The PonderingDan Podcast

In this episode of The PonderingDan Podcast, I have the pleasure of speaking with Angela Norman who is the Director of Innovations at a large private college in Adelaide, Australia. Angela speaks about her role in supporting teachers develop confidence with technology in education and how she goes about this to help drive innovative practices. Angela can be found on Twitter @teach_educate_ and you can check out her fantastic e-books on the Apple Book store here where you will find her latest offering, 'Animate to Learn with iPad' among many others.

In this epsiode, I speak with Primary Teacher and Media Arts specialist, Joel Aarons about encouraging student creativity and thinking outside the box when it comes to digital technologies and media arts. Grab Joel's ebook, 'Confessions of a Media Arts Teacher' at https://mediaartsconfessions.wordpress.com/my-ebook/ You can also find information about the Digital Technologies MOOC we talked about at https://csermoocs.adelaide.edu.au/available-moocs

In this episode, I talk with leader, teacher, speaker and author Dr. Matthew X. Joseph. We discuss his new book, Modern Mentor (co-authored with Suzy Brooks) and why good mentorship is so vitally important for teachers. Modern Mentor is available on Amazon.com. You can follow Matthew on Twitter @matthewxjoseph. You can find more information at mxjspeaker.com.

Not only is Tanya LeClair a brilliant teacher but she is well experienced in presenting at education conferences around the world. She has developed a love for design and is passionate about helping people improve the way they present. In this episode, I speak with Tanya about presenting and how we can all do little things to make them even more memorable. You can find Tanya on Twitter @TanyaLeClair and at www.tanyaleclair.org.

In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with Jody Unterrheiner, the founder and director of Read For Life Uganda. Here, we talk about the great work Read For Life does for education but also the highlights and challenges of working as an international education charity. To support Read for Life, go to www.readforlifeug.org and for more information about this episode, go to www.ponderingdan.com.

In this episode, Dan Martinez talks about how Esports in education works. From his experience running Esports in schools to starting The FUSE Cup, Dan has a wealth of knowledge about how it can be run effectively and dispels the myth that it plays no educational role in schools. In particular, Dan answers the questions of; what role does Esports play in mental health? how can we encourage design through Esports? How do you manage screen time through Esports? Is Esports even a sport? Check out The FUSE Cup on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook @thefusecup and at www.thefusecup.com.au. You can also follow Dan on Twitter @martinezgeek.

In this episode, I speak with Sydney based educator, Brian Host about the preparations teachers have been making in his school as well as the general thoughts and feelings of his school community in regards to school closures as a result of COVID-19. Follow Brian on Twitter @HostBrian and check out his site, www.brianhost.blogspot.com.

In this next part on the COVID-19 school closures, I speak with Canadian educator Natash Feghali. We discuss the situation in Windsor, Ontario and discuss the impact socio-economics play with remote learning. Follow Natasha on Twitter @NEFeghali and check out her website www.natashafeghali.com.

In this episode I have been lucky enough to speak with two educators, Troy Harkin from the Shanghai American School in China and Rosita Darden from Grandview Prepatory School in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. The three of us have varying degrees of interruptions because of COVID-19. Troy has been teaching remotely for seven weeks, Rosita is in to her second day of school closure and my school has been preparing for possible closure. Three different context from three different countries. Follow Troy on Twitter @harkinworld and Rosita @teacherdarden. Check out the Facebook group Troy mentions in the chat - Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning.

With so much happening in the world right now it didn't feel right to release my planned episodes of The PonderingDan Podcast. Instead, you will find some useful advice if you are preparing to teach remotely. Check out Kathleen Morris' Resources for Teaching Online Due to School Closures. You can follow Kathleen on Twitter @kathleen_morris.

Christina Polatajko has made a name for herself over the past few years as an innovative Physical Education teacher. She has found ways to link technology in different ways with her primary PE classes, even linking coding. In this episode, self proclaimed 'Miss Physical Education' shares her story in the hope of inspiring others to give tech a go in their PhysEd classrooms. Follow Christina on Twitter @cpola17, Facebook - Miss Physical Education and www.missphysicaleducation.com.

Data Science is a great way to engage students in learning by giving them a chance to solve problems that matter to them. Get our students to look at data in meaningful ways is the message Dr Linda McIver wants to share with the world. Linda is the founder of Australian Data Science Education Institute (ADSEI), follow Linda on Twitter @LindaMcIver and ADSEI at adsei.org and on Twitter @DataSciAu. For more information about this episode, visit www.ponderingdan.com

In this episode I speak with teacher and founder of the Twitter chat #TLAPDownUnder about authenticity in education. What does it mean and why is it important? We touch on issues of self worth, mental health and vulnerability. You can find Karen on Twitter @kcasw1. For more information about this episode, go to www.ponderingdan.com. If you or someone you know is suffering from mental health issues, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit beyondblue.org.au. For those outside Australia, local information can be found by visiting www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/.

In this episode, I talk with Apple Distinguished Educators Kim Martin, Steph Kriewaldt and Sally Lowe about what it means to be part of this prestigious program and what you can do to become one. For further information on this episode, go to www.ponderingdan.com.

In this episode, I speak with fellow teacher Mazz Ellery about EduTwitter and why it's the best Professional Learning Network for teachers. For further information on this episode, go to www.ponderingdan.com.

I am really lucky to know some amazing educators from around the world. One of those that has had a huge impact on my teaching career is Bec Spink. Bec is an award winning teacher and leader and is Principal of Spensley Street Primary School in inner city Melbourne. Bec has always been great at challenging my thinking about education and pedagogy and it's something that has stuck with me throughout my career which is why I wanted her to be my first guest on The PonderingDan Podcast. We talk all about why it's important to think deeply about education and to challenge yourself to always ask why. You can follow Bec on Twitter @becspink. If you enjoy this podcast, please help me to grow and create great conversations by rating, subscribing and sharing it with your peers. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter where I am always sharing the great learning that's happening in my school.

Welcome to The PonderingDan Podcast. This is episode zero. I think it's important to explain why I am starting this podcast and give a bit of background to me and my education career.