This is the age of the creator
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Release Date: 03/10/2025
This is the age of the creator
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
This conversation explores the innovative virtual filmmaking program at Chad Lewis's school, highlighting the integration of technology, AI, and creative collaboration among students. The discussion emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary learning and the empowerment of students to pursue their passions in a supportive environment. Takeaways The virtual filmmaking program started with a new film instructor's initiative. Students learn to use Unreal Engine for virtual production. The program emphasizes storytelling, lighting, and camera angles as foundational skills. AI is transforming...
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Neurodiversity Celebration Week and AI
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode, Tricia Friedman introduces the Neurodivergent Nexus Bot in anticipation of Neurodiversity Celebration Week. She discusses the importance of viewing neurodivergence as a strength and shares her experiences using AI for deeper research. The episode highlights the bot's capabilities and encourages listeners to engage with it during the celebration week, while also inviting feedback for future podcast topics. Ready to try it out? Please take our summer podcast series survey: We are so thanksful to our amazing show sponsor! Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Neurodiversity...
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The importance of slow reading in fast times
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this conversation, Tricia Friedman and Rio Cortez discuss the themes and creative processes behind Rio's latest work, 'The ABCs of Women's History.' They explore the interdisciplinary approach to women's history, the importance of slow reading, and the joy of writing for children compared to adults. Rio shares insights into her collaborative process with illustrators and the significance of trusting readers to find their own meaning. The conversation concludes with a look at future projects and the potential for more educational works. Learn more about this book and Rio Cortez: Want to...
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What do we learn when we compare an AI coach to an accomplished coach?
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Tricia Friedman and Robert Landau explore the integration of strengths assessments with AI, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual strengths in team dynamics. They discuss the various domains of strengths, the role of empathy in education, and how personal experiences shape these strengths. Robert and Tricia go further into the importance of individualization strengths in understanding unique qualities in people, the role of strategic thinking, and the impact of AI in coaching. Ready to connect with Robert Landau? Want to try out the prompts Tricia used? 1. ...
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What Do Generational Differences Mean for Educators and Leaders Today?
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode of the Shifting Schools podcast, Tricia Friedman interviews Jeff Utecht about the importance of understanding generational differences in education and leadership. They discuss how each generation's upbringing shapes their expectations and behaviors, particularly in the context of technology and social media. Jeff emphasizes the need for educators and parents to adapt their approaches to meet the needs of today's students, who are influenced by a vastly different social landscape than previous generations. The conversation also touches on the challenges of parenting in a...
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Jeff on Outliers: How we get past the knee-jerk response
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
This week we bring you a special episode of another show you might like: Outliers. "Outliers in Education" is a project of CEE, The Center for Educational Effectiveness. Find out more at effectiveness.org. Produced by Jamie Howell at Howell at the Moon Productions. Jeff Utecht goes deep into how AI tools like ChatGPT-4 have the potential to revolutionize the classroom. Utecht helps us navigate the delicate balance of excitement and fear around AI's role in education, offering valuable insights into how educators can best serve their students in this new era. "Our job is to prepare students...
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Leveraging the Super Bowl for Media Literacy
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Links: Sponsor: Summary In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman discuss the intersection of the Super Bowl and media literacy. They explore how educators can leverage the Super Bowl's advertising to teach students about media literacy, storytelling, and critical thinking. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding advertising intentions, engaging families in discussions about media, and the role of AI in advertising. They also announce an upcoming webinar series focused on AI and media literacy, encouraging listeners to download a free...
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Understanding Context Beyond Compliance with Marcela Andrés
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
takes us through the phenomenal book: , a transformative guide that offers practical strategies to help educators deepen their connections with students and drive meaningful change in the classroom. Marcela has dedicated her career to creating culturally responsive strategies that foster strong relationships between educators, families, and communities. Marcela’s work is focused on empowering educators to go beyond compliance and embrace the power of relationships as a foundation for student success. Her book highlights key principles that allow educators to create high-quality learning...
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Ways librarians are leading the AI Literacy Conversation
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Libraries can be a space for community building and idea exchange. During this new era of AI–what is already happening in the library? That's what we explore this week with three different perspectives on the way the Librarian is a critical voice on all things AI. Ready to meet our guests? Zakir Hossain is a Teacher-Librarian and independent researcher. He’s passionate about academic integrity and artificial intelligence literacy development. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Zakir has lived and worked in Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Zakir can be reached via...
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Rethinking the IQ test with Pepper Stetler
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
On the show this week Jeff and Tricia talk with author, Pepper Stetler about the new book A Measure of Intelligence: One Mother's Reckoning with the IQ Test. Pepper Stetler is a Professor of Art History at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She writes extensively on issues facing people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, The Progressive, the Ploughshares blog and Gulf Coast. Stetler also researches and writes about the art and photography of early twentieth-century Europe and the United States. In 2022, she...
info_outlineThis conversation explores the innovative virtual filmmaking program at Chad Lewis's school, highlighting the integration of technology, AI, and creative collaboration among students. The discussion emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary learning and the empowerment of students to pursue their passions in a supportive environment.
Takeaways
The virtual filmmaking program started with a new film instructor's initiative.
Students learn to use Unreal Engine for virtual production.
The program emphasizes storytelling, lighting, and camera angles as foundational skills.
AI is transforming media creation and accessibility for students.
Collaboration between different departments enhances the learning experience.
Students are encouraged to bring their ideas to faculty without fear of rejection.
The school culture promotes creativity and innovation among both students and teachers.
The accessibility of technology has lowered barriers for students to learn and create.
The importance of media literacy in understanding and critiquing content.
A focus on the vocabulary of educational goals helps guide technology integration.
Chad Lewis has been the Director of Technology at Tampa Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida since August 2010. He oversees all facets of technology at the school, from network infrastructure and security to educational technology and training.
Learn more:
https://tampaprep.org/about/innovative-spaces/
Learn more about our student logo challenge:
https://www.shiftingschools.com/rebrand
Big thanks to our special show sponsor, learn more about how Neulight can support your community!