Teachers on Fire

BETHANY PETTY is a teacher, coffee fanatic, and 2017 EdTech Digest School Leader Finalist. She writes about thoughtful uses of technology in education at http://usingeducationaltechnology.com/ and is also the author of Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning (https://amzn.to/2DGx6lz). In our conversation, Bethany recalls the challenges around teaching students not much younger than her. She discusses the main message of her book, Illuminate, and the ways that her passion for history plays out in and out of the classroom. She also talks about coffee, the importance of exercise, and some of her top picks on Twitter, edtech tools, and more. Follow Bethany online here: TW: https://twitter.com/Bethany_Petty IG: https://www.instagram.com/bethanypetty_educ8 Blog: http://usingeducationaltechnology.com/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links from this episode. Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire.

COLBY SHARP is a husband, father of five, fifth grade teacher, avid reader and book reviewer, runner, and self-proclaimed nerd. He is the author of The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection (https://amzn.to/2zpzGZf) and 2018’s Game Changer!: Book Access for All Kids (https://amzn.to/2QTtsqX). In our conversation, Colby recalls the discouragement of a harsh professional evaluation and explains how he grew from the experience. He describes the mission and process of The Creativity Project, and explains how teachers can use this anthology to inspire creative expression in their English classrooms. He also shares about his passion for reading, putting books in the hands of kids, creativity, daily exercise, podcasts, Casey Neistat, and much more. Follow Colby online here: TW: https://twitter.com/colbysharp IG: https://www.instagram.com/colbysharp/ Blog: https://www.mrcolbysharp.com/ YT: https://bit.ly/2OIfAyt Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links!

CRAIG KEMP is a head of Digital Learning and Innovation, teacher of teachers, blogger, workshop facilitator, and speaker. Although he hails from New Zealand and now calls Singapore home, Craig is truly a global force for innovation in education. In our conversation, recalls the challenge of rebuilding a school community after the tragic loss of a student. He describes how his current role constantly requires him to look, investigate, and use technology in new ways that improve learning. He tells us why team sports represent the perfect mix of fitness, play, and collaboration … and how he always plays to win! Craig also shares great recommendations in books, Twitter, YouTube, and more. Follow Craig online here: TW: https://twitter.com/mrkempnz FB: https://www.facebook.com/Mrkempnz/ Blog: http://mrkempnz.com/ Follow Teachers on Fire! TW: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire IG: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes, links, and more.

KIMBERLY SNODGRASS is a 7th grade ELA teacher. She advocates for creative thinking, BookSnaps, Sketchnotes, Edu GIFS, and other creative ways for students to represent their learning. In our conversation, Kim recalls the challenge of beginning a high school teaching assignment with a lot of preparation required and next to no experience in education. She credits this period with allowing her to learn the art of teaching without preconceived ideas or the pressure of textbook mentality. Kim talks about the importance of staying hungry as an educator, cultivating creativity and critical thinking in the classroom, and engaging regularly with other education thinkers. She also passes on some solid recommendations for books to read, educators to follow on Twitter, edtech tools to try in the classroom, and much more. Follow Kim online here: TW: https://twitter.com/KimSnodgrass Class blog: https://kimsnodgrass.weebly.com/ https://teachersonfire.net/ https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire

KATELYNN GIORDANO is a sixth grade language arts teacher in Sugar Grove, IL. You can find more of her insights on learning, reading, and writing at https://curriculumcoffee.com/ - a written shot of espresso for educators. Katelynn recalls the time early in her career when a veteran colleague told her not to speak during faculty meetings. Part of her recovery from that discouraging blow involved moving to a new middle school position, where she was fortunate to come under the wing of a mentor who was supportive in every way. Katelynn also explains why she’s passionate about education and describes the activities that fuel her personal fire outside of the classroom. She tells us about the daily routines that make her productive and offers some awesome recommendations on Twitter, books, edtech tools, and more. Follow Katelynn online here: TW: https://twitter.com/Mrs_Giordano IG: https://www.instagram.com/curriculumcoffee/ Blog: https://curriculumcoffee.com/ https://teachersonfire.net/

JARROD DUMAS is an assistant principal at Oak Hill Middle School in Sabattus, Maine. He recently published Unlocking Excellence: A Guide to Becoming an Extraordinary Educator. Check it out at https://amzn.to/2woY9Lh. In our conversation, Jarrod recalls a great story about how his own sarcasm once cost him in the classroom. He shares about the heart and message of his book and discusses the sources of his excitement in education today. We also get into Carl Jung’s archetypes, fitness, educators to follow on Twitter, Sherlock Holmes, and more! Follow Jarrod online here: TW: https://twitter.com/Xtraordinary247 IG: https://www.instagram.com/xtraordinary_educator/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/xtraordinaryeducator/ Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media! TW: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. IG: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links from this episode!

JOSHUA STAMPER is an assistant principal, husband, father, blogger, and graphic artist in Frisco, TX. He’s also the host of Aspire: The Leadership Development Podcast. You’ll find his writing at https://joshstamper.blogspot.com/. In our conversation, Josh discusses the mission and vision of his podcast on leadership in education, Aspire. He tells us why he’s excited about the incredible changes that have come to education in the last decade, pointing out that “But this is the way we’ve always done things” doesn’t fly anymore. He explains how his experience in graphic design contributes to his current work, and reminds us that school cultures aren’t built from behind desks. Finally, he gives us some great recommendations for books to read, Twitter personalities to follow, and more. Follow Josh online here: TW: https://twitter.com/Joshua__Stamper IG: https://www.instagram.com/joshua__stamper/ Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/mr_stamps Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for more info!

DAVID McFARLAND is a high school IB humanities teacher at Pacific Academy in Surrey, BC, Canada. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MrMcFteaches. In our conversation, David talks about how “We don’t even know you!” challenged him to rethink the importance of building relationships with his students. He describes some of his passions in education today: helping students navigate knowledge critically instead of merely absorbing content, using digital tools to customize learning experiences, and continuing to advocate for some reading on paper. David also shares some of his lifelong learning outside of the classroom, a daily ritual that builds relationships, and his top picks in books, Twitter, Youtube, and more. Follow Teachers on Fire on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for more show notes on this episode, including timestamps and links. Song Track Credits Relax (by Simon More) Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

JAMIE OSBORNE is a middle school teacher-librarian in Richmond, BC, Canada. She writes at https://thebiblioz.wordpress.com/ and recently published her first episode of The Biblioz podcast for teacher librarians. In our conversation, Jamie addresses the challenges of moving students from an unhealthy focus on grades to the uninhibited freedom of failure-free learning. She explains why she enjoys her new role in the library so much and describes her personal transformation from Twitter lurker to contributor, blogger, and now podcaster. Jamie also shares some of her personal habits and passions and offers solid recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, and more. Follow Jamie! TW: https://twitter.com/thebiblioz IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebiblioz/ Blog: https://thebiblioz.wordpress.com/ Podcast: https://apple.co/2MTMBXL Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for more show notes on this episode, including timestamps and links. https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire

JAROD BORMANN is an advocate for educator empowerment, a tech integration specialist, adjunct professor, learning designer, speaker, blogger, and the author of a new book, Professionally Driven: Empower Every Educator To Redefine PD. In our conversation, Jarod talks about the need to redefine and reimagine PD with three main features at the core: 1 growth mindset, 2 intrinsic motivation, and 3 sustainable autonomy. In the age of Google and instantly available facts, he also explains how technology can unleash greater creativity, higher level thinking, and problem-solving for learners. Check out Jarod’s book on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2B4dTci Follow Jarod! TW: https://twitter.com/jbormann3 FB: https://www.facebook.com/professionallydriven/ Website 1: https://www.professionallydriven.com/ Website 2: https://www.professionallydriven.com/the-book YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxdYkAmeElPKdbEVEipA-A Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for notes and links from this episode!