Episode 87 - Readiness to Learn

This week we used an article by Alfie Kohn to try to tackle the question, What does readiness to learn really mean?  We had a great conversation but didn't come up with many answers.  We did come up with our next topic: When we collect data, what data do we want?  What is the purpose of data collection?  We will be back on January 9th to discuss that topic.




The audio can be found here. The chat did not archive this week.  

Episode 86 - Scheduling

This week, Lisa Parisi, Maria Knee, and Sheila Adams tackled the topic of scheduling.  We discussed the pros and cons of scheduling and tried to find an ideal way to schedule a school day.  Add to our discussion and maybe we'll come up with a solution.  One never knows.

Audio and chat can be found here.

Conversations #85 December 5, 2010

This week we discussed reasons we go to conferences and what we do when we get back to school. Do we become agents of change or do we just continue the week to week routine without making changes based on what we learned by attending the conference?

The audio, video and chat are located here.

Conversations #84 - November 21, 2010

Today we discussed "What is teaching?" Lisa was away with family, so Maria and Sheila were joined by John Fladd (@woodenmask). We didn't come up with a definitive answer but we did compare our ideas about teaching and learning.

The audio, video and chat are located here.

Conversations #83 - November 14, 2010

This week we discussed how do we deal with atypical students? Do we even have typical students?

Click here for the audio, video and/or chat log.

Conversations #82 - Ageism

Ageism - Do you tell people your age at school or avoid it? Does age take away or enhance teaching? What are the perceptions of "young" or "old" teachers in the classroom?

Click here for the audio and chat log.

Episode 81 - What could year round school really look like?

This week, Ginger Lewman gave us our topic by questioning in Plurk what year round school could really look like if we could make sure it wasn't "same old, same old."  We also discussed the Slate challenge to create your own classroom. 


Chat and audio can be found here.

Episode 80 - Where do you look for support in your school?

This week, we tackled the question of where to go for support in our schools.  New teachers usually get mentors.  What do others do?  What do you do when you are trying something new and have no one to turn to for support?  We all agreed to try to connect with someone new this week.


Chat and audio can be found here.

Episode 79 - Teachers Who Inspire Us

After all the teacher and union bashing this week from Waiting for Superman and Education Nation, Terry Shay reminded us, on twitter, that we have to start supporting each other.  He asked us to name some teachers who inspired us.  We decided to carry on this positive conversation on our show.  


Chat and archive can be found here.

Episode 78 - A Balancing Act

 This week we continued a conversation that began on Twitter when Alec Couros went to his daughter's Back to School Night.  Along with Will Richardson, Lee Kolbert, and Angela Maiers, we discussed the issues we face as parents when walking into our own children's classrooms.  Alec could not join us but was with us in spirit....we hope.


The Chat and Audio can be found here.

Episode 77 - New Beginnings

Back from a summer hiatus, Sheila, Lisa, and Maria talked about new beginnings and changes.  International Dot Day from Fablevision and the K-12 Online Conference were also discussed.  


You can hear the audio and see the chat archive here.

Episode 76 - UDL in the Classroom

For our last show of the season, we discussed Universal Design for Learning and how it works in a classroom.  Ira Socol joined us for this important conversation.  We will be back in September with some great new topics.  See you then!

The audio and chat can be found here.

Episode 75 - What To Look For In A New Employee

 This week Sheila Adams and Lisa Parisi discussed what to look for in a new employee.  How do you wind your way through the typical answers to find the perfect candidate for a position?


The chat and audio can be found here.

Episode 74 - Discovery Education Network

 Right off the heels of a great DEN Day of Discovery, Sheila, Lisa and Maria talked about the Discovery Education Network.  Lee Kolbert and DENnis Grice joined the show.


Chat and Audio can be found here.

Conversations #73 Teaching Boys

Lisa, Sheila and Maria were joined this week by Deven Black and John Fladd. The topic of conversation was teaching boys. As usual, lots of opinions and ideas were expressed. John helped move the conversation by talking about the book that got him thinking about all of this, Boys Adrift.

Listen to audio and view the chat log here.

Conversations #72 - Wishful thinking with projects

Ever have a great project idea and were not able to actually start or complete it? We talked about those projects with John Fladd, a colleague of Maria's. What is it that prevents us from seeing a project to fruition?

Audio, video and chat are located at http://www.edtechtalk.com/node/4748

Episode 71 Earth Day + webcast = Earthcast10

This week we started talking about the impact of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Real-time science connections! This led to Earthcast, a 24 hour webcast on Earth Day, April 22. The Earthcast will be hosted on Worldbridges on the Earthbridges channel. We were able to get a few more people to sign up to participate, in fact all three Conversations hosts will be participating! What will your school, organization or you do on Earth Day? For more information, go to http://earthbridges.net or the wiki (http://earthbridges.wikispaces.com).

Audio, video and chat are located here.

Episode 70 - Keeping the Spark Going

 This week, while Sheila was away, Maria and Lisa talked about ways to keep the energy and excitement going until the end of the school year.   


Chat and Audio Here.

Episode 69 - School Design

While Lisa was with visiting relatives, Maria and Sheila co-hosted the show. We discussed school design, classroom design and classroom decorations. We started looking at a middle school that has bright colors and bold slogans from a Fast Company article of March 24, 2010. We also shared photos of classrooms in Belize. The Belizeans created inviting atmospheres in their rooms with very few supplies.


Chat and Audio Here.

Episode 68 - Building a Better Teacher

Our conversation this week was in response to the NY Times article by Elizabeth green, published on March 2, 2010, tiltled, Building a Better Teacher . 


Chat and Audio Here.

Episode 67 - Ethics and Copyright/copyleft

This week, Lisa, Sheila, and Maria were joined by Kristin Hokanson in the chatroom and Alec Couros in the skype call to discuss copyright and fair use, copyleft and cc licensing, and the ethics surrounding it all.


Audio and chat can be found here.

Episode 66 - Will You Pay?

This week, Sheila Adams, Lisa Parisi, and Maria Knee were joined by Ginger Lewman for a conversation about free tools.  How much are we willing to pay if the tools don't stay free?  


The audio and chat can be found here.

Episode 65 Those Who Inspire

While Sheila is away in Belize this week, Lisa and Maria co-hosted the show. John Fladd returned this week to contribute to the conversation. This week the discussion was about people who inspire us to try new things, get our thinking going and provide the models we build upon. Where do you get your inspiration? Whose model do you follow or build on to create new ideas of your own. Does your work inspire others?

Audio and chat are here.

Episode 64 Posting Student Work

Happy Valentine's Day! Today, we discussed skyping in the classroom and posting student work on blogs. We discussed ways we have used skype to connect with other classrooms; reading to others, sharing via video, and more. When posting student's work to their own blog, do they post their best or show a work in progress? (This conversation stemmed from the Feb. 11, 2010 SEEDlings show.) Does all work get published? What about the varying abilities within the class? We missed Lisa this week as she was on vacation, but she will be back next week.

Audio and chat here.

Episode 63 Educon2.2 Review

This week our conversation was about the EduCon experience. The Conversations crew were joined by two first time Educon attendees: Meredith Stewart from North Carolina and John Fladd from New Hampshire.

Audio and Chat are here.

Episode 62 iPod Touch Goes to School

This week we discussed iPod Touch/iPhone apps in the classroom. Lisa was unable to join us but we were joined by Amanda Marrinan from Australia. Many of the apps can be found on Maria's wiki at http://classroomipodtouch.wikispaces.com.

Audio and Chat are here.

Episode 61 - Educators for Haiti

 This week we started our conversation with a discussion about what educators can do to connect with Haitians and support efforts in Haiti.  This conversation turned into a plan.  We created a wiki for educators in wikispaces.  Please come see what we've created and join in with your class.  http://kids4haiti.wikispaces.com/


Chat and audio can be found here.

Episode 60 - How to Deal with Socially Inept Comments In School

This week, Sheila and Lisa were joined by Amanda Marrinan to discuss the topic of dealing with adults who say or do inept things in front of children.  Who is responsible for saying something: the teacher who overhears, the children, or the administration?  Maria Knee was missed this week but was well represented by Amanda, who graciously stayed up very late in Australia to join us.

Chat and Audio can be found here.

Episode 59 - What is Your Education Innovation?

For our first show of 2010, we discussed the topic "What is your innovation in education, and why does it matter?"  This conversation was started by Ben Wilkoff, so naturally we invited him to join us on the show.  Ginger Lewman also came into the skype call and the chat room was hopping.  Enjoy!

The audio and chat archive can be found here.