Category Archives: equity

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WEP 180: Personalized Professional Learning, an Interview with Knikole Taylor

In this episode Knikole Taylor and I talk about personalized professional learning, giving teachers a voice, meeting with every teacher, becoming a barrier remover for teachers, and getting excited about the lessons that you’re planning and how you will teach it! Nichole Taylor encourages the use of badging for professional learning and we have some powerful conversations about the state of education in these challenging times.

Click this link to listen to my interview with Knikole.

As the Director of Innovation and Instruction for my school district, I am always looking for ways to help educators but I don’t want to interfere with all the work they’re trying to do. Sometimes it’s like walking a tight rope between professional learning and the work they have to do each and every day. I want to support them and help them, but sometimes it is difficult to find a way into a teacher’s busy day, and the last thing I want to do is create more work for them. Well, Knikole gave me some great ideas on how to personalize professional learning for teachers in my district. I think it’s something that you’ll be able to use too. We go to many important areas in education. As well. You’re gonna love this interview,

It was a great week to be the wired educator! I have two other great interviews coming at you. I have an interview with Josh Stamper from the Teach Better Team. We have an incredible conversation about trauma-informed practices in education as well as restorative practices, I also had a great interview with Hines Apple and his new book titled Award-Winning Culture. These two interviews will be coming to you soon.

Knikole Taylor serves as the Instructional Technology Coordinator for a school district in Texas.  In this role, she supports the growth and development of teachers and students through the seamless integration of innovative technology usage. Through personalized support, Mrs. Taylor works with teachers and teacher leaders to craft professional goals to extend their scope of instruction and meet the needs of all learners.

Knikole is a professional development trainer, curriculum developer, author, and speaker, who has been privileged to travel the world to speak and work with other educators at conferences, campuses, and district-wide events.  It is her firm belief that anyone can succeed with tailored support. Knikole works with 12 educators in being their best for the students and teachers they serve each day.

Knikole also holds many industry designations including Google Certified Trainer, Google Innovator, and Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer, and she serves as co-leader of GEG North Texas.  She received her bachelor’s from Texas A&M-Commerce and her Masters of Education in Administration from Lamar University.  Knikole is currently a doctoral student at Dallas Baptist University pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.

Mentioned in this Podcast: 

Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness, written and illustrated by Kelly Croy

Website:  www.KnikoleTaylor.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/knikole

Facebook: www.facebook.com/knikole

Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here. 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 to the more than 40 episodes to help you level-up your leadership and design a more dynamic life. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 180 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 books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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WEP 177: Changing Hearts, Minds, and Lives, an Interview with Traci Browder

Traci Browder is a Brilliant Educator, Podcast and Speaker

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Traci Browder. Traci is an amazing educator that can help all of us make the greatest impact on students’ lives through the challenges of teaching in a pandemic. She is an expert in remote instruction, creating and curating incredibly helpful content for teachers in this time of need. She was named teacher of the year her first year teaching, and once again in another district. She hosts the amazing Intelligogy Podcast. She leads important chats and discussions ranging from leadership, instruction, curriculum, and race. She produces content for educators six days a week. In short, Traci is amazing, and I am so proud to share her with you in this episode. She has helped me so much personally and professionally. This is a powerful episode. You will leave feeling awesome about yourself, your impact, and you will have a guide of where you need to go. I love this episode and you will too.

Click here to listen to our interview.

Traci Browder is a trailblazer in education inspiring and mentoring teachers and changing the lives of children for more than 16 years.  She was Teacher of the Year her very first year of teaching and was chosen as Teacher of the Year a few years later in her current district.

Mentoring new teachers, helps them understand the importance of building and sustaining relationships critical for student success. Veteran teachers who are perpetual learners also find Browder to be a vital asset while in pursuit of refining their craft.

Browder is known best for her innovative, out of the box teaching style with a mixture of Montessori, gifted/talented, and special services all rolled into one classroom environment.

Establishing a family in her classroom is the pillar of her classroom success and has been well-received by parents.  She finds focusing on social and emotional needs in the beginning and throughout the school year creates a safe and trusting environment.  Students feel comfortable and soon become eager to take risks.  She teaches children not just academics, she teaches them how to be successful and contributing members of society.

Her classroom is a live learning lab in which teachers in her school district have come to observe her unique style of teaching as well as teachers on her campus.  She has created a professional learning community in which all teachers on her grade level now go in and out of each other’s classrooms – with their students in tow.  Teachers teach side by side or are observing and dialoguing in real-time. This powerful method of sharing students and best practices is transforming the classroom experience for the students and teachers at her school.

Technology has been a central point of connecting her classroom to parents.  She initiated working closely with district tech support to use Twitter, a private YouTube channel, and a blog before they were commonplace in her district.  Through this partnership, parent consent forms were designed with approval from the district’s technology department.

The initiatives were so successful that she was invited to design a course to present at her school district’s curriculum conference under Alan November’s technology strand.  Mr. November invited her on stage after she initiated a conversation with him on a break during his speaking engagement to share what she had done during the school year and he told everyone this would be the session not to miss!

Browder possesses a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Dallas Baptist University and is a former reading specialist and instructional coach.  She has served as part of curriculum writing teams in each of the three districts in which she has worked.    She’s written ELA, Social Studies, and Math curriculum and has served on multiple textbook adoption committees.  Browder has a long list of trainings and professional development in each school district in which she’s worked.

Traci Browder is many things to many people.  Wife to her best friend, Quinton.  Mom to her amazing sons, Donovan & Quinton.  She enjoys reading, writing, painting, and spending time with her family.

Mentioned in this Podcast: 
Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness, written and illustrated by Kelly Croy

Traci Browder’s Blog & Website: https://tracibrowder.com/Traci Browder’s Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intelligogy/id1493409417
Intelligogy The Podcast
An exciting weekly format giving listeners content ranging from COVID-19
considerations, remote learning, anti-racism, self care, deep thinking and
exploration, celebrating students, connecting with my own children, and
creativity and innovation in teaching. In partnership with VoicEd Radio.Antiracism Series – #LeadLAP Chat
https://leadlikeapirate.net/blog/page/2/https://leadlikeapirate.net/blog/

NBC Operation Teacher Relief
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/teacher-hopes-youtube-lessons-help-others-if-class-time-is-lost-over-coronavirus/2327512/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_kxas_eml_shrTexans Giving Back Documentary

https://twitter.com/castleviewatx/status/1250545088524148741?s=21

Fostering my son’s giftedness and servant’s heart
Teen Makes Wishes Come True for Family Who Lost Father
<https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/teen-makes-wishes-come-true-for-family-who-lost-father/2274161/>

Hurricane Harvey Christmas Buddy
Mansfield boy collecting donations for Hurricane Harvey victims | FOX 4
News Dallas-Fort Worth
<https://www.fox4news.com/news/mansfield-boy-collecting-donations-for-hurricane-harvey-victims>

MISD Link
https://www.facebook.com/285747135552/posts/10162977280985553?vh=e&d=n&sfns=moSchool Rubric
Write articles for School Rubric on current topics, passions and best
practices in education.https://www.schoolrubric.com/its-ok-to-not-be-ok/

Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here. 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 to the more than 39 episodes to help you level-up your leadership and design a more dynamic life. • Subscribe to The Wired Educator Podcast with over 177 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 books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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WEP 171: Pressing Pause on My Podcast

I just wanted to take a minute (4 minutes and 22 seconds actually) to explain why I feel the need to press pause on my Wired Educator Podcast. I hope you will take a few minutes to listen, reflect, and offer me some advice.

In short, I have been feeling the need to step back from publishing episodes of The Wired Educator Podcast in order to reflect on all that is going on in the world around me and to adjust and become more intentional in providing solutions.

I am pausing my podcast to: honor and mourn the life of George Floyd and others who have died in the black community, highlight the racism in our world, to reflect on how I can use this platform to help end racism and better elevate the voices of educators in all communities, become more intentional in the content I create and share, to stand with peaceful protestors wanting change, and to learn and grow personally.

I realize it is my responsibility, but I do ask for your help if you are willing to recommend guests and topics that would bring greater diversity and serve to make a greater impact in all areas of education.

I thank you for being a loyal listener and supporter. I want you to know I committed to always learning and taking action to improve.

Kelly Croy