The Art of Tech

This episode we continue our monthly theme on executive functioning. Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, returns to the podcast to discuss the specific executive functioning skills that relate to self-regulation. We also highlight supports and scaffolds as well as technology tools to help teach these skills in the classroom. Links: Classroom Expectations Matrix GoNoodle EdPuzzle Blooket Gimkit P...

This episode we continue our monthly theme on executive functioning. Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, returns to the podcast to discuss the specific executive functioning skills that relate to managing time and resources. We also highlight supports and scaffolds as well as technology tools to help teach these skills in the classroom. Links: Silent Superpowers Lessons Organize Your Life with G...

This episode we kickoff our new monthly theme on executive functioning. Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, returns to the podcast to discuss the importance of explicitly teaching executive functioning skills in the classroom across grade levels and subject areas. We discuss how valuable these skills are and the difference they can make with things like engagement and motivation. Links: UDL Fram...

This episode finish our monthly theme on supporting student needs. We connect with Erick Suksdorf, our district's assistant director of Project AWARE. We hear about the awesome plans for the AWARE grant to support students, staff, and families in the district as well as supports already in place. We discuss how students and families can get support and how we are working to make sure needs are met...

This episode continues our new monthly theme on supporting student needs. We connect with Felisha Sandberg and Kari Koller, two awesome members of our district's Prevention and Intervention Team. We hear about the great work this team does to support students across the district especially around mental health and with substance abuse prevention and intervention. We also share some great tech tool...

This episode continues our new monthly theme on supporting student needs. We connect with Heidi Lammers, our district's learning support program coordinator, and discuss ways to use support reading intervention and literacy through the Science of Reading and some technology tools. We highlight some current programs in the district and ways to think about Science of Reading to support student needs...

This episode kicks off our new monthly theme on supporting student needs. We connect with Stephanie Welniak, our district's coordinator for our multilingual department, and discuss ways to use technology and best practices to support ML students. We highlight current options for translation supports as well as other ways to scaffold and build connections for language learners. Links: How to Use th...

This episode we finish up our monthly theme of AI in Education with a mailbag episode. Scott McDaniel, our technology director, joins as co-host. We discuss the big topic requested on AI and academic integrity and highlight a student code of conduct. Links: AI Literacy Lessons from Common Sense Media Leveled Decision Making Rubric Decision Making Rubric

This episode we continue our monthly theme of AI in Education. Scott McDaniel, our technology director, joins as co-host. We discuss AI literacy and some tips and tricks for understanding and using generative/multimodal AI effectively. We also discuss the importance of discussing AI literacy topics with students. Links: AI Literacy Lessons from Common Sense Media How AI Works Lessons - Code.org Te...

This episode we continue our new monthly theme of AI in Education. Scott McDaniel, our technology director, joins as co-host. We discuss artificial intelligence, or AI, tools to support teachers and ways to use AI to help with teaching with topics like personal productivity and differentiation. We also discuss important considerations when using AI in education. Links: OSPI Human-Centered AI Guida...

This episode kicks off our new monthly theme of AI in Education. Scott McDaniel, our technology director, joins as co-host. We discuss artificial intelligence, or AI, in general and some of the reasons why we are discussing it now such as preparing our students with future ready skills, equity and the digital divide, and supporting accessibility and inclusion.  Links: Handout: AI and the Future of...

This episode wraps up our monthly theme on accessibility. Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, returns to discuss the importance of ensuring all content is accessible for all students. We connect the importance of accessibility and accessible content with Universal Design for Learning and the UDL framework. We also discuss how that connects to our district curricula and remembering to ask "what a...

This episode continues our monthly theme of accessibility. We discuss some of the new updates throughout Google in terms of accessibility over the past year. Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, joins the discussion. We talk about some accessibility apps and features within Google, Android, and Chrome systems. We specifically highlight image to text, reading mode, and the ability to extract text...

This episode is a replay of last season's excellent conversation on accessibility features and their importance for our students.  We connected with a special education teacher in the Camas School District and a mother of a student with disabilities from the Evergreen School District, both of whom are members of the state's Inclusionary Practices Project and Special Education Support Center, now c...

This is a replay of our great conversation with Anna Leeper and Felicia Barkell with special services on what accessibility means and how it applies in school settings. It kicks of this month's theme of accessibility in the classroom. Links: AEM Center: Access to Learning Disability Discrimination and Employment Decisions About IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Section 508 Complia...

This is our first mail bag episode! We answer questions from the district and talk about the helpdesk. Scott McDaniel returns and we are joined by our helpdesk heroes: Cheryl ODell and Aaron Kabat to talk about a range of topics from moving hardware to favorite keyboard shortcuts. Links: BGPS Helpdesk Support Portal

This episode continues our monthly theme of becoming future ready. We want to be future ready educators embedding valuable future ready skills in our classrooms to prepare our students for an ever-changing future. We check in with Andrea Smith, K-12 science coordinator, and Vicki Campbell, a 3rd and 4th grade teacher, to discuss problem solving skills in the classroom and how they help prepare our...

This episode continues our monthly theme of becoming future ready. We want to be future ready educators embedding valuable future ready skills in our classrooms to prepare our students for an ever-changing future. We check in with Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, and Sherah Campbell, a high school health and AVID teacher, to discuss collaboration skills and the future ready skills that connec...

This episode continues our monthly theme of becoming future ready. We want to be future ready educators embedding valuable future ready skills in our classrooms to prepare our students for an ever-changing future. Andrea Smith, K-12 science coordinator, joins the discussion as we focus on future ready skills related to creativity and critical thinking. Links: Future Ready in BGPS What Do You Do wi...

This episode kicks off our new year and new monthly theme of becoming future ready. We want to be future ready educators embedding valuable future ready skills in our classrooms to prepare our students for an ever-changing future. Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, and Andrea Smith, science coordinator, join the discussion as we highlight our district's list of skills and what it means to be fu...

This episode close out our monthly theme of streamlining workflow with technology tools.  Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, joins the episode. We discuss the Google Sheets extension/add-on called Autocrat that can be used for automating and streamlining various tasks. Autocrat can connect Google Form data (or any data in a Google Sheet) with Google Docs or Slides templates. Links: Autocrat Vid...

This episode kicks off our new monthly theme of streamlining workflow with technology tools.  Mandie Thompson, instructional coach, joins the episode. We discuss tips and tricks for streamlining with technology and then highlight efficiency tools in Google Docs and Sheets. Links: Organize Your Life with Google online course Google Docs video tutorials New smart canvas innovations in Google Workspa...

This episode closes out our monthly theme of Universal Design for Learning.  Marisol Mallari, a classroom teacher in Everett and member of the Inclusionary Practices Technical Network, joins the episode to discuss the Action and Expression principle in the UDL guidelines. We discuss the importance of providing options for students to demonstrate what they know and can do and highlight some practic...

This episode continues our monthly theme of Universal Design for Learning.  Mandie Thompson and Angela Sawdye, two middle school instructional coaches, join the episode to discuss the Representation principle in the UDL guidelines. We discuss the importance of supporting your content with visuals and auditory scaffolds, providing and activating background knowledge, and giving students different a...

This episode continues our monthly theme of Universal Design for Learning.  Colleen Homola, high school math teacher at PHS and member of Washington's Inclusionary Practices Technical Network, joins the episode to discuss the Engagement principle in the UDL guidelines. We discuss the importance of connecting with student interests and providing different access points for students. Links: CAST - U...