Episode 21 - Dress Codes for Staff

Maria and Lisa were joined by Lisa Durff and Angela Maiers in this conversation about dress codes for school staff. The chat room was flying, with differing opinions all around. Enjoy.

Audio and chat are here.

Episode 20

The show this week was a conversation about classroom groupings. Lisa and Maria were joined by Joel Zehring to discuss advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons of heterogeneous and homogeneous groups. There was a bit of a rough start in the intro to the show and for a moment, this could have been a very different show. A little bit of editing, removed the mistakes and they will be saved for our "blooper show".

Thanks everyone for joining us in the chat room.

Audio and Chat Log

Episode 19 - Do educators have different standards when it comes to an online presence?

Lisa Parisi and Maria Knee discussed the topic of digital footprints. Matthew Tabor joined in the conversation, which covered such issues as educator responsibilities, professional vs. personal online personas, and online etiquette.

Audio and Chat can be found here.

Episode 18 - Does your personality affect your teaching?

This week Maria Knee and Lisa Parisi talked about our personalities. How does who we are affect how we teach? Paul Bogush and Maureen Tumenas joined us in the Skype call.

You can find the chat archive and audio here.

Show 17 - Conferences

This week's topic was about conferences. We asked and discussed why do you go to conferences, what do you gain by going to a conference, and wandered off track a bit to share experiences. We were joined by Lee Kolbert and Arvind Grover in the skype call as well as many others in the chat room. Arvind shared information about the unconference model from his first hand experiences.

Audio and chat log here.

Show 16 - Presidential Election Results

This week the show focused on the Presidential election outcome. What can we expect as educators with Barack Obama as president? Maria Knee and Lisa Parisi were joined by Michael Smith, Sylvia Tolisano, and Minhaaj ur Rehman to discuss our ideas.

You can find the audio and chat here.

Show 15 - Waving the Magic Wand

What would you do with a magic wand to change education? That was the topic for our conversation this week. It was from a question posed to Lisa by David Warlick. Alec Couros and Paul Bogush joined us. Although we didn't stick to this topic per se, there was much conversation around change in education and school. The folks in the chat room kept thing going as well.

Audio and Chat Log here.

Show 14 - Passions

Passions were discussed this week. Maria Knee and Lisa Parisi discussed passions other than teaching with Alice Mercer, Scott Shelhart, and Pat Hensley. Since our passion is talking, we didn't always stay on topic but the conversation was rockin'.

Chat archive and audio here.

Next week, we will wave our magic wand and transform our classrooms and our schools. What changes would you make if money, blocking, administration, and parents were not obstacles?

Show 13 - Homework

Homework was the topic of Conversation this week. Maria and Lisa were joined by Linda Nitsche and Lee Kolbert and lots of folks in the chatroom. Many opinions were expressed about the purpose and reasons for giving homework. We looked at this topic from a teacher's and as well as a parent's point of view. The chat room was rockin' so don't forget to check out the chat log from today's show.

Audio and Chat

Next week our conversation comes from a plurk by Sheryl Nussbaum Beach during the summer. What are your passions? If we didn't talk school all the time- what would you talk about? What interests you?

Show 12 - Grading and Assessment

This week, our Conversation was about grading and assessment. Maria and Lisa were joined by Sheila Adams for this rousing discussion. The chat room was lively so be sure to check out the archive.



Chat and archive are here.

Show 11 - Parents in the Classroom

This week our Conversation topic was parents and their role in the school. Lisa and Maria were joined by Lorna Costantini, co-host of the Parents as Partners webcast. The conversation was informative as well as thought provoking. There was a lively chat in our chat room that shouldn't be missed.

Audio and chat log can be found here.

Show 10

During this show, we discussed teaching as a job or a calling. We moved into a conversation about working with preservice teachers. Does it change how we work with them if we think of teaching as a calling? as a job? This rousing discussion included Lisa Thumann, Barb Gilman, Alec Couros, Scott Shelhart, and Peggy George.



The audio and chat can be found here.

Show 9 - Evaluating Teachers

During this show, we discussed the process of evaluating teachers. There were many questions about this topic. How are teachers evaluated and does the process work? What is the purpose of evaluation and is it the same for all teachers in each school? Does teacher evaluation improve teaching and learning for students? Should the process be changed and if so, how can it be changed?

Thank you to Ginger Lewman and Shannon Smith for joining us in our skype call. Thank you also to the folks in our chat room. Unfortunately, our chat log was not saved due to a glitch in the system.

The audio for the show can be found here.

Thanks to Peggy George, we have a partial chat archive:

[Cathyjo] Im just a mentor--not an eval.
[sharon_elin] Refining our teaching increases our time management, too
User learner101 has logged out.
[sharon_elin] Ineffective teachers create more (meaningless) work for 
themselves
[BethH] Yes, time is an issue but we all have the SAME amount of 
time. Some are willing to spend time on our profession - others are 
not. Can you IMAGINE a physician saying, "I don't have time to learn?"
[GingerTPLC] Does tenure protect the ability to NOT continue to learn?
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[Cathyjo] The admin @GingerTPLC are dcmenting everything that she is 
doing/not doing in accordnace w/ her improvement plan
[PeggyG] time becomes an issue when it doesn't feel like it is being 
used well on priority issues-if working on your goals is meaningful, 
time isn't used as an excuse. Look at the goals.
[Cathyjo] Im just sort of a coach
[bcdtech/Maureen] @beth I agree...but unless admin says you have to 
do , many will not
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[sharon_elin] GingerTPLC, I do think unions are enabling & protecting 
bad teachers.
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[sharon_elin] I know that's not a popular opinion
[GingerTPLC] @CathyJo: is she that bad? or are they just trying to 
retire her?
[MariaK] We'd like some other voices in this conversation - who can 
we bring in - volunteers?
[BethH] GREAT article by Clay Shirsky about the issue of TIME. http://
www.herecomeseverybody.org/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html
[PeggyG] that's such an important point, Maria. It's not about 
counting hours working on something--it's about what you are learning 
and how you are changing your practices to meet student needs
[GingerTPLC] @sharon: I signed in to this job knowing I had no tenure 
protection here and I'm ok with that. If I rely on tenure to keep my 
job, I need to leave that job!
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[sharon_elin] amen
[jansmith] Now, we've all been in situations where the perspective of 
others don't reflect fairly. I see my union on my side. If I suck, my 
admin has the power to get rid of me
[Lisa Parisi] Ginger...when will you make too much money to be kept 
in your job?
[mrshbryson] We don't have tenure where I work. We also don't join 
unions either.
[Lisa Parisi] One more time...anyone want in to the skype conversation?
[mrshbryson] having said that, rarely does a teacher NOT get a 
contract renewal.
[GingerTPLC] @Lisa: now. That's happening now. But again, if tenure 
is what's protecting me, then I need to leave that job. If they don't 
want to pay me what I'm worth, they will lose me.
[jansmith] NO skype, I'm in my pj's
[Lisa Parisi] No video jan

[derrallg] glad I could finally listen in to this great group
[Cathyjo] hey derrall
[derrallg] hi Cathy
[Lisa Parisi] Glad you made it. Long time no speak.
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[GingerTPLC] g'morning Derrall!
[Lisa Parisi] Hello Paul.
[bcdtech/Maureen] For my computer classes- my admin has no clue- 
cannot help with goal setting. I think that may be true for other 
disciplines- does your admin know how to teach reading/math/etc..?
[loonyhiker] i was told many times to stop doing all that i do becuz 
i made the others look bad
User paulh has logged out.
[PeggyG] I think over achiever implies that you are a person that 
goes above and beyond what is "expected"
[bcdtech/Maureen] I'm not an "over-achiever" I just get told that I 
don't have a life.
[sharon_elin] overachievers raise the bar and not everyone wants to rise
[Lisa Parisi] Maureen...aren't good practices, good practices 
regardless of the skill being taught

[derrallg] glad I could finally listen in to this great group
[Cathyjo] hey derrall
[derrallg] hi Cathy
[Lisa Parisi] Glad you made it. Long time no speak.
User paulh has entered this room.
[GingerTPLC] g'morning Derrall!
[Lisa Parisi] Hello Paul.
[bcdtech/Maureen] For my computer classes- my admin has no clue- 
cannot help with goal setting. I think that may be true for other 
disciplines- does your admin know how to teach reading/math/etc..?
[loonyhiker] i was told many times to stop doing all that i do becuz 
i made the others look bad
User paulh has logged out.
[PeggyG] I think over achiever implies that you are a person that 
goes above and beyond what is "expected"
[bcdtech/Maureen] I'm not an "over-achiever" I just get told that I 
don't have a life.
[sharon_elin] overachievers raise the bar and not everyone wants to rise
[Lisa Parisi] Maureen...aren't good practices, good practices 
regardless of the skill being taught
[derrallg] @lisap glad my real life is finally leaving room for PD
[derrallg] @ginger you survived the hotel?
[GingerTPLC] @derrall, I did! Was a fun time!!
[Cathyjo] @derrall   something has to give right?
[jansmith] @loonyhiker that can really be alienating
[bcdtech/Maureen] @lisa How does admin know "best practices" in 
different subject areas? I'm talking about specifics.
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[Lisa Parisi] I mean for learning Maureen.
[loonyhiker] @jan made me angry enuf to NOT stop doing what i was doing
[Lisa Parisi] For teaching.
[sharon_elin] That's why peer coaching is useful as content-specific 
feedback
[derrallg] @cathy yeah couldn't hold back from connecting anymore 
with friends
[Lisa Parisi] Hello Joel
[PeggyG] @Lisa-I agree with you-good instructional practices are not 
unique to the content/subject matter. I'm not an expert in band or 
art but I know how to evaluate whether their teaching practices are 
effective in student learning
[Lisa Parisi] Yes, Peggy. That's what I mean
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[jansmith] @loonyhiker you go! Your energy can bring others along--
they can draft on you.
[paulh] Hi guys
[jansmith] Hi paul!
[bcdtech/Maureen] @peggy@lisa I guess I mean- when I am setting goals 
for computer classes- other than the general ISTE type guidelines, 
how can I get help from someone who does not use tech?
[paulh] Hi
[PeggyG] slightly off topic but related-it always bothered me that 
PE, band, art, music specialists thought learning about the math or 
reading curriculum/standards were not important to them.
[Lisa Parisi] Maureen..your admin should know how to get you support 
in that area
[Cathyjo] My husband is an admin too--so I get that prespective too
[sharon_elin] one of the solutions is peer pressure -- from 
professional learning communities

Show 8 - Teacher Stereotypes

This week, we were joined by Joel Zehring and Chrissy Hellyer for a conversation about teacher stereotypes. We discussed what some were, how they came to be, and what we can do to dispel them. This lead to a discussion about teacher evaluations. It was decided to continue this conversation next week. Join us to discuss how teachers are evaluated and should we be doing our own evaluations?

Audio and Chat can be found here.

Show 7 - Inclusion

This week, we were joined by Karen Janowski for our Conversation about Inclusion. We tackled such issues as how to run a great inclusion program and who belongs and who doesn't belong in an inclusion classroom. We also revisited the bullying topic and discussed modeling respectful discourse among adults.

Audio and chat log can be found here.

Show 6 - Starting the School Year

This week the show focused on starting the school year. We discussed what folks do when planning for the year and what routines and procedures are important to establish with students. We also shared what we might do differently in the upcoming school year and any new projects or ideas we are thinking about.

Audio and chat log can be found here.

Show 5 - Dealing with Bullies

This show focused on bullying. Lisa Parisi and Ginger Lewman, filling in for Maria Knee, were joined by Nicole Hill and Robin Martin. Together they tackled such issues as a school's responsibility when it comes to bullying, the best thing for a parent to do, and how to deal with bullies and victims.

The conversation and chat can be found at EdTechTalk.com.

Show 4 - Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom

Maria Knee and Lisa Parisi conversed with Ben Hazzard, Lisa Thumann and Ginger Lewman about the use of interactive white boards in the classroom. They discussed the benefits of using IBW's in the classroom, using them without the environment be too teacher centered, the advantages of one brand over an other and best practice in using IBW's.

The audio and the chat log can be found here.

Show 3 - How do we change a school environment?

This week's show focused on how we can help create change in a classroom, school, and/or district. We discussed what kind of change we'd like to see and what holds us back. Alice Barr and Pamela Livingston joined us in the conversation.

We began our show this week with a moment of silence honoring our friend, Lee Baber. She will be missed.

The podcast and chat can be found here.

Show 2 - What makes a good teacher?

This week's show focused on the topic of good teaching and technology. What makes a good teacher? Can you be a good teacher and not use technology? What is good use of technology in a classroom? Kevin Honeycutt, Michelle Honeycutt, Sheila Adams, and Debbie Boisvert joined us for this conversation.



You can find the audio and chat here.

EdTechTalk.



Links from the show can be found in the chat room.

Show 1 - The Effect of Praise

For our first show, we invited Colleen King and Ginger Lewman in to discuss the effects of praise, both good and bad, on children.

You can find the audio and the chat here. EdTechTalk




Links from the show:


Alfie Kohn article - "Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job"

Responsive Classroom

The Power of Our Words by Paula Denton

Jeffrey Zaslow article - "The Most-Praised Generation Goes to Work"

The Blessings of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel

Plurk Conversation started by Colleen King

Blog shared by JoelZ in plurk