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...

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...

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

  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.  

  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...

                     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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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        

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...

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...

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...

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...

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  

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.          

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.     

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...

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 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.             ...

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.  

                                  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.