Seesaw, a platform for student engagement, is being used all over the world during this time of online learning. Why? It allows for connection, innovation, and creativity… something that is needed in an online platform, especially now. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to my previous podcast, “5 Ways that Seesaw Stands Out”, I talk about the benefits of using Seesaw and what I learned during my Seesaw Ambassador Training. In the episode, I talk about a newer tool that can be easily made by teachers and accessed by students called Choice Boards. I first heard about Choice Boards from Kris Szajner, so I reached out to him and mentioned his resources in the episode. Since he’s an expert on the topic, I invited him to share more of his expertise in a full interview on the podcast.
In our interview, we discussed why Seesaw is one of the most used platforms during a time that online learning is essential. He reminds us that Seesaw allows for engagement, efficiency, and accessibility for teachers and students. There are so many incredible features and functions that Seesaw allows in order for these skills to happen, and we dove into them during the episode. Here are some of the topics that we covered in the episode:
Engagement When using Seesaw, make sure you assign activities that keep kids hooked. They don’t need another worksheet to do right now… they need something that engages them and allows them to use curiosity and creativity. Check out some of his innovative ideas on his YouTube channel, such as “Scratch and Read” activities and “How to Make a Scratch and Reveal Jamboard”.
2. Choice Boards Imagine sharing images, links, and resources in one easy accessible page. That’s the beauty of Choice Boards! Instead of assigning link after link, activity after activity… you can engage students with a simple page that gives them access to all of the necessary tools and websites. In case you missed it, check out his webinar on creating Choice Boards.
3. Skills Seesaw Plus, the paid version of Seesaw, has the Skills feature for assessing learning. It’s an easy way for teachers to keep track of their student progress. In the episode, we talk about the basics of Skills and how to use it to benefit learning. Take a look at his tutorial video on How to Track Activities and Attendance with Skills.
4. Activity Templates Have you ever tried to make your own activity, but you’re not sure where to start? In our conversation, we discuss the basics of creating your own templates. Kris has some incredible videos about creating templates for your activities. Check out “How to Make Activities from Slides” for more information.
You can learn more about these topics from our conversation on the podcast. My interview with Kris Szajner leaves me excited and hopeful as a Seesaw Ambassador and elementary educator. As you take some time to explore these resources and listen to the episode, I will leave you with Kris’ words from our conversation:
“When we are in this new world of distance learning… what is going to pull us through is this collaboration with each other and sharing of knowledge, information, and resources… that’s our saving grace right now.”
I recently had the opportunity to interview Mike Ribble, a digital citizenship expert and author of the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship. With his vast knowledge and experience with the subject, he not only brought incredible insight to the conversation, but also hope and encouragement during the current time that we are living in.
There’s no doubt about it, as a society, we are collectively going through an experience that is challenging and uncertain. However, this experience brings us the opportunity to grow closer together as a community… and one gift that we have during this unpredictable time is technology. The conversation that I had with Mike Ribble was so timely, especially since COVID-19 has required us to do our teaching, communicating, and learning online. We discuss crucial topics that embody Ribble’s 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship, something that is so valuable to learn about in our current digital world. In this interview, you will learn more about:
Digital Citizenship
Digital Literacy
Digital Safety, Security, and Privacy
Digital Access and the Digital Divide
In our conversation, Mike reminds us that yes, “there will be missteps as we go along”, however, “we will learn a lot about how we learn in a digital space through out this.”
My hope is that after listening to this podcast interview, you will feel inspired and motivated to make a positive change in our digital world. As we move forward and navigate through this unprecedented time, let us use the gift of technology to work together, inspire each other, and connect with one another.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone new and instantly connected? That’s how I felt about my latest podcast guest, Kathy Cassidy– a retired grade 1 teacher, published author, and classroom blogging expert. Talking to her was like having coffee with a dear friend. She shared so much knowledge and inspiration about her days in the classroom, and more importantly, her “connected” classroom.
Are you wondering what a connected classroom even means? Well, Kathy talks all about it in the latest podcast EdTech Endeavours podcast episode. She explains the benefits and opportunities that come with making online connections through blogging and Twitter. She reminds us that connection creates community, even if it’s done online. Kathy talks about how the connected classroom gave her students an audience and a purpose for their writing, artifacts, and assignments. Her students authentically learned about digital citizenship through the online conversations they had and the posts they interacted with. Her stories and experiences will inspire you to connect online so that you too can gain valuable learning experiences that go beyond the walls of the classroom.
If you’d like to learn more about the experiences you can encounter when using a classroom blog and Twitter account, you can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most recently, voicEd.ca– a hub for educational podcasts and blogs.
In my journey to finding my own voice through podcasting, I have been fortunate enough to gain knowledge and inspiration from the voices of many others. I have stumbled upon so many rich and engaging podcasts that highlight important topics, issues, and themes in education. As I have listened to other podcasts and speakers talk about Digital Citizenship, I am gaining valuable tools and information for my own Major Project Podcast quest.
My original goal in this project was to “build my knowledge of Digital Citizenship, Digital Literacy, and Educational Technology by researching, connecting with experts, podcasting, and reflecting through blog posts.”… and I am doing just that!
This week, I did a lot of listening to gain knowledge and research for my project… and by a lot, I mean, I had my headphones in at every possible moment. I thought I would share some of my findings with you, especially because Catherine said she would like some EdTech podcast recommendations. I wanted to provide you with a resource that you can refer to for learning more about Digital Citizenship in the most convenient way possible- by listening!
I decided to round up my favourite episodes that follow the theme of Mike Ribble’s 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship– an all encompassing way to look at technology and digital use. Keep in mind, there are SO many great episodes out there, I could have picked many more under each category! If you enjoy this “Podcast Playback”, I might have to come out with a Part 2 of this series. You can access each podcast by clicking on the title link or by clicking the Social Links under each category. Enjoy!
1. Digital Access: “the equitable distribution of technology and online resources”
I am loving this podcast lately! The episodes are short, easy to listen to and they have valuable information that is easy to take away and apply to your classroom. This quick episode is packed full of important insights about critically examining digital equity and opportunity in our own classrooms.
2. Digital Commerce: “the electronic buying and selling of goods and focuses on the tools and safeguards in place to assist those buying, selling, banking, or using money in any way of the digital space.”
This podcast episode is all about online shopping and privacy. It made me more aware of why my favourite online stores know just exactly what I am interested in buying. Is Amazon tracking you? Are online companies taking your data? Listen to find out more about the “hidden costs of shopping, online and off.”
3. Digital Communication and Collaboration “the electronic exchange of information. All users need to define how they will share their thoughts so that others understand the message.”
This podcast episode is all about communication in regards to students, parents, and teachers. The early part of the episode is more about #EdTech resources, but if you start at 12:50, you will hear more about the first theme in the 4 C’s– Communication. The second episode is all about setting students up for success when encouraging collaboration in the classroom. Don’t miss the other episodes about the 4’Cs: Critical Thinking, and Cultivating Creativity. The hosts of this podcast are engaging and knowledgeable, which makes for an easy and likeable listen.
4.Digital Etiquette “electronic standards of conduct or procedures and has to do with the process of thinking about others when using digital devices.”
This podcast is not only informative, but also enjoyable to listen to with it’s interview-style format. Dean, the host, and Jennifer-Casa-Todd, author of Social Leadia, talk about how Digital Citizenship and Etiquette goes beyond doing good and bad things on the internet. Listen and find out more about how Jennifer Casa-Todd uses social media in the classroom to model Digital Leadership and Social Leadia. You can also check out her podcast, Social Leadia, on Apple Podcasts and voiced.ca!
I was very impressed with this well done podcast! In this episode, Katy Byron, from MediaWise, not only talks about the importance of teaching students how to identify what is real and fake on the internet, but she also gives us some ideas on how we go about doing this. They also shared an initiative that they are doing to help students decipher if something is real or fake. They are encouraging students to use the hashtag #IsThisLegit, which informs MediaWise so that they can help them search for the source. This episode ends with behavioural scientist, Gordon Pennycook, who is from Regina, SK, explaining why people have a tendency to believe things that aren’t always true.
I was excited to listen to this podcast because it comes from a different perspective than what I am used to- parenting. Instead of telling us all the things not to do with technology, it actually talks about the advantages of using screen time in a positive way. They even have a blog post about it that you can easily refer to. There is also a second episode in this series called, “The Darker Side of Screen Time”, which I was apprehensive to listen to because I thought it would portray technology in only negative ways. However, this episode is very beneficial to listen to, especially if you’re a parent! They talk about the importance of modelling behaviour instead of policing behaviour. They give multiple “take-aways” that you can apply to your own life. These high quality podcast episodes have thoughtful content and thought-provoking research-backed information.
7. Digital Law “the electronic responsibility for actions and deeds and has to do with the creation of rules and policy that address issues related to the online world.”
There are many aspects to Digital Law, but something that stands out is plagiarism and copyright laws. In this episode, Jennifer Gonzalez describes 5 exercises that teach students about plagiarism in a non-threatening, preventative way. She reminds us that we need to “explicitly teach these skills and we need to do it more than once if we want good results.” Along with this episode, there are countless other Cult of Pedagogy Podcast episodes that are full of valuable information and exciting ideas to use in your classroom.
8.Digital Rights and Responsibility “helping students understand that when they are provided opportunities, such as the access to the Internet and use of online products, they need to be diligent in helping others as well, such as informing adults of potential problems.”
This podcast is all about recognizing what the rights and responsibilities of Digital Citizenship are, but moving much further than that. In this episode, Graham Brace and I discuss practical tools and teachable lessons for instilling Digital Leadership in your students so that they are motivated to do more. As digital leaders, we have online rights that come with not only responsibility, but with amazing opportunity.
This podcast, suggested to me by Nancy, is a great way to learn all about security, privacy, and policies of the internet. This episode talks about “how companies collect, use, and share your personal data.” Are you interested in learning more about online privacy? Are you concerned about how your information and data are being used online? If you want to learn more about Digital Security and Privacy, this episode is for you!
One more you can add to your list is a podcast interview with Mike Ribble, the digital citizenship expert himself. In this short, yet informative podcast, Ribble talks about “five important things every educator should know about Digital Citizenship.”
As you can see, there are many different podcasts to choose from online! The important thing is that you find one that interests, inspires, and engages you. It’s also important to share what you learn with others. I hope that you find these podcast recommendations helpful in your digital journey. Feel free to comment any of your “take-aways” from each of these episodes.
In Conversation with Stephen Hurley
…and if you are curious how my podcasting journey began, you can listen to my full interview on voiced.ca with Stephen Hurley, where I talk about my teaching career, my Master’s journey, and my podcast adventure.
edtechendeavours.com 