Category Archives: Uncategorized

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WEP 136: Transform Your Class, An Interview with Anthony Stirpe

An Interview with Apple Distinguished Educator, Anthony Stirpe

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Apple Distinguished Educator and ELA innovator, Anthony Stirpe. Anthony has been recognized for transforming English classes by inspiring student creation of innovative and authentic content. I am excited to share Anthony’s story, passion and his amazing work with students.
During his career, Anthony Stirpe has been acknowledged as an innovator and pioneer in the area of English Language Arts.   With more than 15 years of experience as a public-school teacher, he has been recognized by local, state, national and international organizations for his ongoing endeavors to revolutionize the traditional ELA experience.  While at New Rochelle High School he spearheaded an initiative that uses mobile devices to challenge the way that students learn.  The program Stirpe helped to create has challenged the traditional English Language Learner classroom experience, and transformed the way students create original written content, analyze literature, and explore the power of the personal narrative.  Stirpe received the 2016 Content and Curriculum Award from the International Society for Education in Technology (ISTE), the 2017 New York State English Program of Excellence by the New York State English Council, and in 2017 he was named an Apple Distinguished Educator.  His work  has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, New York WPIX News, CPU Magazine and US News and World Report.
Anthony loves PBL, project management, and busting the 1:1 myth by doing amazing things with just a handful of devices in a single classroom.
Mentioned in this interview:
Sugata Mitra’s September 18th presentation at Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio: Learn More & Register here: https://www.smore.com/wzv26
Here is Sugata’s TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/y3jYVe1RGaU
Anthony’s favorite book: The First Day of School by Harry K. Wong
Now booking: “What Everyone Needs to Know About Bullying!” a very special presentation for YOUR school, 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 135 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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Apple Watch: 3 Updates I’d Love to See Added

My Apple Watch is one of my favorite tools. I have always been a “watch” guy, and I never really thought one watch would be enough. That’s one of the great things about the Apple Watch, it’s always updating and changing. The Apple Watch is the best watch I have ever owned and it gets better all the time. I recommend the Apple Watch to anyone that asks. It is awesome!

There’s a big Apple Event tomorrow. The Apple Watch will gain some new abilities and that is always fun.

Here’s a fun post where I share three ideas I’d love to see make it to the Apple Watch:

  1. Add a Ring: I love the Rings on my Apple Watch. There are three: Activity, Standing, and Exercise. The idea is to close them all each day. Wouldn’t it be great to add a ring for whatever you want? Reading, taking a medication, writing 500 words, calling your mom, etc. It could be like a built in habit tracker for that one thing you really want to do to better yourself.
  2. Find Other Devices: One of my favorite features on my watch is the ability to find my iPhone. I just swipe up and press the icon and in pings my iPhone. Wouldn’t it be great if it could do that for your spouse or child’s iPhone, your AirPods, MacBook, or a fob attached to your keys?
  3. Bigger Apple Watch: A memorable line in Jaws: “We’re going to need a bigger boat,” and with some features and apps with the Apple Watch that is how I feel. I need to put on my reading glasses to see what I need to do. I use to have some BIG watches and they were fun. They had some chunk and heft to the them and they caught people’s eye, but you could also read the face from across the room. Being a big guy, a bigger watch would look great on my wrist and my eyes would be thankful too. I love my Apple Watch and I recommend it to everyone who asks about it. It’s the best watch I’ve ever owned and it gets better all the time with updates. I just wanted to have some fun in sharing what “could be” and dream a little. I wonder what updates you’d like to see in the Apple Watch? Please add them to 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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WEP 126: Start Sole, an Interview with Jeff McClellan

Jeffrey McClellan is the founder and CEO of StartSole.org, a community, a resource and a tool for implementing Self Organized Learning Environments. SOLE is an amazing lesson any teacher, in any grade or subject can employ to level-up their classroom. SOLE combines an essential question, with research and a presentation in a single class period that enhances learning through better technology use, collaboration, presentation skills and so much more.

Jeff is brilliant, and I am incredibly proud to share his story and work with you. This episode of The Wired Educator Podcast will impact the life of and classroom of everyone who listens and applies this amazing free resource. Buckle-up, you are going to love this interview with Jeff McClellan.

“Jeff became the founding director of SOLE CLE in January 2015, after founding and heading MC2STEM High School in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. McClellan is supporting the implementation of Self Organized Learning Environments in schools and educational entities within the Cleveland Region and beyond. The concept of SOLE was first introduced by Sugata Mitra, the winner of the first $1 million TED Prize. Prior to MC2 STEM, McClellan worked for the Lima City Schools in Ohio.

STARTSOLE helps transform education through SOLE (Self-Organized Learning Environments).SOLE focuses on the process of learning itself instead of simply focusing on the results. Ithelps prepare students for success in today’s era of technology and information. SOLEprovides an early intervention in education that can level the academic playing field andincrease equity among all students. With SOLE, kids will be able to develop the skills neededfor a modern digital society, and they will have the opportunity to work in environments that favor inclusion and educational innovation.”

Mentioned in this Podcast:

Planbook.com: The best way to create, organize, collaborate on, and share your lessons. Wired Educator grades Planbook.com an A+. Tell them Kelly sent you.

StartSole.org: This is Jeff’s amazing site that has everything you need to begin SOLE in your classroom. It’s all awesome, and it is all free; I hope you will check it out.

Jeff’s recommended reading: A Time to Learn by George Wood

Your Opening Day Speaker for 2019: I would like to be your school district’s opening day speaker. I hope you will take a minute to check out my speaking page and send me an email. My presentation is unlike anything you have ever seen. I have combined all of my passions: art, computer animation, music, writing, speaking around how to be an innovative educator that makes a lasting impact in the lives of students. I want to honor recognize the amazing work of your staff and give them a new perspective and direction for the year, along with some amazing tools to make their year more fun and their classrooms even more impactful.

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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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Can Fortnite Make You a Better Teacher? Squad up!

A lot of people are playing Fortnite, and it’s not all bad. In a recent article by FastCompany, I learned there are 200 million users on Fortnite, with about 8 million of those on at one time, with the average user spending over 10 hours a week playing the game. It is now emerging as one of the biggest social media platforms, and generated over 3.5 billion in revenue from this ‘free’ game.

Love it or hate it, Fortnite is not going away, and I aim to show that learning just a little bit about the game will make you a better teacher, and help make your classroom a better learning environment. I’m not suggesting you spend hours playing the game, but I do suggest you read this post and crack the code of Fortnite’s popularity, and find ways to bring its addictiveness to your instruction. Learn what makes students love Fornite and apply it to your class.

  1. Students want to sky dive into learning: Make the start of your class exciting. At the beginning of the game, Fortnite, everyone is literally on a “battle bus.” The players parachute down to an island. It’s exciting. Hook your students in with something close to a 13,000 foot freefall. Parachuters get about 60 seconds of free fall. What can you do that is exciting, quick and relevant to the lesson?
  2. Students want to choose their destination. Let students make choices about their learning. As the players are parachuting they are gliding down and choosing which part of the island to land and explore. Students in your classroom want to make choices, too. It’s fun. Give them options or let them choose. What can you let your students choose tomorrow? Do it.
  3. Students want a sense of urgency and a quick paced session. When the players land in Fortnite, the players are racing to stay away from a surround storm that is tightening. Players must keep moving, encountering new adventures, and face challenges. Your class needs to keep moving forward with new challenges. Students get bored with one activity that goes on and on.
  4. Students want an environment to explore. In the game, players explore an island looking for tools, prizes and surprises. Get students out of their seat and have them exploring your class and halls. Put task cards on the walls, use BreakOut EDU boxes, and find other ways to make your class a hands-on exploration.
  5. Students want to make stuff. In Fortnite, players must build forts. They can get pretty creative. The forts have a purpose and making stuff is fun. I’ve seen my daughters watch videos of people making stuff for long periods of time. What can you have your students build and make that is relevant and fun in your class?
  6. Students like to compete. I know. I know. We hear it so many times, “Competition in school is bad.” But students seem to love it. Can’t some competition be good? Can we find ways to game in class to have fun and hook students? I say, yes! Fortnite keeps track of your wins and players celebrate this.
  7. Students want to collaborate. In Fortnite, players can work together to achieve wins. Let’s give them opportunities for collaborative learning in class. I don’t mean group projects, I mean learning with a partner and tackling the obstacles of learning together.
  8. Students want to communicate with classmates.  The headset is popular in Fortnite. Players like to talk with each other and bark commands and summarize plans. Give students opportunities to speak their learning strategies and communicate about learning with classmates. Find more creative ways to do this.
  9. Fortnite is fun! It’s full of crazy costumes, colors, music, and themes. They are constantly updating the game with seasons and new stuff. How about your class? Do students ever walk in and say, “Wow! What did you do? What’s all this?” They should. Surprise them. Switch it up.

I think Fortnite can be a ridiculous time-suck for most players. I really do. I also think a little bit of it is a lot of fun. Mostly though, I look at things like this and try to figure out what I can learn from it to connect with students. I hope you do too.

Squad up! Go teach those students.

Written by Kelly Croy (With the help of my daughter, Jaclyn.)

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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 Best Chromebook is… an iPad.

I have read many articles about which device is the best for education, the Chromebook or the iPad. Let me be clear from the onset: both devices are great for education. I believe there are many myths and flat out fallacies about each device that need to be explored.  After using both devices in my teaching I can clearly see the merits of using each. The iPad, however, clearly stands out as the best choice for many reasons, but I feel the one thing most people fail to consider, is that the iPad is also a Chromebook.

That’s right, the iPad is a Chromebook. I love using Google Apps for education in my classroom and the iPad has them all.

There are currently well over forty apps in the iTunes store created by Google for the iPad that include the Google Apps for Education suite:  Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Gmail, Chrome web browser, Google Drive, Google Search, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Keep, Tasks, Google Voice and more. Teachers even have a special app Google Classroom. Blogger and YouTube Creator Studio are available and fantastic for student reflection and creation.

Myth #1: The iPad is about consuming not producing. Wow! This is incredibly false, in fact, I would say the complete opposite is true. There are far more apps for the iPad than any other device and the iPad has the best apps for creating and sharing authentic digital content. Students can create books using wonderful apps like Pages and Book Creator, create movies with iMovie, and as mentioned at the start, it is a Chromebook, so it uses all the Google apps and then add all the apps just for iPad. Fact: The iPad is wonderful creation tool for education. You can write, great websites, make movies, play instruments, and so much more. I challenge you to find a device that can create more than an iPad. Apple has dedicated an entire free curriculum titled Everyone Can Create that demonstrates iPads superiority to creating which is the DOK 4, the Quad D, the rigor and relevance, and the synthesis of students’ learning. Students should not be sitting and exploring “learning” sites by themselves going over facts, they should be collaborating with their peers creating standards-based creations.

Myth #2: The iPad doesn’t have a physical keyboard. This just isn’t true! First of all, if you have typed on the iPad I would contend that most students do not need a keyboard. Just because you do doesn’t mean they do. In fact, I had students who preferred no keyboard and typed very fast. Still, know this, there is a greater variety of keyboards available for the iPad than there are for the Chromebooks. Apple’s detachable keyboard is awesome. The Chromebook only has one keyboard available, the iPad has a variety from different vendors with built in cases if you prefer. The idea that a physical keyboard is superior is a concept created by older generations. Students don’t have physical keyboards on their devices. Physical keyboards are foreign to them and take as much time for them to get adjusted as it does adults to get adjusted to a keyboard screen.  If you want a keyboard for the iPad, it’s a choice, and you can pick one out that you like. I have seen many Chromebooks left unusable after a keyboard mishap.

Myth #3: Chromebooks cost less. No way can I agree to this! First of all, I see iPads outlasting Chromebooks every year. The iPad is better made inside and out and it’s like having multiple devices in one package. Still, there will be many who say their school simply can’t afford iPads. If you really believe that, you are doing your math wrong. Without adding in Apple’s Education Pricing or Bulk purchases, you can purchase a brand new iPad on Apple’s site (Cheaper on other sites like Best Buy and B&H Photo) for $329. This is one of their newest iPads that has great utilization with the Apple Pencil. Second, when I search for Chromebooks of similar quality as the iPad I get the the same price as the iPad, and you can do more on the iPad. I am certain discount packages for both devices for education are available. You can play the “pricing game” all you want, but you get what you pay for when ordering technology.

Six Reasons The iPad Dominates over the Chromebook in Education: 

  1. Accessibility: The iPad is loaded with accessibility features that no other device has that can help ALL students such as: Captioning and Audio Descriptions, VoiceOver, Display Customization, Guided Access, Speech and so much more! I use Speech to have my emails read to me and I love Magnifier and LiveListen. All students can benefit from accessibility features. Too many teachers think these features are for a particular group of student. Not sure. You can learn more about iOS Accessibility Features here. 
  2. Durability & Longevity: The iPad wins this one outright. The iPad is made of stronger materials and has less physical features to fail. Sure the screen can be of a concern but that I don’t think you would want to drop either device, and in a drop test I’ll take the iPad. Battery life on an iPad is superior from my use. The screen looks better on an iPad, the sound, sounds better on an iPad, and the overall experience of operation and use is better on an iPad than a Chromebook.
  3. Portability: Hands down, the iPad is by far a more portable device. The front and rear-facing camera, and the ability to use the iPad in any flexible seating situation makes it perfect for education. Combine this with the long battery life and its super-slim footprint, the iPad can go anywhere. Changing the brightness of the iPad’s screen also makes it great for portability; allowing the student to use it in a theatre and other situations without disturbing others. Watch how students awkwardly try to use Chromebooks to shoot video, in flexible seating, in labs, while standing and you will see why schools’ choice for the best Chromebook would be an iPad.
  4. Reading Device: The iPad as a tablet is an incredible reading device storing thousands of books. There are a variety of reading apps available including: Kindle, Nook, Google Play, iBooks and so many more. It’s a light reading device that is much more pleasurable to read with than a traditional Chromebook laptop. This makes the iPad the best Chromebook for reading. More books and a better format.
  5. Apps: There are far more apps, and educational apps and creation apps available for the iPad than the Chromebook. It’s insane how many awesome apps there are for teachers and students to use to amazing things! No other device has access to this library of GREAT tools to teach and make a difference.
  6. The Game-Changer: Apple’s apps designed especially for education, only to be found on the iPad: iTunes U, Schoolwork, and Classroom. iTunes University is only available on the iPad and I believe this is the game-changer for education. Giving teachers and students the ability to create interactive textbooks and creating online courses with embedded discussions is the future of education for all levels of education. iTunes University is being used from primary grades all the way through post secondary with incredible gains and impact. For this reason, you can see why the iPad would be the Chromebook of choice for teachers and schools.
  7. Everyone Can Create: Apple has a dedicated curriculum on using the iPad to create in the classroom and it’s called Everyone Can Create. You can learn more here.

In the end, it comes down to the teacher and the classroom. If the teacher is simply going to use a device to type papers and take standardized tests, than that is pretty sad, and it’s doubtful that true innovation and transformational learning is going to be out of reach. However, if you want an innovative classroom that interacts and explores a platform of incredibly creative apps, I believe the iPad is the best Chromebook and best 1:1 device. The iPad does all that a Chromebook can, and then adds to it it’s own ecosystem of iPad-only apps that have in themselves transformed education.

I am an Apple Distinguished Educator AND a Google Certified Innovator. I see the value of the Google Apps for Education, but I also see the iPad as a superior educational tool.  I just want everyone to understand that the iPad is an amazing, stand-alone device for education and it is also a formidable Chromebook of sorts all rolled into one.

An iPad is a Chromebook and it’s, well, an iPad.

Written 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 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 123: Code Breaker, Block Breaker, An Interview with Brian Aspinall

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast I interview an amazing Canadian Educator name Brian Aspinall about his brand new book titled Block Breaker: Building Knowledge and Amplifying Student Voice One Block at a Time! Brian and I have a wonderful conversation that I know you will love and benefit. Enjoy!

Brian Aspinall is an educator and best selling author and is considered one of the brightest STEM innovators in Canadian education. His book, Code Breaker – 15+ Ways to Get Started With Coding, continues to top the charts in STEM Education with a focus on rethinking assessment and evaluation. Recently he was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence for his work with coding and computational thinking. His enthusiasm, thought leadership, and approach to building capacity within STEM education has made him a sought after speaker throughout North America and has earned him the honour of being selected as Canada’s first Minecraft, Micro:BiT, and Makey Makey Ambassadors! Order Brian’s newest book, Block Breaker, here!

NEW!

Mentioned in this podcast:

Planbook.com, our sponsor, is a great way to design your lessons!

Lisa Johnson has a new book out, Creatively Productive, and… she mentioned my book in her’s! How awesome! Grab a copy of Lisa’s new book; she will be on the show again soon.

The Future Focused Podcast: It’s my other podcast focused on leveling-up your leadership and living a dynamic life. I will also be documenting the release of my new book, Unthink Before Bed about anxiety and mindfulness.

I have added a feature so you can leave me a question with your voice about this podcast, or any other podcast or blog, or about education in general. Leave your name, where you are from and your question. It is quick and easy from any device. Record a question or comment here! It’s just one click! Thank you.

Brian’s book Code Breaker: Increase Creativity, Remix Assessment and Develop a Classroom of Coder Ninja’s.

Brian’s newest book is titled Block Breaker: Building Knowledge and Amplifying Student Voice One Block at a Time!

Brian’s next purchase is going to be a drone. Here is one that I have my eye on: DJI Mavic Pro. This is the one I recommend and plan to purchase.

One of Brian’s favorite books is: Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas by Seymour Papert.

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 122: Everyone Can Create with Ben Mountz

In this episode of the Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Apple Distinguished Educator, Ben Mountz about his work using apple’s Everyone Can Create Curriculum, his journey of relocating from Pennsylvania to Hawaii, what it means to be an Apple Distinguished Educator and more! I know you will enjoy this interview with Ben. He is one of the most creative educators I’ve ever met. His kindness and care for others has no limitations.

Ben is a Physics, Robotics, and Digital Storytelling instructor at Hanalani Schools in Mililani, HI.After teaching for 13 years in southeastern Pennsylvania, in 2016 he and his wife Jess realized their dream of relocating to Hawaii and continuing their teaching careers there. The rich environment allows Ben to pursue his love of creating images and media, as well as exploring the natural wonders of Hawaii through hiking, swimming, and surfing.

As an Apple Distinguished Educator, his most recent passion has been in using the various facets of Apple’s Everyone Can Create curriculum in his Digital Storytelling courses to help students find their creative voice.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Everyone Can Create Curriculum: A collection of project guides that that bring creative expression to every subject. Ben and I talk about this at length. What a fantastic resource! It is awesome and free.

• The Apple Distinguished Educator Program: Apple created the Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE) program to recognize K–12 and higher-education pioneers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning. These are the educators who are looking to change the world. They are active leaders from around the world helping other educators rethink what’s possible with iPad and Mac to make learning deeply personal for every student.

• The most influential books Ben chose to share are the Bible and Resonate by Nancy Durante. If you are a creator, a speaker, and educator, or really anyone trying to “create” better, you need to read and apply Resonate.

• Ben’s favorite apps are Keynote and Procreate. Both are amazing tools for creation, design, art, and more.

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 121: Reclaiming Our Calling, an Interview with Brad Gustafson

Hold on to the Heart, Mind, and Hope of Education

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, Kelly interviews Dr. Brad Gustafson about is hot new book, Reclaiming Our Calling: Hold on to the Heart, Mind, and Hope of Education. This is a great interview that will inspire you and help you in so many ways. Be sure to leave a podcast review, a comment, and share with your tribe and PLN. Thank you for listening.

Dr. Brad Gustafson’s life is defined by his faith, family, and desire to help others succeed. He is a practicing principal, speaker, best-selling author, National School Boards Association “20 to Watch,” Digital Innovation in Learning Award winner, and Minnesota Principal of the Year. He serves on Scholastic’s Principal Advisory Board and is a national advisor with Future Ready Schools. He also co-hosts the UnearthED podcast. You can connect with him at BradGustafson.com or by checking out his newest book, “Reclaiming Our Calling.”

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 120: Coaching and Leading, an Interview with Phil Cristofaro

An Interview with Australian, Apple Distinguished Educator, Phil Cristofaro on Coaching & Leading

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, Kelly talks with Phil Cristofaro, a distinguished educator and coach from Victoria, Australia about coaching, leadership and an amazing #EveryoneCanCreate project his students published. You will love everything about this episode including Phil’s incredible insight into education from 30+ years of service, and his Austrailian perspective and accent. What a great interview.

Phill Cristofaro has thirty years experience as a classroom teacher, Leader and Instructional Coach.  He is an Apple Distinguished Educator and is an accredited Apple Professional Learning Specialist. In 2007, Phill was a finalist in the Herald Sun Teacher of the Year Awards and in 2005 was a finalist in the Outstanding Primary Teacher category of the Education Excellence Awards (Victoria, Australia).

Phill works part-time as a Digital Learning Coach at Mackellar Primary School in Melbourne, Australia. Phill supports schools and education across all levels of the system as a part-time consultant. He has published more than twenty iTunes U courses which showcase his expertise in high-level instructional practice and creativity. Phill recently published a student project in the form of an interactive Apple Book titled, “Convergence: April 13th, 1945”.

Phil and Kelly discuss: The importance of teaching to the child, not the level, how the interactive book was produced and published, what the project represents in terms of learning, creation and differentiation as well as collaboration, creativity and a strong female role in learning, student agency, and more!

I love hearing Phil say, “Mate” and he explains why his nickname for me is ‘Bear.’

Mentioned in this podcast:

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 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