Teaching techniques to get your students excited about learning with Aaron Daenell
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Release Date: 03/12/2025
AI for teachers: No robot required with Amy Waters
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
We’ve finalized our CERTIFIED Educator Conference breakout and workshop sessions, and we can hardly wait to learn with all of you. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing teaser episodes with some of our breakout presenters. In this episode, we’re learning from Amy Water, an AI aficionado. Amy Waters is a 36-year veteran teacher at Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana, with no plans of retiring any time soon. She is a complete nerd who has taught everything from Latin to computer programming and still loves learning new things and sharing that knowledge with everyone. She...
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Becoming a Spreadsheet Champion with Mason Braithwaite
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
What does it take to compete in the MOS World Championship? Now you can find out. Our team was privileged to work with the Australian production company, , on their new documentary, Spreadsheet Champions. During filming, they followed six students on their journey to becoming Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Champions. The documentary premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, and we could hardly wait to chat with one of the documentary’s stars, Mason Braithwaite. Mason is a quirky and endearing American teen whose love for spreadsheets is matched only by his fascination with ham...
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Women in the digital age with Ashley Masters and Ashlyn Dumaw
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
It’s 2025 and we’re ready to close the technology skills gap and support women in tech! According to a report from the (US) , women comprise only 35% of STEM professionals. In this episode, we chat with two amazing women in technology: Ashlyn Dumaw and Ashley Masters. Ashlyn is a senior at Cornell University studying chemical engineering with a concentration in fiber science. She’s passionate about the intersection of STEM and design, or the combination of technicality and creativity. Following her graduation in May, she will be working as a Management Consultant with Qral...
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Teaching techniques to get your students excited about learning with Aaron Daenell
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
One of the biggest challenges teachers face is keeping students motivated. According to a 2023 by the EdWeek Research Center, more than 4 in 10 educators said students are not inspired to do their best in school. To help set your learners up for long-term success, it’s crucial to create excitement and engagement in your classroom. In this week’s episode, we sat down with Aaron Daenell to talk about how to get your students excited about learning. Aaron is a Marketing & Management, Business, and Information Technology educator at Cumberland County High School in Crossville,...
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Empowering the marketers, entrepreneurs, and creators in your classroom
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Marketing and technological expertise are critical not only for marketing students, but also for any student who dreams of building a business, growing an online audience, or sharing a message with the world. In this episode, we sat down with a panel of creative and marketing educators: Aaron Daenell, Marketing & Management, Business, and Information Technology Educator; Jenny Mohess, CTE Department Chair and Graphic Design Educator; and Jodi Pelini, Media Production & Digital Literacy Educator. Together we discussed strategies for nurturing the next generation of business...
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Advice for setting goals as an educator with our CERTIFIED Ambassadors
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
January rolls in with big plans and ambitions for the coming year. However, commitment to New Year’s resolutions often flags by the end of January. To keep you excited and committed to your goals, we sat down with three of our CERTIFIED Ambassadors, Laurene Klassen, Ashley Faulkner, and Karen Coulombe, to talk about 2025 goals. Laurene is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Assistant Director of IT Training & Communications at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She took her first Microsoft Office Specialist exam in 2010 for personal development and has been hooked ever...
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Let’s talk about ACE credit and Perkins funding with Vanessa Buffry
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
It’s a new year and we’re so happy to be back with a new episode of the CERTIFIED podcast. In this week’s episode, we wanted to talk about money, both for you and your students. We’re diving into ACE credit and Perkins funding with Certiport’s Vanessa Buffry, Senior Manager of Strategic Funding. Vanessa Buffry and her team identify funding sources to support educators and workforce initiatives, track policy that governs and enhances certification quality, and ensure certifications meet workforce, industry, and customer needs. Her previous work experience included teaching high...
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The pathway to IT support careers with Jessie Kalloo
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Discover how digital literacy paves the way for a successful IT support career. In this episode, captured during a recent CERTIFIED Academy training, we explore the importance of digital literacy skills with CERTIFIED Ambassador, Jessie Kalloo. Jessie Kalloo is a CTE Instructor and Program Approval Coordinator for the Information Technology programs at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School located in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Jessie is also a Cisco Networking Academy Instructor Trainer for IT Essentials, CCNA, CCNA Security, and CCNA CyberOps covering areas...
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Preparing your students for careers in healthcare with Caroline Manning
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
The Health Sciences sector employs approximately 16 million people in the U.S. alone and is expected to grow by 13% from 2022 to 2032, which is faster than the averages for other employment sectors. The new Health Sciences Careers program provides students with the foundational knowledge needed to prepare for in demand roles in the Health Sciences field. In this episode, we sat down with Caroline Manning to talk all things healthcare. Caroline Manning is a Medical Administrative Assistant for Easter Seals in Florida. She has used her professional experience to help ensure that Certiport’s...
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Taking the fear out of AI with Joshua Wohle
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Artificial intelligence (AI) usage continues to grow, but many educators are still awaiting training on effective use of AI in the classroom. According to a survey from EdWeek, only 43% of educators surveyed had received any training on AI. If you’re in the other 57%, or even just looking to learn more about AI and maybe take the fear out of this new technology, we’re here to help. In this episode, we learn from AI expert and CEO, Joshua Wohle. Joshua is CEO at , a practical AI training platform for non-technical people, helping them do more and better work, in less time, by using AI...
info_outlineOne of the biggest challenges teachers face is keeping students motivated. According to a 2023 survey by the EdWeek Research Center, more than 4 in 10 educators said students are not inspired to do their best in school. To help set your learners up for long-term success, it’s crucial to create excitement and engagement in your classroom.
In this week’s episode, we sat down with Aaron Daenell to talk about how to get your students excited about learning. Aaron is a Marketing & Management, Business, and Information Technology educator at Cumberland County High School in Crossville, Tennessee. After leaving the business world in 2005, Aaron earned his alternative teaching certification in Manatee County, Florida and was hired to start a new middle school business program at a Title I school in his area. Within two years, they had the most successful industry certification program of all the middle schools in central Florida. He now works in Tennessee, working in a high school as well as managing the school’s FBLA chapter. He strives each day to help his students break industry certification records in their county and region.
Aaron shares his thoughts on student engagement, or lack thereof, as well as how he gets students excited to learn. We dive deeper into his classroom approach, and how he uses relationships to help students see the value in his course, their futures, and industry certification.
If you feel like your students are lagging, or just want to infuse a little excitement into your everyday, Aaron’s here to help.
Get additional ideas for student engagement here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2024/November/How-to-spark-motivation-in-your-students.
Looking for more inspiration? Aaron recommends both Mel Robbins (https://www.melrobbins.com/) and Tony Robbins (https://www.tonyrobbins.com/)
Connect with educators like Aaron in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.