Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators

If you are passionate about STEM, Design, or Art this is a great episode to make time for! On this episode we sit down with Jen Christiansen: a senior graphics editor at Scientific American, where she art directs and produces illustrated information graphics and data visualizations. She began her publishing career in New York at Scientific American in 1996, moved to Washington DC to join the art department of National Geographic, spent four years as a freelance science communicator, then returned to Scientific American in 2007. We explore the power of Jen's new book Building Science Graphics: An illustrated guide to communicating science through diagrams and visualizations as a tool to help us think about the power of interdisciplinary learning. You can explore that book and add it to your professional development library by clicking here. Follow Jen Christiansen on Social Media: LInkedIN Twitter Thank you to our special sponsors, learn more about StemSports and Mackin Maker today by clicking here. Would you like to share your thoughts on this episode? Send us a voice memo! Head to www.shiftingschools.com or email us info (at) shiftingschools.com

Millions of dollars are spent on a single 30-second ad spot during Super Bowl Sunday. Now more than ever because of social media's influence the commercials that air during the big game get more talk time, more attention, and a more significant place in popular culture. So how are we preparing families to explore media literacy and think critically about these massively powerful ad campaigns? Our BRASS media literacy framework hopes to spark great discussion in and out of the classroom. That framework is a part of our brand new free guide: 'Three Ways to Leverage the Big Game for Big Learning,' and you can download it here. Check out the other research about Super Bowl advertising explored in this show: NFL accounts for 82 of 100 most-watched U.S. TV broadcasts of 2022 Super Bowl ads set the stage for marketing to millions If you use any of the ideas from our new free guide, we'd love to hear from you! Reach out to us at info(at) shiftingschools.com Also discussed on this episode: Opportunities from NEASC Click here Learn more about saving on your NCCE registration! Use our special promotional code "shiftingschools50"

On this episode we learn about the connection between sports and STEM. If you've been looking to do more with that link, this conversation is for you! Our special guest is CEO and President of STEM Sports: Jeff Golner. StemSports.com is a leading website dedicated to exploring the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with sports. The website provides articles, videos, and resources that showcase the ways in which STEM is shaping the world of sports, and how sports can inspire young people to pursue careers in STEM fields. Founded by a team of sports and STEM enthusiasts, StemSports.com has quickly become a go-to resource for coaches, athletes, and fans who are interested in learning more about the science behind their favorite sports. Whether you're looking to improve your performance on the field or just want to gain a deeper understanding of the games you love, StemSports.com has something for you. In addition to its rich content offerings, StemSports.com is also dedicated to promoting STEM education and career development. The website regularly hosts events and initiatives aimed at inspiring young people to pursue careers in STEM fields, including STEM sports camps for kids and webinars for coaches. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just a curious beginner, StemSports.com is the perfect place to discover the latest and greatest in STEM and sports. So why not visit today and start exploring the world of STEM through the lens of sports! We are very thankful to the folks at STEM Sports for sponsoring our special mini series on STEM. Learn more about Jeff Golner: Prior to venturing on his own, Golner enjoyed a long marketing, game operations and entertainment career with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1997 to 2005, leaving as Senior Director of Game Operations. Golner produced close to 700 Major League Baseball games including playoff games and the four World Series games in 2001 that culminated with a Championship. Golner also served a three-year ticketing stint with the Colorado Rockies from 1994 to 1996.

Jeff and Tricia talk about the importance of curiosity as we continue to consider new tools like Chat GPT and generative AI. They explore what it might mean to think about generative AI as it intersects with information literacy and media literacy. Patrick Holt (Dean of Learning at XCL World Academy) kindly shares what's being discussed at his school and how curiosity is being amplified in the classrooms and hallways. He takes us on a mini journey explaining what his journey with AI has been. As always listeners are welcome to share their thoughts with us by sending a voice memo to the co-hosts via the SpeakPipe button on our home page at www.shiftingschools.com or by emailing us at info (at) shiftingschools.com This episode also discusses what it will mean to center equity in our conversations about generative AI. Learn more about ways to expand your learning on AI and take advantage of our special pre-sale discount: click here. We hope this episode helps you get curious about what Chat GPT might mean for your community's learning.

This episode debunks a few misconceptions about Maker education and design projects. We have help with the debunking from Lindsey Simmons, an educator who has partnered with Mackin Maker, who have been a phenomenal sponsor of this show. Our conversation goes on to explore ways we can use the design cycle in many different ways and how understanding that cycle can set us up for all types of projects in our personal lives. Lindsey also helps us think about sustainability and the intersection of literacy and MakerED. Learn all about Lindsey Simmons here. And follow her on social media here. --------- Have you heard about our pre-sale offer on now? Click here to learn more about our pathways for educators looking to leverage the power of Chat GPT and other Generative AI tools. Reach out to us at info (at) shiftingschools.com to learn more -- For the rest of the links mentioned in this episode: Key Strategies for Maker Education (click here) via Mackin Maker Three myths of making (click here) via Mackin Maker Creating connections to the environment through making (click here) via Mackin Maker - Would you like to send us a message sharing your thoughts about this episode? Find our SpeakPipe button at www.shiftingschools.com

Jeff and Tricia talk about Chat GPT and other generative AI tools. The big question in this episode is: How might you use Chat GPT as a thought partner this year? We asked Chat GPT to help us out with the intro for this show, to tell us more about what misconceptions there are about Chat GPT. What did it tell us? "ChatGPT is sentient or conscious: ChatGPT is a machine learning model, it does not have consciousness or self-awareness. It can only respond based on the patterns it has learned from the data it was trained on. ChatGPT is always correct: ChatGPT is a powerful tool, but it is not infallible. It may make mistakes or produce nonsensical responses if it is given input that it has not been trained on or if the input is ambiguous. ChatGPT can write any kind of text: ChatGPT is a language model, it can generate text based on patterns it has learned from the data it was trained on. However, its performance may vary depending on the specific task or genre of text. For example, it may not perform as well on poetry or creative writing as it would on news articles." Jeff and Tricia also have a special offer for listeners: a big discount on the new 5-Day Generative AI Challenge. How might that challenge bring you a community-building learning experience? Learn more about all of our AI support here. We also have a special free guide to help your team learn more about tools like Chat GPT, click here to download it. Do you want to share your thoughts about how generative AI tools will intersect with learning this year? Send us a voice memo, using the SpeakPipe button on our homepage: www.shiftingschools.com Also discussed on this episode: A collection of AI tools to experiment with: https://theresanaiforthat.com/ Chat GPT for you and me via Wired: click here. Learn more about ways to learn with Shifting Schools this year by exploring our full line up of professional learning pathways for K-12 educators by clicking here.

How do you build a network of learners and how does that network in turn shape you as a learner? On the podcast this week, Drea Weiner answers that question (and many others). This conversation is supported by our amazing sponsors: Stem Sports and MackinMaker At the heart of this conversation, we think about how we can cultivate the mindsets that promote STEM-based inquiry and set students up to be leaders in MakerEd. Drea reminds us that STEM learning intersects our entire curriculum and invites interdisciplinary learning and community connections. Let's learn more about our guest: Drea Weiner is the MiSTEM Network Regional Director for the Northwestern Lower MiSTEM Network region. She provides professional learning, support, community connections to education, grant writing guidance, and resources to educators in order to bring the best possible STEM education to students. Drea is one of the founders of Newton's Road 3D, a STEM professional learning community for teachers wanting to give their students the opportunity to learn soft skills like critical thinking and problem solving through 21st century technology. Follow Drea on Social Media: On Twitter On LinkedIN Learn all about the MiSTEM Network here Mentioned on this episode: 400,000 fabrication works short by 2024 Do you want to weigh in on this episode? Have questions for our hosts? Send us a voice memo! You can find it on our homepage at www.shiftingschools.com Click here to explore our HUGE library of free guides for K-12 Educators Learn more about the STEM book series mentioned and email us to win a free book! Click here Email us info (at) shiftingschools (dot com)

In this episode, Tricia and Jeff are talking about our relationships with social media, misinformation, disinformation and the role schools must play when leading for media literacy. This conversation was inspired by this recent article in the New York Times by Jenny Gross. Our guests talk about the influence technology has on learners of all ages. The look at what it might mean to help students build habits that ensure they come to their social media with curiosity and a desire to check for bias and become savvy consumers of information. They go on to mention that NPR has launched its annual student podcat competition. Jeff and Tricia offer listeners a special offer on two of the professional development options. Looking to build media literacy routines with learners of all ages? Check out our free guide today. Reach out to the hosts via info (at) shiftingschools (dot) (com) Other resources discussed: Canva image AI https://www.canva.com/features/ai-image-generator/ Open AI image creator https://openai.com/

Thanks to our special sponsors for their support of our show. Learn more by heading to StemSports.com and MackinMacker.com today. On this week Jeff and Tricia talk to Sevile Mannickarottu: Director of Penn's Bioengineering Educational Lab & Bio-MakerSpace-the only Bio-Maker Space in the world. They talk about what it means to create an archive and a legacy of learning. Sevile also shares ways educators can get started in creating a Makerspace. You can learn all about Sevile's work here. Check out the introductory video to the lab here. Also discussed in this episode is Backyard Brains, learn more here. Learn more about ways to learn with Shifting Schools at www.shiftingschools.com Do you want to connect with our hosts? Email info (at) shiftingschools (dot) (com)

Are you looking to take on a new challenge of leading learning at an upcoming conference? Would you like to refine the way you approach delivering professional development at your school? This episode is all about our recommendations for approaching the application process, as well as communicating what your session is all about with peers. The full guidance is available for you to download free, click here for more. This conversation came to be because a value podcast listener (like you!) reached out for advice after hearing us remind folks that Learning2 Asia is open for applications now until January 23rd. You can learn more about that opportunity here. Have a question you'd like to see Jeff and Tricia take on? Reach them at info (at) shiftingschools (dot com)