10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher

Chris Smith is a Maths teacher from Scotland where his irrational passion for Pi earns him geeky renown. He is an enthusiastic ambassador for the beauty and usefulness of Mathematics and shares this message with his anyone who will listen. In today's episode, you'll hear: How Chris' car became the centerpiece of one Pi Day The Pi-M-C-A song that won Chris' classroom international attention The Math-sterpiece his class is creating this year How to make math more exciting all year long Chris writes a free weekly Maths newsletter for teachers with puzzles, lesson ideas, resources, Maths facts- if you'd like to join the list of almost 2000 subscribers, send him an email (aap03102@gmail.com). He's always excited about making new connections with Maths fans across the world! Chris regularly speaks at Maths conferences in Scotland, has delivered a TEDx talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TACPw5NtUk), helps run the Enterprising Maths in Scotland National Final (http://www.scottishmathematicalcouncil.org/wp1/enterprising-mathematics/), is a co-creator of the free-to-download-Pi-visualiser "Pi-Wire" (http://piwire.co.uk/), serves on the TES Maths Panel (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/blog/tes-maths-our-panel-teachers) and is a a member of the Scottish Mathematical Council (http://www.scottishmathematicalcouncil.org/wp1/members/). Outside the world of Maths, Chris is married to Elaine, is dad to Daisy, Heidi and Logan (born in perfect arithmetic progression in 2007, 2008 and 2009), plays piano in Jiggered Ceilidh Band (http://www.jiggered.com/) and is a follower of Jesus. A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Kevin Honeycutt @kevinhoneycutt grew up in poverty and attended school in many cities across the United States. As he witnessed education around the country he collected powerful experiences that still influence his conversations and his work with educators. He spent 13 years teaching art K-12 in public school and for 17 years spent summers leading creative adventure camps for kids of all ages. In 1991 he received the Making IT Happen Award which is an internationally recognized awards program for educators and leaders in the field of educational technology integration in K–12 schools. The program identifies and rewards educational technology leaders around the world for their commitment and innovation. Today, Kevin discusses: His difficult experiences as "that kid" The teachers who connected and related to him The inspiration to be the teacher who relates and connects to kids who struggle or are the class clown A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Alex Corbitt from the Bronx has 5 created ideas to help improve and make language arts learning fun. He also has some inspiring thoughts for new teachers. In today's episode, we'll discuss: How to scaffold reading Making use of classroom spaces Some cool project ideas including "talk show host" Using picture books even with older kids Establishing benchmarks for students A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Augmented reality and virtual reality. Are these buzzwords or are they things that can be used to improve learning? Today Steven Anderson @web20classroom pulls back the veil and helps us learn about these emerging technologies. In today's show, we discuss: What is augmented reality? What is virtual reality? What are examples of how each are being used in the classroom? Are these technologies expensive to use? Which technology does Steven think will be the most helpful to classrooms? Are there problems with either of these technologies? A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Kyle Taylor @kyletaylor13 and his school have implemented iPads with Google Classroom and are saving half (yes, half) of what it previously cost to set up a classroom with technology. For Wonderful Wednesday we learn all about their decision making process and how teachers are using iPads and Google classroom to teach. Today we discuss: How to create an optimal learning environment with Google Classroom Why the Ipads are well suited for creation How the work flows from creation to Google Classroom Why teachers are excited to be able to share videos and lessons with one another in Kyle's very large school. How Kyle calculates the cost savings for setting up a classroom at half what it was previously. A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests. Kyle also shares his implementation guide. Kyle's bio: Currently an Instructional Technology Coordinator for Arlington Public Schools in Virginia where I support, assist, plan classroom lessons and provide technology coaching for teachers and students. This is my 7th year as an ITC, I previously taught Geography at a community college in my home state of Massachusetts. I am passionate about teamwork, collaboration, and the important role that technology plays in exciting learners to be creative.

Suzy Lolley loves Seesaw. Today she teaches us how she teaches teachers to use Seesaw with their iPad classrooms. Today on Tech tool Tuesday we discuss: What Seesaw does in the classroom The ages of students for using Seesaw Workflow using Seesaw in the elementary classroom Recommendations on assessment with Seesaw How to involve parents in elementary portfolios Privacy and peer editing recommendations What situations may not be ideal for Seesaw Suzy Lolley is fourteen-year veteran teacher of middle and high school ELA. She currently serves as an Instructional Technology Specialist in Cherokee County, GA, and is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, a Common Sense Ambassador, and a Seesaw Ambassador. A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Josh Harris, an elementary edtech director from California, talks about an attitude of innovation. He talks about how to empower ourselves with an attitude of fearlessness and trying new things. In this show we discuss: How to adopt an attitude of trying new things Confronting the fear of "breaking" something Learning new technology doesn't have to be hard. In his 18th year in public education, Josh Harris find himself in the position of Educational Technology Director for an elementary school district on California's central coast. He has a passion for edtech, especially in communities of color, which manifests itself in presenting at edtech conferences and summits as often as he can. you can find his session materials at http://bit.ly/edtechspec A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Aaron Sams @chemicalsams helps give us ways to master technology. Aaron Sams is an Instructor of Education at Saint Vincent College, is an advisor to TED-Ed, and was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching in 2009. Aaron is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and author and has trained thousands of educators to integrate technology with sound pedagogy. He holds both a B.S. in Biochemistry, an M.A.Ed. from Biola University, and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Texas Tech. Find out more at http://aaronsams.com Aren't you tired of being overwhelmed by technology? Do you really need the latest thing to be more productive? Or is the latest thing killing you one wasted moment at a time. Today is a wake up call where we discuss five ways to take back control of your technology. In today's show, we discuss: Only using technology that makes work easier Focusing on your workflow to save time Not fighting the technology ecosystem at your workplace (it will only frustrate you) Go with less paper, not paperless. How turning off notifications can help refocus your life. A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Dr. Anael Alston @DrAAlston talks about common misconceptions that educators have about students in poverty. Born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn, Anael "Dr. A" Alston is an award-winning educator and serves as Superintendent of Schools of the Hamilton Central School District in Hamilton, NY. Prior to that, he was the principal of the Robert M. Finley Middle School in Glen Cove, New York and principal of Great Neck North Middle School in Great Neck, New York. Dr. A is passionate about leadership, service, and all things public education. In today's show, we discuss how teachers should approach teaching students who are in high-poverty situations. This is important because Anael argues that many thoughts about students in poverty are off-base. In today's show we discuss: The mindsets and attitudes students need for success How educator expectations are an essential ingredient of student success The importance of relationship with students Anael's advice for what teachers should do daily to adjust their thinking and prepare to teach difficult students. A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.

Librarian Micki Uppena has a wonderful library. In addition to a rich maker space, Micki takes us on a journey into a 21st-century library where kids love to learn. In today's show, she shares with us: The kinds of conversations she has with students The importance of relationships in the modern library Inspiring life-long learning The most inexpensive tools that have transformed learning in her library The treasure boxes she uses to get kids excited A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on entering this month's giveaway contests.