10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher

We don't know what the future holds but we know there are things we can do to help children cope with anxiety. We also know there are things we can do to be prepared for distance learning.  Joseph Hamer, a second-grade teacher from Wichita Kansas, and author of Brain Awakes joins Vicki to discuss how to help students and teachers cope with anxiety and stress and how to create a safe and uplifting...

Doug Fisher has some great ideas about how to schedule break-out rooms, practice time, and other hard-to-manage areas of distance learning. www.coolcatteacher.com/e691 Sponsor: This show is sponsored by Advancement Courses. Advancement Courses is a leader in online professional development, with over 280 courses in 20 different subjects, including topics like online instruction, social-emotional l...

You may be worried that the youngest kids can't learn at a distance, but Dr. Nancy Frey, co-author of the Distance Learning Playbook comes alongside us to help us understand how it can be done. From successful online meetings to screentime and essential things to include, Nancy encourages us to do what seems impossible. She also gives us some mistakes to avoid. We can reach the youngest students a...

As we prepare to learn this fall, we need to consider some teaching best practices. In this episode we cover quite a few topics:  What the fall will look like (we think) How to plan for instruction How to differentiate online instruction Blended learning best practices How to support parents Using community resources to support your classroom Self Care This show includes sponsored content from Adv...

Educator Morgan Green is an idea machine. Here she gives us the ways she's working to improve her classroom this fall. www.coolcatteacher.com/e688   Sponsor: Welcome TGR Foundation and Discovery Education as a sponsor to my podcast. For nearly 25 years, the TGR Foundation, a Tiger Woods Charity, visualized a world where opportunity is universal and potential is limitless. Their mission is to empow...

Blended learning and distance learning will be different this fall. Dig into flipping your classroom and how it looks when you teach effectively in an online classroom. How do you use video effectively? www.coolcatteacher.com/e687   Kate Baker - Bio as Submitted Kate Baker, M.Ed and MAIT, is the Senior Community Engagement Manager at Edmodo, a former high school English teacher with 20+ years of c...

Today, the topic of racism has brought about discussions of not only organizational reform but also reform in our personal perceptions. Today, Dr. Andrea Dozier and I will talk about hope in the midst of understanding. We approach this topic with humility and sincerity and I hope as you listen to our perspectives of being two different women living in the southern United States that we might come...

We can help children improve their math skills. Dr. Carrie Cutler is author of "Math-Positive Mindsets: Growing a Child's Mind without Losing Yours." She shares tips to help parents and teachers help children improve at math. Additionally, she shares some things that hinder math learning and things we shouldn't be saying to kids. Let's help all children learn math! www.coolcatteacher.com/e685   Sp...

Artificial Intelligence sounds fantastic and far off, but it underlies so many things we do today. Today I talk with Jason Thacker, author of The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity about AI and ethics. He tries to explain what it is, what it does, and why we should be concerned about it as we look at our future. With up to 30% of our jobs being displaced by AI in the nex...

Tyler Daniel Tarver shares some surprising new ways to use Youtube in education. Now YouTube in the class can be a good thing! www.coolcatteacher.com/e683 Sponsor: Welcome TGR Foundation and Discovery Education as a sponsor to my podcast. For nearly 25 years, the TGR Foundation, a Tiger Woods Charity, visualized a world where opportunity is universal and potential is limitless. Their mission is to...

Eric Curts shares how we can use docs, sheets, drawings, and slides with creative classroom projects. Eric is author of the new book Control Alt Achieve: Rebooting Your Classroom with Creative Google Projects and we give an overview of what you can do with Google tools. www.coolcatteacher.com/e682   Sponsor: Welcome TGR Foundation and Discovery Education as a sponsor to my podcast. For nearly 25 y...

Don Goble created a passion project for him and his students during distance learning. He tells the story of how he brought leading media experts from around the country into his classroom during the time students were staying home during the pandemic. www.coolcatteacher.com/e681 Sponsor: Welcome TGR Foundation and Discovery Education as a sponsor to my podcast. For nearly 25 years, the TGR Founda...

The mathematics curriculum of today was created before computers. Conrad Wolfram has written a book, The Math(s) Fix and how AI can be part of this process of learning new math. He says we're "making humans into third rate calculators instead of helping humans be problem solvers." He also argues that math should be approachable for everyone and we spend too much time in schools on the wrong tasks....

Jonathan Alsheimer is a high energy teacher who, admittedly says he isn't so great with technology. He also teaches in a school with kids who don't have access to a lot of technology. He shares how he has leveled up his learning and looks back at what he did over the last eight weeks. He also looks forward to the fall and how he's going to continue to level up over the summer. www.coolcatteacher.c...

Rae Hughart gives fantastic ideas for tracking student learning mastery. She shares how she has applied these techniques as she has taught sixth grade math to 150 students at a distance. She also gives ideas for how to level up this summer to improve things for the fall. www.coolcatteacher.com/e678   Rae Hughart - Bio as Submitted Rae Hughart is a Middle Level Math Educator in Illinois, creator of...

Assessment expert Dr. Thomas Guskey reflects on the positives and negatives of assessments during distance learning. He also gives advice about how he thinks schools can improve their assessments this fall to focus on learning. www.coolcatteacher.com/e677   Dr. Thomas Guskey - Bio as Submitted Thomas Guskey is a Professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education at the University of K...

Leadership in this season is difficult. Dr. Joe Sanfelippo talks about partnering with parents, the message he's sending to his community, and how we move forward from this challenging time towards the fall. Note from Vicki: The focus of this episode is specifically pandemic related as it was recorded two weeks ago. Other episodes relating to the events of this and last week are being recorded to...

Summer 2020 will need to be one of healing and rest but it is also a summer where we need to learn and level up. ln today's show, Danielle Strohmeyer talks about seven things to consider as we design a personal learning plan this summer. We've also included links to the courses from advancement courses. Typically, I only do advertorials the week of ISTE each year, but because ISTE is in the fall,...

Working at home changes us. It has certainly changed me as has the time away from the physical presence of my students and colleagues. Despite that some teachers and administrators say they are working less - I'm working much more. So, my method of working has had to change as well. Here are the 8 Productivity Tools and tips I've started using while working from home. www.coolcatteacher.com/e674  ...

Like it or not, blended learning is here to stay. Today, virtual trainer and Class Tech Tips guru Monica Burns talks about what we need to be learning over the summer so we can be healthier and more successful in the fall no matter what we face. www.coolcatteacher.com/e673   Sponsor: This Fall season is going to be different, but we're not sure how. Whatever happens, online learning will play a hu...

Teacher Bruce Reicher shares two of his favorite distance learning tools - Wakelet and Wevideo . He talks about how he uses them with students and teachers for classroom learning and teacher PD. Take a look at Wakelet for organizing files and WeVideo for editing and screencasts. www.coolcatteacher.com/e672   Sponsor: This Fall season is going to be different, but we're not sure how. Whatever happe...

Google Classroom has been the tool of choice for many schools. Did you know that you need to "close out" the school year to set yourself up for success in the fall? In this episode, Kasey and I discuss how to effectively close out the school year. Check the blog post for more links to Kasey's material on this important best practice for Google Classroom. www.coolcatteacher.com/e670    Sponsor: My...

Are your gradebooks like Swiss Cheese? Are there kids who are just missing? Today, Mary Howard, sixth grade science teacher in New York, talks about how we can engage kids in distance learning. These are not easy times to teach but they are important times to teach. I'm here with you as you work to engage your students. Let me know how you're engaging your kids on Twitter @ coolcatteacher . www.co...

Today Joseph Fatheree, award-winning teacher and thought-leader talks about the conversations administrators, policymakers, and teachers are having about what "the Fall" looks like in K12 education. There are so many scenarios that could be possible but Joseph shares his thoughts. I hope you'll share your thoughts on Twitter as we talk about this. www.coolcatteacher.com/e669   Sponsor: My friend K...

We can tackle sustainability issues by empowering students. I would also think that this could apply to helping students be part of the solution for health in their communities and schools. Let's face it, if we're going to solve hard problems, we need lots of minds, hands, and feet involved in moving towards the solution. I recorded this some time ago, but you'll get some ideas (like I did) for wh...