Let's Talk EdTech

It's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the new technology coming out each year and many of us spend most of our time learning (or trying to learn) those new tools. In Brian's last summer soapbox, he argues for a different approach on choosing what to learn. Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:50 TPACK Framework Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge 2:00 Visualize the Venn diagram How does technology i...

The Chrome browser has 65% market share in terms of usage. In other words, six out of 10 people use it every day as their only tool for the web. If you're a Chrome user, Brian has some power tips for you to become a true wizard. Links Four ways to be a Chrome power user The super shortcut cheat sheet Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:44 What is Google Chrome? Also, Brian was wrong about the usage stats in t...

Have you ever felt frustrated with another department, in particular, your IT department? That relationship can cause friction, especially if you're in edtech and running into roadblocks. Today, Brian shares some ideas on how to work better with your IT department. Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:13 Tip 1: Get to know your technicians 3:25 Tip 2: Ask follow up questions Use non-confrontational language: "...

Brian is  all alone this summer and needed to keep the podcast recording moving. In this episode, Brian talks about the  best productivity tool for anyone trying to be efficient in their work. Links The BEST Productivity Tool for your Team Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:02 The best tool is the calendar 1:35 Don't use email to coordinate meetings 1:55 Share free/busy time on your calendar How to change yo...

Beth and Holly get together to talk about how to use translation tools to make text more accessible to your students. Brian also makes an appearance. Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:10 Snap & Read Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Take a photo of text to have it read aloud Translate text found using OCR Text-to-speech, translation, and text-replacement in Safari 5:05 Google Translate Use the camera...

In Elkhart, we use iOS for our student device and Google for all of our cloud productivity tools, but which one is better ? Beth and Billie Jo break down when to use what and why you shouldn't discount iOS tools when it comes to your technology use in class. Links We have a summer conference! Sign up for your Canva Education account WATCH: Using Numbers as a template creator USE: Billie Jo's Great...

The amount of technology in schools can be overwhelming, especially if you have a different device than your students for classroom use. In this episode, Beth and Billie Jo explain why they tried to use student devices more than their teacher device in the classroom. Links Join us at our summer conference! Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:50 Our technology tools 2:45 Ask yourself, "What's possible with the...

The school year has come - or is coming - to a close. Beth and Billie Jo talk through their top tips for closing out your year so you're ready to jump back into teaching with technology in the fall. Links Filtering Gmail in 40 seconds Join us at the DOT Conference - August 7-8, 2023 Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:45 Clean up Gmail with filters and labels 4:00 Don't mark things as read when you filter 5:2...

Pear Deck is an add-on for Google Slides which allows you to add interactive bits to your presentations. In this episode, Brian and Holly talk over what Pear Deck is and why it's a great tool to pull into your teaching. Links Formative vs Summative Classroom Techniques Helping students own vocabulary Adding audio to Google Slides Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:16 What is Pear Deck and how does it work? L...

ChatGPT is all over the place and schools are trying to figure out how to manage some of the implications. We don't talk about any of that in this episode. Instead, Brian teaches Holly about what AI is and how it actually works. If you want to know more about what goes on behind the screen when you talk with ChatGPT, this episode is for you.   Worth reading Explore ChatGPT in these curated resourc...

Video is a powerful teaching tool - it can be used to introduce ideas, remediate, or extend what you're doing with students. And don't limit it to yourself - have your students create their own videos to show what they know. In this episode, Billie Jo and Beth go through their top tips for teaching with video. Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:50 Beth wishes Billie Jo had introduced this episode 1:00 Why vi...

We're taking a slight detour and using a whole episode to talk about stuff that's making us happy both at work and at home. Beth and Billie Jo share some of their delights that are sure to put a smile on your face. Join us this August at Elkhart's summer learning series. More details and registration information are on our website . Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:02 Beth's new superpower 2:05 Billie Jo d...

We're big fans of Canva in every way and this spring, they delivered 10 gifts for users. Beth and Billie Jo run through each of these new tools and why you'd want to try using them in your classroom. Check out the full announcement from Canva here Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:25 Magic Design - drag any picture in to automatically design a post using AI 2:25 Draw your ideas - draw on top of any template...

iOS includes dozens of ways to make using the iPad more accessible. In this episode, Beth and Holly go over their favorite settings to use and why you should use them yourself and with students. Check out our video demonstrating most of these tools Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:00 Enable dictation 2:05 Speak Screen and Speak Selection 3:14 Use Alex as the Siri voice for a more natural sound 4:45 Reader...

QR codes have been around for almost 30 years and really became popular during the COVID restrictions. In this episode, Beth and Billie Jo share 21 ways you can use QR codes in your classroom to make life easier for you and your students. Links Denny Hammond shares a great trick for using QR codes on Chromebooks Our one-click QR code  video Other ideas for using QR codes Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:45...

All four coaches gather in this episode to discuss things that  really bother us.  Join us for our conference! Do One Thing (DOT) Conference August 7-8, 2023 Elkhart, Indiana Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:35 Explaining the idea of the episode 1:10 Why Holly doesn't like sandwiches 2:10 Brian doesn't know what Chik-fil-A sauce is 2:30 Are hot dogs or burgers sandwiches? 3:35 Adults cannot be picky eaters...

Chrome Extensions are little plugins you can add to your browser. There are millions to pick from, so in this episode, Beth, Billie Jo, and Holly talk through their favorites and why you should consider adding them to your browser. Join us for our conference! Do One Thing (DOT) Conference August 7-8, 2023 Elkhart, Indiana Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 0:35 OneTab Save open tabs as saves them into s...

If you've ever attended a conference for professional development, how you prepare to go can make a big difference. In this episode, Beth, BIllie Jo, and Holly talk through how our team prepares and spends conference time to make sure every minute is as worthwhile as possible. Join us for our conference! Do One Thing (DOT) Conference August 7-8, 2023 Elkhart, Indiana Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:54 Pla...

Hands up, gloves off: Beth, Billie Jo, and Holly try to create their perfect Google team in a draft format. For each category, the coach picks their top tool or feature, hoping to beat the others out. Producer Brian is the benevolent judge of all picks and ultimately decide who has the best team. Don't miss these links Slidesmania Google Docs are still Cool Use captions on your Google Slides prese...

Epic is a free reading platform for kids. Teachers are able to set up classrooms and allow students to pick from books in the teacher's library. In today's episode, Holly talks about things she didn't use while teaching that she wished she had. Read : Holly's blog post with her tips Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:45 What is Epic? 1:45 Tip 1: "Read to me" books Books read and highlight text as it's readin...

In today's episode, Brian blindsides Beth with an article claiming that virtual reality (VR) will be a big hit in 2023 to help students find community in schools. Listen to their hot takes on virtual and augmented reality as helpful tools for students and teachers. Did you like this episode? Let us know by leaving a review or by sending us an email at pd@elkhart.k12.in.us . Timestamps 0:00 Cold Op...

Brian and Beth finally sit down to talk about their favorite things in Canvas. They managed to pick different things even though they didn't talk about their choices ahead of recording, so that's a win. Be sure to send us your favorite Canvas tips by emailing pd@elkhart.k12.in.us or by sending a tweet to @ElkhartEdTech. Timestamps 0:00 Cold open 0:30 Intro 0:42 Beth: Modules (and Mastery Paths) Mo...

Billie Jo sits down with Rickie Meyers, Elkhart's Dyslexia Coordinator. Her responsibilities include screening all students for characteristics of dyslexia, working with parents and families for students showing those characteristics, and providing training and support for Elkhart staff. Timestamps 0:30 Intro 0:48 What does a Dyslexia Coordinator do? 1:30 Rickie’s background 2:47 Characteristics o...

Holly, Beth, and - for the first time, Brian - spend time talking to each other about how they learn new things. In this episode, you'll hear us forget how to start a podcast, how to grow ideas into your own, relying on huge groups of like-minded people, and more. Timestamps 0:25 We forget how to start the show 1:50 Brian clicks around a lot 2:40 Let's get on Google 3:20 Finding the best of the an...

Google Docs may seem like old school tech at this point, but there is are still new features being added and new uses for some good old word processing fun. Beth and Holly discuss when they first started using Docs and how it's still a major part of our work day to day. Timestamps 0:40 How old is Google Docs? 1:10 Turns out we're not as old as we thought 1:45 Beth's favorite way of using Docs Note...