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Somethin' To Tech About

Education Podcasts

Somethin’ To Tech About is a weekly podcast hosted by Angela LaPlante and Dru Piersol. Dru and Angie are Google for Education Certified Trainers who created and host The Academy and The Academy 2 to support educators working towards Google for Education Certified Educator Level 1 and 2. The podcast finds ways to provide busy educators with easy access to resources and ideas where students use technology to produce digital evidence of active learning.

Location:

United States

Description:

Somethin’ To Tech About is a weekly podcast hosted by Angela LaPlante and Dru Piersol. Dru and Angie are Google for Education Certified Trainers who created and host The Academy and The Academy 2 to support educators working towards Google for Education Certified Educator Level 1 and 2. The podcast finds ways to provide busy educators with easy access to resources and ideas where students use technology to produce digital evidence of active learning.

Twitter:

@SavannahNow

Language:

English

Contact:

603-570-3343


Episodes

Episode 7: Google Educators, Trainers, Innovators, Coaches Panel

12/18/2020
Welcome to another episode of Somethin’ to Tech About. Angie and Dru are really excited about this episode because we have put together a panel of Google for Education Certified Educators, Trainers, Innovators, and Coaches as well as the Google for Education Program Manager for Trainers and GEG (Google Educator Groups) Programs to discuss certifications and benefits. We hope today’s episode will excite and inspire you to perhaps pursue Google for Education certifications. Our participants today are: Dana Gibbs GCE Educator Level 2 Jessica Horton Google Certified Coach Hollie Sisk Innovator May Jue Google for Education Program Manager of Trainers and GEG Programs Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Duration:00:48:39

Episode 6: Interview with Natalie Muthersbaugh

12/11/2020
Welcome to another episode of Somethin’ to Tech About. Today, we are talking with Natalie Muthersbaugh who teaches in Savannah. Natalie teaches at Johnson High School in the Adaptive program. This is her 23rd year teaching. She said she likes to teach students how to use technology for real world problem solving. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Duration:00:25:27

Episode 5: Interview with Richard Smith

12/4/2020
Welcome to another episode of Somethin’ to Tech About. Today we are talking with Richard Smith, Executive Director of First District RESA. Smith is a veteran educator who began his career as a teacher and coach. During his career, he has also served in the roles of assistant principal, director of CTAE, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Duration:00:27:54

Episode 4: GaETC Takeaways: Instructional Gear, Tools, and Design

11/28/2020
Welcome to another episode of Somethin’ to Tech About! Today we are focusing on three big take-a-ways from the virtual Georgia Educational Technology Conference held recently. Virtual hugs and high fives to the coordinators of GAETC Connect! They pulled off an amazingly organized and user friendly conference experience for everyone involved. This year, I attended solely as a participant, while Dru represented Somethin’ to Tech About(woot woot) by sharing her expertise in one of the concurrent sessions. As we reflected on the conference experience, we found ourselves revisiting three major themes which are so important for educators - not only during remote or hybrid learning, but even when we are working in the classroom with students. Getting the right Gear, Getting - and Keeping Students Involved, and Getting Students Producing their own learning. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Duration:00:31:56

Episode 3: Interview with Dr. Monica Burns

11/20/2020
Welcome to another episode of Somethin’ to Tech About. Today we are talking with Dr. Monica Burns of classtechtips.com and EasyEdTech Podcast about creativity in the classroom, engaging formative assessment strategies, asynchronous/synchronous strategies. Dr. Burns is an EdTech and Curriculum consultant, author, and former New York City public school teacher. She works with schools and organizations around the world to support PreK-20 educators with thoughtful technology integration. Monica’s website and Podcast help educators place “tasks before apps” by promoting deeper learning with technology. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Duration:00:34:34

Episode 2: Using Google Earth in the Classroom

11/13/2020
Welcome to another episode of Somethin’ to Tech About. Today we are talking about Google Earth and some ideas for classroom use. WHAT? Google Earth is a web-based app that brings the world to your fingertips. It has up-to-date satellite imagery showing street views, space views, oceans, topography, global temperatures, wind speed, precipitation, and so much more. WHY? If you are just getting started here are some quick ways to get your students comfortable with using Google Earth. We will have tons of resources on our blog so be sure to visit somethintoteachbaout.com to check those out! One of the easiest but effective activities to do with your students is to navigate and explore the wonders of Google Earth together. This would be a great introduction for demonstrating some of the features of Google Earth and would work to pull your students into a remote lesson! If you click on the person icon in the bottom right-hand side of Google Earth, your students will get the ‘street view’. Demonstrate how they can explore a particular destination from the street view and get up close and personal with the view. Some locations even allow you to enter the buildings! Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Duration:00:25:53

Episode 1: Numbers and Data in the Classroom with Daniel Rivera

11/6/2020
Welcome to Episode 1, Season 4 of Somethin’ to Tech About! Today, we have Daniel Rivera, a numbers and data guru visiting with us. Daniel currently serves as the Technology Director for First District RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency) located in Brooklet GA and serves 17 districts. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Duration:00:40:22

Episode 14: A Parent Perspective with Sarah Clark

7/8/2020
My name is Sarah Clark and I’m a Savannah transplant with SoCal roots (by way of Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia in between!). I've got over a decade of family engagement, volunteer facilitation, and community involvement experience. I've trained for the United States Navy as an Ombudsman and Certified Ombudsman Trainer, but also worked heavily with family and community engagement efforts in Virginia and Georgia public schools as a volunteer. I now serve as the Family Engagement Facilitator for Pooler Elementary School. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:38:35

Episode 13: Reflections on Remote Learning with guest Tiana Keels

6/26/2020
Episode 13 focuses on the remote learning experiences from the perspective of our guest, Tiana Keels, Academic Coach of The School of Humanities in Savannah, Georgia. Tiana Keels was the winner of our first Anniversary Give-A-Way which included several techie prizes, one of which was a guest spot on episode 13. We are interested to reflect with Tiana on the remote learning experiences that impacted the students and teachers in her urban community during the Covid-19 pandemic. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:38:16

Episode 12: Timely Tidbits Challenge

5/8/2020
Welcome to episode 12 of Somethin’ to Tech About! We are excited to be recording again and hope everyone is staying happy and healthy! In our weekly newsletter, we share Timely Tidbits and thought we would share them with our listeners! And if you haven’t subscribed to our newsletter, fill out the info in the footer to begin receiving our weekly newsletter full of tips, tricks, and those timely tidbits. Stay safe and invite your teacher friends to subscribe and download our podcast so they can also give us Somethin’ to Tech About. Thanks for listening! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:20:04

Episode 11: Increase Engagement with Interactive Slides

5/4/2020
Welcome back to Season 3 and Episode 11! We have been away from the recording studio for several weeks due to the COVID-19 Outbreak and today are excited to be recording our session from home. Thank you Zach and Asha for your production work behind the scenes. In this episode, we are focusing on the Pear Deck add-on available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint. Many educators and presenters in the business world share their content using Slides and PowerPoint which certainly helps by providing supporting visuals, charts, and text. The thing is - the audience is passively receiving the information with barely any interaction with the presenter. Yes, laughs, nods, and gasps count as interaction - but there is no interaction with the speaker in terms of questions, comments, agreements, and other responses. More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:31:16

Episode 10: Our Top 20 Chrome Extensions

4/10/2020
Digital learners of all ages, students, teachers, parents can and dare we say, SHOULD extend the power of their Chrome browser by installing Extensions from the Chrome Web Store. In today’s episode, we are sharing our favorite extensions that fall into 4 categories: accessibility, productivity, creativity, and presentation. We challenge you to explore our top 20 extensions and even share your favorites and add to the collection. More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:12:34

Episode 9: D.E.A.L. Google Drive Challenge

3/27/2020
There are many options for cloud storage but if you are a G Suite user, Google Drive should be your go to. Google Drive is of course your cloud storage but to make full use of your drive while keeping it organized, there are some tips and tricks that can help. Welcome to episode 9 of Somethin’ to Tech About where we are discuss some ways for making Google Drive even better than it already is! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:09:57

Episode 8: D.E.A.L. Google Drawings Challenge (with guest Tony Vincent)

3/20/2020
In today's episode we welcome Google Drawing expert, Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand! His latest project, Shapegrams, engages learners as they gain proficiency in a multitude of digital skills. Get ready to dive into Google Drawings and accept our challenge to complete Shapegram 1, 2, and 3! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:30:43

Episode 7: D.E.A.L Screencast Challenge

3/13/2020
Create instructional videos with ease using Screencastify! In today's episode, we share Screencastify's new features as well as ways to integrate screencasts into your instruction. Are you looking for more ways students can show Digital Evidence of Active Learning? A screencast may be the answer! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:12:39

BONUS: Help with Shifting Your Work from the Office to Remote

3/12/2020
As a global community, we are hearing of k12 schools, universities, and businesses, experiencing the impact of COVID-19 or more commonly known as the coronavirus. Many are staying connected through virtual communication. With this in mind, we are sharing our top three suggestions for connecting home, school, and work during extended absences. If you are a business, school, or university planning for extended absences, here are some things to consider. Be mindful of technology limitations. The home environment is often differently equipped with technology in comparison to work and school. Be sure to consider variables such as: number of devices per family number of family members needing devices types of devices data plan limits Internet access. tech savviness Consider the social and emotional impact. Whatever has caused the extended absence will affect each household differently. Be reasonable with expectations. Set soft deadlines Reduce the typical completion rate Encourage and participate in daily/weekly check-ins Be aware of possible increased responsibilities Stick with familiar communication platforms. This is not the time to teach a new tech skill but an excellent time to reinforce digital communication skills, such as posting comments, responding with video, and composing an email. Choose one regular route of communication and stick with it to avoid confusion. G-Suite Office 365 Flipgrid SeeSaw: The Learning Journal Remind Class Dojo Newsletters Weekly teacher Emails Below you will find ten general technology resources that parents, students, and teachers can use to support classroom standards. Visit your online library to check out ebooks - in Savannah Live Oak Public Libraries Take a virtual field trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Listen to educational podcasts from Common Sense Media Practice keyboarding skills with Typing.Com Travel with Google Earth or Google MyMaps. Submit photos to teacher of workspace, math worksheet, art work Create video explaining a day in your world Flipgrid Screencastify Teachers, create a playlist for students on YouTube Visit BrainPOP’s free resources and Wonderopolis to learn more about something that interests you. Learn more about computer science and coding by participating in a Free course at Code.Org If you would like to hear the accompanying podcast, offer suggestions or resources please visit somethintotechabout.com More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:10:38

Episode 6: D.E.A.L. Google Forms Challenge

3/6/2020
In today's episode we welcome Google Drawing expert, Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand! His latest project, Shapegrams, engages learners as they gain proficiency in a multitude of digital skills. Get ready to dive into Google Drawings and accept our challenge to complete Shapegram 1, 2, and 3! More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:10:07

Episode 5: D.E.A.L. Google Sheets Challenge

2/7/2020
In the world of education, data is huge. Using Google Sheets to collect and manage that data can be a real benefit for educators. Beyond that students can collect Science data, track their grades, and more. Today's challenge will have you manipulating some data to practice just some of the features of Google Sheets. More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:08:40

Episode 4: D.E.A.L. Google Slides Challenge

1/31/2020
Google Slides have features that can turn your presentation into more than just a presentation! Creating interactive slide presentations immerses the learner into the learning. Challenge 4 offers a template for getting started. Are you up to the challenge? More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:12:17

Episode 3: D.E.A.L. Google Docs Challenge

1/24/2020
​Google Docs is probably one of the most used Google apps in the classroom. Although popular, many of the built-in features are unknown or overlooked. In this challenge, we discover some of those features that will increase productivity for educators and students alike. Listen to the previous episode on Google Docs here. More resources: Educators StudentsNewspapers In EducationCommon Sense Media Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at: WebsiteFacebookTwitterEmail

Duration:00:08:15