Revolutionizing Classrooms: How Microsoft's AI is Changing Education
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Release Date: 07/28/2023
What Makes Kids Excited to Learn?
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
We want our students to be engaged and to want to learn. Particularly since the pandemic, many schools have struggled to engage learners. Today's episode shows us not only how we can creatively include play in our classrooms, no matter the age group or subject, but also why it's never too late to re-engage students. Additionally, Dr. Nash shares fascinating data from a recent survey involving over 6,000 administrators, teachers, parents, and students that reveals the importance of student engagement and how play-based learning can drive meaningful educational experiences across all ages....
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The Spectacular Story of Quest Academy: Whole School Competency-Based Learning
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Nicki Slaugh is a trailblazing principal who pioneered personalized competency-based learning at Question Academy Junior High in Utah. Nicki's innovative approach has captured national attention, increasing student engagement, test scores, and teacher retention. In today's episode, Nicky shares the journey of shifting from a traditional school to a dynamic, customized learning environment where every student thrives at their own pace. Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s episode: How did Nicki transform her school culture to engage students and raise test scores? What strategies did she...
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Remarkably Simple Ways to Teach Students to Read
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Join us as Pam Allyn, a renowned literacy expert and author of influential books such as Every Child a Super Reader, shares her unique insights on how teachers can foster a love of reading in their students. She not only defines the Science of Reading movement but also addresses concerns from critics who fear it might diminish the role of skilled teachers. Pam discusses common mistakes in how many students are taught reading and shares practical strategies for teachers to improve reading instructional methods. Whether you're a veteran educator, parent, or new to teaching, this episode is...
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How California is Improving Computer Science Education
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
How can teachers without a computer science background effectively teach the subject? What does effective Computer Science professional development look like? Today, Omar Shepherd from California shares how they are seeking to train teachers in California with the Seasons of CS program to do just that. Computer Science can be integrated into any subject. Furthermore, Computer Science for everyone is a strategic issue for states and countries. Omar shares the importance of Computer Science and how California computer science teachers like him are working to reach more teachers with the...
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How to Use AI to Promote Equity Now
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In today's episode, we dive into the transformative potential of AI in promoting equity in education with Victoria Thompson, one of ISTE's 2023 "Top 20 to Watch" and author of the book Elevate Equity in EdTech. While many educators are understandably concerned about AI's potential biases, Victoria shares her perspective on how AI tools like speech-to-text, translators, and others are leveling the playing field in classrooms in remarkable ways. Victoria works to give you some actionable insights on introducing AI, how we're already using it, and ways we can understand how AI can be used...
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3 Surprisingly Easy AI Strategies for Every Classroom
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Monica Burns and I talk about three AI strategies for every classroom. In this podcast we'll answer the following questions: How can AI be used to generate ideas and connect to student interests? What privacy considerations should be taken into account when using AI tools? How can teachers prepare for the discontinuation of EdTech tools? Why are Diffit and Brisk Teaching two of Monica's favorite AI tools, and how can they be used in education? In today's show, Monica Burns discusses three AI strategies for every classroom, emphasizing the use of AI to generate ideas, connect to student...
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Revealing Essential AI and Cybersecurity Literacies Everybody Needs to Know
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
What are the best practices for teachers to ensure that their devices are secure? We all have to keep our devices safe and secure our student data. As teachers, we need to know how to respond to ransomware attacks, phishing attacks, and how to use wifi with a VPN on our devices properly. Rachelle dene Poth talks about the essential practices that teachers need to know. How can teachers integrate cybersecurity lessons into their classrooms? Rachelle and Vicki talk about how they teach strong passwords, security, safety, and other important cybersecurity issues that we should...
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How to Prevent AI Cheating: Integrity in the AI Age
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
What are some creative ways to design assignments that prevent AI cheating? Professor Laurel Aguilar-Kirchhoff is working to adjust her assignments for the English Language Learners teachers. She changed their midterm essay to a storyboard. We also talked about how she has changed discussion forum posts, which seem to be heavily written via AI. She likes the new method much better. Many educators ask how effective AI detectors are in identifying AI-generated content. They aren't. AI detectors don't work. However, there are some signs that we discuss in this podcast that we've noticed...
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Some Big AI Problems: The Eliza Effect and More
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
Yes, everyone is talking about AI. However, how do the concerns about AI apply to our classrooms today? Tom Mullaney talks about concerns with: The Eliza effect—where people attribute human characteristics such as trust and credibility to text-generating computers—can be dangerous when combined with the biases and inaccuracies inherent in large language models. It is vital for educators to understand this as we talk about AI with students. There are concerns about using AI as "guest speakers" even for something seemingly "harmless" like "the water cycle." Concerns with humanizing AI....
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How Do We Really Engage Students? with Eric Sheninger
10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher
In this show, I sit down with Eric Sheninger, CEO of Aspire Change EDU and author of "Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms." Together, we explore the evolving landscape of student engagement in 2024. Eric and I discuss how to truly engage students. First, Eric talks about moving from compliance to engagement and how that is crucial for student learning. He shares his relevance of thinking framework. Eric also shares his opinion about AI and how it can be a valuable tool but also what it is not and his concerns. He talks about the focus for principals and how they should provide feedback and...
info_outlineArtificial intelligence is the top conversation among educators everywhere. It was truly a thrill for me, as a classroom teacher, for Lydia Smyers, the Vice President of US Education for Microsoft, to sit down with me at ISTE. As educators, we're at the forefront of this exciting (and scary) change with unprecedented learning opportunities (and threats.) Whether you're new to AI or a seasoned AI-enthusiast, you'll gain invaluable insights into one of the companies on the forefront of AI in education. Brought to you by Microsoft, this podcast offers a glimpse into the future of education and an AI-infused landscape where possibilities are endless (and challenges abound.) Let's do this!
Read the full transcript, show notes, and video here: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e808
Sponsor: This show is sponsored by Microsoft. Check out their new AI Course. All opinions are my own. Once a year, I have a newsworthy topic that I accept that has advertorial content. This is the show for 2023 with Microsoft.
Lydia Smyers, Vice President of US Education for Microsoft
Lydia Smyers is the Vice President of US Education for Microsoft. She leads the sales teams supporting the adoption and sales of Microsoft’s solutions across K-12 organizations and higher education customers in the United States.
Before joining Microsoft, Smyers was group vice president of Worldwide Alliances, Channels Programs and Communications at Oracle Corp. In this role, she had global responsibility for Oracle Partner Network (OPN) programs, strategy, marketing and communications. Her organization supported Oracle’s channel ecosystem with an emphasis on driving partner profitability and satisfaction.
Smyers is a member of the EDUCAUSE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board and has been named as one of CRN’s “Top 100 Women of the Channel” 2009–2013 and named to its advisory board. She is also committed to empowering the next generation of leaders and supporting her local community. She serves on the board of several community nonprofits including Friends of Marblehead Public Schools, MassCUE, and the Marblehead Family Fund.
Smyers holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Trinity College-Hartford. She is a sports enthusiast, an active triathlete in the summer and an alpine backcountry skier in the winter. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.