Category Archives: ADE

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The Very Best Student Learning Experience, and Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is one of my favorite actors. He may not be your’s and that’s okay, but to me he really seems to go out of his way to make a great experience for everyone that sees his movies. He said as much in a recent public service announcement about viewing movies on a smart TV and the problem of video interpolation, which is when the TV smoothing out the picture, which actually degrades high definition action movies. You can watch him talk about it here in this PSA if you are interested, but the focus is on his closing words, though, “…on behalf of everyone who works so hard to bring you the very best motion picture experience.”

Boom! That’s really it, isn’t it? That is what we should be focused on doing in education. Our goal is to create the very best student learning experience possible for everyone. We are a team working together on a common goal, from our janitorial staff preparing the school for the day, to the bus driver picking the students up, to the administration greeting students at the doors, to the teachers welcoming them to class, to the cafeteria workers making sure they get a great meal, and every experience in their day, including the work we send home for them to complete. All of it… every single piece should be about creating the best learning experience possible.

What would the result be? I imagine students just couldn’t wait to get to school. They would love their classes, build self esteem, learn, make lasting friendships, and become life-long learners that love to read and give back to their community.

Making a movie takes a lot of work. There is a lot of editing. When you see the credits roll for literally minutes you may be surprised on just how many people there are to thank for making that movie possible. The same is true in education.

The PSA linked above shows Tom apologizing for how smart televisions have a feature that needs turned off in order to enjoy his latest movie. The feature gets in the way of the magic of the movie. As educators, let’s focus on that “best experience” and turn off some of the features that get in the way.

Thanks for all you do in education. You are awesome!

~Kelly
Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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Resolutions I Want Every Educator to Make in 2019

Educators are my favorite species. They not only work incredibly hard all hours of the day to make an impact in the lives of those they teach, they are also constantly working to improve themselves as well.

Each year I taught, I wanted to make my classroom, lessons, and engagement better. I was always trying to level-up. I still am. I made resolutions each school year and again at the start of the new year. I love those imaginary reset buttons! I shared my resolutions each year with my students and hung them on the classroom wall. Why? Because I knew my students would hold me accountable. And boy did they! I didn’t hit them all, but I hit more than I would have if I didn’t share them.

Which of the following resolutions are you nailing? Scared of? Challenged by?

Here are 19 resolutions I believe every educator should make:

  1. Help to Build a Positive School Culture: Your words and actions contribute to the culture of your building and school district. You are a leader and influencer even if you don’t think you are. You are. Are your words and actions improving the culture of your school district? Are you waiting for someone else to fix the problems? Are you better at pointing out the problems or leading solutions?
  2. Make Your Class Open 24 Hours a Day from Anywhere in the World: Turn your class in to a 7-Eleven. Use Google Classroom or other Learning Management Systems to help students who are absent, traveling, or need to see things for a second or third time. Kids can learn anytime from anywhere. They can even do work on snow days.
  3. Build a New Community in Your School: Look at the students in your school. Which groups of students don’t have a place to share their talents and feel like a contributor? Find them and build that community. You don’t need to be the expert. Just identify what is missing, talk to your administrator, throw a poster on the wall, make an announcement and get going. Maybe it is a group of video gamers, lego builders, robot drivers, or a book or food club. Ask your students and help them feel a contributor to their school.
  4. Add a Portion of Challenge Based Learning to Your Year: Call it what you want, Project Based Learning, SOLE, Problem Based Learning or CBL, but add a little to your school year. Students need to be making and thinking and collaborating and solving. Check out startSOLE or Apple’s Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide. You don’t need to change everything, just add a little. It goes a long way. You will love it, and it is the future.
  5. Collaborate with Your Colleagues to Build Dynamic Lessons and Units: Work with the other teachers in your building to collaborate on lesson plans to increase engagement and design interdisciplinary thematic units. It’s fun for you and the students. The most memorable lessons I ever experienced were working with my colleagues. You can even plan remotely using PlanBook.com, Apple Numbers or Google Sheets.
  6. Take Less Home: Living in constant overwhelm and frustration is not normal nor admirable. Everyone is busy. Teaching is fun and noble. It’s time to get efficient, take less home, and have more pride and joy being a teacher. Design a curriculum plan for your class and change just a small percentage each year rather than constantly trying to redo everything. Take less work home. Really. What are you taking home anyway? What are you trying to assess and measure?Try to do more in class with the students in the form of labs, workshops, presentations and SOLE projects and less 19th century grading of tests and quizzes.
  7. Rethink Homework: “But students need the practice!” Really? I’m not telling you not to give homework, but I am asking you to rethink what you are sending home. Check out the book Ditch That Homework by Alice Keeler and Matt Miller for ideas. Talk with fellow teachers and admins. Rethink homework. Please.
  8. Transform the Use of Technology in Your Classroom: Technology does not need to be used the majority of the time. What a misconception, but when it is used, it should be sued to create content, and only briefly to consume. Examine how you are using tech in your classroom. Offer your students amazing ways to create and publish what they know. Create digital textbooks, videos, presentations, animations, and more! Get going. If your students are mostly on websites clicking answers, well… you’re using it poorly. Try the book 50 Things You Can Do with Google Classroom.
  9. Share Your Story: Take all of the great things you and your students are doing and share them with the world on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, a blog, YouTube or write a book. Everyone benefits. Start this, this year!
  10. Attend a Conference: It is always awesome to get out of your classroom and learn something new, get inspired, and apply it. I recommend returning and giving a presentation to your building and maybe even your board. If you don’t return and apply it, then maybe you should let someone else go in your place. Apply.
  11. Apply to Speak at a Conference: Share what you know! Don’t have anything special enough to share? Then it’s time to level-up and get after it. I’m serious.
  12. Nominate a Colleague: Yes, find someone in your district you admire and nominate them for some recognition. Why? Because they deserve it, and when one educator is looked upon positively, all educators are looked upon positively.
  13. Collaborate with a Colleague: Open the door to your classroom both figuratively and literally and find ways to collaborate with other teachers. I suggest creating an interdisciplinary thematic unit with a culminating activity with other teachers at your grade level. It’s fun, memorable, and good for students.
  14. Lead: Rather than complain about something you don’t like, create a solution and begin implementing it. That’s called leading. We are all educational leaders. Need help? Read my book Along Came a Leader, or one of my favorites, Start. Right. Now.
  15. Start a YouTube Channel for Your Classroom: Hey, it’s all about video. I found myself watching someone cook a fish dinner the other day on Facebook. I watched the whole thing. I don’t like to cook, and I hate fish. My point is… video done well can be engaging, and your class could be open to students 24/7. Do this now.
  16. Get Connected with Other Educators: Build Your Personal Learning Network (PLN) either online by using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or reach out to educators in your building, district, or state. Share what you know. Learn from them. Show other educators how to do this.
  17. Publish Student Work: Find unique and powerful ways to share and publish the work your students do in your classroom. Give them authentic audiences and genuine purposes to create. Build a website, start a podcast, host a “fair”, publish them on a blog, YouTube, or SeeSaw. Have them create digital books as published authors using Book Creator or Apple’s Pages. Publish their work.
  18. Contact Every Family You Teach: Seriously, forget the email. Pick up the phone or send a postcard home to every family you teach. Find something positive to say about every student and offer them a personal challenge in your class. Let them know you care about them. When you do have to contact home for something less than positive it will be easier because you have already talked with them about something positive.
  19. Read an Educational Book: There are so many great educational books out there that will change your career. Grab one and see what a difference it makes. Looking for suggestions? Try Teach Like a Pirate, Lead Like a Pirate, or Empower. Also check out my podcast for links to fantastic educational books. How about my book, Along Came a Leader? It will challenge you in many ways.

Bonus: Subscribe and listen to an educational podcast. Here is a great list from Monica Burns the creator of Class Tech Tips. >>> Click here for Monica’s list. <<<

What did I miss? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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The Worst Teaching Advice I Ever Received, and The Best Advice I Can Give a New Teacher

My first year of teaching was 1991. I was fresh out of college and excited to make a difference in the lives of students.

I may have not known a lot about teaching that first year, but I did have a couple of things going for me: I was extremely passionate about being a teacher, and I knew bad advice when I heard it.

I remember being told by a veteran teacher, “Don’t let them see you smile until after Christmas.”

I know the intention was meant well and to be helpful. Apparently this was to help me with my classroom management. The teacher cautioned me about “having fun” in class with the students. Whoa!

I looked really young and there really wasn’t much of an age difference with the students, and the teacher thought if I was tough in the class the students would behave.

Luckily, I knew this wasn’t going to work for me. I liked to have fun and wanted the students to like my class. Through conversations, journal entries, writing assignments, and even surveys, I learned the interests of my students and created a good rapport with the kids. They liked coming to my class, and I believe because they liked the class, they worked hard, had some fun, and learned a lot.

I had a lot to learn as a teacher, but ‘not smiling’ to Christmas was really bad advice for me that I’m glad I did not follow.

More often than not, I found that my students mirrored my attitude in my class. How I acted in the classroom really set the tone for most of the class. My smiles were most often mirrored by smiles. If I was excited with a lesson, so seemingly was the majority of my class. My attitude was seemingly contagious.

Not only was ‘not smiling until Christmas’ bad advice, I believe smiling is probably one of the best things a teacher can do:

  • Smiling can improve attendance. Smiling welcomes student to the building, your classroom, and to the day.
  • Smiling can increase participation. “I can trust this teacher. This teacher is kind and nonjudgmental.
  • Smiling can improve performance. I like this class; I want to work hard in here.
  • Smiling makes you a better teacher. Smiling is the first step to being a kind teacher, and if you can be nothing else as a teacher, be kind. Being kind is the most important quality a teacher can possess.
  • Smiling can reduce discipline problems. Smiling is contagious and sets the tone for a positive learning environment. Smiling in times of discipline says, “this is not personal; these are simply the rules we must follow.”
  • Smiling can increase rapport and engagement.
  • Smiling has many health benefits including reducing stress and anxiety.
  • Smiling builds self esteem. 

I have received a lot of recognition for my work as a teacher, and I am thankful for that, but the most meaningful measure of my work is when I reconnect with a former student and they thank me for my kindness in how I worked with them. That is what I am most proud.

The best advice I can offer any educator is: be kind. Be kind to your students, your colleagues, your administrators, and to yourself. Your smile, attitude and kindness is contagious and a gift to all. And… they’re free.

Wishing all listeners of the Wired Educator Podcast and readers of the Wired Educator Blog, Happy Holidays.

Kelly

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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WEP 117: Metacognition & Instruction, an Interview with Dr. Matthew Stoltzfus from The Ohio State University

In this episode of the Wired Educator Podcast, Kelly interviews Dr. Matthew W. Stoltzfus, a professor of Chemistry at The Ohio State University.  Matthew and Kelly talk about a wide range of topics including: metacognition and instruction, the Digital Flagship Initiative at OSU, the importance of students learning how to use a textbook, higher standards, culture, Focus 3, helping students become elite, the silo effect, and so much more! You are going to love it. This is a great interview. 

Matthew W. Stoltzfus, or “Dr. Fus” to his students, is an accomplished chemistry Lecturer at The Ohio State University, where he teaches large lecture sections of general chemistry. His flipped classroom approach, which has evolved over the years to focus on peer instruction, has been featured on ESPN and NPR mainly due to his iTunesU General Chemistry course, which has an enrollment of over 210,000 students.

He is also a contributing author to the “Chemistry the Central Science” textbook, is a recent recipient of The Ohio State University Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer and is an Apple Distinguished Educator (Class of 2013). Follow him on Twitter: @Dr_Fus

Mentioned in this episode: 

Matt’s favorite books:

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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WEP 116: Teaching Cyber Security and App Development, An Interview with Mike Yakubovsky

In this episode of the Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Apple Distinguished Educator, Mike Yakubovsky. We talk about the importance of teaching Cyber Security and App Development in schools. We also discuss his engineering class, technology standards, Swift Playgrounds, smishing, vishing, and so, so, so much more! You are going to love this interview.

Mike Yakubovsky is the Secondary CTE Lead for Coppell ISD and teaches Engineering and IOS app Development at Coppell High School. He has been with CISD since 2003 and started the CHS School of Engineering in 2006. The program is a 4-year pre-college engineering program focusing on design in which learners work on projects that prepare them for college STEM disciplines. Activities expose learners to design, applications of math and science, electronics, kinematics, and coding. This year, they just added a cyber security course
Mike is working on his masters degree in digital leading and learning from Lamar University. He has a passion for preparing learners through authentic, real-world projects and challenges. For example, this past July, his team drove their solar car from Ft. Worth, Texas to Palmdale, CA. You can connect with mike on Twitter @myakSTEM.

Mentioned in this Episode: 

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Visit Kelly’s website at www.KellyCroy.com. • Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? • Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

 

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WEP 114: Making Students Authors, An Interview with Jon Smith

An Interview with Jon Smith

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, Kelly interview Apple Distinguished Educator, Jon Smith. Jon and Kelly talk about the importance of using technology to help students create. Jon shares his experience helping students author digital books and become published writers. The pair also discuss: digital book creation, Twitter Chats, Things That Must Die in Education, Learning at Lunch, Computers & Cronuts, and so much more! Jon is brilliant and fun, and… you are going to love this episode.

Jon Smith is currently an Apple Distinguished Educator and Technology Integration Specialist for Alliance City Schools where his class eBook projects have attracted attention for their global reach and practical approaches to integrating transliteracy practices into the classroom.  Jon was a special education teacher for 12 years before moving into technology integration.  Jon recently organized eight global eBook projects in which classrooms from around the world wrote and published eBooks.  He is married with 3 children.  Jon is a scratch golfer and Apple enthusiast.  In his spare time, he teaches a class on engaging technologies for The Communicate Institute.  You can connect with Jon on Twitter @theipodteacher

Mentioned in this podcast: 

Affiliate Link

Book Creator: an awesome tool to help you and your students publish digital books on any device.

Jon Smith recommends the book: Inside Steve’s Brain, (affiliate link) as one of the most influential books he has read.

Check out this Podcast by Jordan Bell titled: A Subjective Pod, Cast Objectively. Here’s a link to the podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-subjective-pod-cast-objectively/id1437554000?mt=2

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email.

Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe.
Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 113 episodes of interviews and professional development.
Visit the Wired Educator blog at www.WiredEducator.com
Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com
Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. 
Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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WEP 113: The Digital Native Myth, An Interview with Cory Tressler

An Interview with Cory Tressler

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, Kelly interviews Cory Tressler about The Ohio State University’s eleven thousand iPad Pro rollout to all incoming freshmen, the myth of the digital native, and so much more. This is fantastic interview with an amazing Apple Distinguished Educator and educational leader. You’re going to love it! Buckle-up.

Cory Tressler

Cory Tressler, Director of Learning Programs & Digital Flagship at The Ohio State University, earned his undergraduate degrees at The Ohio State University, his master of arts in teaching degree at the University of South Carolina, and he is currently a graduate student at The Ohio State University. While completing his undergraduate degrees at The Ohio State University, Cory worked as a library associate at the Music & Dance Library, where he managed a collection of thousands of music and dance recordings and produced the Music Library Hour on OSU’s Underground Student Radio. After graduating from the University of South Carolina, he became an elementary school teacher at Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts. In 2009, he became an administrator for Beaufort County School District, where he helped create virtual learning and technology rich classroom experiences for over 20,000 k12 students. In 2012, he returned to The Ohio State University as part of the Digital First initiative, where he assisted with the development of over 90 public iTunes U courses, the creation of the OSU Marching Band iPad program, and the Digital First Impact Grant which placed mobile technology in OSU classrooms. In 2014, he co-authored and was named principal investigator of an Ohio Straight A Grant titled, College Ready Ohio, that was awarded $13.5 million to promote college readiness via teacher professional development, technology integration, access to rigorous content, and online dual enrollment opportunities from The Ohio State University in 10 public high school throughout Ohio. In 2015, he was named an Apple Distinguished Educator. In 2017, he helped design and launch Digital Flagship, which is a large-scale partnership between Ohio State and Apple. Digital Flagship focuses on providing students with mobile technology to enhance their academic and career readiness, provide coding curriculum in a flexible format for any interested student, and engaging and embracing mobile app development opportunities at the enterprise and individual levels.

Mentioned in this podcast: 

Sphero Bolt, (affiliate link) the educational robot for your classroom. This is the amazing educational robot mentioned in the pre-roll of this podcast. It is awesome.

Drive by Daniel Pink: (affilate link) this is Cory’s most influential book choice for you. Drive has been mentioned on this podcast by many guests. It is time I read this book.

Follow Cory on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/tresslertech 

Follow The Ohio State University’s Digital Flagshi at: https://digitalflagship.osu.edu/

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email.

Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe.
Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 106 episodes of interviews and professional development.
Visit the Wired Educator blog at www.WiredEducator.com
Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com
Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. 
Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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WEP 112: Everyone Can Create Podcasts

My ADE Worldwide Institute #EveryoneCanCreate Project 2018

This episode of the Wired Educator Podcast is my ADE Worldwide Institute #EveryoneCanCreate Project 2018.

A podcast teaching you how to podcast.

I want to show the world that everyone can create podcasts.

I will provide you with the WHY of Podcasting and HOW to do it.

Podcasting is the most personal and intimate form of social media. It lends itself well to multi-tasking. It is essentially just growing your classroom a little bigger and gives you to make the world your classroom.

I will show you the tools you need and how to start making your first podcast today!

Mentioned in this podcast: 

  • The microphone you need: I use the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone; it is only$69.
  • Anchor App for iOS devices to record podcasts on your iPhone and iPad. The easiest way to make a podcast. www.anchor.fm
  • Martin Coutts, a Scottish ADE’s ibook: Podcasting: A Quick Guide. A free iBook on how to create a podcast with an iOS device.
  • GarageBand: a free app for iOS devices and Macs to record podcasts.
  • Skype: a video conferencing tool that is great for recording interviews over the internet.
  • Ecamm Call Recorder App: An app that works with Skype to record Skype interviews.
  • Auphonic: a web-based service that levels the sound of your podcast and boosts the volume. $5 a month
  • Libsyn: The pioneer of podcasting that allows you to host your podcast for $5 a month.
  • Dave Burgess Consulting Books.
  • Learn Like a Pirate audio book: written by Paul Solarz and ready by Kelly Croy.
  • Start. Right. Now audio book: written by Todd Whitaker, Jeffrey Zoul, and Jimmy Casas and read by Kelly Croy.

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email.

Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe.
Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 106 episodes of interviews and professional development.
Visit the Wired Educator blog at www.WiredEducator.com
Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com
Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. 
Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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WEP 111: Challenge Based Learning, An Interview with Jodie Deinhammer

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I talk with Jodie Deinhammer, a celebrated Science teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator about teaching Science in a progressive school district, student choice as a menu, good reflection, 1:1 programs, drones, creativity, her mention in John Couch’s book, Rewiring Education, Challenge Based Learning, student voice, assessments, and so much more! Whew! This episode has tremendous value for all educators and administrators. I know you are going to love hearing Jodie’s story.
Jodie Deinhammer has been teaching science in Coppell ISD for over 20 years.  She was the Texas Region 10’s Secondary Teacher of the Year for 2015, and was the Texas Medical Association Texas Science Teacher of the Year in 2013.  She is also an Apple Distinguished Educator.
As an Apple Distinguished Educator, Mrs. Deinhammer works with teachers around the globe to help creatively integrate technology into the classroom. She encourages educators and administrators to create classrooms that allow students to investigate and address real world issues and create innovative solutions.
Mrs. Deinhammer believes that students should have a voice in their education and that schools need to drastically change to meet the needs of our changing world. We should challenge our students with authentic real world issues and give them a platform to make a difference in society.  We shouldn’t focus on preparing our kids for what is next, but instead helping them make a contribution each and every day.
Mentioned in the podcast: 
Affinity Photo & Affinity Designer for the MacBook and iPad.
The drone you need for your classroom! Jodie is interested in a drone for her class, like many educators, and after much research, this is the drone I would recommend to any teacher interested in purchasing a drone. You will love it.
Jodie’s favorite books, All the Light You Cannot See and Teach Like a Pirate.
Her favorite apps are Apple’s Keynote and Apple’s Numbers.
Find out about Jodie’s goal of initiating global collaborations with her classroom in this podcast.

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email.

Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe.
Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 106 episodes of interviews and professional development.
Visit the Wired Educator blog at www.WiredEducator.com
Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com
Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. 
Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.   •   Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 
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WEP 110: Why You Should Consider an Educational Doctorate: An Interview with Liz Meredith

An Interview with Liz Meredith

In this episode of the Wired Educator Podcast, Kelly interviews Liz Meredith about her recent accomplishment of earning a doctorate degree in education, and why you might want to as well, professional development, the Apple Distinguished Educator Program, how the position of Director of Innovation helps a school district, and so much more!

Liz Meredith is the Coordinator of Curriculum and Director of Innovation at Rolling Hills Local Schools in rural southeastern Ohio. She has more than a decade of teaching experience in middle school science and also spent two years as a curriculum writer for the Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University. She continues to conduct professional development workshops for other teachers on the use of educational technology in the classroom. In 2015, she became an Apple Distinguished Educator while also receiving NSTA’s Distinguished Teaching Award. This past spring she completed her dissertation on the impact of social media on educational technology integration and received her Educational Doctorate.

Liz’s choice for most inspirational book.

Mentioned in this podcast:

ZappyCode: Learn to Code with Nick Walter and his online coding course that teaches you how to make an iPhone app and so much more. Thank you ZappyCode for sponsoring this episode of the Wired Educator Podcast. I am a ZappyCode student, and I love and recommend the course for anyone interested in learning to code.

TouchCast: Create smart videos. TouchCast allows you to create and stream video that allows any file to be shared inside the video. The possibilities are exciting and endless. This is an app Liz recommends. 

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead: this is Liz’s favorite book.

Liz’s next purchase may be a 360 camera to create virtual tools of her school. The Samsung Gear 360 looks great for under $100, and the Insta 360 One looks to be the most impressive with every feature imaginable at $299. Not sure which one I will choose, but I love the idea. Here’s a list of other 360 cameras..

Win a a copy of John Couch’s book, Rewiring Education by clicking here & subscribing to the Wired Educator Newsletter. One winner will be announced. Or Tweet why you follow @WiredEducator on Twitter or other social media for a chance to win.

www.RewiringEducation.com

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Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. If you’d like to learn more about Kelly, or invite him to your school or conference to speak please send him an email.

Listen to Kelly’s other podcast, The Future Focused Podcast and subscribe.
Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 106 episodes of interviews and professional development.
Visit the Wired Educator blog at www.WiredEducator.com
Looking for a dynamic speaker for your school’s opening day? Consider Kelly Croy at www.KellyCroy.com
Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for a school book study or your personal library. 
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