Flipboard EDU Podcast

I have had many discussions with my peers in the last year about race, equity and culture as well as what it means to be Black in America. We discuss how ingrained racism is in this country and its education system. One conversation in particular that has continued to surface is how the celebration of Black History Month has rested in the hands of educators. I can honestly say that my peers, who a...

During the month of February, we will be highlighting conversations that I feel are necessary for educators as well as the recognition of Black History Month . These conversations are sparked by photos and articles I’ve seen on Twitter about How Not To Celebrate Black History . The gist: for anyone’s participation in Black History Month to not come across as performative it’s important to understa...

During this pandemic, we have highlighted the way teachers can enhance their careers through collaboration with other successful educators. We believe that connecting teachers with other teachers will foster creativity and collaboration in ways that will enhance student achievement. Humberto Perez of E4 Youth takes that collaborative mindset to a whole other level. E4 Youth is a nonprofit organiza...

Teaching students to be critical thinkers during this pandemic is at the forefront of most teachers' minds. Teaching students to be truth-seekers may be one of the most essential objectives for educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Combating misinformation and citing credible sources can make all the difference when getting information online. Jonathan Rogers is an award-winning journalism...

Fifty-three years ago America lost a true leader and visionary. Fifty-three years later his words ring true in our ears today. As educators deal with the pandemic and stress of working remotely, we are now faced with civil unrest and a divided country. I have gathered some resources that can be helpful to educators who are working to make Dr. Martin Luther King's dream a reality in 2021. Link...

Preparing the next generation of teachers is a daunting task. The incorporation of mobile technology has led to many changes in education in the last five years, and the pandemic has accelerated the need to embrace these changes. New teachers need to know how to build relationships virtually, deliver engaging lessons using the best tools available, and communicate with parents to monitor students&...

What if the taught-and-tested curriculum in schools could foster really engaging learning experiences? If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the standards-based curriculum in school will have to evolve, along with expectations placed on teachers. Evin Schwartz , CEO of Belouga , was well aware of this paradigm shift when he started his curriculum supplement company four years ago. Th...

Passionate educators like Christy McGowan are a necessity for reshaping equity in marginalized neighborhoods through education. Her plan of action is to build a charter school from the ground up, with open admissions based on a lottery system. A former teacher and literacy coach and current BES fellow, Christy is building her own school, One Collegiate, deeply rooted in literacy. BES believes that...

*During the month of December, computer science is finding its way into classrooms around the world. “* *DeSTEMber* ( https://girlstart.org/our-programs/destember/ ) *” was created by* *Girlstart* ( https://girlstart.org/ ) *as a month-long virtual program to build awareness for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The goal is to show children and families that STEM is everywhere and...

*Dr. Josue Falaise is joining us again this week to dive deeper into the topic of cultural competence.**As founder and CEO of* *GOMO Educational Services* ( https://gomoedservices.com/ ) *, he trains educators and writes articles on a variety of topics such as “Turning Adversity into Opportunity” and “Dealing with Difficult Students.” While he was director of improving student achievement at the R...

*Storytelling might be the unsung hero of the pandemic. More and more schools are seeing the importance of incorporating “a narrative” during COVID-19. Traditionally school districts don’t proactively tell their own stories and as a result, they aren’t accurately represented in the media. Professional journalist and author* *Clement Townsend* ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/clement-townsend-53718821...

*Tarael Kee* ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarael-kee-705197193/ ) *, the president-elect of the Illinois School Counselors Association, speaks with me about these discrepancies and how some minority teachers are identifying bias in education that promotes various stereotypes. Tarael is also a high school counselor in Collinsville Illinois and has worked as an educator for 15 years. He is currentl...

*It seems like 2020 has most of us feeling boxed in and overwhelmed with grading student’s work and virtual parent meetings. What better way to navigate the COVID-19 education era than with a wingman? Especially if your wingman is* *“EDUCopilot” Albert Thomas* ( https://educopilot.com/ ) *. Albert is an amazing educator who has been a teacher, principal, and instructional technologist and serves a...

*Nikki Spears has been an educator for 25 years, but in recent years, stepped away from her career as a principal, and now works as an educator, motivational speaker, and change leader.  In 2016, Niki co-founded the* *Energy Bus for Schools* ( https://energybusschools.com/ ) *with* *Jon Gordon* ( https://www.jongordon.com/ ) *, where she trained educators to create positive school climates for tea...

*It wasn’t until later in my career that I realized applying creativity to problem-solving is critical in engaging students.* *Claudio Zavala Jr.* ( https://iamclaudius.com/ ) *and* *Fred Benitez* ( https://twitter.com/fredbenitez?lang=en ) *don’t just understand that component of the learning cycle. They also use it to train teachers and students. Both of them inspire my growth as an educator.**C...

*Now, more than ever, video is playing a key role in the classroom. Teachers at all levels are using video daily for various classroom activities. Synchronous and asynchronous learning are terms that were definitely born in 2020 and are becoming staples of professional development for teachers. It appears that they are here to stay.**Oddly enough using video in classrooms is nothing new for educat...

*I have had the fortune of working with many talented people throughout my career. One that stands out for me is* *Patience Edwards* ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/patience-edwards-70853265/ ) *, who was a newly minted third-grade teacher when I met her. At that time, she was one of the best new teachers I had ever seen: charismatic, well organized, and eager to learn anything that would change the...

*In this episode, we explore the technique of “mining for treasures” in students and teachers. We also discuss meaningful instructional design for diverse student populations. We speak about her podcast Designed to Thrive Podcast and connecting multidisciplinary approaches to instruction. Elissa also details how important it is for teachers to cultivate personal creativity and using varied approac...

*In this episode, we speak with Tom  Mc Fadden about using hip-hop as a way to teach science. We also discuss how COVID-19 and social distancing may hinder teacher creativity in the classroom, and strategize on how to get that excitement back into teaching.**Tom teaches 8th graders biology at the Nueva School in Southern California. He also teaches the world science with his* *YouTube Channel Scie...

One of the biggest challenges for teachers lately is organizing curricula and having meaningful conversations online with students in a safe environment. There are several horror stories of teachers video conference classrooms being hijacked by hackers, who until now were the furthest thing away from the minds of educators. Like, who really thought that would be an issue eight months ago? Weirdly...

“Isn’t this a perfect time to gather all the students in your class and teach them how to podcast?”I asked Randy Marble, band director, and Jennifer Kincannon, English teacher at *Columbia High School* ( https://chs.cbisd.com/ ) , where we all work, that exact question a couple of weeks ago. Then it hit me: if I’m going to practice what I preach, I need to preach less to the choir. So instead, I p...

Can you think of anything that is more important to a school than teaching and learning? This is the sole reason schools exist, right? COVID-19 has presented an opportunity for teachers to embrace the modern practices of 21st-century education, albeit it also comes with challenges. In this episode, I detail how I began using Flipboard as an educational tool and why it is the app to rule them all....

Schools across the country are opening as superintendents and school boards decide on best practices for keeping students safe and COVID-free. Some say that the reopening of schools should have been universally led by the Secretary of Education. Without regard to political affiliation, we ponder how much regulation and oversight is needed in returning to school nationally. Should we have a unified...

Student engagement will be at the forefront of all educators’ minds this fall. In my experience, nothing engages students more than music and especially hip-hop—the music as well as the culture. Whether you are a fan of the genre or not, students have now been engaging with the five elements of hip-hop culture: Breakdancing, DJing, graffiti, emceeing, and beatboxing) for 47 years. In this episode,...

*A meaningful discussion about the lack of funding and resources for schools across America requires an honest look at the role systemic racism plays in education. All too often, we hear about the need for equity as a way to rectify disparities; in reality, equity doesn’t address the core problem but rather perpetuates it. “* *Separate but Equal* ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separate_but_equal...