The Teachercast Podcast

Jeff sits down with Dustin Hartzler to talk about WordPress. WordPress is a free website creation tool where teachers can set up a dynamic and engaging class website. Featured Topics:What is WordPress? WordPress.com vs WordPress.org Finding Server space Setting up a Social Networking site using BuddyPress Why is WordPress Easy to setup and get Started? Favorite Plugins for WordPress Featured Websites:http://yourwebsiteengineer.com/ (Your Website Engineer) http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/your-website-engineer-resource/id410342775 (YourWebsiteEngineerPodcast) WordPress.com WordPress.org Featured Guest:Dustin Hartzler is a full-time WordPress website developer who focuses on helping small business create great looking, easy to maintain website. Dustin works for his own company, Hartzler Digital Media (http://HartzlerDM.com/ (http://HartzlerDM.com)), in Dayton Ohio. Along with developing websites for a living, Dustin also produces the most popular WordPress podcast on iTunes, Your Website Engineer (http

Jeff sits down with Patrick Larkin from Burlington High School and Jessica Johnson to discuss how they use iPads and technology in their schools. Topics Covered:Starting the school year off with a bang… How to prepare for the new semester What are todays expectations for our students? Graduates? Teachers? Schools? Administrators? Using Social Media in our schools and classrooms Should Teachers blog/tweet?, Should Schools blog/tweet? How can schools develop safe methods for using Social Media in the classroom How to use todays technology to communicate with parents How to teach todays parents about what their kids are learning Safe ways to continue educating after the bell has rung How to make the most use of our iPad….. How to use the iPad to maximize productivity in yourself… and in your staff How to run a class… or school using an iPad and what apps to choose Personal Learning Networks Creating a 1:1 environment for our schools Websites and Apps Discussed: Splashtop Remote ScreenChomp Evernote Google Apps

Jeff sits down with Jason Glass, the Director of Education from Iowa to discuss the state of education and how teachers can prepare students for their futures. Topics Covered:The State of Education Describe our countries educational system today What are some of your favorite things to do as Director of the Department of Education Are teachers, schools, school districts ready to embrace today's technology? Working within a shrinking budget How schools are meeting the needs of our students today What technologies should we be embracing? Leaning away from? Should Technology be driven by the students, or by the teachers? (or by the community?) At what age should students be learning social technologies… and how? Should we be teaching “basic skills” in school? (long division, cursive, etc…) Websites and Apps Discussed: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/twitter/id333903271?mt=8 (Twitter) http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8 (Evernote) About our Guests: Governor Terry Branstad appointed Dr. Jas

Jeff sits down with Steven Anderson and Eric Sheninger to discuss how they are educating a generation of digital learners. Topics Covered:What are we looking forward to as the new school year approaches? How are we getting ready for school differently this year as opposed to in years past? Suggestions for starting our students on the right track this year? Empowering Integration How should technology be introduced into our classrooms? How can we help our teachers learn about these technologies? What types of PD should we be giving our teachers. What types of technology should be introduced into our classrooms? (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blogs, Wiki's, Podcasts, iPads, iPhones, internet devices) What types of accounts should we be asking our students to have? (twitter, dropbox, google…etc..) Internet Safety and Security…. Keeping students, teachers and school districts safe Should teachers use more Google in the classroom? How should we be inviting our students to share files between home and school? Having

Jeff sits down with Barbara and Tina, the creators of LiveBinders to disgust this revolutionary free web tool that is sweeping the educational universe. Topics Covered:What is LiveBinders? How do LiveBinders work? Creating an account Bookmarking your LiveBinder account Keeping your LiveBinder organized Sharing your LiveBinder Following other LiveBinders Helpful Tutorials Why should teachers be using LiveBinders? How should teachers be using LiveBinders? What types of resources can be found on LiveBinders?” How can students use LiveBinders? How to add things to your live binder Integrating your live binders with your social networks Taking LiveBinders with you on the road The Future of LiveBinders Websites and Apps Discussed: http://www.LiveBinders.com/ (LiveBinders) About our Guests: Barbara Tallent has a real passion for creating products that customers love and products that help them communicate. With over 25 years in the Information Technology Industry, Barbara was President/CEO of BoldFish (em

Jeff sits down with Apple Distinguished Educator Kelly Croy, the “Wired Educator” to learn how he uses technology in his classroom. About this episode:TeacherCast had the pleasure and opportunity to sit down with Kelly Croy, a middle school English teacher, and Apple Distinguished Educator. We discussed several ways for teachers to be more dynamic in the classroom and how we can foster our students to create a place for themselves in this evolving digital world. Kelly told us about the many ways that he uses websites, podcasts, and Twitter to communicate with parents and make learning fun. Kelly is a fantastic educator and also a performance artist. Kelly can be found online at http://www.KellyCroy.com/ (www.KellyCroy.com) Topics Covered:Leading students through the development of technologies “The Adventure of Learning” Teaching your students to flip every button on the ship Helping our students content go viral Teaching Blogs/Essay writing Empowering our students to be individuals

Jeff sits down with Christopher Hoovler from CleverIOSApps.com and Cary Fields to discuss their favorite apps to use in the classroom. Topics Covered: What are the new technologies we will be introducing to our students this year? What technologies should we be promoting as teachers? Should we be teaching cursive in school? Should we ask our students to sign up for social media/file sharing sites the same way we ask them to go buy a pencil? Social Media in Education (Skype, Twitter, Google+ etc…) How do we as teachers demonstrate internet safety Using blogs, wiki's in the class Should we fear technology for privacy reasons? Using your iPhone in school vs using your iPad in class Websites and Apps Discussed: http://www.example.com/ (Keynote and Remote) Presentations on the Mac with a really amazing wireless remote that works on all Mac platforms http://www.example.com/ (iHourglass) Digital hourglass http://www.example.com/ (Bento) Personal Organizer and Filing System http://www.example.com/ (Dropvox) Rec

In this episode, we look at how teachers can use Google Plus in their classroom. Topics Covered: What is Google+… Why do I need it in the classroom? Interface and ways to customize it for classroom safety What can GooglePlus be used for in the classroom? Setting up a classroom profile Creating a “Circle” in your classroom What are hangouts? Why does my class want to hangout? Using Sparks to research information What is a +1 and how can I use it to compile a list of great websites for my class? Using GooglePlus to showcase photos and videos for student demonstrations Using Huddles Creating a digital classroom scrapbook using photos and video Integrating Google Docs into GooglePlus to provide students with great homework help Embedding code from other websites such as LiveBinders or ….. (something) Taking your GooglePlus classroom on the go… mobile apps! How can we protect our children from online predators when Google+ promotes Hangout's so easily with no consideration of innocence? Featured Guest:Dennis Frei

Jeff sits down with Mark Greentree of EverydayMacSupport, and Stephanie and Terry O'Brien to discuss some of the great new technologies students will use in school. Topics Covered:Getting a New iPad… Should I be nervous? iPad vs Laptop What to do with your new technology Great apps for your classroom and how to use them Cases and keyboards for your iPad Refurbished iPads and Laptops Purchasing on a budget Document sharing… cloud computing… iCloud Apps Discussed: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toy-story-read-along/id364376920?mt=8%20 (Toy Story Read-AlongBy Disney Publishing Worldwide Applications) A fully interactive reading experience packed with Games, Movie Clips, Coloring Pages, Sing-along Tunes, and Surprises on every page. Hear the story read aloud, record your own narration, or explore at your own pace. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/balloonimals-hd/id382691195?mt=8 (Balloonimals HD:By IDEO) Balloonimals HD is a magical iPad activity that will entertain kids of all ages. Simply scribble and swipe t

In this episode of the TeacherCast Podcast, Jeff sits down with the Jed-iPad Master, Toby Price, and Dave Meister to talk about how administrators use technology in their school districts. Topics Covered:How has educational technology changed in the last few years The role of school districts within the digital community Reaching out to families without computers in their homes How are we preparing our graduates for the digital job market Introducing and integrating technology in the middle and upper grades Teaching students to blog Using blogging to foster great writing skills and gain a voice in the world What new technology experiences are schools creating for our students Great Educational Apps How to teach the parents about this great technology How should we suggest students transfer their digital files? What types of online accounts can we ask our students to have connections to How to work around district filters Presenting resumes in a digital job market. Coping with a diminishing technology budget A

In this episode of the TeacherCast Podcast, we discuss how to bring Educational Technology into our classrooms to better engage our students. Topics Covered:What are parent expectations for our teachers today? Using iWeb in the classroom Facebook Teaching Professional Development classes to other teachers How to use technology in the classroom I have my first iPad… now what? How to Podcast and using Podcasts in the Classroom Using technology to communicate with parents Using iTunes to communicate with your students Using Blogs and Wiki’s for communication Educational apps for the iPad and Desktop Teachers using websites Teaching Problem Solving Skills with the iPad QR Codes Using cell phones in the classroom Teaching the same lessons… using updated technologies Staying ahead of the tech curve Finding time for technology Apps Discussed:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-tom-cat/id377194688?mt=8 (Talking Tom) Tom is your pet cat, that responds to your touch and repeats everything you say with a funny voic

Welcome to the first episode of the TeacherCast Podcast. In this episode, we discuss the world wide web of educational technology and learn what makes the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 content for our students and classrooms. Topics Covered:The differences in the educational systems in England-vs-Australia-vs-U.S.A. 21st Century Skills in Education Teaching technology to very young children Do we need to teach cursive writing? What is Web 2.0? Using Wikipedia in the classroom What is eLearning? (What does the “E” stand for?) What technologies should we be promoting? What should our students expect from us? When should students start using laptops in the classroom? Using Twitter in the classroom Google+ and Facebook in the classroom Internet safety Blocking websites in schools Using blogs, wiki’s and nings Teaching various writing styles in high school What should teachers be expected to do for our students outside the classroom? Should teachers fear technology for privacy reasons? How to teach Web 2.