Equity Programs in New York State
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Release Date: 08/22/2019
Vibe Coding for Teachers: No Coding Skills Needed
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Vibe coding for teachers means describing what you want in plain English and letting AI write the code — no coding background required. 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Donnie Piercey joins Vicki Davis to show how any teacher can build custom classroom tools that save real time. Donnie shares the small-problem-first method he used to build printable daily student task lists, auto-translate his classroom newsletter into five languages, and create self-checking games — plus the dead-simple troubleshooting trick of screenshotting the error and pasting it back to the AI. Vicki shares how she...
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AI in the Classroom — Why There Are No Best Practices Yet
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
MIT's Justin Reich interviewed 120 teachers and students about AI in the classroom — and his honest takeaway is that there are no research-based best practices yet. Here's what to do instead. In this episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast, Justin Reich (MIT Teaching Systems Lab, host of The Homework Machine) joins Vicki Davis to talk about what AI is really doing in K-12 classrooms, why the research is still in its infancy, and how teachers can run their own small "local science" experiments right now. In this episode, you'll learn: Why classroom teachers and students — not thought...
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Moviemaking in the Classroom: Where Every Student Has a Story
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Moviemaking in the classroom isn't the fun thing you do at the end of the year — it's how Jessica Pack gets to know her students on day one. The 2014 California Teacher of the Year and author of "Moviemaking in the Classroom" shares the exact projects she uses in the first two weeks of school to lift student voice, build creative confidence, and weave in generative AI the right way. You can use it now or next school year as you plan ahead this summer! I want to give you lots of ideas for what you can do in your classroom with moviemaking! In this episode, you'll learn: Two day-one...
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AI as a Creativity Amplifier with Dr. Sarah Thomas
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Dr. Sarah Thomas says AI is a creativity amplifier — a tool that gives teachers back their time so they can do the work only humans can do. In this episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast, Dr. Sarah Thomas — founder of EduMatch and a Regional Technology Coordinator — reframes artificial intelligence as a creativity amplifier rather than a replacement for human thinking. We talk about what she actually automates, how to use AI ethically with students, and why staying pro-human matters more than ever. In this episode, you'll learn: Why AI works best as a creativity amplifier that...
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Student STEM Trips That Made Students Say "I Could Do This"
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Four STEM teachers. Four trips that changed students forever. From Panama to the UK to MIT to DC. When a student does real science in a real place, STEM stops being abstract. Miranda Grabowski's biology class planted mangroves in Panama. Angela Cannava's biomed students ran a live DNA fingerprinting experiment in London. Karen Spencer's seventh graders toured MIT and Harvard in Boston. Edith Cortez's eighth graders from Laredo, Texas competed at science museums in Washington DC. In every story, something very cool happens: students look up at the scientists and engineers in the room and...
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AI Won't Fix Education. People will.
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Jean-Claude Brizard, President and CEO of Digital Promise, joins Vicki on this Thought Leader Thursday episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast. From his beginning teaching incarcerated youth at Rikers Island, where he met a young man his own age who couldn’t do basic math, to leading a global nonprofit that’s reshaping how teachers and developers co-create AI tools — Jean-Claude shares why he’s been in education for 38 years and counting. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why teachers must be “crew, not passengers” on AI How Digital Promise is co-creating with teachers to extend a...
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Brain First, AI Second: Teaching Writing in the AI Era
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Brain first AI teaching: a new MIT Media Lab study shows students who think before they use AI have a clear advantage over those who start with AI. Philip Seyfried — Teachers College, Columbia doctoral student and co-author of AI-Enhanced Literacy — shares the brain-first framework, why AI detectors don’t work, how to monitor AI use in the classroom transparently, and how to build the kind of trust that lets students tell you the truth about how they actually used the tools. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why MIT’s research shows brain-first / AI-second produces stronger writers...
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Real World STEM: Real Tools, Real Clients, Real Money
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
What does real world STEM education look like in a high school where students run actual manufacturing contracts on industry-grade equipment, intern at MIT, and learn AI ethics alongside CAD? Joe Fatheree (Top 10 Global Teacher Prize, Illinois Teacher of the Year) and Dr. Mark Buckner (Smart Industry Top 50 Innovator, founder of Oak Ridge High School's iSchool and Wildcat Manufacturing) take Vicki inside a $1.25 million state grant program where 26 student-run contracts with 18 companies have produced near-net-shape metal 3D printing, augmented reality experiences, and graduates already...
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ADHD Misconceptions: What Your Students Need You to Know
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
ADHD misconceptions are sabotaging your students’ confidence and success. In this episode, Jheri South—a certified ADHD specialist and mom of seven neurodivergent kids—reveals the five things that actually engage an ADHD brain, the hidden emotional struggle affecting 95% of people with ADHD (rejection sensitivity dysphoria), and why “just try harder” is the worst advice you can give. Learn practical strategies for classroom engagement, how to recognize hyper-focus, and why consistency matters more than you think. In this episode: The difference between ADHD behaviors and ADHD...
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Free AI Resources for Teachers: Hour of AI and Beyond
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Free AI literacy resources for every K-12 teacher — not just computer science. Karim Meghji, President and CEO at Code.org, shares how to teach AI in any classroom. In this episode, you'll learn: Why AI literacy belongs in every subject, not just CS class How to get started with Code.org's free Hour of AI activities at hourofai.org Unplugged AI activities that work without any computers — perfect for K-5 Why teachers need to invest in their own AI education first (and a free way to do it) Where to start by grade level: elementary, middle school, and high school resources Karim...
info_outlineDr. Anael Alston is Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Access, Equity and Community Engagement in the New York State Education Department. He talks about what works to engage young men of color in education and his journey and passion for helping all students engage in school and do their best. If this is your heart's passion, you'll want to hear what Anael has to say.
Advancement Courses is today's sponsor From now until September 28, Advancement Courses, an online provider of professional development for K-12 teachers, is donating 10% of their sales to funding DonorsChoose.org projects. Go to coolcatteacher.com/give to submit your project. AND if you need some awesome PD, 10 Minute Teacher listeners get 20% off any online courses with the code COOL20. With this coupon, a 3 grad credit course for continuing education, salary advancement, or recertification is only $359. So, go to advancementcourses.com/coolcat to learn more and use the code COOL20.
Dr. Anael Alston - Bio As Submitted
Born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn, Dr. Anael Alston “Dr. A” is currently the Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Access, Equity and Community Engagement in the New York State Education Department. In this capacity, he informs educational policy across the state and administers over $200 million dollars to help support students across New York State from pre-Kindergarten through college. Prior to that, he was the Superintendent of Schools for the Hamilton Central School District. As a superintendent, Dr. A distinguished himself as one of the few superintendents across the state to have a 100% graduation rate while moving an agenda that included creating a program that allows international students to pay tuition to attend public school and involving the entire school community in creating a Board-adopted 5-year strategic plan to improve access, opportunity, and fiscal responsibility to the small rural school district. A recognized leader in the field, this year Dr. A was a main stage featured speaker at MBK Rising!, the inaugural national gathering marking the 5th year anniversary since President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper.
A former Golden Gloves champion, Dr. A fights for children each day knowing that if not for the battles waged for him as a child, he would not be where he is today.
Twitter: @DrAAlston