Friday 21 February 2020

Are You Authentic? Authenticity in Education with Karen Caswell



On Today's show I'll be talking with Primary Teacher, Collegial Coach and Beginning Teacher Mentor Karen Caswell about Authenticity in Education, what that means and why it's important to us as educators. 

Follow Karen on Twitter @kcasw1 and on her website, www.karencaswell.com.

If you want to join in the Teach Like a Pirate Down Under conversations on Twitter, search #TLAPDownUnder and tune in each Sunday night 7pm AEST / 8pm AEDT/ 6pm AWST.

Finally, if you're new to Twitter chats, here is a great guide to help you (courtesy of @mrkempnz) http://mrkempnz.com/2018/02/6-easy-steps-to-join-a-twitter-chat.html.


If you or someone you know is suffering from mental health issues, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit beyondblue.org.au. For those outside Australia, local information can be found by visiting www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/.

Saturday 15 February 2020

Becoming an Apple Distinguished Educator with Steph Kriewaldt, Kim Martin and Sally Lowe

In this episode of The PonderingDan Podcast, I speak with Steph Kriewaldt, Kim Martin and Sally Lowe all about becoming an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE). What's so good about it? Why should teachers aspire to become an ADE?

Follow these great educators on Twitter, @stephkrie, @kimnitram, @SallyLowe17 and for more information on the ADE program, visit https://www.apple.com/au/education/apple-distinguished-educator/.


Sunday 9 February 2020

The PonderingDan Podcast - Episode 2 - What's So Good About EduTwitter? - with Mazz Ellery



For links mentioned in this episode, go to:
Mazz's Top 5 Educators to follow on Twitter:
  • @rachaellehr
  • @steven_kolber
  • @ponderingdan
  • @mrmatera
  • @paulhamilton8

Saturday 1 February 2020

The PonderingDan Podcast - Episode 1 - Why Ponder? Thinking Deeply about Education with Bec Spink

I am really lucky to know some amazing educators from around the world. One of those that has had a huge impact on my teaching career is Bec Spink. Bec is an award winning teacher and leader and is Principal of Spensley Street Primary School in inner city Melbourne.

Bec has always been great at challenging my thinking about education and pedagogy and it's something that has stuck with me throughout my career which is why I wanted her to be my first guest on The PonderingDan Podcast. We talk all about why it's important to think deeply about education and to challenge yourself to always ask why.

You can follow Bec on Twitter @becspink.

If you enjoy this podcast, please help me to grow and create great conversations by rating, subscribing and sharing it with your peers. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter where I am always sharing the great learning that's happening in my school.

Sunday 1 December 2019

Where's the Math in Coding?


I was recently asked by @autismplusmath (go follow him if you don't already) through Twitter to contribute a discussion post about math education in my context. Go to https://www.cake.co/conversations/2dswhvg/where-s-the-math-in-coding to join in the discussions about this post. 

When I was first asked, I wasn't really sure what I would write about. I'm not exclusively a Maths teacher and to be honest, I don't really

Saturday 16 November 2019

iPad Basics for Teachers (part 2) - the Apps Straight Out of the Box - Keynote

iPads come with so much free stuff that there is barely a need to go and spend a small fortune on apps. Over the next few posts, I'll highlight the best of each of Apple's apps; Keynote, Notes, Garage Band, Numbers, Pages, Clips, iMovie and Classroom.

Keynote

Keynote is probably my favourite Apple app. Similar to Power Point for Windows users, Keynote is a powerful tool with features and capabilities that are far under utilised. I've used Keynote to create presentations, animations for videos, tutorials for 'flipped learning' and for modelling tasks. 
One great way to use Keynote is to

Sunday 3 November 2019

2019 DLTV Outstanding Educator of the Year Award

The last twelve months have been a brilliant time for me professionally. I got invited to present at EduTech Asia in Singapore at the end of last year;  I was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) and got to spend four days with other ADEs on the Gold Coast; I was invited to present at the iOntheFuture6 conference in Sydney and the Gold Coast and I also got to judge this years EduTech Asia awards. This has all been on top of the work I've been doing at my school teaching STEAM and leading Innovations and our Specialists team, being active with my Professional Learning Network (PLN) on Twitter and studying my Masters of Education.

It would be fair to say that

Saturday 2 November 2019

iPad Basics for Teachers - iPad Tools to Use Straight Out of the Box

I have been lucky enough to be able to use iPads in my classroom since I began teaching five years ago. One thing that surprises me with a lot of teachers that I talk to is that they aren't really sure where to start with the iPad or how to use it with their students. Similarly, teachers can be unsure of what apps they need to install and can be confused by the variety in the App Store, especially when it comes to

Sunday 19 May 2019

How Can Current and Future Technologies Support our Student's Learning Outcomes in STEM Education


According to the Department of Education and Training, "The Australian Government regards high-quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education as critically important for our current and future productivity." (2019). As a STEAM teacher (the A standing for Arts) this stands as something close to my heart. I have worked quite hard to develop a STEAM curriculum from Foundation to Year 4 and enjoy my job thoroughly. I am lucky because I get to see, on a daily basis, the future 'job ready' skills our students so desperately need.