Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators

Sponsors Thank you to our sponsors for this mini-series on STEM and MakerSpace. Check out both StemSports.com and MackinMacker.com today. Find all the offers from all our sponsors at https://www.shiftingschools.com/offers Episode On this episode, we explore the joy of tinkering, the social-emotional case for making, and we question the benefits of cultivating a beginner's mindset. Whether you are an experienced teacher of MakerEd or you've never thought of yourself as a 'maker' this episode is for you. Our special guest on the show is Mike Bycraft. Mike Bycraft is an international educator who specializes in design, robotics, engineering, and makerspaces. He is the head of design and innovation at Korea International School. Prior to moving internationally, Mike taught AP and IB sciences in the United States, in Clark County School District. Mike has created design programs, makerspaces, and robotics curriculum for K-12 students. In 2021 his project of redesigning a controller was featured on the Makey Makey blog Learn more about his work in this video and through his website. You can connect with Mike on Twitter here. Pair this with one of our free resources Looking to partner with parents and caretakers when it comes to STEM learning? Get our free guide here. Explore over 60 free guides available from our website today.

Few educators would disagree with the idea that feedback is crucial for meaningful learning. So how can we support one another in striving for better feedback processes? As students move towards the process of setting goals for a new year, what are some of the conversations we need to prioritize in order to scaffold that planning? In this special bonus episode, we hear from educator Madalena Elshoff as she walks us through the way she leveraged on of our Shifting Schools free guides in order to reimagine feedback, goal setting, and classroom culture. Specifically we talk about the free guide "Learner Focused Goal Setting." Did you know our free resource library has over 60 free guides for educators to choose from? Visit our library here. Is there a resource you would like to see us work on for your school this year? Email Jeff and Tricia at info (at) shiftingschools (dot com) today! Members of our free newsletter community receive weekly updates on the latest free guide as well as additional resouces and ideas for the classroom. You can sign up for our newsletter here.

A new year is a time when many of us start thinking about new goals, and new habits we want to cultivate. And yet, how many of us have had the time and the opportunity to dig into the research on habit formation? On this episode, Jeff and Tricia talk to Wendy Wood about her phenomenal book Good Habits, Bad Habits. This episode puts a spotlight on some of the research and insight included in that book. Wendy Wood, explains why we have some misguided ideas about how habits are cultivated. Our conversation is a timely reminder of the importance and significance our learning environments have for learners of all ages. We hope this conversation inspires you to spark better, more meaningful conversations about habits and the role they play in your learning organization. Ready to learn more about the guest on this week's episode? Wendy Wood is a UK-born psychologist who is the Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at University of Southern California, where she has been a faculty member since 2009. She previously served as vice dean of social sciences at the Dornsife College of the University of Southern California. Her primary research contributions are in habits and behavior change along with the psychology of gender. She is the author of the popular science book, Good Habits, Bad Habits, released in October 2019. This book was featured in the Next Big Idea Club and was reviewed in the New Yorker. Ready to learn more about the conference mentioned in this episode? Click here for more about applying to present at Learning2 in 2023.

In this replay episode from June, 2022 the number one listened to episode of the the year. Jeff reflects on the past year of shifting schools and how this conversation about cell phones is a microcosm for the educational shift at large we find ourselves in. Jeff shares a snipet from his 2019 conversation with Microsoft around cell phones in the classroom and education at large. You can watch the full interviwe with jeff at this link. This has been an incredible year for Shifting Schools. We went through a lot of transitions this year. From new album art and website logos from Chrissy to Tricia becoming a full time co-host on the podcast and taking on the role of Creative Content Extraordinaire. I'm happy to announce that Tricia and I will continue working together in 2023. How she finds time to do everything she's involved in still blows me away. From her own podcast and newsletter Be A Better Ally to her new podcast Unhinged Collaboration. Her dedication to educators, education, students and the LGBTQ+ community at large is humbling to say the least. If you are not following Tricia on your social network of choice or have not added the Be A Better Alley and Unhinged Collaboration podcasts to your podcast app. You should do so as you start the new year. Shifting Schools also became a top 10 podcast in K12 Education globally with Australia and Canada coming in at the top 2 countries our podcast is listened to outside of the U.S. We cannot thank you, our loyal listeners, enough for making this all possible. Thank you for your dedication to your students and to your craft as an educator. That brings me to today's reply episode. Our #1 listened to episode of 2022 will be no surprise I'm guessing to most of you as it deals with cell phones in the classroom. Episode 216 released on June 27th in which Tricia and I talk with our good friend Tyler Rablin about Cell Phones in the classroom. Happy New Year Everyone!

On this special episode, Jeff and Tricia sit down with a listener of the show: Joe Taranto. Joe reached out to Jeff and Tricia about his experience podcasting with students. Joe shares what he has learned over the years of launching and sustaining a podcast that is truly student-led. This episode is great for fellow educators who are curious about what a podcast might bring to their community as well as for educators reimagining student agency and student leadership. We discuss practical strategies for sustaining a podcast and avoiding a few hurdles along the way. Ready to learn more about Joe's student-driven podcast? Check out The Eagle's View here Connect with Joe on Twitter: @JoeRayTee School Learn more about the school he works at: https://www.emerson-school.org/ Are you looking for more support in leveraging the power of podcasts? Check out one of our recent free webinars for more ideas here. Hoping to do more with podcasts as part of your professional learning? As always you can find all of our free guides here. Ready to learn more about ways Shifting Schools can help you shift practice in the new year? Reach out to us info (at) shiftingschools (dot) (com)

The Port Townsend School District Website for the 2022 Salish Coast Elementary Children's Film Festival This year the Library/STEM program at Salish Coast Elementary hosted the 2022 SC Children's Film Festival! It was created by our K-5 citizen-scientists as a "Call to Action for the Future of the Salish Coast Ecosystem" and our students are excited to share their voices to tell their stories to ask our community: "What Will You Do to Help?" https://sites.google.com/ptschools.org/sc-childrens-film-festival-22/home Novel Effect is a Seattle-based company that created a fantastic free app that follows along as you read aloud books and uses voice recognition software to respond at just the right moment with music, sounds, and character voices to help make storytime magic. They also have premium plans with educator discounts. https://noveleffect.com/educators/ WeVideo is an easy to use, chromebook compatible, cloud-based editing platform that allows teachers and students to work collaboratively on creating gifs, videos, podcasts, and more. https://www.wevideo.com/education The Stop Motion Pro Studio app allows students to use the iPads to take photos of their original artwork and then, through software applications, put them together in a sequence to create movement in their animated films. https://www.cateater.com/ Contact Denise: deniseaedan {at] gmail [dot] com

On this episode we are so excited to bring you words of wisdom from Eva Murray. Eva Murray is an international speaker on the topics of data visualization, data culture and data communities ,she's a published author, and is a driving force for women's empowerment in the technology industry. You can learn all about her work at: evamurray.co.uk Three questions are on our minds after learning with Eva: 1) What might we do to better tell stories with data and why might data visualization be a skillset to lean into more in 2023? 2) How are our learning organizations fostering listening skill sets: specifically putting greater emphasis on how we can best listen for understanding? 3) What's the relationship between data analysis and curiosity? Connect with this week's special guest online Via LinkedIN Via Twitter If public speaking is something you are working on for your new year's goals be sure to also give her book a look! You can learn more about it here. Have you checked out our latest free guides? Learn more about ways we offer support to learning organizations around the world here. Have a theme or topic you want us to explore on the podcast? Reach out info(at) shiftingschools (dot) (com)

About Swapna Krishna Swapna Krishna is a science and technology communicator specializing in the geek space. She regularly creates science videos on TikTok and contributes to Wired, NPR, StarTrek.com, New Scientist, and Engadget. Krishna's writing has appeared in outlets such as The Verge, Polygon, Fast Company, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Business Insider, and Slate. She is currently writing a book on stargazing for Chronicle Books (Fall 2023). You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Subscribe to Swapna's brand new show Far Out on PBS Far Out explores the future of science, technology, and culture and how these changes may affect humanity and life on Earth. With pop culture and sci-fi references, the series will be humorous and fun, but unafraid to ask tough questions and explore unknowns. Far Out is the inaugural show in a lineup of new STEM-related content coming to PBS Terra with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program. The grant will help elevate underrepresented voices in STEM media, in particular Black and Hispanic creators, as well as women in general. Explore Swapna Krishna's video games column in Wired: https://www.wired.com/author/swapna-krishna/ Ready to download the free guide Tricia mentioned at the top of the episode? https://shiftingschools.lpages.co/fpcw/

On this episode, Jeff and Tricia bring listeners an abundance of news. Up first they let listeners know that the 3rd annual collection of protocols is now available to download free. Jeff and Tricia talk about the many ways protocols have been helpful to them as facilitators of professional learning, as well as for their own learning, reflection, and creative processes. That free guide puts an emphasis not only on collaboration but also on ways we can seek to lead with belonging in mind. Tricia and Jeff then move on to explore and discuss the brand new podcast playlists that listeners can explore. So far there are three playlists: one on storytelling, one on the future of work, and one that looks to expand a school's professional learning library. Jeff also lets the community know about the new offers page where the Shifting Schools podcast family can learn more about special offers made possible through sponsors and partners. This is the time of year that the Shifting Schools team would love listener feedback on what they'd like to see explored further on the podcast, listeners are reminded to reach out to info@shiftingschools.com Lastly, two brand new professional growth opportunities are shared: one for educators looking to launch the start of their consultancy, and another for leaders responsible for leading learning on campus. Interesting in being a part of the first cohorts for either? Drop Jeff and Tricia a line to learn more about pre-sale savings: info@shiftingschools.com

In this free webinar from Jeff and Tricia we talk about using a backwards chaining approach to scaffling learning for students and why right now is a great time to introduce students to podcasts before the winter (or summer) holiday break. - A list of podcasts for studnets - What does it mean to "read" in today's world? - How we can use podcasts to scaffold creativing writing for students Watch the free webinar on Youtube here and make sure to subscribe to not miss any of our upcoming webinars. Make a copy of the presentation here Thank you to Quizalize for being a sponor of the podcast. You can get 1 month free of their premium subscription when you visit this link.