Principally Speaking (Jason Bodnar)

As we wrap up Connected Educator Month, I was lucky to connect with Innovation Coordinator and Pure Genius author Don Wettrick.  We talk about his unique job and elective course that truly empowers students to embrace their passions and ideas.  I'm a little biased, but I was very inspired by our conversation and I hope you are too.  

In Episode 45, I'm joined by Bettendorf High School Principal Jimmy Casas.  Jimmy is co-author of What Connected Educators do Differently, along with Todd Whitaker and Jeff Zoul.  During our conversation, Jimmy offers an excellent perspective on leadership and explains how he truly has built a student-centered learning environment at Bettendorf.  

Jimmy on Twitter

Jimmy's Website

His Suggested Book: The Leadership Challenge

In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Steve Hope and Duke Lines, Principal and Associate Principal at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana.  We talk about Steve's ability to drive important change at Penn as well as Duke's quick ascension through the ranks.  We discuss the goals for PHS this year as they move to a 1:1 environment with Chromebooks.  Both administrators discuss what inspired them to "make the jump" and provide advice for newer leaders.  In order to connect with these dynamic leaders, you can find Steve @sthope and Duke @ADukeLines on Twitter.

Be sure to check out the new show next Tuesday with music teacher/conductor/podcaster/web developer extraordinaire Jeff Bradbury.  Jeff is the mastermind behind teachercast.net and can also be found at jeffreybradbury.com.  He's on Twitter @teachercast and @jeffbradbury.  

Thanks so much for tuning into Principally Speaking!  

Please consider rating the show on iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/principally-speaking/id863595975?mt=2

In this episode, I chat with Teacher-Librarian and Instructional Technology Specialist Sherry Gick.  Sherry teaches the Video Production class at Rossville Jr-Sr High School and has been recognized as one of the 10 School Librarians to Follow on Twitter.  If you somehow aren't following her on Twitter, she is @libraryfanatic.  Her website is thelibraryfanatic.com.  Sherry is leading the way to redefine what it means to be a librarian in the 21st century and I hope you enjoy our talk as much as I did.  She is the President-Elect for the Librarians Network of the International Society for Technology in Education, or ISTE, who's conference we discover together mid-show is taking place from June 28-July 1 in Philadelphia.  I want to go to ISTE this year.  Badly.  Sherry also happens to be a running and book addict.  I won't give away here how many books she read and miles she ran in 2014, but it was a lot and it made me feel lazy.

Here's the EdCamp Fort Wayne Facebook and Twitter pages to stay in tune with the latest for this summer's unconference.

For today's episode I talk with music teacher Jeff Bradbury, who is also the mastermind behind teachercast.net.  You can connect with Jeff there or at jeffreybradbury.com.  If you are also interested in podcasting or webcast development, I highly recommend contacting Jeff.  He's very helpful and a great guy.  

As I mentioned at the conclusion of this episode, I'm involved in a new monthly meetup happening in the Fort Wayne area for other passionate and innovative educators.  The first meeting is happening October 15.  If you're interested in joining us, please click here.  

I'm also excited to be attending the upcoming Indiana Connected Educators Conference on October 16th and 17th.  You can find out more information here.  

Finally, don't forget to head over to mr.chrisnesi.com to check out the House of EdTech Podcast.  

Tune in next week for my talk with 2014 Maryland Assisant Principal of the Year and host of Twitter #APChat Jared Wastler.  

In this episode of Principally Speaking, I have the honor of speaking to 7th grade dynamic teacher Pernille Ripp.  After you listen to the episode, set aside some time and check out her awesome blog and resources over at pernillesripp.com.   She also developed the amazing Global Read Aloud Project and EdCamp MadWI.  Finally, she is an author of 2 books and currently working on a 3rd.  I highly recommend you check out her latest from Corwin, Empowered Schools, Empowered Students.   

Mr. Daniel Bauer reached out to me to be a guest on his show, Better Leaders Better Schools.  Stay tuned for this episode to be released by him in April.  Our conversation went very well and so I was inspired to have him on my show as well. Daniel is doing great things as an Assistant Principal in Chicago and also through his blog and podcast.  Check it out and connect with Daniel by clicking on the image below.

Don't forget you can check out Daniel's and other great educational podcasts on the Educational Podcast Network.  

In the first episode of Principally Speaking, I provide some background on myself as well as a vision for the podcast.  Then, I interview Matthew Toth, current assistant principal and incumbent head principal at DeKalb High School in Waterloo, IN.  Matt discusses what he feels are the qualities of a strong administrator, how he feels education will change in the future, and recommendations for new administrators.  The show notes can be found at principallyspeaking.com/1.    

Check out principallyspeaking.com to learn more about the show and connect with the host Jason Bodnar.  

I was recently honored to have the opportunity to speak with veteran educator Jeffrey Benson.  In the first half of this two-part interview, Mr. Benson discusses his expertise with regard to special education and his new book Hanging In: Strategies for Teaching the Students Who Challenge Us Most.   He also provides advice for newer administrators.

Stay tuned for the follow-up episode in two weeks in which Jeffrey talks about his thoughts regarding mentorship, educational technology, and his consulting work.  He also provides book recommendations for other educational leaders.  

The show notes for this episode can be found here.  To check out Jeffrey's book, click the image below.  

In this episode I speak with former social studies teacher and current author and speaker Dave Burgess.  Dave is of course the author of Teach Like a Pirate.  We talk about the TLAP philosophy and its connection to leadership.  Dave will be the keynote speaker on July 21 at IntegratED @ East Noble High School if you happen to be in Northeast Indiana like me.  You can register for IntegratED now or apply to present at the link above. 

I'm very excited to be working with Jennifer Brower and Andy Deatrick on EdCamp Fort Wayne, which is taking place July 23 @ The Summit in Fort Wayne.  Check out this awesome picture of the Ideation Lab, one of the amazing rooms we'll be using to collaborate!  If you're interested in securing yourself a spot at this free unconference, click here to register.  

Thank you for tuning into the second half of my interview with Derek McCoy and be sure to check out his blog at mccoyderek.com and connect with him @derekmccoy on Twitter.  

Check out principallyspeaking.com/ps6 for the notes from this show.  

Stay tuned for next week for my interview with educational consultant and former elementary principal Justin Baeder.  Justin's website can be found at eduleadership.org.  

Please see the show notes for this episode at 

www.principallyspeaking.com/ps3

for an outline of the show, along with links to Jeffrey's book recommendations.

Click on the image below to head to "Hanging In" on Amazon.

Joe's Post: Let's Stop Faking It

Nick Provenzano's [thenerdyteacher] Post 

Bryn's Video: Life is a Journey

Please feel free to e-mail me at jason@principallyspeaking.com or connect with me @EagleLeadLearnr if you want to talk about depression.  

In this episode, I talk with Boston area Tech Director Andrew Marcinek, author of The 1:1 Roadmap from Corwin Press.  We'll talk about Andrew's experience organizing 4 EdCamps, his work creating an awesome Student Help Desk class, as well as a model for optional professional development that worked at his school district.  One of my favorite parts of the conversation is when he talks about a student that was able to develop their own application in order to solve a problem at their school.  I would highly recommend the 1:1 Roadmap along with Digital Leadership and Pure Genius if you're an educational leader that is striving to move your school forward, particularly with respect to innovative programs and opportunities for students.  You can connect with Andrew on Twitter @andycinek.   

School Branding experts and dynamic leaders Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis join me for an awesome conversation.  

The Power of Branding

Principal Professional Development

The New Fall Creek Podcast

Tony's Blog with Student-Led PTA Meeting, Epic Letter to Gov. Cuomo, Etc.

Joe's Blog

The BrandED Podcast

I'm a third of the way to 100 episodes and it's been an amazing journey in which I've learned a lot and I hope you have too.  When I first started this show, I never thought I'd have the opportunities that I've had to connect with such amazing educators.  

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me along the way.  

Follow your dreams!

High school Spanish teacher and fellow Hoosier Matt Miller is someone that I connected with this past summer at the East Noble eLearn conference.  Matt and I will be talking about how his classroom may be slightly different from the norm and how this led to his awesome website ditchthattextbook.com.  

Here's an outline of this episode:

1. Matt’s interesting transition to teaching
2. Matt’s focus for expanding his horizons this year: Google Apps, expanded use of Mystery Skype, diving into Flipped Instruction
3. The road to ditchthattextbook.com
4. The power of blogging
5. The Indiana eLearning circuit and maintaining a positive attitude, #inelearn chat 
6. Sanderling: A social network for teachers
7. Networking with others 
8. Connect with Matt @jmattmiller on Twitter

In this episode, I have the privilege of talking with Instructional Technology Specalist Rafranz Davis, who hails from the Dallas area.  We move beyond just the SAMR model, and she does a great job of always bringing it back to the student perspective, as you can read about in her new book, The Missing Voices in EdTech: Bringing Diversity Into EdTech.  Among other things, we dive into cell phones in schools, the effect that technology initiatives can have on students in poverty, and her personal story as an "eduparent."  This episode is a little longer, but I think it could've easily been double the length and still been a fresh conversation because Rafranz is very inspiring.  I would highly recommend checking out her website as well as following her on Twitter.  

Rafranz's Website and Blog

Rafranz on Twitter

Check out my new project @ www.element.poker. Thank you for your support!  

In this episode I speak with Park Ginder, the Principal of Homestead High School, home to approximately 2300 students in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  We’ll talk some about the logistics of leading such a large school and Mr. Ginder will provide some of his thoughts as a life-long learner and digital leader.  As per usual, I ask my guest about advice for newer administrators and to provide some book recommendations. 

Check out principallyspeaking.com/ps4 for the notes and links from this episode.

Here's the new website for my current podcast and new one in development:

jasonbodnar.net

Principally Speaking is back! Check out my talk with dynamic leader Ryan McLane.  Next week, I talk with another awesome Buckeye, Dr. Neil Gupta.  

Ryan's Blog

Ryan on Twitter

In this episode, I ask Eric about what drove him to become an administrator, what he feels are the top qualities of a strong principal, and the success of New Milford High School.  He discusses how digital leadership is not an add-on and when addressing the industrial model for schools and explains his quest to break through “an efficient system for a world that no longer exists.”  Finally, he talks about his new position with the International Center for Leadership in Education, or ICLE, the host of the annual Model Schools Conference.  You can connect with Eric at ericsheninger.com or on his current Twitter profile @NMHS_Principal.  

Tune in next week for my talk with Spanish teacher Matt Miller, host of the excellent resource ditchthattextbook.com.  Matt is @jmattmiller on Twitter.  

In Episode 28 of the show, I have the privilege of connecting with dynamic principal Beth Houf, Principal at McIntire Elementary in Fulton, Missouri.  We talk about how initiatives like positive referrals, optional PD, and the McIntire Online Read Aloud have strengthened her school.  She also relates a story about how she subbed for a full day back in November, and it inspires me to want to start the T.O.D.A.Y. movement, or Teach One Day A Year.  

Beth's Blog

Beth's Twitter

I talked with Dr. Gupta quite a while ago...a fantastic educator and simply great person.  I hope you enjoy Episode 50 of the show...it's been an honor being the host of Principally Speaking.  Thank you for your support and have a great 2016!

In this episode, I have the pleasure of connecting with Scott Schulz, who talks about his new job at Rossville Jr/Sr High School in southern Indiana. 

Scott's Blog

The Washington Post Piece on Scott

Scott's Epic YouTube Snow Day Video

Scott on Twitter

Paul Solarz is a 5th grade teacher in Arlington Heights, Illinois.  I really enjoyed hearing about his dynamic student-centered classroom and I think you will too.  Check out his new book Learn Like a Pirate if you want to "Empower Your Students to Collaborate, Lead, and Succeed."  You can connect with Paul on Twitter @PaulSolarz and he can also be found at the #learnLAP and #tlap hashtags.  

In the first part of this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Kristen Swanson, the co-founder of the Edcamp movement.  We talk about her previous experience as a teacher and tech director, as well as her current work as an author, consultant, professor, and Director of the Research Institute at BrightBytes (whew!).  In between everything else, I learn that Barcamps are like Edcamps but for coders, and that these were an inspiration to get Edcamps going.  For a great place to learn more about Edcamps, especially if you want to run your own, head to edcamp.org and click on the book below.

For the second part of the show, I speak with Michelle White, who is the Director of the Passport to Innovative Education Program at The Summit in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Summit is graciously hosting EdCamp Fort Wayne this summer on July 23.  

Click the image below to learn about this program.

Click below to register for EdCamp Fort Wayne 2015! It's FREE!

Today, I have the privilege of interviewing Matt Brown, Assistant Principal at Sunnyside Intermediate School in Lafayette, Indiana.  

Here is the outline for this show: 

1. Matthew’s Inspirational Educational Background
2. Why Matt Became an Administrator 
3. Excellent Advice for New Administrators: Knowing your Place, Putting your “Teacher Glasses” On, and Being Humble
4. Most Important Qualities of a Strong Assistant Principal: Effective Communication, Not Saying Yes Too Much, Discipline with the Right Mindset
5. Matthew’s Role in a School Transitioning to 1:1 with iPads This Year
6. Matthew’s App Philosophy: Going Beyond the Flashiness and Extending the Classroom Effectively

You can connect with Matt @EdTechMatthew.  Stay tuned for next Tuesday for the second half of the interview! 

In this episode, Matt and I wrap up our conversation by discussing www.meetup.com/k12tech and his role in the upcoming TedX Lafayette event.  

Don't forget you can e-mail me at jason@principallyspeaking.com.  I'm also on Voxer at jbodna782.  

Stay tuned for next week's show with author Mark Barnes, who can be found at markbarnes19.com.  

Tom was a great guest to have on Principally Speaking.  He reminded me that unless listeners are changing their educational practice, there isn't much point to my show.  Be sure to connect with Tom on Twitter, check out his very well-written blog, and become of a member of the Educator's PLN.  Finally, he is the co-author of The Relevant Educator and author of The Educator's Guide to Creating Connections, due for release this September.  

Connect with Tom on Twitter

Tom's Blog

The Educator's PLN

As I transition to my new role as a Principal, it was very valuable to me to speak with Robyn.  Her latest book specifically opened my eyes to understanding what approach an administrator needs to take when working to help teachers improve.  We also discussed her framework for her book Never Work Harder Than Your Students.  I really enjoyed this conversation and hope you do as well.

Robyn on Twitter

Mindsteps

Never Underestimate Your Teachers

In this 31st episode of PS, I connect with Dan Butler.  Dan was gracious enough to talk about his experience as the principal of both Epworth and Farley Elementary Schools in Epworth, Iowa.  He also shared some great resources on the show:

How Dan Uses Google Forms When Collecting Observation Data

Continuous Improvement at Farley Elementary School

Here's how you can connect with Dan and check out his blog:

Dan's Twitter

Dan's Blog

He also is a co-moderator of the awesomeness that is #IAedchat, which happens every Sunday night at 9 PM ET / 8 PM CT.  

Here is the blog for Ben Gilpin, the Colorful Principal.

I connected with Riley Johnson last year at EdCamp Fort Wayne.  Last year, Riley left Indiana for the Assistant Principal position at New Tech High School in Napa, California.  He will be taking over as Principal this summer.  I'm grateful to have a dynamic leader in my professional learning network going through the same transition as myself.  

Riley's Twitter

This week Theresa and I talk about her experience as a new administrator last year and she provides advice to those jumping into the profession.  She talks about the experience of also hosting a podcast, the PrincipalCast, which was recently announced will be renamed PrincipalPLN.  We discuss her experience leading a private school in Michigan that does not receive any public funds.  She also provides other podcast and book recommendations.  Finally, she sells the audience on Voxer, an amazing app that allows educators to build unique chats and grow together.  Don't wait like me...get this app immediately!  

Theresa can be found @PrincipalStager on Twitter and her blog is at principalstager.com.  

Stay tuned next week for my interview with Matthew Brown, assistant principal at Sunnyside Intermediate School in Lafayette, Indiana.

Principally Speaking is back!  

I'm excited to bring to you my talk with Amy Heavin, Principal of Ryan Park Elementary in Angola, Indiana.  Among other things, Amy and I talk about what professional learning looks like at her school and how she's working to push both herself and her staff.  She can be found @amyheavin on Twitter and her blog is @ amyheavin.blogspot.com.

Check out the website for Innovations High School here.

I've been politely bothering Sharon to be a guest on Principally Speaking for awhile and we were finally able to connect.  Sharon is a Special Education Teacher as well as the Technology Director for Eagle Hill Southport School which is located in SW Connecticut.  It's very clear that everything she does at Eagle Hill is centered around helping students and I really appreciated her perspective on teacher leadership.  She's also an expert on using the iPad to assist students with special needs.  Finally, be sure to check out her podcast Learning Differently.  It was great to hear her latest episode with Jeffrey Benson, who was an early guest on Principally Speaking.  

Sharon's Website: The Road to Learning

Sharon's Podcast: Learning Differently

Connect with Sharon on Twitter

In this episode of the show I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Aman Yadav, Professor of Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University. We talk about the movement for more computer science in schools. Dr. Yadav helps clarify that we need to embed computation thinking, not just coding, in the classroom. I also have a big a-ha moment regarding administrative ed programs, a particular passion of mine. 

You can connect with Dr. Yadav at www.amanyadav.org or on Twitter @yadavaman

Thank you so much listening to Principally Speaking. Please consider heading to iTunes and providing the show with a review. And a big thank you to all of the guests that I’ve had one my show…you make this so refreshing, educational and enjoyable for me and I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity.   Principally Speaking is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network, which can be found at edupodcastnetwork.com. 

In Episode 7 squared of Principally Speaking, I have the honor of speaking with Glenn Robbins.  It will become very clear to the audience why educators are coming to visit Northfield Community School very regularly.  Glenn does an amazing job of talking about the importance of key words that we use in education, even hallway and classroom.  I was also really excited to hear more about his period of the day in which the students explore in an Edcamp like environment, as well as his epic makerspace.

Glenn's Blog

Glenn on Twitter

On this episode of the show, I catch up with Jeff and Heidi Veal, two influential leaders from Texas.  We compare and contrast each of their roles and they talk about the dynamics of being a married couple of edleaders.  They also talk about how they engage the community and help build a culture of innovation at their schools.

Jeff and Heidi are just another example of guests that I've had on this show that not only add amazing content to the podcast but are simply great people and I'm honored to have talked with them.  Here are resources from the show and ways you can connect with them:

Jeff and Heidi's Blog: jhveal.com

Jeff and Nathan Lang's Website: leadupnow.com

Jeff on Twitter: @heffrey

Heidi on Twitter: @VealHeidi

#leadupchat: Saturdays at 8:30 AM CT

#ecechat: Tuesdays at 8:30 PM CT

In this episode of the show, I have the pleasure of speaking with the most fun name in education, Daisy Dyer Duerr, or as I would address her if it was normal, D Cubed.   Daisy was named the 2014 Digital Principal of the Year by the NASSP and has also been nominated for several Bammy awards. Daisy and I talk about her education background, what she’ll be presenting about at Model Schools this next week, what she would do differently if she could start over as an administrator, and rural education. She’ll be coming out with a new book this fall with another eduhero of mine, Mr. Derek McCoy, who I interviewed way back in Episodes 5 and 6 when I was just starting out podcasting.

Thank you so much for tuning into the show. Principally Speaking is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network, where you can check out other great shows like Daniel Bauer’s Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast. I had the honor of being a recent guest on Daniel’s show and talked about my experience as a newer principal. He also was a recent guest on my show, Episode 51 if you’d like to check it out.

I hope you’ve had a chance to catch some great conferences this summer. I’m currently planning on attending and presenting at two upcoming Indiana conferences in Warsaw on Monday July 25th and in Auburn at DeKalb High School on Tuesday July 26th.   I taught science at DeKalb High for 9 years so it will be great to connect with several former colleagues. Don’t forget that EdCamp Leadership is taking place July 11th all across the country. You can check out @edcampldr on Twitter to find out where EdCamp Leadership is happening near you. Thank you to amazing human Joe Mazza for leading this effort…I had a powerful talk with him back in Episode 47. Finally, EdCamp Fort Wayne is taking place Thursday July 28th at The Summit, which is an amazing venue. A big shoutout to Jennifer Brower, Andy Deatrick, Alison Schlotfeldt and Mandy Woollacott for putting this on.   Head to @edcampFW for more information.  

On this episode I connect with Missouri School Leader and NASSP 2017 Digital Principal of the Year David Geurin.  Among other things, he shares about his epic SWAT team at Bolivar High School who are armed with technical knowledge, not weaponry.  I also really enjoyed his story about a barrage of positive tweets he unleashed recently.  You can find him on Twitter @DavidGeurin and his excellent blog is at davidgeurin.com.  

On this episode of the show, I connect with John Spencer, co-author of the book Launch.  If you want to get your students using more design thinking and creating more I highly recommend you check out his book.  He also is the host of the podcast The Creative Classroom and his websites is spencerauthor.com.  Not only does John create great blog posts, but he’s also excellent at creating dynamic videos, which you can catch at spencervideos.com.  We talk about his experience in the classroom, the importance of journalism in school, and one of my favorite topics, higher ed.  We also discuss the Global Day of Design, which is taking place on May 2.  You can join in at globaldayofdesign.com. 

In this episode, I have the privilege of connecting with Kevin Honeycutt, amazing educator and speaker.  We discuss his vision for teaching and administration as well as a big life event that has helped mold his current views.  

You can connect with Kevin @KevinHoneycutt on Twitter and don't forget to check out his website kevinhoneycutt.org for a ton of great resources.  

Mr. Tom Murray is the Digital Learning Director for the Alliance for Excellent Education.  If you're a school leader and you haven't already, I would strongly urge to check out the Future Ready Schools website and take the pledge for your district.  I'm excited about the prospects of the Future Ready Leadership Network.  Also, don't forget to check out the book Leading Professional Learning, which he co-wrote with Jeff Zoul, my guest on Episode 34.

Tom's Website

Connect with Tom on Twitter

It's pretty clear from my talk with Dr. Ryan Jackson that he has a clear focus and passion for what he does.  He is truly an inspirational and visionary leader.  Be sure to check out his excellent blog below and/or connect with him on Twitter.  

The Underdog's Advocate

Ryan on Twitter

Laura Ferrell is the Assistant Principal at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School in Oak Lawn, Illinois.  Her blog can be found here and you can connect with her @LFEdTech on Twitter.   

Continuing the Connected Educator Month Series on Principally Speaking, I connect with Dr. Spike Cook, author of the new book Connected Leadership.  You can also check out his website here.  For more excellent content from Dr. Cook, check out the PrincipalPLN podcast.  

Today I have the privilege of speaking with Derek McCoy, the NASSP 2014 Digital Principal of the Year.  In this episode, Derek talks about what effective Digital Leadership means to him and provides some recommendations for digital tools as well as conferences to attend, including the infamous ISTE.  I also ask him what inspired him to become an administrator and how he supports strong leaders in his school.  

Tune in next week for the second half of this interview, in which Derek talks about being an innovative educator and his experience assisting with the EdCamp movement in North Carolina.  He also provides recommendations for your PLN and books that educational leaders should consider reading.  For the show notes from this episode, head to principallyspeaking.com/ps5.  Thank you so much for tuning in to the show and don’t forget to please provide feedback on iTunes and Stitcher, which really helps get the word out. 

I’d love to hear from you @ mrjasonbodnar on Twitter and jason@principallyspeaking.com.  

Mark Barnes is the author of the new book Teaching the iStudent, which was just released August 19.  Click the image of the book above to check it out.  This is part of a series with other influential educators such as Spike Cook, Peter DeWitt, and Kristen Swanson.  In this episode Mark talks about his personal journey from classroom technophobe to technophile and his paradigm shift towards a results only learning environment.  Be sure to check out his websites at markbarnes19.com and brilliant-insane.com.   

Stay tuned next week for my talk with Eric Sheninger, author of Digital Leadership.  We’ll be talking about the book, his background, what qualities he believes makes a strong principal, and his new position with Scholastic.  If you have questions, comments, or suggestions remember you can always reach me @APJasonBodnar on Twitter, or jason@principallyspeaking.com.  

Justin Baeder discusses his evolution from teacher to principal and eventually to full-time consultant and speaker.  If you're an educator that's interested in branching out through consulting or speaking, you definitely don't want to miss this one.  

For the notes from this show, click on this link: www.principallyspeaking.com/ps7.  

Justin's websites can be found here:

eduleadership.org

theprincipalcenter.com

He can be found on Twitter here.   

I enjoyed connecting with Dr. Robert Dillon, Director of Technology and Innovation for Affton Schools in Affton, Missouri.  Dr. Dillon is a former Middle School Principal who clearly works hard to empower teachers and students.  His latest book, Leading Connected Educators includes the stories of several successful Missouri educators.  

Dr. Dillon's Website

Connect on Twitter

For this episode, I had the privilege of connecting with 2016 Alabama Secondary Principal of the Year Danny Steele.  Danny is clearly another great student-centered leader and he got me fired up.  You can connect with him on Twitter @Steelethoughts and his website is steelethoughts.com.  

Be sure to tune in next week for my discussion with 2017 Digital Principal of the Year David Geurin.  

Jared Wastler is an ASCD Emerging Leader and Maryland's Assistant Principal of the Year for 2014.  He can be found at jaredwastler.com.  In this episode we talk about his success, and I have to admire how he always brings it back to the great things happening where he is at Liberty High School.  

Tune in next week for my talk with Assistant Principal Laura Ferrell, who also happens to be an ASCD Emerging Leader for 2014.  She can be found  @LFedtech on Twitter.  Among other things, we discover that we're currently reading the same book, "How Children Succeed" by Paul Tough.  

In honor of Connected Educator Month this is the first of a series of podcast episodes from authors of the Corwin Connected Educator Series.

Vice Principal, #satchat co-founder and author of new book All Hands on Deck Brad Currie and I talk about his vision for tapping into the voice of all stakeholders through both physical and virtual means.  Check into more from Brad at bradcurrie.net.  

Next week I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Spike Cook.  

In episode 32 of Principally Speaking, I have a great time connecting with Steven Anderson, a.k.a. web20classroom on Twitter.  I discover that we were both science teachers and both were proud members of the marching band, although he was likely much better at the tuba than I was at the trumpet.  More importantly, Steven shares insight regarding Administrators and technology, the power of being connected, and ideas from his latest book, Content Curation: How to Avoid Information Overload.

You can check out Steven's website and blog here.   

This is the first episode of Principally Speaking to be sponsored by Corwin Press.  Thank you very much to Ariel Price, Lisa Lysne and everyone else at Corwin for your support!  

In the 29th episode of the show, I have the privilege of speaking with George Philhower, Assistant Superintendent at Western Wayne Schools in Cambridge City, Indiana.  In this district and at Lincoln Jr./Sr. High School they are developing a school-within-a-school model that allows students to move at their own pace and take their own path to success.  George explained that he has leaned on the Innovations High School in Salt Lake City, Utah for support and that their Principal Kenneth Grover has been a great deal of help in this process.  Mr. Grover will be presenting at the Richmond eLearning Conference this summer if you're interested in meeting him and learning more about this school model.  Here is a very inspiring presentation about his personal philosophy and vision for Innovations High School:

Mr. Grover's Presentation

Here is George's Twitter and his e-mail is gphilhower@wwayne.k12.in.us.   

Next episode I will be talking with the inspiring Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate.  He will be the Keynote speaker at the Integrated eLearning Conference at East Noble High School on July 21 in Kendallville, Indiana.   

To see the other eLearning conferences all around Indiana this summer, click here.  

Just last year, I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Baruti Kafele speak at a local school.  It was extremely inspirational and helped reinvigorate my passion for education and building relationships with students.  I am honored to have had the opportunity to speak to him on my show and look forward to connecting with him in person at some point.  I'd highly recommend checking out his books as well as his website, which is home to his dynamic YouTube videos, which deliver powerful messages to both educators and students alike.  

Principal Kafele's Website

Connect with Mr. Kafele on Twitter

In this episode, I talk about the craze that is Trivia Crack and its implications for education.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the following questions:

1) What do you think about the trivia crack craze?  

2) Would you want your child to constantly play trivia crack?

3) How are you cultivating student ideas in your school?

4) Have students had a say in any new programs or clubs in your school?

5) What makes your school unique? 

You can provide answers to any or all of these questions by clicking on the Feedback button on my website.  Your answer or answers may be used in a future episode of the show.  

Tune in next week for my talk with dynamic media specialist Sherry Gick, who is @libraryfanatic on Twitter.