobb County Georgia. Simon and Melissa talk about how they implemented school voice and the tremendous effect it has had on both teachers and students. Learn how teacher engagement and student achievement are going through the roof. Plus, Russ reveals some long held secrets of the Qisa Institute.

May 10, Using Video to Enhance Your Class, with Zachary WalkerWe all use video in class. But how can we use it better? How can we use student produced videos? What are the best tools for showing video even if you cannot access YouTube at school or if your connection is poor? We will take a new look at video and how it is best utilized in the classroom. You can also download the slides. This is the fourth Edtech Tools event with Zachary, view the archives of the entire series here.

May 9, Leading Collaborative learning with Lyn Sharratt and Beate PlancheLyn and Beate discuss five high-impact collaborative strategies: what are they, how do they work, and how do you implement them. Download the slides here. Contact Beate and Planche (contact info on slides) if you'd like to see how they can help your school or district.

May 4, Nikki Navta: How to use Game Design with your MS or HS ClassThis is part of the Serious Play Conference Series.

Nikki showed techniques that any MS or HS teacher can use to introduce a level of play and coding into their classes. There were demonstrations, discussions with teachers using games in their own classes, and lists of tools and resources. Zikki's company, Zulama, also provides coding curriculum. You can download the slides here.

May 2, Steve Peha: Helping Young Writers Master Mechanics and ConventionsDo your students go into a coma when you try to teach them commas? Do they break the rules because they don't know them, or because they are using their artistic voice? Steve leads a discussion on techniques that actually teach student good sentence structure. Download the slides here. And view the archives of Steve's entire Teaching Writing series here.

April 19, Zachary Walker: The Many Uses and Techniques of Backchannel Discussions in ClassesZachary discussed how we can use Backchannels in class to improve learning and increase retention. This discussion focused on popular Backchannel tools and, most importantly, how to get the most out of them in class. Download the slides here.

April 11, Randall & Delores Lindsey on Cultural Proficiency Tools for SchoolsRandall B. Lindsey and Delores Lindsey, co-authors of over a dozen books and recognized living legends, give an overview of the Tools of Cultural Proficiency and describe how this model is one successful approach for implementing change in the context of today’s schools. Download the slides here. This is part of the Corwin Authors Series.

April 4, Russ Quaglia on Student Voice as the Instrument of ChangeHow can we most influence student learning? When students have voice, they are 7 times as motivated, and when students are engaged, they are 16 times as motivated. Corwin authors Russ Quaglia and Michael Corso review their research and discuss practical tips for making your classroom and your school powerful drivers for student learning AND teacher satisfaction. Download the slides here.

March 28, Unpacking Hard Conversations with Jennifer AbramsTough talks are never easy, but they don't have to be hard, and they'd better be productive. Best-selling author Jennifer Abrams discusses how to have those hard conversations humanely while achieving the results you desire. She walks you through planning a conversation that creates more safety and less threat for both of you. You can download the slides here. This is part of the Corwin Authors series.

March 22, Using Photos to Enhance Your Class with Zachary Walker Since most of our students have devices, it is important that we use the tools they have readily available. From selfies to wefies, discover multiple ways for students to produce content that is usable for class and important for learning new content! This is part of Zachary Walker's series on digital tools to enhance your class. You can download the slides here.

March 17, Immersive Democracy with Alex Bell and Sylvan BakerAlex and Sylvan discuss a method, borrowed from the performing arts, to align adminstrators, teachers, students, and parents on educational goals and processes. Immersive Democracy starts with five critical questions and evolves into discussions from which a common vision emerges. Can increased engagement, voice, and agency lead to better education? Download the slides here.

February 23, Twitter for the Classroom with Zachary WalkerYou'll hear about dozens of ways to use Twitter for both Professional development and as a learning tool for your students. Tips range from who to follow, using Twitter for notes on a field trip, Twitter as a tool for student voice, Twitter for dynamic digital storytelling, and Twitter as a source for student resource, you'll learn about uses for primary and secondary students. You can access the slides here.

February 18, What Works in 1:1 with Giancarlo BrottoWhat practices does a 1:1 environment enable that will really accelerate learning? There are those who say that EdTech has no impact on student learning. The data show that certain pedagogical changes along with EdTech implementation, can have a dramatic effect on student learning. What are they? Watch the archive and download the presentation slides. And Please visit this webinar's sponsor, the Samsung Smartamp Solution.

February 15, Better Conversations with Jim KnightAny educator who has walked away from a conversation sensing it could have been more productive, but at a loss for how to improve it should look over this archive. Jim reviews the 6 beliefs and 10 habits that make for consistently beneficial conversations. You can download the slides here and you can download other resources and find out more about Jim's Instructional Coaching workshops and books at instructionalcoaching.com.

February 10, School Voice with Russ QuagliaRuss Quaglia continues his discussions on global school improvement efforts with Gavin Sykes Program Director of the Education World Forum and the Asian Summit on Education and Skills. Gavin and Russ involved participants to cover common obstacles to teacher and student voice, and different ways to overcome them.

January 25, Mindsets and Moves to Inspire Independent Reading with Gravity Goldberg Drawing on Gravity Goldberg's new book Mindsets and Moves: Strategies That Help Readers Take Charge,we explored specific tools you can use in any setting for supporting student ownership and growth. These techniques inspire rigor, complex text comprehension, and deeper engagement. You can also download the slides here.

January 21, Digital Narratives with Jeff BradburyLet your students' imaginations run wild by showing them these digital storytelling techniques demonstrated by Jeff Bradbury. In this webcast, Jeff shows you how to spin content into compelling stories using simple tools. You thought Google Slides was just static slides? Hah, then watch this!

January 13, Global Efforts on School VoiceDr. Russ Quaglia's monthly webinar series continued with a brief overview and update of the various School Voice efforts happening around the world. Mr. Steve Kenning, Chief Executive of the Aspirations Academies Trust, joined the January webinar to share experiences from Great Britain.