My Tech Toolbelt

MTT047| Flipgrid and Keeping Engaged Remotely - Ann Kozma  Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Imagine a tech tool that works for everyone from Pre K to PhD and beyond!  Not only that, but you have complete flexibility and complete control at the same time!  Flipgrid can be as simple or as sophisticated as you want it to be, and there is no right or wrong way of doing it.  Join us today as we speak with Ann Kozma from Flipgrid as she tells us the new and exciting enhancements coming up.  If you would like to see the video portion of this podcast, you can see the video here. Ann Kozma loves to explore, share, and contribute and has spent 19 years dedicated to transforming education as a classroom teacher, Innovation & Instructional Support TOSA, and as an Educator Innovation Lead on Team Flipgrid at Microsoft. Believing that “Play is our brain’s favorite way to learn,” Ann loves t

MTT046| iCivics, Building Civic Knowledge in a fun way - Neil Wrona Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. It’s an election year!  Do your students understand the complexities of our government workings?  What a great time to learn about how our system works, while the subject is in the news every day!  Join us as we speak with Neil Wrona, a 7th grade teacher at an alternative school tasked with teaching these young people how their government works and how they can make a difference.  All in a very easy to understand and fun way! Neil Wrona is a 7th year teacher who has taught at every level in the school system and every subject other than English. Neil’s undergrad was in Communications and Rhetorical Studies, and it wasn’t until his junior year, and a class that doubled as community service, that he realized he wanted to teach. Of course, by then he thought it was far too late, so he

MTT045| Ozobot, Mighty Little Robots to code and create - Nikki Jones Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Have you seen Ozobots, perhaps in a STEAM lab or at a conference, moving around the floor or table, but didn’t understand what it was doing or how you could use it with your students?  Join us today as we speak with Nikki Jones, a 3rd Grade teacher from Virginia that loves technology, especially Ozobots.  Find out how Nikki uses the Ozobots, not only for coding, but how she also uses them for math, social studies and science! Nikki Jones, a thirteen-year veteran educator values creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from SUNY Fredonia and obtained her master's degree in Special Education from George Mason University in Virginia. She currently teaches third grade at Chris Yung Elementary in Bristow, Virginia

MTT044| Podcasting with your Students - Brian Briggs Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Have you thought about podcasting with your students, but don’t know where to start?  Join us today as we speak with Brian Briggs, the Director of Innovation and Instructional Technology for Plumas Lake Elementary School District in California.  Brian shares with us why podcasting with your students is so beneficial and just how easy it is to get started.   Brian Briggs is the Director of Innovation and Instructional Technology for Plumas Lake Elementary School District.  Brian enjoys working with teachers and students teaching, training and learning alongside them with new and exciting topics in Educational Technology.  He loves the use of coding and robots, and has always been a nut for hands-on science. Brian is most excited about STEAM, the creation of projects, and getting students engaged.

MTT043 Bonus| Seesaw with Distance Learning - Megan Madden Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. In Episode 43 - Seesaw in the Classroom, Megan Madden shared with us how she has been using Seesaw in her classroom with great success.  Just a short time later, the whole world was shutting down due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.  Everything escalated very quickly, and teachers, districts and students found themselves having to transition to Distance Learning almost overnight.  In this Bonus episode, Megan shares with us the obstacles she faced in the transition, and how she returned to one of her favorite tech tools in her toolbelt, Seesaw, to help her with her students.  Find out why this was the perfect fit once again.  If you haven’t listened to Episode 43 yet, make sure you listen to that one as well to hear how she used Seesaw in her classroom.   Megan Madden is a Bay Area native and e

MTT043| Seesaw in the Classroom - Megan Madden Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. It’s so great when each of your students have their own devices.  But what happens when you have 31 student projects on 31 devices?  It means a lot of time on the Teacher collecting, grading, distributing, and managing both the projects and the devices.  Join us today as we speak with Megan Madden, a 3rd Grade Teacher from California.  Megan shares with us why Seesaw works so well for her and her classroom.  Also, listen in to how much the parents love it as well.  One more thing, this episode will be a short series on Seesaw.  This is the “Seesaw in the Classroom” episode, our next one coming up will be “Seesaw with Distance Learning”, so be sure to subscribe to our podcast because you don’t want to miss that one! Megan Madden is a Bay Area native and enjoys learning, community, and creating new ways

MTT042| Creating with Chrome - Ryan O’Donnell Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Are you at a school with a lot of Chrome Books?  How are you using them? Are your students consumers or creators?  Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn on your student’s creative side and see where it would lead them?  Join us today as we speak with Ryan O’Donnell, a high school Video Production teacher from California. He shares with us so many creative ways to have your students Creating with Chrome in no time.  And just wait until you check out his unbelievable templates that he is sharing with you!   Ryan O’Donnell is currently a Video Production teacher at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, California. Before teaching video, he was a TOSA and social studies teacher and has been in education for 20 years. Ryan’s passionate about professional development for teachers with a focus on using tools, techn

MTT041| Digital Design Strategies - Martin Cisneros Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Wouldn’t it be great if you could customize information that you want to give your students so that every student could understand at their reading level?  What about being able to show websites to your class without pop-ups and advertisements? These are just a couple of the tech tools that are shared by our guest, Martin Cisneros. Martin Ricardo Cisneros (@TheTechProfe & TheTechProfe.com) is a Modern Learning Specialist, speaker, GeekDad, TechJedi, and SuperMariachi, from Silicon Valley! In his position at the Santa Clara County Office of Education (Innovation.sccoe.org), Martin develops and facilitates professional learning experiences on the most current educational trends to improve teaching and learning through innovative processes. He has developed many blended curricular programs some o

MTT040| Pear Deck, Creating Classroom Conversations - Kristan Morales Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Imagine if you could engage every student in your class, every day. What if you could instantly see who’s confused and who’s ready for more? That’s the power of Pear Deck.  Join us as we speak with Kristan Morales and how she uses Pear Deck in her math classes to get responses from her students, either named or anonymously. Kristan Morales is a High School Math Teacher in Temecula, California.  Instructional Leadership Corps with CTA and Stanford, CTA Liaison to CA Math Council, Temecula Educators Association Instruction and Professional Development Chair, Southwest Riverside County Think Tank Facilitator for Institute for Teaching, CUE Conference Planning Committee and Volunteer Coordinator, CUE Rockstar Faculty.    Contact: Kristan Morales Twitter: @kristanmorales1 Kristan’s 3-

MTT039| Empatico, Connecting Classrooms Around The World - Wendy Turner Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Empatico gives teachers and students the tools they need to explore the world through experiences that spark curiosity, kindness, and empathy.  Empatico combines live video with activities designed to foster meaningful connections. Wendy Turner teaches 2nd grade at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware in the USA. She is passionate about connecting learning in the classroom to the real world in all areas of study.  Deeply committed to social-emotional learning, she guides her students to embody respect, empathy, resilience, citizenship, and growth mindset through dynamic classroom experiences. She advocates for educating the whole child, trauma invested learning environments, equitable school breakfast practices and is committed to high quality science and STEM

MTT038| Assistive Technology Part 3, Dive Into UDL - Luis Perez & Kendra Grant Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Luis Perez joins us again with co-author, Kendra Grant, of the book “Dive Into UDL”. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing instruction that meets the needs of every learner. They discuss an overview of UDL, showing how to offer flexibility in methods of presentation, student participation and expression to support high achievement for all students, including those with disabilities or limited English proficiency.  “Dive into UDL” shows K-12 educators how to incorporate UDL in their instructional design and engage in continuous professional growth. The book also appeals to those in coaching positions and to administrators seeking to support their staff. The book offers three modes of entry to allow educators to “start where they are” in thei

MTT037| Thrively, Strength Based Education - Judy Blakeney and Tricia Gee Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Tired of only looking at what your students are doing wrong?  Interested in building up your student’s self-esteem? Join us as we look at Thrively, where they look at student’s strengths instead of their weaknesses.   Judy Blakeney is an English and Career Technical Education teacher at Aliso Viejo Middle School (Capistrano Unified School District). She also serves as the #CUEchat coordinator, organizing CUE’s weekly Twitter chat that supports CUE’s Leadership, Rockstar, Affiliates, Learning Networks, and Authors connection with CUE members. As a Google Innovator and Trainer, she enjoys exploring ways to support innovative, interactive, and learner-centered professional learning. Her Google Innovator project, StrengthBasedEDU provides professional learning for teachers focusi

MTT036| 360 Degree Math Remix - Ed Campos Jr Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Looking to step up you game in the classroom? Turn your math class into a fun and engaging atmosphere where your students don’t feel like they are an island, but are in a community. Ed Campos Jr. Ed currently works for Brown University as a Program Manager for the Brown Computer Science Department’s “Bootstrap” Computer Science curriculum that integrated CS into Core Content areas like Math, Science and Social Science.  He also works as a Lead Learner for CUE and does professional development under his own Consulting, “Mathletic Performance.” He’s taught high school Math and Computer Science for over 14 years in the San Joaquin Valley and was instrumental in creating a model 21st century math learning space that allows his students to express themselves, present, and teach their peers in a multitude of w

MTT035| Assistive Technology Part 2, Learning on the Go - Luis Perez Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Luis Perez joins us again to talk about the tools you can add to your tech toolbelt for Universal Design for Learning (UDL).  While UDL is the framework, the technology is the tools to implement and practice using UDL in the classroom. Luis Pérez is a technical assistance specialist for the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. In this role, he promotes the creation, delivery and use of high quality accessible educational materials and technologies to support equitable learning opportunities for all students. He holds a doctorate in special education and a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of South Florida. He was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) in 2009, and as a Google in Education Certified Educator in 2014, and he i

MTT034| Shadow A Student, CUE BOLD 19 - Devon Young Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. The Shadow a Student Challenge is a crash course in empathy that starts with seeing school through a student's eyes. It helps school leaders find meaningful opportunities to improve the experience for students, and take insight-driven action to create change at their schools. #ShadowAStudent Twitter: @k12lab K12lab at Stanford D School website PBS News Hour Video on Shadow A Student   Devon Young began her career in education as an AmeriCorps VISTA, working at a non-profit that matches low-income middle school students in workplace-based apprenticeships. It was during this experience that Devon was able to see the power of inspiring students through hands-on, experiential learning, and realized the need to engage with educators to catalyze change in schools. At the d.school Devon has worked on t

MTT033| Learning like Finland, a Principal’s observation - Nicole Johnson Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Join a Principal's journey in going to Finland to observe their school system. Nicole Johnson is an Elementary School Principal from Los Angeles, California.  She was selected to join a group of Principals from the Los Angeles area to go to Finland to observe how their school system is run, based on the book, “Teach Like Finland”. Nicole received her Bachelor’s in Communication Studies from Cal State Long Beach.  While in school she supported herself by working as a nanny for a special needs child.  Upon graduation she applied for and was hired as the 3rd grade teacher of St. Aloysius School.  Having grown up in a small town, adjusting to life in an inner city was a bit of a struggle for Nicole; however St. Aloysius School eventually worked its way into her heart.  While serv

MTT032| Beginning Blended Learning, a Principal’s perspective - Amanda Johnston Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Follow a Principal's journey in starting her school with Blended Learning. Amanda Johnston is an St. Mary Elementary School Principal from Escondido, California.  She was set to teach 3rd Grade in the Fall, but plans changed and she was asked if she would be interested in taking over as Principal instead.  This was in July and school started in August. Amanda shares with us her journey of continuing with a promise made to the students, faculty and families of St. Mary school.  They would become a Blended Learning school. Mrs. Johnston talks about finding the right people to connect and collaborate with.  She also talks about how important empowering your staff is. She discusses her insights, struggles, and even a tech failure. St. Mary Escondido Twitter - @stmaryescondi

MTT031| Assistive Technology Part 1, Technology Makes Things Possible - Luis Perez Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. An introduction to the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. They provide resources and technical assistance for educators, parents, students, publishers, conversion houses, accessible media producers, and others interested in learning more about AEM and implementing AEM and the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). National Center on Accessible Educational Materials #AEM4all Twitter: AEM_Center Facebook: AEM Center   Luis Perez Luis Pérez is a technical assistance specialist for the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. In this role, he promotes the creation, delivery and use of high quality accessible educational materials and technologies to support equitable learning opportunities for all students. He holds

MTT030| Freckle For Everyone Part 2, Helping the First Year Teacher stay on track - Kristen Johnson Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Kristen Johnson from Alabama was a first year teacher that was feeling a bit unsure of her progression with her students during the second half of the year.  Join us as we talk about how Freckle helped her students prepare for their mandatory testing in April. Freckle empowers teachers to differentiate instruction across Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science. Freckle Kristen Johnson Alabama Teacher of the Year Nominee (2018-2019)Nick's Kids Teacher Excellence Award Recipient (2016) Kristen tells us, “My passion for teaching began when I was a nine-year-old girl in fourth grade. After being inspired by a truly enthusiastic teacher who was eager for students to learn and find their individual passions, I decided to pursue a future in teaching myself. A

MTT029| #CUE19 Recap - Jon Corippo www.mytechtoolbelt.com Twitter: @mytechtoolbelt  #MyTechToolbeltInstagram: My Tech Toolbelt Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Review of the CUE Spring 2019 Ed Tech Conference. We also catch up with CUE Executive Director, Jon Corippo. CUE CUE is the ISTE Affiliate for California and Nevada. Twitter: @cueincInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cueinc/?hl=en Jon Corippo Proven excellence as a presenter and event organizer: Routinely plans and executes small, medium and large ed tech training and educational events that are well presented and get very high marks from audiences. Developed and executed training for over 45,000 educators from 2015-2018. Co-author of The Eduprotocol Field Guide, an Amazon Best Seller. Lead the CUE staff for Fall CUE and Spring CUE events, including all aspects of the events (marketing, logistics, innovation and vendor re