The EdShift Podcast

Exploring Inclusion with Speech Pathologist Alex Dunn

On this episode of EdShift, Katie and Kris are joined by Alex Dunn, a Speech Pathologist from Upper Canada School District near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Discover how Alex and her team have explored the intersection of technology and pedagogy to design and build spaces that demonstrate universal design. Over the last decade, they have done research on best practices and the outcomes associated with various options. They have also created a global community of 'inclusioneers', committed to serving students and learning from one another about the tools and approaches to promote inclusion. 
Grab the resources referenced in this episode: 
Universal Design for Learning: https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl
Aided Language Stimulation Carol Goosens: https://sites.google.com/a/esc13.net/corevocab13/implementation-ideas/aided-language-input
Participation Model book: https://www.amazon.com/Augmentative-Alternative-Communication-Supporting-Children/dp/1598571966
Smart Inclusion Research Part 1 https://snow.idrc.ocadu.ca/articles/promoting-participation-and-engagement-the-smart-inclusion-initiative-part-1-data-from-the-smart-inclusion-initiative/
Smart Inclusion Research Part 2 https://snow.idrc.ocadu.ca/articles/promoting-participation-and-engagement-the-smart-inclusion-initiative-part-2-breaking-news/
Connect with Alex on Twitter: @SmartInclusion
 
Connect with your hosts: 
Katie Novak: @keightyen
Kris Astle: @KrisAstle 
 
 

Caring Classrooms, Behavior and Identity with Anthony Howell

In this episode, Katie and Kris chat with Anthony Howell, Assistive Technology Resource Teacher with Peel District School Board. They dive into creating a caring classroom climate, centering students’ identities, and what classroom behavior can really mean. Hear how one of Canada’s largest school boards approaches building staff capacity, topics like behavior and mindfulness, as well as supporting learners with diverse needs.
Resources from this conversation:
Identity chart: https://www.facinghistory.org/chunk/identity-chart
Lumio lesson to engage students with identity defining: https://suite.smarttech-prod.com/share/e1ca8466-907f-4ecd-8921-8ca3c2f3f49c?_ga=2.25659129.570800706.1614090283-1400817790.1605877075
Book referenced: Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success from Dr. Christopher Emdin https://www.amazon.ca/Ratchetdemic-Christopher-Emdin/dp/0807089508
Connect with your hosts on Twitter! @keightyen & @KrisAstle
Special thanks to our editor Kevin Olenick.

ISTE and PD and eSports, Oh My!

From ISTE 2022 to back-to-school PD, get caught up with Kris and Katie on the topics and trends in education right now. 
What are YOU talking and thinking about right now? We'd love to hear from you! 
 
Connect with your hosts:
Katie: https://twitter.com/keightyen
Kris: https://twitter.com/KrisAstle  
 
 

Monica Burns Talks Active Learning Strategies

Welcome to Season Two of the EdShift podcast! In this episode, Kris and Katie dive into Active Learning strategies and ideas with Dr Monica Burns. Hear how each defines active learning and get with ideas for your classroom that keep kids engaged and active in any topic. Katie, Kris, and Monica chatted about the importance of student agency, student creation, and student collaboration, and how teachers can ignite students and engage them in their learning with some key strategies.
Dr. Monica Burns is an EdTech and Curriculum Consultant, author of EdTech Essentials (ASCD, 2021) and former New York City public school teacher. She works with schools and organizations around the world to support PreK-20 educators with thoughtful technology integration. Monica’s website ClassTechTips.com and Easy EdTech Podcast helps educators place “tasks before apps” by promoting deeper learning with technology. 
Connect with Monica on social media: 
Twitter.com/classtechtips
Facebook.com/classtechtips
Pinterest.com/classtechtips
Instagram.com/classtechtips
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicaaburns/
 
And find all of her amazing books here: https://classtechtips.com/books/
 
Connect with Kris and Katie: 
katie@educatalyst.com 
twitter.com/keightyen
instagram.com/keightyen 
 

Teacher Appreciation Week Reminder: Teachers Are Humans

It’s May, and we’re back! After a quick break for April, Katie and Kris are back with a quick conversation for and about Teacher Appreciation Week. We’re talking about teachers and the fact that they’re…. well, human. So often teachers are hailed as superheroes. The truth is that they aren’t – they’re heroes, AND they’re human. Let’s make sure we treat teachers as the humans that they are, allow them to bring all of themselves to their jobs, and given them the space for true self-care that allows them to be their best.
Teachers – we appreciate you! We hope that you feel connected and appreciated, this week especially, but always, too.  
Read the blog post that goes along with this episode: https://edblog.smarttech.com/teachers-arent-superheroes
Connect with your hosts on Twitter: 
Katie: https://twitter.com/keightyen 
Kris: https://twitter.com/KrisAstle 
And follow the pod @TheEdShiftPod
We’d love to hear your feedback on EdShift! Get in touch or leave us a review.

Are teachers superheroes? Connecting with the Learnit Community & Sarah Cunnane

Sarah Cunnane is the Director of Content at Learnit. Held alongside Bett in London, Learnit’s mission is to create a better world by catalysing change in education globally. They - like the EdShift team - believe that by uniting the global learning community, and leading an intellectually honest conversation about the current state and future of learning, we can revolutionise education, and ultimately change the world. Discover more about Learnit here: https://learnit.world
 
Discover ideas and insight from the week at Learnit in this first-ever IN PERSON episode of EdShift! The team chats about the concept of teachers as superheroes, connecting to SEL across education, and more. 
 
Connect with Sarah: https://twitter.com/Sarah_Cunnane
 
Connect with your hosts: 
Katie: https://twitter.com/keightyen  
Kris: https://twitter.com/KrisAstle 

Private Schools: Where Are We Going In 2022?

In this episode, Katie is joined by guest host Giancarlo Brotto to discuss the challenges facing private schools during and post-pandemic. For this special segment of ‘Private School Helpline’ Giancarlo sat down with Tammy McIlvoy, head of school for Logos Preparatory Academy in Texas, for a discussion about what challenges she encountered, as well as what considerations will be important for leaders in the year ahead.
Tammy McIlvoy began her career as an instructor at a 5A public high school before becoming interested in education alternatives. She left public school and taught briefly in a traditional private school before learning about University-Model® schooling where she has served since 2000. Within the University-Model® School, McIlvoy has been a classroom instructor, served as a co-teacher, founded a school, served on a local school board, and served various roles within school administration. She currently serves as head of school for Logos Preparatory Academy and secretary of the NAUMS (National Association of University Model® School) Board of Directors. You can contact her through https://www.logosprep.org/
Did you enjoy this episode? Connect with us on social!Katie: https://twitter.com/keightyen
Kris: https://twitter.com/KrisAstleGiancarlo: https://twitter.com/4gbrotto

Talking Trauma in the Classroom: Support and Strategies’

In this special episode of EdShift, join Sarah Storck, M.Ed. and Nancy Lynch Gibson, MA, LCPC for an important conversation about trauma, difficult conversations, and mental wellness in the classroom. Hear some simple, impactful ideas and strategies for supporting students - and colleagues, and yourself - during difficult times. 
Your special guests: 
Nancy Lynch Gibson, MA, LCPC, is a licensed clinical professional counselor in the state of Maryland.  Nancy has over 20 years experience working in the mental health field.  She has completed training in advanced trauma treatment and is certified in the treatment of trauma.  Nancy has utilized individual and group counseling with a diverse population of adults, children, and families impacted by homelessness, violence, abuse, substance abuse, and other challenging life events.  She has presented workshops on trauma, affect regulation, and Mindfulness at Valley Youth House 2018, Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Conference 2016, the Kennedy Krieger Institute Biennial Trauma Conference 2016, the 2014 Annual Conference for NAMI Maryland, and the Beyond Housing Conference 2014 for the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness. 
 
Over the course of Sarah Storck's 11-year teaching career, she has taken every opportunity to utilize technology in her classroom. Sarah's desire to integrate technology led her to complete an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology and pursue an Instructional Technology Specialist certification. Witnessing firsthand the positive effect of SMART solutions on the learning of students with a variety of abilities and learning profiles, she understands the importance of interactive technology. Sarah is enthusiastic about the potential of SMART solutions to inspire students to become independent and motivated learners.
 
Connect with your hosts on social: @keightyen & @KrisAstle 
 

SXSW EDU Recap: Culture, Learning Science, and Connections

Explore some of the topics, themes, and conversations from SXSW EDU 2022! As usual, lots of amazing ideas and important conversations were shared in Austin for SXSW - hear more about what Katie experienced and some of the key takeaway ideas she's looking forward to sharing digging deeper into. 
Learn more about SWSW EDU here: https://www.sxswedu.com See you there next year? 
Connect with your hosts on social: @keightyen & @KrisAstle 
 
 

Tech Fluency & Advancing AI with Sreejit Chakrabarty

In episode 10 Kris and Katie are joined by Sreejit Chakrabarty, Director for GEMS Dubai American Academy, the flagship school of GEMS Education. Explore the ideas of AI in education, and the importance of tech as a vital part of education - beyond simply being integrated, what does it mean to be fluent in technology, and why does that matter? Discover how GEMS is setting up students for sustainable success in our shifting world, and Sreejit's ideas and advice for educators everywhere. 
 
Sreejit holds a Bachelors of Electronics Engineering from Mumbai University, a Masters in Business Administration from MGU, and several professional recognitions from Harvard, IIT (Mumbai) and Carnegie Mellon University in Robotics and Maker-Centered Learning. His passion for researching emerging technologies and finding ways of extracting educational benefits out of them is what gets him excited. Sreejit is also working closely with TMRW (the R&D edtech wing of the company) and is the Network Leader across GEMS for Robotics, STEAM, and AI.
Connect with him here: 
Twitter: @sreejitsocial
LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram: Sreejit Chakrabarty
 
Connect with your hosts and send your feedback about the EdShift Podcast! 
Katie on Twitter: @keightyen & Instagram: @keighten
Kris on Twitter: @KrisAstle