The TeacherCast App Spotlight

Hapara – GSuite Management System for School Districts (2015)

Jeffrey Bradbury — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 02:32:00 -0500

Jeff sits down with Jack West to discuss why Hapara is the perfect tool for any school district wishing to properly and effectively manage their GAfE environment.

About Hapara

Hapara is a Māori word for dawn or daybreak. Teacher Dashboard was first conceptualized by a pioneering group of educators and developers working together to serve an underprivileged population of students in Auckland, New Zealand.

The tools were built in a collaborative fashion to solve the knowledge management challenges teachers face when going all in with Google Apps. The Hapara team has grown significantly since the inception and now has team members in New Zealand, California, Boulder, Colorado and Washington DC.

Hapara’s exclusive focus on K12 education solutions for Google Apps has won the team several awards including the New York City Gap App Challenge Best Administrative App, the Texas Association of School Administrators iZone Award, and a Gates Foundation Literacy Challenge Prize.

Links of interest

Recorded June 2015

PeekaPak (2015)

Jeffrey Bradbury — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 04:58:00 -0500

Jeff sits down with Ami Shah to discuss how Peekapak is able to help promote child development in grades PK-2.

About Peekapak

Peekapak aims to improve learning outcomes in early childhood by enabling teachers and parents to work as partners in a student’s education. Through Peekapak’s platform, teachers are provided digital access to Peekapak’s character development curriculum and extended home activities for families to reinforce the learning in the home. The platform will also track student progress so that both teachers and parents are able to get a complete view of how a student is developing in the class and at home. Peekapak is currently in private beta and is looking to partner with educators to test and pilot their program.

Links of Interest

About our Guest

Ami Shsh is the CEO & Co-founder of Peekapak, a recent graduate of the Imagine K12 Edtech Accelerator program based in Silicon Valley. Ami is passionate about improving youth education and has previously taught in Vietnam. She has extensive marketing experience from roles at Procter & Gamble, and most recently, as Director of Retail Marketing at a consumer products start-ups. She has an MBA from INSEAD. You can connect with Ami on Twitter: @amishahdotca or on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amishahdotca

Podcast Recorded: June 2015

Microsoft OneNote (2015)

Jeffrey Bradbury — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 04:45:00 -0500

Jeff sits down with Mik Tholfsen and Ari Schorr to discuss how Microsoft OneNote is being used in classrooms to help teachers and students stay digitally organized.

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that develops, manufactures, licenses supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics, and personal computers and services. Its best-known software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, Microsoft Office office suite, and Internet Explorer web browser. Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox game consoles and the Microsoft Surface tablet lineup. It is the world's largest software maker measured by revenues. It is also one of the world's most valuable companies.

Links of Interest

OneNote

Main

http://www.onenote.com – Free copy of OneNote on any platform, any device

Social

Training

http://www.onenoteforteachers.com – Bite-sized interactive Teacher Training for OneNote in Education
OneNote and Learning Styles pamphlet: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24895
OneNote Toolkit for teachers – an interactive OneNote notebook designed for teachers on OneNote best practices in the classroom
OneNote for School Administrators and Staff – interactive training

OneNote Class Notebook Creator

YouTube Videos

About our Guests

Mike Tholfsen started at Microsoft working as a software engineer on the first version of Outlook in 1995. He subsequently worked on the first versions of Outlook Web Access, and multiple versions of Outlook desktop. In 2004, he moved to the OneNote team where he shipped multiple versions of OneNote, while also doing exploring OneNote as a key education tool and working with many teachers and schools around the US and world. After six years on OneNote, he tried his hand at the cloud, where he worked on the first cloud iterations of SharePoint, Project and Office 365. Most recently, Mike moved back to the OneNote team as a Principal Program Manager to focus exclusively on efforts in the education space, where his true passion lies.

Ari Schorr is the OneNote Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft that works closely with engineering on prioritizing and messaging features. He has been driving disclosure for OneNote as free, cross-platform, and coupled with the OneNote Class Notebook Creator for teachers to set up a powerful notebook structure in their classrooms. He is excited to be getting the word out about OneNote, especially its power in education: Organizing materials in one digital location, rather than paper copies, and empowering collaboration in a truly efficient and time-saving manner.

Podcast Recorded: January 2015

Rosetta Stone: Celebrating 25 years of helping students learn a second language (2017)

Jeffrey Bradbury — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 04:31:00 -0500

On this episode of the TeacherCast App Spotlight, Jeff welcomes Global Marketing Director Tanya Mas and Sydney Harper from the Aspen Academy to discuss how Rosetta Stone is transforming the way students are able to learn and master a new language.

About Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is a global leader in technology-driven language and learning solutions, and for 25 years has provided educators with interactive English and World Language programs that change their students’ lives. More than 22,000 education institutions worldwide have partnered with Rosetta Stone to develop their students’ natural ability to read, write, and speak with confidence in a new language. Rosetta Stone® Foundations for K-12 is designed for beginner to intermediate students to learn skills needed for conversational proficiency. Foundations combine EdTech and proven methodologies for easy integration into a school’s language program, increasing students’ instructional access and opportunity in up to 24 languages. As students complete interactive language instruction they unlock the ability to practice their language skills through games, activities, stories, and live online conversations—leveled to their learning progress. Learn how combining Rosetta Stone Foundations with traditional language instruction complements any curriculum at http://www.rosettastone.com/K12.

Links of Interest

Twitter: @RosettaStoneEd
Facebook:Facebook.com/RosettaStoneEducation
K-12 Resource Hub: k12hub.rosettastone.com
YouTube: http://k12hub.rosettastone.com/video

About Our Guests

Sydney Harper is pleased to be teaching for her eighth year at Aspen Academy. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Denver in International Studies, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. This will be Mrs. Harper’s eleventh year teaching in independent schools. Through her teaching career, she has taught Spanish, American History, Global Issues, Health and Wellness, World Seminar, Drama and Music to students ECE-12. She makes it her goal to integrate across the curriculum and throughout the community to provide the most enriching education possible. She has lead students on service learning, outdoor expeditionary and history based outings to Costa Rica, Mexico, Moab, Dinosaur National Monument, Flaming Gorge and Historical Route 66. On these outings, Ms. Harper wrote and utilized various curricula to provide enriching, educational experiences throughout. In her spare time, Mrs. Harper sings professionally with symphony orchestras, local theatre and music groups, and writes and performs her own music in Denver venues.

Tanya Mas is Rosetta Stone’s Global Marketing Director and is responsible for the strategy and execution of the global demand generation programs for the Enterprise & Education verticals in the US, UK and DACH region. Prior to her current position, Tanya was the Senior Education Marketing Manager for Rosetta Stone and was responsible for the overall go-to-market strategy for the K-12 and Higher Education verticals. She designed and managed the strategic development and implementation of all the Education marketing programs, including the development of sales enablement and support materials. Tanya has been with Rosetta Stone for almost 5 years and earned a Masters, Corporate & Professional Communications Degree from Radford University. Prior to receiving her Master’s Degree, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science-International Relations, as well as, a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages-French & Spanish. She also studied abroad at L'Université Catholique de L'Ouest in Angers, France.

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Contact Me

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
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Podcast Recorded April 2017

Turning Parents into Partners | Learn Why You Should Check Out @ClassTagMe Today!

Jeffrey Bradbury — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 02:19:00 -0500

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Vlada Lotkina, founder of ClassTag and Renee Angle, a 4th-grade teacher to discuss how teachers can shave hours off of their workweek by using the effective communication struggles found in ClassTag.

About ClassTag

ClassTag is a web and mobile platform co-developed by teachers, families and parent engagement experts to specifically increase parent engagement based on research-based practices, helping teachers turn parents into partners by simplifying all communications and scheduling, motivating parents to get involved and guiding them to success.

Links of interest

About Guest

Vlada Lotkina is a co-founder and CEO of Classtag. She is a former Fortune 500 Executive and a Wharton MBA. She is very passionate about education and helping parents be a powerful force to unleash their children’s potential.

Renee Angle is a 4th Grade Teacher in Idaho. She has been teaching for three years and is a general education teacher teaching all subjects. She is a National Elementary Honor Society advisor for students in grades 4-6 at her school. This is a second career for Renee after a successful 20 year management career in the retail lumber industry. Renee knows every student can learn and looks forward to discovering students’ talents with them. Renee believes student achievement in the classroom increases when parents are active participants.

Why ClassTag?

The ClassTag approach was co-developed by teachers, families and parent engagement experts to specifically increase parent engagement based on research-based practices and is an opinionated platform that early results show helps teachers leap over parent engagement barriers and turn parents into partners.
Specifically, ClassTag helps teachers:
Set and manage high and clear expectations with parents
Move from transactional engagement to relationship-building activities
Create simple and meaningful ways for parents to support learning
Reduce amount of effort required with automation and consistent system
Get visibility into the level and type of family engagement
Through this approach, ClassTag has a staggering 90% parent participation rate on the platform.
Game changer for what teachers expect, how they adjust their strategies and, most importantly, an amplifier for student success.

Contact Me

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: feedback@teachercast.net
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/video
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/audio

Recorded July 20, 2016

Learn why @Flocabulary is the perfect combination of hip-hop and current events for your students!

Jeffrey Bradbury — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 02:02:00 -0500

Jeff sits down with Aliza Aufrichtig from Flocabulary to discuss how rap can be combined with current events to help boost student test scores.

About Flocabulary

Flocabulary is an online learning platform that delivers educational hip-hop songs and videos to students in grades K-12. Founded in 2004, Flocabulary is now used in over 15,000 schools and reaches a weekly audience of 5 million students. Our mission is to motivate kids and help them reach their full academic potential, not only by raising test scores but by fostering a love of learning in every child.

Recorded June 24, 2014

Learn Why @Edusight is an awesome Portfolio Tool For Documenting Student Achievement

Jeffrey Bradbury — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 01:57:00 -0500

Jeff sits down with Vikram to discuss why Edusight is simply the best standards-based portfolio to help teachers document student achievement.

About Edusight

Edusight is a standards-based portfolio to help teachers document student learning with grades, notes, photos, and audio/video comments.

Use Edusight on the web to manage assessment, grading, and standards seamlessly (includes Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, and state standards).

Edusight Notes for iOS lets you capture learning evidence in the classroom as it happens – quickly take a note or record a video of students as they learn, tag standards, and instantly add it to their portfolios!

All of this evidence comes together in beautiful, easy-to-digest student portfolios that can be shared with students, parents, and administrators in real time so everyone is engaged in improving student learning.

Why Edusight?

Edusight is used by over 140 schools and districts across North America, including schools in New York, Chicago, California, and Ontario.

Edusight is available for individual teachers for free – always. For schools and districts who wish to manage Edusight at an organizational level, we offer premium subscriptions which include features like SIS integration, reporting modules, teacher collaboration, and administrator dashboards.

Educator Feedback

“The best designed gradebook I have ever encountered.” – Mike R., Instructional Leader at a top Canadian private school
“What used to take me 2 weeks to learn takes me 15 minutes with Edusight!” – Maria A., kindergarten teacher, Brooklyn public school
“Edusight is SO MUCH EASIER TO USE than my last gradebook.” – Stacy I., high school teacher, Palo Alto charter school

Current Features

standards-based or traditional gradebook
iOS apps (iPad / iPhone) to document notes, photos, audio and video
standards tagging for all evidence of learning
simple student portfolio
student / parent web access
analytics and data visualization for teachers, students, and parents
Edmodo Single Sign On and roster sync
shared data across school accounts, allowing teachers to collaborate when working with the same students across classes (premium feature)
administrator analytics (premium feature)
Integrations with other systems – e.g., SIS / LMS integration (premium feature)
Upcoming: Google Classroom integration

Links of Interest

Web: https://edusight.co
Twitter: @edusight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edusight
Email: hello@edusight.co
YouTube Walkthroughs: http://bit.ly/1J1tYaI
Customer Testimonial: https://vimeo.com/123037422

Additional Information

Launched September, 2014
As of July, 2015 – 2000+ teachers, 10% weekly growth
Vision: to help everyone in K-12 education make better decisions with data
Imagine K12 Fall 2014 cohort
Based in Toronto, Canada, with customers across North America
Official vendor for NYC Department of Education and Chicago Public Schools

Contact Me

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: info@teachercast.net
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/YouTube
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/iTunes

Check Out More TeacherCast Programming

TeacherCast Podcast (https://www.teachercast.net/tcp)
Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today)
The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com)

Recorded August 30, 2015

Learn how @LEGO_Education is transforming #STEM Education Curriculum Worldwide!

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 04:04:00 -0500

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Margaret Weigel from Lego Education to discuss the amazing LEGO Mindstorms products and how they can fit into your STEM Education Curriculum.

About Lego Education

For 35 years LEGO® Education has been working with teachers and educational specialists like to deliver playful learning experiences that bring subjects to life in the classroom and make learning fun and impactful. We have a wide range of physical and digital educational resources that encourage students to think creatively, reason systematically and release their potential to shape their own future. We believe that expanding knowledge and building academic and 21st-century skills will create active, collaborative, lifelong learners. Together with educators, we aim to enable every student to succeed in education and be prepared for future life challenges.

What is Lego Mindstorms?

The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 Core Set contains the software and elements to start teaching STEM subjects using robotics to middle school students. Through hands-on learning, LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 will enable students to understand forces and motion; graph and interpret rotation sensor data; develop robots capable of complex thinking using logical structures and sensor feedback; understand that complex system are created from subsystems; and design, build and program a fully-functioning robotic system.

Key Points of Focus/Facts & Figures

LEGO MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 is now currently available for Chromebooks™. The introduction of this new technology expansion meets the growing demands of school administrators and teachers around the number of Chromebooks currently being used in classrooms.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 platform includes customizable curriculum and digital workbooks; a hardware platform based on real-world robotics technology for engaging, hands-on activities; an intuitive software platform consisting of both programming and data-logging interface and a science expansion pack.
LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 is being used in 1/3 of middle schools in the U.S. and more than 3 million students over the course of the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education existence (18 years) have had an experience with the platform – starting with RCX, through NXT, now to EV3.
FIRST®LEGO® League, a global robotics contest, had more than 230,000 students involved using LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 for the competition.

Links of interest

What can you do with Lego?

About our Guest

Margaret Weigel is the Senior Marketing Manager, Segments for LEGO® Education North America. In this role, she oversees their middle school product portfolio, including LEGO® MINDSTORMS Education, as well as the team which manages their elementary and preschool portfolios. Prior to LEGO® Education, Margaret was Director, Curriculum and Learning Experience Design at Six Red Marbles. Margaret has been dedicated to the education industry throughout her personal and professional life. In addition to writing about education issues for the Huffington Post, Margaret has also served on Common Sense Media’s Editorial Advisory Board and is currently an advisor for the Medford, Massachusetts public schools where she has lived for the past 13 years. Margaret loves the mix of theory, testing, play and flow that makes learning extraordinary.

Thank You For Your Podcast Reviews

Contact Me

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: feedback@teachercast.net
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/video
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/audio

Check Out More TeacherCast Programming

TeacherCast Podcast (https://www.teachercast.net/tcp)
TeacherCast App Spotlight (https://www.teachercast.net/appspotlight)
Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today)
The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com)
Ask the Tech Coach Podcast (http://www.AskTheTechCoach.com)

View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCast

Need a Presenter?

Jeff Bradbury (@TeacherCast) is available as a Keynote Speaker, Presenter, or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!
Check out my NEW Homepage: JeffreyBradbury.com

Learning how to bring Next Generation Science Standards into the Middle School Curriculum @FossScience @DeltaEducation

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 04:03:00 -0500

Welcome to the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Mariel Warnock from School Specialty to discuss the launching of their AMAZING Foss System for Middle School students. Learn how your students can learn Next Generation Science Methods today!

About School Specialty, Inc.®

School Specialty (OTCQB: SCOO) is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. Through its SSI Guardian subsidiary, the Company is also committed to school, healthcare and corporate workplace safety by offering the highest quality curriculum, training and safety and security products. Through its recently launched SOAR Life Products brand, the Company offers thousands of products that sharpen cognitive skills and build physical and mental strength in fun and creative ways. From childhood through adulthood, they help individuals live life to the fullest – engaged, happy and well. SOAR Life Products is a customized offering for hospitals, long-term care, therapeutic facilities, home care, surgery centers, day care centers, physician offices, and clinics. For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.

Links of interest

About Mariel

Mariel Warnock is the Marketing Manager for FOSS and Delta Education at School Specialty. She has a B.A. in Earth Science Teaching and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education and taught 11^th and 12th-grade Geology and Environmental Science before moving into the world of educational publishing.

About Delta Education

Delta Education, part of School Specialty’s family of brands, delivers the best of hands-on, inquiry-based science education to K-8 students. Trusted products from Delta Education include FOSS, Delta Science Modules (DSM) and engaging informational texts including Delta Science Content Readers. For more information about Delta Education, visit www.deltaeducation.com.

Thank You For Your Podcast Reviews

Contact Me

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: feedback@teachercast.net
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/video
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/audio

Check Out More TeacherCast Programming

TeacherCast Podcast (https://www.teachercast.net/tcp)
TeacherCast App Spotlight (https://www.teachercast.net/appspotlight)
Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today)
The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com)
Ask the Tech Coach Podcast (http://www.AskTheTechCoach.com)

View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCast

Need a Presenter?

Jeff Bradbury (@TeacherCast) is available as a Keynote Speaker, Presenter, or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!
Check out my NEW Homepage: JeffreyBradbury.com

Recorded August 12, 2016

Learn How @Zzish Provides Real Time Formative Assessments on ALL Devices

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 03:59:00 -0500

Are you looking for a quick to prepare, easy to use, real-time formative assessment tool that your students are going to love? In this episode of the TeacherCast App Spotlight, I welcome Francesco Busiello on from Zzish to discuss how classrooms worldwide are being turned on to Gamification through an amazing application called Zzish.

About Zzish

Zzish is a data-driven app platform that turns educational apps into powerful classroom tools for formative assessment. Founded by ex-Googler Charles Wiles, Zzish is a next-generation platform for schools designed around real-time data, mobile apps and personalized learning.

Our real-time dashboards mean teachers can quickly understand who needs help and what they need help with and then immediately personalize their teaching in class. The real-time team game view turns app activities into a fun class experience that engages students of all ability. Our mastery dashboards let teachers track student progress and monitor learning gaps so that no child gets left behind.

Any educational app can plug into Zzish in hours to add these rich classroom features. Teachers can then search the Zzish App Store to discover in-app activities mapped to the curriculum, assign those activities to students, get real-time insights and track student progress over time.

Quizalize our own app plugs into Zzish and lets teachers quickly create their own assessments to use in class with Zzish. Teachers can also search the marketplace for free assessments shared by other teachers or paid assessments created by premium publishers such as HarperCollins and Oxford University Press.

With over 650,000 students and 50,000 teachers from 110 countries using Zzish already, Zzish is rapidly growing to become a global platform.

Links of interest

Zzish

Twitter @zzishcom
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ZzishCom/
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsN-UvRQ-hYUAndrQePJkMA

Quizalize

Twitter @quizalizeapp
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Quizalize/
Pinterest https://uk.pinterest.com/quizalize/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/quizalizeapp/

About Francesco Busiello

Currently working as Head of Growth at Zzish. I'm part of the team building the new Zzish hub, using the latest in web development technology (React, Relay, etc.). Love working at a start up, every day is a great opportunity to learn something new. I learned how to JavaScript on the job since I joined in May 2015 and I'm looking forward to new challenges. It's deeply satisfying getting the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our users every day.

Thank You For Your Podcast Reviews

Contact Me

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: feedback@teachercast.net
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/video
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/audio

Check Out More TeacherCast Programming

TeacherCast Podcast (https://www.teachercast.net/tcp)
TeacherCast App Spotlight (https://www.teachercast.net/appspotlight)
Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today)
The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com)
Ask the Tech Coach Podcast (http://www.AskTheTechCoach.com)

View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCast

Need a Presenter?

Jeff Bradbury (@TeacherCast) is available as a Keynote Speaker, Presenter, or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!
Check out my NEW Homepage: JeffreyBradbury.com

Recorded November 2016

Toontastic: Providing Storytellers of all ages a Megaphone for their Creativity

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 03:54:00 -0500

In this episode of the TeacherCast App Spotlight, we learn how easy it is to create creative animated storytelling lessons using Toontastic 3D. By following a simple format, students can bring their imaginations to life with the touch of their fingers.

Thank You For Your Podcast Reviews

Contact Me

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: feedback@teachercast.net
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/video
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/audio

Check Out More TeacherCast Programming

TeacherCast Podcast (https://www.teachercast.net/tcp)
TeacherCast App Spotlight (https://www.teachercast.net/appspotlight)
Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today)
The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com)
Ask the Tech Coach Podcast (http://www.AskTheTechCoach.com)

View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCast

Need a Presenter?

Jeff Bradbury (@TeacherCast) is available as a Keynote Speaker, Presenter, or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!
Check out my NEW Homepage: JeffreyBradbury.com

Recorded April 2017

Learn why Wordly Wise has been a leader in vocabulary and reading comprehension for millions of students. | @SchoolSpecialty

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 03:34:00 -0500

In this episode of the TeacherCast App Spotlight, I sit down with Peter Cleary from School Specialty to discuss the brand new Wordly Wise i3000 reading comprehension program. For the last 50 years, Wordly Wise has been a world leader in helping students learn how to read. In today's show, we explore how their new 10-step lesson plans give teachers and students an edge in an ever-changing digital classroom.

About School Specialty, Inc.®

School Specialty is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. Through its SSI Guardian subsidiary, the Company is also committed to school, healthcare and corporate workplace safety by offering the highest quality curriculum, training and safety and security products. Finally, through its SOAR Life Products brand, the Company offers thousands of products that sharpen cognitive skills and build physical and mental strength in fun and creative ways. From childhood through adulthood, they help individuals live life to the fullest – engaged, happy and well. SOAR Life Products is a customized offering for hospitals, long-term care, therapeutic facilities, home care, surgery centers, day care centers, physician offices, and clinics. For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.

About Peter Cleary

Peter oversees Professional Development activities at EPS Instruction and Intervention. EPS is a division of School Specialty. Peter holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Arts from Queen’s University, Canada. He has 5 years of direct teaching experience and 20 years overseeing Professional Development programs and has worked with hundreds of school districts across the U.S. helping them to implement reading and math intervention programs that target students who are not meeting their academic standards.

Links of Interest

EPS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EPSLiteracyandIntervention
EPS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/29656
EPS Twitter: https://twitter.com/ss_eps
EPS Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/epsforeducators/
Websites:
http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/
https://www.schoolspecialty.com

About EPS Instruction and Intervention

EPS Instruction and Intervention provides K–12 blended-media solutions that build core skills and close the achievement gap in reading and math. With powerful instructional tools and high-quality materials, the company’s reading and math intervention solutions are proven to help struggling students EPS offers an integrated approach to effective teaching and learning.

For more information on EPS and its proven programs Wordly Wise 3000®, S.P.I.R.E.®, Academy of READING®, Academy of MATH®, MCI, , Explode The Code® and EPS Custom Learning, visit http://epsbooks.com

Recorded August 30, 2017

Why is it important to teach our students the art of typing? | @LearningDotCom

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 16:12:00 -0500

Do your students have the typing skills needed to successfully become digital citizens?

In this episode of the TeacherCast App Spotlight, we discuss the art of teaching students how to properly become expert keyboardist with Jeff Meyer, the Director of Education from Learning.com.

About Learning.com

Founded in 1999, Learning.com currently partners with one in six school districts and serves five million students nationwide. Learning.com provides K-12 solutions to help students, teachers, and schools excel in a digital world. Districts equip their students with the technology and 21st-century skills needed for success on online assessments, college, and the workforce using Learning.com’s digital literacy solutions. Learning.com’s digital content tools help districts build and share custom digital curriculum helping them meet their instructional goals, facilitate personalized learning, and address budget challenges. Through implementation services and professional development, Learning.com serves educators as they integrate technology and digital content into instruction.

Links of Interest

Website: http://www.learning.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/learning-com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Learningdotcom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/learningdotcom
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/learningdotcom/

About Jeff Meyer

Jeff Meyer is the Director of Education and is Learning.com’s resident product expert for our digital literacy solutions who works to identify best practices for internal and external audiences. Jeff has 34 years of experience working in education as a public-school teacher and coach, district curriculum and technology director and administrator. He is passionate about the need to transform education using data-based, inquiry-driven approaches and digital resources, especially with urban students and educators. Prior to his eleven years of service with Learning.com, Jeff worked in the Austin and Eanes school districts, Education Service Center, and University of Texas at Austin, Texas.

Press Release

Learning.com Launches EasyTech’s Next Generation Adaptive Keyboarding Application

Updated Digital Solution Will Help Students Develop Accuracy and Speed in a Fun and Engaging Environment

PORTLAND, Ore. – May 16, 2017 – Many school leaders are realizing that while today’s students may be adept at swiping and texting, keyboarding is an essential skill needed for success in school and today’s workplace. To help close the keyboarding skills gap, ed tech company, Learning.com, today announced its Next Generation Adaptive Keyboarding solution, a comprehensive digital application designed to help students develop accuracy and speed on the keyboard through independent practice.

This new application is an update of EasyTech’s Prescriptive Keyboarding solution and is illustrative of Learning.com’s commitment to providing tools that help students and teachers excel in a digital world. It features updated technology, including a transition from Flash to HTML5, and offers intuitive, role-based user interfaces along with a modern design for higher engagement and ease of use.

“For digital natives, who’ve grown up with digital devices glued to their hands, typing and keyboarding have been replaced by swiping and emojis, leaving many students without the technology skills necessary to succeed in school, college and careers,” said Learning.com CEO Keith Oelrich. “Our keyboarding lessons and adaptive keyboarding practice environment provide a fun and engaging way to close that critical skill gap.”

As a pre-cursor to independent practice, the new guided practice curriculum launches a module that directs students through such keyboarding basics as home row and upper row to ensure proper technique within those skill areas.

The Great Keyboarding Adventure for elementary students and The Urban Keyboarding Explorer for middle school help students understand that through developing keyboarding skills, they can open their interconnected world. Students complete a series of prescriptive pathways within these worlds that adapt as they complete a combination of keyboarding practices, demonstrating improvements toward accuracy and speed goals. Students earn badges along the way as they complete formative assessments, exercises, and skill and story challenges, while the prescriptive engine recommends personalized exercises adapted to each student’s individual needs.

To learn more about the benefits of keyboarding and get tips on student engagement, register here for “Keyboarding is a Foundational Skill Students Need for Success,” a webinar examining the importance of keyboarding in the classroom. The webinar will take place at 1:30 p.m. PDT on Thursday, May 18, 2017.

About Learning.com

Founded in 1999, Learning.com currently partners with one in six school districts and serves five million students nationwide. Learning.com provides K-12 solutions to help students, teachers, and schools excel in a digital world. Districts equip their students with the technology and 21st century skills needed for success on online assessments, college, and the workforce using Learning.com’s digital literacy solutions. Learning.com’s digital content tools help districts build and share custom digital curriculum helping them meet their instructional goals, facilitate personalized learning, and address budget challenges. Through implementation services and professional development, Learning.com serves educators as they integrate technology and digital content into instruction.

Digital Literacy Gains

More Than 75 percent of Fifth and Eighth Graders are Non-Proficient in 21^st Century Skills, According to Learning.com Study

Research Demonstrates Access to Tools for Building Digital Literacy Skills Key to Closing Skills Gap

PORTLAND, Ore. – August 22, 2017 – We may think today’s students are digital natives, but a recent multi-year study by Learning.com revealed that 75 percent of fifth and eighth graders are non-proficient in 21^st century skills. The research, which involved more than 110,000 students taking Learning.com’s 21^stCentury Skills Assessment from 2012-2017, measures the digital literacy skills outlined in the ISTE Student Standards. The company’s research also demonstrated that providing students with access to tools for building digital literacy skills is crucial for closing this serious skills gap.

“When we look at the test scores for this significant sample of students, it is alarming to see that the vast majority of fifth and eighth graders did not have the digital skills necessary for success in college and their future careers – not to mention high school, which is right around the corner,” said Learning.com CEO, Keith Oelrich. “However, what we also see is that when students have opportunities to build those skills, proficiency rates soar.”

When the education technology company looked at students who had consistently used its digital literacy tools over the course over one school year, it found that overall, those who were more engaged with the digital literacy curriculum showed greater gains during the period of study.

In Texas, more than 10,000 eighth grade students from across 251 districts took Learning.com’s 21st Century Skills Assessment. After working with the company’s tools during the school year, non users had gains in proficiency between the pre- and post-test of 4.6 percent, while consistent users had gains in proficiency of 20.1 percent, more than four times that of non-users.

As a result of a Texas statewide adoption, these students now have access to EasyTech, Learning.com’s comprehensive K-8 curriculum. These self-paced, interactive lessons help students develop digital literacy and computational thinking skills. In addition, EasyCode Foundations and Pillars, provide a complete, turnkey solution for introducing students in grades three through eight to coding using a real programming language. Learning.com’s digital literacy platform was certified as the only solution to address 100 percent of the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TA-TEKS) state standards, which outline the digital literacy skills students need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.

About Learning.com

Founded in 1999, Learning.com currently partners with one in six school districts and serves five million students nationwide. Learning.com provides K-12 solutions to help students, teachers, and schools excel in a digital world. Districts equip their students with the technology and 21st century skills needed for success on online assessments, college, and the workforce using Learning.com’s digital literacy solutions. Learning.com’s digital content tools help districts build and share custom digital curriculum helping them meet their instructional goals, facilitate personalized learning, and address budget challenges. Through implementation services and professional development, Learning.com serves educators as they integrate technology and digital content into instruction.

Recorded September 2017

Equatio and Desmos (2017)

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 15:55:00 -0500

In this episode of the TeacherCast Podcast, we ask the question “Can You Take Your Math Class Paperless?”

Learn how you can take advantage of the FREE teacher version of Equatio.

In this episode, you will learn:

How to create both simple and complex equations through voice, ink, and thought.
How to create detailed lessons in EquatIO that can be copied into Docs, Slides, Sites, and Office applications
How to engage your students by having your students create drawings and animations using Desmos’s powerful graphic engine.

Why is this news Awesome?

Texthelp has integrated Desmos’s graphing calculator into EquatIO
Desmos’s best-in-class HTML5 graphing calculator is used by millions of students around the world to help them experience all the curiosity, beauty, and sense that math has to offer
Desmos imagines a world of universal math literacy where math is accessible and enjoyable for all students
EquatIO, Texthelp’s award-winning STEM tool, makes it easy for students and teachers to create equations, formulas and other mathematical expressions digitally
Much more than a replacement for pen and paper, EquatIO makes math and STEM subjects more accessible in today’s classrooms, meeting the unique needs of all learners
With the addition of Desmos’s API, EquatIO users can now add graphing to its growing list of capabilities
The integration with Desmos enables EquatIO to become a one-stop-shop for making math and other STEM subjects digital

3 Ways to Use:

From a Teacher standpoint (i.e. building a graph with a corresponding question to be shared through EquatIO mathspace)
From a Student standpoint (i.e. using prediction to build out graphs based on a teacher question received through EquatIO mathspace)
Using desmos graphs to visualize a concept that then students can explore on their own in their EquatIO mathspace

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The TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network | @TeacherCast

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Jeff Bradbury | @JeffBradbury

About Desmos

Beautiful, powerful, math! Desmos imagines a world of universal math literacy where math is accessible and enjoyable for all students. The Desmos Graphing Calculator instantly plots any equation – from lines and parabolas through regressions and derivatives. This is the next generation of interactive math.

We built the best-in-class HTML5 Desmos graphing calculator, which millions of students around the world use for free. That calculator catches stellar reviews in app stores and fromhappy users on Twitter. We sustain our growth through our partnerships with publishers and assessment companies.

Desmos believes the best days of math education and the best days of Desmos are ahead of us.

About Texthelp

TexthelpⓇ believes that everyone shares a fundamental need to be understood by others, and language is our passport to academic, social and professional success. This is what drives Texthelp to create smart, easy-to-use support technologies that enable young people and adults to read, write and communicate with confidence and independence.

Texthelp works with leading technology companies including Google and Microsoft, and works closely together with many of the world’s major educational publishers to provide literacy and STEM support solutions to classrooms worldwide.

Texthelp’s world leading learning software is used daily by students and educators in schools, colleges and universities worldwide. Our corporate software tools continue to be used by blue-chip companies, as well as large and small scale public departments and government organizations globally.

Texthelp has been recognized in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 for 14 consecutive years, and has recently been awarded both the global Google Partner of the Year (devices), and the Digital Agenda awards for Impact within Education.

About our Guests

Eli Luberoff

Eli began his programming life on his TI-83 graphing calculator in elementary school, culminating with a working version of Monopoly which was destroyed when he removed the backup battery by accident. He began working on the software that would become Desmos.com during a year-long hiatus from Yale University in 2007, returning to graduate summa cum laude with degrees in Math and Physics in 2009. Eli was also selected by Bloomberg Businessweek as one of the top 25 entrepreneurs under 25 in 2011. Eli can be found on Twitter @eluberoff.

John McGowan

John McGowan, Product Manager at Texthelp, is the visionary behind EquatIO, Texthelp's STEM solution that makes math digital. Prior to joining Texthelp, John taught secondary math for over 15 years and loved to adapt the fail-forward mentality and push the bounds of technology integration in the math classroom. This led to the development of g(Math), a Google Add-on for Docs, Sheets, and Forms, which was the first iteration of what is now EquatIO. John can be found on Twitter @jmacattak.

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.

This weeks question is:

Question: In what ways are you able to integrate Technology with your Math Lessons?

Please share your tips and tricks below in our Comments Section.

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Tech Tip of the Week

Twitter is one of the most valuable tools that a teacher can have in their back pocket. There are great companies such as Desmos and Text Help just waiting to assist you and your students each and every day. If you are stuck and don't know how to best help out those in your classroom, take a moment and check out the many great resources on Twitter today!

Join our PLN

Are you enjoying the TeacherCast Network, please share your thoughts with the world by commenting on iTunes today? I enjoy reading and sharing your comments on the podcast each week.

Let’s Work Together

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast | @JeffBradbury
Email: info@teachercast.net
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
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Recorded November 2017

Teach your students about honesty in their writing using @Turnitin

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 03:18:00 -0500

Jeff sits down with Jason and Ray from Turnitin.com to discuss internet plagiarism in the classroom.

Featured Resources

“Turnitin is a cloud-based solution that saves instructors time and helps students become better writers by facilitating rich, comprehensive feedback using three core tools:
OriginalityCheck®: Identifies potential plagiarism by matching student work against a vast database of content;
GradeMark®: Provides a platform for fast and easy paperless grading using drag-and-drop comments and rubrics;
PeerMark®: Automates peer review exercises to engage students and encourage collaborative learning.”

Featured Guests

Ray Huang:

Ray is the Customer Programs Manager for Turnitin. He regularly writes for the Turnitin blog and newsletters, organizes user events, and oversees training resources. Ray can be reached at: rhuang@turnitin.com

Jason Chu:

Jason is the Senior Education Manager at Turnitin. His focus is on working to build resources for educators, and he is passionate about finding better ways to enhance student achievement. Jason can be reached at: jchu@turnitin.com

Please contact TeacherCast with any Questions or to become a guest on the TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: mailto:info@teachercast-net.jeffreybradbury.com
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/YouTube
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/iTunes
Twitter: http://www.TeacherCast.net/Twitter

Recorded in 2014

Learn how to get your students engaged over the summer with the @Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

Jeffrey Bradbury — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 02:05:00 -0500

Jeff sits down with Sylvia Ibarra and Frank Loose from Scholastic to learn how your students can set a world record in reading this summer!

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology and related services and children's media. Scholastic creates quality books and ebooks, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, magazines, multi-media and other products that help children learn both at school and at home. The Company distributes its products and services worldwide through a variety of channels, including school-based book clubs and book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, on-air, and online at www.scholastic.com.

Links of Interest

www.scholastic.com/summer
@Scholastic
@ScholasticTeach
#SummerReading
Summer Reading Challenge YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00F0FF03B168F773

Featured Guests

Sylvia Ibarra has served as the principal at Jackson Elementary School in McAllen, TX for the past three years. She has 24 years of experience as an educator. During her 24 years in education, she has held various positions throughout her career including teacher, counselor, central office administrator and campus administrator. She firmly believes that all students can learn and is passionate to help every child reach his/her full potential. She works diligently every day to ensure that student learning is a priority and to create opportunities for student success. Ms. Ibarra is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Northcentral University in Arizona. Ms. Ibarra’s educational goal is to continue to grow professionally and impact teacher and student learning in a positive way.

Frank Loose is a Marketing Manager for the Elementary School category at Scholastic Book Fairs. Since 2009, he has been focused on the issue of summer reading and developing tools to motivate kids to read more during the summer months. He received a B.F.A. from the University of Kansas School of Fine Arts. He has two sons attending college.

Please contact TeacherCast with any Questions or to become a guest on the TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network

Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast
Email: mailto:info@teachercast-net.jeffreybradbury.com
Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail
YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/YouTube
iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/iTunes
Twitter: http://www.TeacherCast.net/Twitter

Contact Jeff Today!

Check out more TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network Shows

* TeacherCast Podcast (https://www.teachercast.net/broadcast)

* TeacherCast App Spotlight (https://www.teachercast.net/broadcast)

* The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com)

Recorded in 2014