Unpacking Education & Tech Talk For Teachers

Happy Holidays from Tech Talk For Teachers and AVID Open Access! We have a special series of short episodes to commemorate this past year, as we take a little break to celebrate the holidays. This week, Rena Clark reflects on the past year and shares some of her favorite insights learned from a special guest who joined us earlier this year, Cherie Spencer, Social and Emotional Learning Coordinator in Galveston, Texas. Our holiday message to teachers: Be kind to yourself. Give yourself the grace that you extend to others. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Happy Holidays from Tech Talk For Teachers and AVID Open Access! We wish you a joyous and fulfilling holiday season. We hope you are able to take some time away from school and work to rest, recharge, and engage in some well-deserved self-care. We have a special series of short episodes to cap off this past year, as we take a little break to celebrate the holidays. This week, we hear from Dr. Winston Benjamin about how we can help students celebrate the holidays while recognizing various cultural communities that exist in your classroom. Join us for fun and reflection, where laughter, song, and warm camaraderie take center stage. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

To celebrate Computer Science Education Week, we have invited Erica Roberts, a Master Teacher of computer science at Northside College Preparatory High School in Chicago, Illinois. Erica joins the team to share how she inspires students to learn computer science (CS). Together, we discuss how we might advocate for equity and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners in the field. CSEdWeek takes place from December 6–12. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Over the last few years, the boundaries have blurred between home and school. We no longer want to just engage with families; we want to partner with them. Our common goal is to ensure their child’s well-being and to provide a path toward lifelong success that is filled with possibilities. We welcome our special guest, Denis Parcells, principal of William C. Jack Elementary School in Glendale, Arizona, to talk with us about developing family connections and nurturing a common purpose. Denis joins the team to share his strategies for partnering with parents, building trust, and developing communication pathways to create connections that support families throughout their child's academic career. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

In preparation for Thanksgiving, we reached out on social media and asked teachers two questions:Why did you get into education?What is your current “why” that keeps you going as a teacher?We’ll be sharing and reflecting on some of the responses we received in today's episode. As we prepare for quality time with our family and friends, we wanted to take a moment to remember what we are thankful for. To the teachers—you make such a difference in the lives of our students, families, and communities. This episode is our thank you to you. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Art isn't just about drawing. It encompasses so many media, including technology. This week we meet with Nic Hahn, a K–5 Elementary Art Specialist in Minnesota, who shares her experience engaging students in a creative process to promote student agency. The team learns from Nic easy-to-implement strategies for infusing artistic creation into the core curriculum. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

In this week's podcast episode, our team is joined once again by Theren Hayes—a National Board Certified Teacher and PK–12 Instructional Technology Specialist from the Tukwila School District in Washington—to share easy-to-implement digital teaching strategies to amplify student voice across grade levels. There are so many ways for us to help students find and share their voice—not only in the classroom but also with the world. Join us as we look at several forms of technology and teaching best practices to amplify students' ownership of their learning process. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Prior to the pandemic, more and more schools and districts across the United States were shifting to 1:1, meaning they had one device for every single student. As a result of the pandemic, an even greater number of schools and districts have gone 1:1, so we ask the question: Now what? In this week's podcast, we begin to shift the conversation from how we get technology into the classroom to how we might create an inclusive, technology-rich environment that fosters student agency and student ownership. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

As we face increasing disruption to our routines of living and learning, the conversation about access to learning has become more prominent across the US. In today’s episode, we explore how educators can provide inclusive and innovative solutions to help students navigate their personal pathways to learning. We begin by addressing the following question: How can we provide students with multiple means of engagement? We discuss a common lesson design issue where teachers are instructed to create lessons for the average student. But does the average student really exist? Join us as we answer this question and explore Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

The idea of building relationships has been a frequent topic of conversation in K–12 education over the last few years, especially when thinking about working with communities of color and other marginalized identities. Today, we reflect on the thoughts of Zaretta Hammond—educator and subject-matter expert on culturally responsive teaching—regarding the benefits of getting to know your students. She mentions the practice of using “cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content…” We explore what she means by that and how this might look in the classroom. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.