Classroom conversations on learning in the modern world

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Episode 22: ISTE Takeaways

Margaret Sisler and Summer Johnson, two educational specialists facilitating the 1:1 transition in Fairfax County, VA, share their key takeaways from the ISTE conference held in Philadelphia in June 2019 and the importance of attending educational conferences.


Episode 21: Welcome Summer!

Check out this bonus episode where staff at McLean High School share their summer plans to unwind and prepare for the upcoming school year. Extra: an original poem recited by McLean staff entitled, "A Message to Summer (by Teachers)"


Episode 20: Pen Pals in the French Classroom

Rebecca Anderson, a high school French teacher, shares her experience with establishing and maintaining pen pals with the help of instructional technology in her French classroom.

Episode 19: The First-Year Instructional Coach

Debbie Tannenbaum, a first-year instructional technology coach in Fairfax County, reflects on her journey and shares her successes, her challenges, and advice for future technology coaches.

Episode 19 Resources:

  • Follow Debbie Tannenbaum on Twitter @MrsTannenb
  • Visit Debbie's blog

Episode 18: Gamifying Learning


John Meehan, author of Edrenaline Rush, shares his secrets for gamifying learning and turning his classroom into a theme park of adventure, fun, and authentic learning.

Episode 18 Resources

  • Follow John Meehan on Twitter @MeehanEDU
  • Visit his website: https://edrenalinerush.com/
  • Meehan's book, Edrenaline Rush, hits the bookshelves in June!

Episode 17: Reflections from a First-Year Teacher

Rachel Frasier, a first-year math teacher, shares her journey into teaching. She discusses challenges, successes, and lessons learned from her first year of teaching.

Episode 17 Resources:

  • Follow Rachel Frasier on Twitter @MsFrasierMHS

Episode 16: The Deeper Learning Conference

Join Rae Perry, Courtney Klein, Rachel Baxter and me as we share highlights from the 2019 Deeper Learning Conference in San Diego. We discuss what deeper learning is, why it's important, and our key takeaways from this life-changing conference.

Episode 16 Resources:

  • Follow Rachel Baxter on Twitter @MrsBaxterMHS and visit her blog: https://pbljourney.school.blog/
  • Follow Courtney Klein on Twitter @MsKlein_
  • Follow the Deeper Learning Conference @DeeperLearning, #DeeperLearning, #DeeperLearningConference, #DeeperLearning2019
  • Visit the Deeper Learning website at http://www.deeper-learning.org/

Episode 15: The Student Tech Squad

The Poplar Tree Elementary Student Tech Squad and their teachers reflect on why they formed a tech squad, how the tech squad develops real-world skills in students, and what the tech squad does to help students and teachers.

Episode 14: Stress-Reducing Tips During Test-Taking Season

Beth Werfel, a high school psychologist, is back to talk about stress-reducing strategies during test-taking season.

Episode 14 Resources:

Episode 13: Active Learning in the Science Classroom

Jenn Choumil, a high school science teacher, shares strategies for making learning more active and hands-on in her classroom.

Episode 13 Resources:

  • Find Jenn Choumil on Twitter @jennchoumil

Episode 12: Choose Your Own Learning with HyperDocs

Kieran Brady, a Social Studies department chair, shares her strategies for designing and implementing HyperDocs to support student voice and choice in the classroom.

Episode 12 Resources:

  • Follow Kieran Brady on Twitter @kieranmbrady

Episode 11: How to Have Successful College Visits

Laura Venos, a high school Career Center Specialist, shares her tips and strategies for making the most out of college visits. She discusses how to have a stress-free experience while finding the "best fit" college.

Episode 11 Resources:

Episode 10: The High School News Magazine

I speak with Lindsay Benedict, a high school journalism teacher, about the process for putting together a national award-winning high school news magazine. We discuss the inspiration for story ideas, student choice and voice, and the many skills that are developed during the story-making process. Listen to this podcast and get a sneak peak into the bustling world of live and print news!

Episode 10 Resources:

  • You can follow The Highlander News Magazine on Twitter and Instagram @MHSHighlander.
  • To learn more about this successful magazine, visit their website:

Episode 9: Utilizing Twitter to Grow Your PLN

I interview Margaret Sisler (@TechyMargaret), an educational specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools, on how to utilize Twitter to grow your personal and professional learning networks. She discusses tips for getting started with Twitter, guidelines for participating in Twitter chats, and how to use Twitter as an instructional tool.

Episode 9 Resources:

Episode 8: Students Talk About Podcasting

I speak with Ms. Beskenis, a high school English teacher and department chair, and two of her students on their experience planning, recording, and editing a podcast for a summative assessment in AP Language. They discuss the challenges and rewards they experienced during the creative process. (Length: 21:04)

Episode 8 Resources:

Episode 7: Using Technology Mindfully

I interview Beth Werfel, our school psychologist, on tips for using technology mindfully and apps to support mental health, emotional well-being, and organization. (Length: 17:14)

Episode 6: The Shadow a Student Challenge

I speak with Rachel Baxter, a Social Studies teacher, about her experience shadowing a student for the day, her main takeaways, and how she will apply what she learned in her own classroom. (Length: 13:43)

Episode 6 Resources

Episode 5: Fostering Student Engagement

In this episode I talk with Dr. Lindsey Fisher about concrete strategies and lesson ideas to foster student engagement and build relationships in the classroom. (Length: 11:42)


Episode 4: Podcasting in the Classroom

In this episode I interview Courtney Klein on how and why she had her English 10 students podcast on themes in a novel they were studying. (Length: 20:38)

Episode 4 Resources (by Courtney Klein):

Episode 3: Flexible Seating

In this episode I interview Cynthia Hawkins on how and why she implemented flexible seating in her Social Studies classroom. (Length: 23:36)

Episode 3 Resources (by Cynthia Hawkins):

Episode 2: The Mini Socratic Seminar

In this episode I interview Annie Billingsley on how and why she uses the mini Socratic Seminar as a formative assessment tool in her English classroom. (Length: 13:01)

Episode 2 Resources (by Annie Billingsley):

Episode 1: Blended Learning in the Math Classroom

In this episode, I interview Dr. Crissie Ricketts on how and why she incorporates blended learning into her math classroom. (Length: 15:15)

Episode 1 Resources (by Crissie Ricketts):

  • Link to Dr. Ricketts' YouTube channel

Episode 23: Setting Up Your 1:1 Classroom

I speak with Summer Johnson and Margaret Sisler, two educational specialists in Fairfax County, VA, about setting up your 1:1 classroom. We discuss establishing the physical and virtual spaces, designing blended lessons, and the challenges and benefits of a 1:1 classroom.

Episode 23 Resources:

  • NEW FOR SEASON 2! Each episode comes with a party favor, an infographic review of the episode. Check out the Party Favor for Episode 23!
  • Follow Margaret Sisler on Twitter @TechyMargaret and visit her website margaretsisler.com
  • Follow Summer Johnson on Twitter @scholarcation