The Wired Educator Podcast

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Pat Adkins, a veteran superintendent whose leadership, culture work, and views on education are sought out by educational leaders across the nation. Pat and I talk about leading a school district in a time of crisis, such as this pandemic, the importance of building a maintaining a dynamic culture and coaching others to become better leaders. This is a fun and worthy episode I know you will enjoy and benefit from.  Pat Adkins is the Superintendent of the Port Clinton City Schools in Port Clinton, Ohio.  Port Clinton Schools have been recognized as a National Forum School to Watch and selected as a Model School by the International Center for Leadership.  Pat’s thirty years in education include roles as a high school teacher, director of technology, coach, building principal, and Superintendent. He has not only survived but has thrived as Superintendent in Port Clinton for 15 years. He is an adjunct professor for Ashland University where he teaches adm

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Christy Whittlesey, author of the Dave Burgess Publishing book, It’s Ok to Say “They”: Tips for Educator Allies of Transgender and Non-Binary Students. This is a powerful conversation between two educators about doing whatever you can to teach, care and help every student. What is a gender-friendly school? What changes should school districts make? What should school districts be thinking about and considering?  Christy Whittlesey, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) has been an educator in settings ranging from PreK-higher education for the past 17 years, and is currently a PreK-12 Fine and Performing Arts Administrator and a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Arts Ambassador in Massachusetts. In addition to her work in the arts, Dr. Whittlesey regularly collaborates with school districts and organizations to update policy and lead professional development to create gender-friendly schools where all students can thrive, regardless of gender. Christy r

In this episode of the Wired Educator podcast, I interview Stephanie Castle and share her amazing experience as an educator in Shanghai during the initial COVID-19 outbreak, her ability to adapt and innovate with remote learning, and her adventurous travel from location to location amidst this pandemic. We also discuss her successful return to China, where she was just released from a 14-day quarantine. She is healthy, happy and teaching! She has much to teach us about remote instruction and learning as well as the living of life. Stephanie and her colleagues have been instructing remotely longer than any other teachers. Buckle-up, this is the episode you are looking for! Stephanie Castle is a good friend of mine and a fellow Apple Distinguished Educator. I’ve had the good pleasure to travel with her to different parts of the world through the Apple Distinguished Educator Program. She’s a wonderful human and an incredible teacher. She is the first person from I ever heard of the term, coronavirus back in Janu

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast I interview Elisabeth Bostwick, author of Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation and co-author of Education Write Now, Volume II: Top Strategies for Improving Relationships and Culture. This is a wonderful conversation about remote instruction & remote learning and all of the amazing work Elisabeth does to help educators level-up and make a positive difference in the lives of students. She is brilliant. You will love this episode. In my introduction, I salute our first responders and essential workers during this time of crisis, and I offer some insight and direction on how you can apply the practice of mindfulness to your life.  Elisabeth Bostwick is a multi-award-winning educator who is passionate about creating the conditions to spark curiosity and unleash creativity to empower learning. She is the author of, Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation and co-author of Education Write Now, Volume II: Top Strategies for Improving Relations

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Rae Hughart. Rae is a member of the Teach Better Team; they create awesome resources for educators. Rae is the co-author of the brand new, best-selling book, Teach Better and she co-hosts the Teach Better Talk Podcast.  How are you, friends? You okay? I have some words of hope and inspiration for you, your schools and your families in my intro. I hope you are all safe and healthy. Thank you for checking in with me. I have four episodes on my desktop ready to be published. Get ready.  Thank you for all of the extra hours I know you are putting in. Thank you for all of the extra care and connection you are providing for your students. Thank you for all of the training you are providing for your colleagues. You are amazing and you are making a difference!  Rae Hughart is a Middle-Level Math Educator in Illinois, creator of the Teach Further Model, Co-Author of "Teach Better" and the Director of Training & Development for the Teach Better Team. In 201

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I do want to discuss the single most important ingredient in remote learning, but first and foremost, I want to check in with you! How are you doing? I hope this episode can bring you some comfort and hope.  I am so proud of educators around the world helping their students, community and colleagues. Like you, I have been working extra hours with teachers in and outside my district with remote learning and instruction. Like you, I have been helping my family and community in this time of uncertainty and hardship. Like you, I am concerned about our students and what is coming next. This episode is more than just a check-in. It's more than just an episode on remote learning. This episode attempts to connect all of us together and make some sense of what is going on and offer a little insight on how to prepare.  I am going to offer my six ingredients on what I think is important to consider when providing remote instruction and support remote learning. I hope you wi

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I had the pleasure and honor to interview Dr. Louisa Moats. She pioneered the science of reading and is the leading authority on the planet on how to teach students to read. It was not only my honor and pleasure to interview her, I was able to connect Louisa with three of our educators, Stephanie Kieffer, Amy Quillen, Morgan Siefke, and our primary principal, Kendra VanDoren, to learn about Louisa's work and how we can improve literacy at our district. Our teachers got to ask Louisa questions! Our teachers and principal are part of the interview. Amazing. Dr. Moats has been a teacher, psychologist, researcher, graduate school faculty member, and author of many influential scientific journal articles, books, and policy papers on the topics of reading, spelling, language, and teacher preparation. After a first job as a neuropsychology technician, she became a teacher of students with learning and reading difficulties, earning her Master’s degree at Peabody College

In this episode of the Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Weston Kieschnick. Wes is The author of the phenomena, best-selling, educational book titled Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Innovation = Blended Learning That Works. Bold School is awesome! Wes is a gifted educator, speaker, and author that will inspire all listeners of the Wild Educator Podcast. I had so much fun talking with Wes. His amazing approach to education and fun attitude is contagious. Buckle-up. Weston Kieschnick is a lifelong educator with more than fourteen years of experience designing, developing, and delivering leadership training and professional development to teachers and school leaders around the globe. He is the author of the best selling book, Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Innovation = Blended Learning that Works, co-author of The Learning Transformation: A Guide to Blended Learning for Administrators and the creator and host of Teaching Keating; one of the most downloaded edu-centric podcasts on Goog

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Matthew Joseph, author of Power of Us: Creating Collaborative Schools and co-author of Modern Mentoring, Reimagining Teacher Mentorship. This is a powerful conversation about Innovative Leadership, Mentoring, Collaboration and so much more! I love this interview! Matthew and I talk about so many important areas of education!  You will leave this episode with an incredible list of takeaways that you can immediately apply in your classroom, your building, and your district. This is a must-listen episode of The Wired Educator Podcast. Dr. Matthew X. Joseph has collected incredible insights on how best to support teaching and learning, and his work has led to nationally published articles and opportunities to speak at multiple state and national events. He has been a school and district leader in many capacities in public education over his twenty-five years in the field, with experiences such as being the director of digital learning and innovation, an e

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Chrissy Romano Arrabito. She is an amazing educator and author of a wonderful book, Quiet Kids Count. I love this interview for many reasons, but primarily for the incredible conversation Chrissy and I have about so many important areas in education. This discussion is rich and yields some incredible takeaways. Chrissy is brilliant and genuine. Her book is so well written and designed.  Chrissy Romano Arrabito is a career teacher and proud of it! She is currently an elementary teacher at Nellie K. Parker Elementary School in Hackensack, New Jersey and has over 26 years of experience as an elementary and middle school teacher.  Chrissy is dedicated to teaching the whole child, stimulating and supporting innovation in classrooms, and strives to provide authentic learning experiences for her students. Her true passion lies in nurturing the quiet kids, those that tend to fall through the cracks, those that truly need a champion to support and advocate fo

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Amy Illingworth, the author of an awesome book from Dave Burgess Consulting, titled The Coach Adventure: Building Powerful Instructional Leadership Skills that Impact Learning. You’re going to need two brains to take in and absorb all of the awesomeness that Amy shares with us in this interview. Amy Illingworth, EdD, is a lifelong educator, a learner, a coach, and a leader. Her leadership vision is to create equitable learning opportunities where student and adult learners thrive. She has served as a teacher, literacy coach, an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and has taught at the graduate school level. She currently serves as the assistant superintendent of educational services in the Encinitas Union School District in California. Mentioned in this episode:  Amy's book: The Coach Adventure: Building Powerful Instructional Leadership Skills that Impact Learning Amy's website: blog reflectionsonleadershipandlearning.w

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Richard Colosi about his awesome new podcast titled EdTech Stories. It is an educational, narrative podcast that he is launching on February 10th. I talk with Rich about his work in education as an instructional technology specialist, being a consultant with the United States Department of Education, Office of Innovation in Improvement, and more! This is an incredible episode. Rich is brilliant and one of the kindest humans I know. You are going to love this episode.  Richard Colosi is an Instructional Technology Specialist from Rochester, NY. Since beginning his education career 15 years ago, he has established himself as an effective leader within instructional technology through creating and sharing effective integration practices to maximize student learning.  He's been a featured presenter at numerous school districts and conferences and has worked as a consultant with the United States Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improveme

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I share my amazing interview with Sarah Johnson. Sarah is the author of two incredible books, Balance Like a Pirate:Going Beyond Work-Life Balance to Ignite Passion and Thrive as an Educator (which she co-authored with Jessica Cabeen and Jessica Johnson) and Sarah just published a new book titled,  Lead with FAITH: Building a Strong Foundation So You Can Rise Up, Slay Fear, and Serve Well. Sarah hosts the weekly In AWE Podcast where she is proud to amplify women’s stories every week. This is a GREAT episode. Sarah Johnson is a former teacher and school principal, turned author, speaker, and podcaster. She is passionate about assisting others in seeking greater satisfaction in all areas of their full lives by helping them go beyond work-life balance as well as develop strong leadership foundations. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education, Master of Science in Educational Administration, and a Certificate for Women in Leadership from Cornell Universi

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Jakob Hansen. Jakob has more than ten years in education as an innovative educator and leader. He has now turned his attention to the future of education. He is an educational consultant helping schools now prepare students for the future. This is an amazing interview and conversation that will really get you thinking.  Jakob was one of the leading forces behind FlowFactory, Denmarks' first High School that was 100% based on Challenge Based Learning and cross-curricula, Real World projects, together with both local and international corporations and organizations (like LEGO Education, SamLabs and Danfoss). His mission is to inspire us to reinvent education ... to dare to think differently about learning and to aim higher and to see new creative possibilities for learning that are based on future trends instead of historical traditions. Jakob Hansen has a background in industrial and interaction design and has been teaching Design, Entrepreneurship and

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Monica Burns, the founder of Class Tech Tips! Monica was guest back on episode 72. It was great catching up with Monica and seeing the wonderful resources she creates for educators. You are going to love this episode.  Dr. Monica Burns is a Curriculum and EdTech Consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and Founder of ClassTechTips.com. Monica was part of her school’s leadership team and was a vocal advocate for bringing one-to-one technology into her classroom. As a classroom teacher, Monica used iPads to create an engaging, differentiated learning experience to meet the unique needs of her students. Realizing the power of digital tools in the classroom, Monica started ClassTechTips.com to provide a resource for educators. Since starting ClassTechTips.com, Monica has presented to teachers, administrators and tech-enthusiasts at numerous national and international conferences including SXSWedu, ISTE, FETC and EduTECH. She is a webinar host for SimpleK1

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I share 20 resolutions for 2020 that I believe will help every educator, administrator, and school district to level-up and impact lives. This episode is based on a blog post I share every year on www.WiredEducator.com on New Year's Day. I hope you enjoy it. I would love to read your EDU Resolutions for 2020. Educators are my favorite species. They not only work incredibly hard all hours of the day to make an impact in the lives of those they teach, they are also constantly working to improve themselves as well. Each year I taught, I wanted to make my classroom, lessons, and engagement better. I was always trying to level-up. I still am. I made resolutions each school year and again at the start of the new year. I love those imaginary reset buttons! I shared my resolutions each year with my students and hung them on the classroom wall. Why? Because I knew my students would hold me accountable. And boy did they! I didn’t hit them all, but I hit more than I would

In this 150th Episode of The Wired Educator Podcast I share the Top Twenty Things I Have Learned Publishing 150 Podcast Episodes and Interviewing Amazing Educators! I am so happy I started the Wired Educator Podcast, and it is amazing to me to see it now at 150 episodes. I have no intention of stopping now. In fact, I am looking to growing the podcast in new ways.  I am thankful that you listen to the show, level-up each week, and make a positive impact in the lives of students. You are awesome, and I am not embarrassed to tell you that every week.  I have learned a lot from publishing 150 episodes and interviewing educators from all over the world. I wanted to share a condensed list of what I feel my guests have in common, and what they do that makes them stand out.  As I share what I have learned, I'll bet many will resonate with you. I'll bet you see yourself in a lot of these amazing qualities. I believe this because you are taking time to level-up. There are many commonalities in success. Still, I hope t

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview LaVonna Roth. We talk about the neuroscience connected with teaching and learning. LaVonna shares her message of Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E. and it will seriously make a difference in how you teach and how your students learn.  She breaks down the Acronym of SHINE for us and so much more. This is a great interview. LaVonna Roth is the lead illuminator, creator and founder of Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.®  Self. Heart. Inspire. Navigate. Exceptional. These words capture the path that LaVonna Roth uses to challenge others in discovering how to ignite the S.H.I.N.E. in their students, others and self.  LaVonna will push your thinking and personal reflection to challenge you to grow personally and professionally. Her mission is to help individuals discover who they are, what they can become, and to build self-motivation to see how far they can go. She will passionately stretch the status quo in education and invite you to join her so “shifts happen”. One way to be i

In this episode of The Wired Educator Podcast, I interview Kyle Pearce about making math moments that matter. Kyle is an amazing resource and inspiration in education. This is an awesome interview for all educators because Kyle is so inspiring. Regardless of what you teach, I know Kyle has something for you to help you level up. Yes, he is that inspiring! This is a super-cool interview with a brilliant educational leader. You are going to love it.  Kyle Pearce is a former high school math teacher and now the K-12 Mathematics Consultant with the Greater Essex County District School Board, where he uncovers creative ways to spark curiosity and fuel sense making in mathematics. He is the co-host of the Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast [makemathmoments.com/podcast] and founder of the websites TapIntoTeenMinds.com and MathIsVisual.com.  Mentioned in this Episode:  Kyle's website: www.makemathmoments.com/podcast Kyle's other websites: TapIntoTeenMinds.com and MathIsVisual.com.  You can find Kyle on social me

In this episode, I interview Mat Pullen, an Apple Distinguished Educator from South Wales, and the creator of the popular 'So You Want To...' eBook Series. He will enchant you with his accent and blow you away with his brilliance of all things EDU. He is truly the embodiment of the everyone can create movement in education. I am excited to share my interview with Mat with you! Mat is an Apple Distinguished Educator, Class of 2013 and is also a senior lecturer in Initial Teacher Education at the University if South Wales. A physical education teacher by trade, and now works closely with future teachers and established educators. He is passionate about supporting those that education can sometimes leave behind, the ones that just need an alternative way to show what they are capable of accomplishing.  Finding the true impact of technology back in 2010 with his students, Mat now looks for creativity and problem solving approaches to support his learners and to inspire other educators. Mat is the author of a succ