Principally Speaking

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  

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

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

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        

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!  

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  

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 to both educators and students alike.   Principal Kafele's Website Connect with Mr. Kafele on Twitter      

                     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!  

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 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.

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.          

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

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 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.   

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    

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 la