Description “The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day. I sat there with Sally. We sat there, we two. And I said, “How I wish we had something to do.”” Does that sound familiar? Is your family weary Of viral contagions and weather quiet dreary?

Description It’s Tuesday so I must be in California.  Or maybe it’s Malaysia.  Or Hong Kong, or Beijing.  If you’re not sure where you are, or when you’re going back, then odds are you’re an international teacher in China trying to navigate what school looks like when you can’t meet in person.  If you are, then we feel your pain.  On today’s podcast we are connecting virtually to talk about virtual school.  How does it work? What are you doing? What works? What doesn’t? And what innovative tools and practices are you implementing? Lessons Learned Dennis -  Handbrake – for video compression https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php Daniel -  worldtimebuddy.com has been so helpful. MS Team is all over the world. Chris -  Zoom works great! Fun Fact ILOVEYOU is one of the most well-known and destructive viruses of all time.  It’s been 20 years since ILOVEYOU was let loose on the internet.  If you got an email today like the one that was sent around in 2000, you’d never open it. The virus came in an email with a subject line that said “I love you!” People clicked into the email regardless of the fact the email wasn’t from anyone they knew.  The malware was a worm that was downloaded by clicking on an attachment called ‘LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs’. ILOVEYOU overwrote system files and personal files and spread itself over and over and over again. ILOVEYOU was so effective it actually held the Guinness World Record as the most ‘virulent’ virus of all time.  Cost of the malware: $15 billion. Notes & Links Simplify lessons to the least access to technology. Using tools for daily interaction – Flipgrid, Voicethread, Padlet, Question: How much should be synchronous vs. Asynchronous?  How should you use it? Synchronous – Maintaining relationships Asynchronous – Deep learning Question: How does learning change in this setting? Here are my guiding principles moving forward: · Life is about relationships. Period. · Start & end with the essentials o How will I know that you learned the essentials? · Do less,

Description Worried about catching the Novel Corona Virus? Well, Christopher Walkin’s got a message for you. “Guess what? I got a feva’,  and the only prescription is more cowbell.” Walkin’s character knew instinctively how to apply what the academic community is still struggling to implement: a Growth Mindset. Walkin knew that to make a good song great takes many iterations; that we must not accept just good enough as we work our way to greatness. We, too, embrace learning as an iterative process as we ask, can we really be Growth Mindset oriented if we simply change what we say without also changing what we do? Recently released research reveals radical rethinking results in rapid remediation of Fixed Mindset practices. Lessons Learned Dennis -  Screencastify - full features now free for videos under 5 min. https://www.screencastify.com/buy Daniel -  Reader View Chris - A app that removes all ambiguity and makes everything you say crystal clear … does not exist. Oh, how I want that app. Fun Fact Fun Fact:  Casablanca Casablanca was shot in sequential order for the sole reason that the script was not finished; often writer Howard Koch would deliver recently typed scenes the same day they would be shot. Source: https://www.westword.com/arts/five-things-you-may-not-know-about-casablanca-5815141 Notes & Links Articles for discussion: Debate Arises over Teaching “Growth Mindsets” to Motivate Students “Austin’s Butterfly”

Description Xinnian Hao!  Happy New Year.  This is the year of perfect vision, though it does seem strange to say it’s 2020.  It sounds like that should still be in the future. But the FUTURE IS NOW and if you’re wondering what the future will bring, we’ll clarify for you, focusing on the techsperts and what they think the big Ed Tech Trends in 2020 will be.  We might even throw in a few opinions of our own. Lessons Learned Dennis -  That extra 3 inches makes all the difference (Economy Plus Baby!) Daniel -  More of a tip:  Date everything this year using the full 2020. Chris - If you are traveling, set you gadget clocks to the new time zone as soon as possible Fun Fact Fun Fact:  Future predictions for 2020 from long ago https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30379986 https://www.wired.com/2014/05/victorian-postcards-predict-future/ Notes & Links Articles for discussion: eSchool News EdTech Predictions for 2020 https://www.eschoolnews.com/2020/01/01/k-12-edtech-predictions-for-2020/ ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) https://www.scilearn.com/6-things-to-know-about-essa/ “I Don’t Think I’m an EdTech Guy Anymore” by Dean Shareski https://ideasandthoughts.org/2019/12/30/i-dont-think-im-an-edtech-guy-anymore/

Description It’s that most wonderful time of the year.  Time to don those ugly sweaters, grab a mug of eggnog (or mulled wine),  put on your comfy slippers and gather round the 4K Streaming YouTube virtual fireplace.  If that doesn’t put you in the proper mood for an Ed Tech Christmas just think of these two words - CHRISTMAS BREAK!  (I know WE are.) But before we skip town we’ve got a gift to give to you - we are going to share our FAVORITE Christmas movies - with a little EdTech Twist. Lessons Learned Dennis -  Do you hear that Jingle in my pocket?  It’s Jingle Plus! Daniel -  Bluetooth headphones w/mic connected to Phone for recording presentations. Chris - Sometimes the best thing you can do is not express your idea. Seriously. I am reminded that Judeo-Christian Scripture, “...  tells us that silence can help us avoid sinning (Proverbs 10:19), gain respect (Proverbs 11:12), and is deemed wise and intelligent (Proverbs 17:28). In other words, you may be blessed by holding your tongue … And we know that self-control, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), is a discipline that is blessed.” https://unlockingthebible.org/2016/04/knowing-when-to-speak-and-when-to-be-silent/ Fun Fact Egg Nog Where did it come from? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog#History Notes & Links Top 5 Christmas Movies - with an EdTech Twist (In no particular order) It’s a Wonderful Life Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Miracle on 34th Street Christmas Story Home Alone

Description (domo arigato Mr. Roboto) That’s right we’re talking about the rock band Styx … well, not really. But we are talking about … wait for it … robots! Not really the “Klaatu barada nikto” Gort-style robots of The Day The Earth Stood Still fame, but the less earth-threatening kind. You know, the kind that our kids build, program, and operate right here in school. Lessons Learned Dennis - https://www.classroomscreen.com/ A simple tool to help manage your classroom. Daniel -  Private Channels in Teams - You must create a new channel. Chris - Android phone-controlled robots! “Most robots are run by the Arduino board, and there are wireless Arduino shields which allow the robot to communicate wirelessly by using a Bluetooth or WiFi module.” https://robotsauthority.com 10-ideas-for-school-robot-projects Fun Fact Automatons Radiolab Episode: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/radiolab-clockwork-miracle Want to see the mechanical monk? https://io9.gizmodo.com/this-450-year-old-clockwork-monk-is-fully-operational-5956937 Notes & Links 10 Reasons Why Your School Must have A Robotics Program Coding and Computer Science. ... Maker–based Learning. ... Career Skills. ... Arts: The “A” in STEAM / Digital Arts Instruction. ... Innovation, Problem Solving, Creativity. ... Motivation and Engagement. ... Collaboration and ”Cooper-tition” ... Sport of the Mind / 'e-Sport' Engineering STEM learning across the curriculum Life & Developmental Skills (ok, that’s 11) Don’t have time for a robotics class?  Integrate Robots into your curriculum. GR1 - Program robots to move on a number line to model addition and subtraction sentences. ELA - Storytelling. Program robots (Ozobots) to be the actor in a story.

Description On today’s podcast we’re talking about STUDENT engagement.  What does that mean? Are you paying attention? We hope you are! We also hope that you give us some of your attention as we look at the topic of engagement from three different perspectives. Lessons Learned Chris - Sometimes your dog really does eat your homework. Dennis - New YouTube “Made for Kids” Setting.  New setting for your videos and channels to comply with COPPA https://youtu.be/-JzXiSkoFKw Daniel - Hidden Reader Mode in Chrome https://www.howtogeek.com/423643/how-to-use-google-chromes-hidden-reader-mode/ Fun Fact Clouds A cloud can weigh more than a million pounds. Clouds are not as light and fluffy as they appear. In fact, researchers have found that a single cloud weighs about 1.1 million pounds. How do they know? Well, that number is calculated by taking the water density of a cloud and multiplying it by its volume. Fortunately, the cloud can still "float" at that weight because the air below it is even heavier. https://bestlifeonline.com/weird-amazing-facts/ Notes & Links Chris Carter: https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2019/11/7/interest-and-engagement?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_post_from_the_learning_scientists&utm_term=2019-11-08 Daniel Mendes: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb19/vol76/num05/Diving-Beneath-the-Surface.aspx Dennis Grice: This Wall Street Journal story looks at a program to use EEG (electroencephalogram) technology with students at a primary school near Shanghai, China. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMLsHI8aV0g

Description Happy Birthday Internet! Or maybe it we should say Happy Birthday ARPAnet.  50 years ago this week the first data transmission was sent from room 3420 at UCLA’s Boelter Hall to another computer at the Stanford Research Institute.  It was the beginning of the ARPAnet which laid the groundwork for what we now know as the Internet. Seriously, imagine what life would be like without the Internet! I can’t. Hey, you wouldn’t even be able to hear us as we share stories about the early days of the Internet so for that reason alone, we are thankful. Lessons Learned Chris - The Eisenhower Decision Matrix: “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” - Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th POTUS Important and Urgent -  Do it! Important but not urgent - Decide when (schedule it)! Not important but urgent - Delegate it! Not important and not urgent - Delete it! https://blog.trello.com/eisenhower-matrix-productivity-tool-trello-board Dennis - Just text or call me - using Microsoft Teams. Daniel - Notion - Fabulous tool for brain dump.  I characterize it as wiki 2.0 on steroids. Fun Fact Smoke Signals This early form of communication most often associated with Native Americans, actually originated (according to Wikipedia) in China around 850 BC.  soldiers stationed along the Great Wall would alert each other of impending enemy attack by signaling from tower to tower. “Misuse of the smoke signal is known to have contributed to the fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the 8th century BCE. King You of Zhou had a habit of fooling his warlords with false warning beacons in order to amuse Bao Si, his concubine.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_signal#cite_note-1 Notes & Links SPECIAL GUEST: Joel Klammer, HS Physics Teacher and Robotics Coach   Fun Fact: Joel was one of the first people with an email address and shares some fun stories from the early days of the Internet.

Description Hey! Did you ever think we would be asked back to Podcast LIVE at another ACAMIS Tech Conference? I didn’t. Well, Despite their better judgement, we are MAKING IT HAPPEN live, here, at the home of our podcast - Concordia International School Shanghai.  We’ve got a LIVE and lively audience and some amazing guests who will be sharing what THEY made and HOW they made it happen. Lessons Learned Dennis - There are two different Microsoft Forms.  Forms and “Forms for Excel”. If you want your forms to populate a live Excel Online Spreadsheet, you better pick “Forms for Excel” Daniel - Dr. Li Jiang - Stanford professor and co-Chair of SUGAR Network and involved with the Stanford D School design thinking program -Dr. Jiang talks about going beyond Computational Thinking to AI thinking curriculum.  Basic ideas behind deep learning and cognitive computing. https://sugar-network.org/about Chris - “Love people for who they are, and not who you want them to be.” I believe this should be the mantra of all coaches, and maybe just all people. These words of wisdom resonate with me deeply. For these and other thoughtful thoughts like the “Five Day Teacher Challenge” check out our Ed Tech friend and colleague Rushton Hurley’s blog linked in the show notes. http://rushtonh.com/2019/10/14/for-who-they-are/ Fun Fact The Monks’ Penance The first strong beer (5-6% ABV) was brewed by Catholic monks in the 16th century to them make it through their Lenten fasts without losing too much weight.  The Bavarian abbot was concerned that the merriment brought on by the delightful brew might not be pious - especially during the holy days - so he sent a barrel to the Vatican for an official ruling.  The cardinals in Rome, who were wine drinkers, took one taste of the bitter brew and not only gave official approval, but actually commended the monks for accepting the extra penance of drinking it. (Source: The Book of Strange Facts and Useless Information by Scot Morris) Notes & Links What a great conference so far? Do you agree?l. Students that MADE it happen. Modular Drone - Samuel Xu Student Media Services "Visual Graphics" Student Interest Group (SIG) - Athena & Andrew (Team Leaders) How do YOU make it happen? Mel Varga - STEAM Cart: Concept to Market

Description One if by land, two if by sea, and three if by dirigible … Just in case you haven’t heard, the ACAMIS Tech Conference is coming! (We might have mentioned it once or twice) In fact, it’s just around the corner.  Today on the podcast we’re going to give a little preview of just one of the awesome ideas being addressed.  Ralph Emmerink from Xiamen International School will be here to give us a preview of his session on how technology can help our students with “the 4C’s” (Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication). Hashtag: nospoilers Lessons Learned Chris - Once again, I am thankful that I always back up my hard drive ... Dennis - Digital Archiving.  Are you able to access and view files from 10 years ago? What should you do so old codecs work with current technology?  SWF Files, but what about old digital video, Hi8, S-VHS, 8mm film.  Will what you want to see be playable when you want to see it? Daniel - iOS 13 - Apple has implemented new “smarter” battery charging, in order to help stave off your iPhone’s battery going bad too quickly. What this means is your phone may charge more slowly when you leave it plugged in for a long time. It will initially charge to 80 percent, and then will charge the final 20 percent more slowly. Plug the phone in before it asks you to enter a low-power mode; iOS will ask you to turn that on when you hit 20 percent power. Plug it in when the phone is between 30 and 40 percent. Phones will get to 80 percent quickly if you're doing a fast charge. Pull the plug at 80 to 90, as going to full 100 percent when using a high-voltage charger can put some strain on the battery(called trickle charging.) Keep the phone battery charge between 30 and 80 percent to increase its lifespan.   Fun Fact Thomas Edison When implementing a new technology, sometimes things don’t always go as planned.  This was the case back near the turn of the century when Thomas Edison was a special guest at the Bijou Theater for the first performance of a play staged under electric lights.  As you might guess things didn’t go exactly as planned when after intermission lights started to flicker and go dim.  Embarrassed, Edison excused himself, took off his formal clothes, and went to the basement to personally shovel coal to keep the generator going for the rest of the performance and the fancy dress banquet afterwards which was supposed to be held in his honor.  (Source:  The Book of Strange Facts and Useless Information by Scot Morris)     Notes & Links SPECIAL GUEST: Ralph Emmerink , Xiamen International School Born and raised in the Netherlands, Ralph received his BEd in History and an MA in Globalisation and Development Studies there. He is presently teaching MYP I&S and Design Tech at Xiamen International School, Xiamen, PRC. He is Google Certified and has presented workshops on technology integration in Mexico, the USA, China, and Hong Kong. Technology integration is his passion and thus he is constantly looking for new and innovative ways to assure that students demonstrate their learning in an engaging, creative and collaborative manner, preparing them for the future.   Discussion: Talk about your background with technology in education. Technology Do’s and Don’ts? - Essential conditions for successful tech integration. What are the 4 C’s?