Tech Talk with Teachers

I discuss various ed tech tools and practices that I am using, such as Storybird, a platform that helps students create captivating stories. I also mention the use of thinking prompts to engage teachers and stimulate discussions. I highlight the importance of setting approach goals and being in the right state of mind when setting goals. I suggest strategies like building emergency reserves, shortening goal timelines, and leveraging milestone moments for fresh starts. Additionally, I reflect on the concept of temptation bundling to make unpleasant tasks more enjoyable.

I'll be discussing the ed-tech I'm testing, teaching practices I'm trying, YouTube videos I'm watching, quotes I'm pondering, things I've learned, and the "string" I'm pulling. This week, I tried poe.com, an AI chatbot that allows conversation with four different chatbots. For teaching, I experimented with TAG feedback, which stands for Tell me something you like, Ask me a question, and Give me a positive suggestion to improve my work. I've been watching Andrew Huberman's YouTube video on the 5 pillars of health and performance, and pondering the quotes "not wasting time on nonsense" and "living a simple life." Through my experiences, I've learned that change is necessary. Finally, I'm pulling the "string" of AI and considering its long-term impacts.

I just finished reading Hell Yeah or No by Derek Shivers. Love the guy and his thought train, as well as a few of his suggestions. The top one keeping a record of whatever crazy ideas and thoughts happen to pop into your head at any given time. Now here's the thing, my head has more random thoughts than the amount of COVID vaccinations, so keeping track of them is like a full-time job in itself. Here's a sneak peek of the madness I recorded on a bus journey from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap - inspiration from a Tim Ferris podcast featuring John List.

Virtual learning is back again in Shanghai, and who knows for how long. Today I talk about Teams captions and breakout rooms, as well as using VLC for downloading videos from YouTube.

This is a recording of a grade 10 digital citizenship lesson that our school is launching.

André, Joel and David speculate on what the new school norms might be and take a closer look at online collaborative tools. Episode includes: https://nearpod.com/ https://www.minecraft.net/en-us https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software Recorded at Dave's apartment!

Andre, Joel and David discuss giving feedback using technology, and we also take a deep dive into what is effective feedback. Episode includes: ManageBac - https://www.managebac.com/ Flipgrid - https://flipgrid.com/ Padlet - https://padlet.com/ Matthew Johnson - https://matthewmjohnson.com/ CrossFit - https://www.crossfit.com/ Cult of Pedagogy - https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/ Recorded @ Bread Etc. 500 Xiangyang Nan Lu, Xuhui Shanghai China

Andre and Joel discuss some great utilities and other resources to help manage your fun and engaging classes. Episode 9 topics include:

1. NearPod - https://nearpod.com
   
2. Smart Countdown Timer & Folder Designer- https://fiplab.com
   
3. Madlibs - http://www.madlibs.com
   
4. Desktop Curtain - https://manytricks.com/desktopcurtain/
   
5. QuickTime - https://support.apple.com/quicktime
   
6. Random Student Picker - https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/03/ipad-name-selector-apps-for-teachers.html
   

Other useful resources, not covered in this episode are:

1. Affinity Suite for Graphic Editing and Desktop Layout - https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/
   
2. myHomework Student Planner -  free / $5— #5 in Education - https://myhomeworkapp.com
   
3. Duolingo - Excellent language accession app -  https://www.duolingo.com
   

Kahoot - Online collaborative and interactive class wide quizzes - http://kahoot.it

Andre, Joel and David discuss how to create video content for your students during the the virtual learning phase of teaching.

Links

Blue Yeti - https://www.bluedesigns.com/products/yeti/ OBS - https://obsproject.com/ iMovie - https://www.apple.com/imovie/

Location - Bread Etc, Shanghai

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g308272-d12030081-Reviews-BREAD_etc-Shanghai.html

Hosted by Joel, Dave and Andre with a special guest - Chris Jacobs.

Adobe Creative Cloud - https://www.adobe.com

• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• InDesign

Gravit Designer - https://www.designer.io

Affinity

• Photo - https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/photo/
• Designer - https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/designer/
• Publisher - https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/publisher/

Sketch - https://www.sketch.com

Scratch - https://scratch.mit.edu

Autodesk Fusion 360 -https://www.autodesk.com/campaigns/fusion-360-for-hobbyists

Figma - https://www.figma.com

Blender - https://www.blender.org

MOI 3D - http://moi3d.com

Rhino 3D -  https://www.rhino3d.com