Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast Hannah Crepeau

For many students, college has been the main goal. But what happens after college graduation? Are students planning and preparing for their transition into the workforce? Dr. Krystal Rawls thinks there’s more that educators can be doing to help students be prepared for their first job. 
Dr. Rawls is the designer of the Workforce Integration Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Building on a foundation of theoretically sound and data-driven practices, Rawls endeavors to create transparency and equity in workforce development programming to develop a more diverse, digitally competent, and skilled class of worker. Dr. Rawls draws on her transdisciplinary background in Education, Psychology, and Business to inform her innovative approach to empowering students to take their place in the modern workforce.  Using labor market information to identify the skills needs of employers and curriculum data to evidence skills developed in the academic experience, Krystal creates community through skill-based language.  In her role as an analyst and faculty member, Krystal gets to indulge her passion for building opportunities and relationships that are beneficial to the student, educator/worker, as well as industry and community partners.  Dr. Rawls welcomes opportunities to create meaningful workforce partnerships and develop pathways for positive economic outcomes for all.
In this episode, we’re dishing out advice for both students and educators. We talk about the transition into that first “real-world job”, and how educators can use big and small means to get students ready for that next step. If you’re looking for tangible, applicable advice you can start using today, Dr. Rawls delivers. 
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference to learn from educators like Dr. Rawls. Get all the details at https://certified.certiport.com/.   
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog. 
Looking for more advice from Dr. Rawls? Listen to her previous episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wGcCPbLY6zTXdNdAO3vLO.  
Connect with your fellow educators, like Dr. Rawls, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
If you’re looking for additional learning opportunities, Dr. Rawls recommends the following books or resources:
Supporting Working-Class Students in Higher Education
Assessing and Validating Digital Skills: DRAW Detailed Discussion and Findings
High-Impact Practices and Gains in Student Learning: Evidence from Georgia, Montana, and Wisconsin
Honing Self-Awareness of Faculty and Future Business Leaders
“Psychological safety as an effective measurement in engineering classrooms” from the 2019 ASEE annual conference & exposition.
“Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Rethinking the curriculum” from the Journal of Teacher Education.
 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic of discussion in nearly every industry, and education is no exception. In this episode, we’re diving into the world of AI with Aimee Torres and Lauren Miller, who will be sharing their AI expertise and experience in a 2024 CERTIFIED Educator Conference breakout session.
Lauren Miller is currently in her fifth year as a full-time lecturer at Auburn University where she teaches Information Analysis to students in the business college. As a part of this course, she certifies her students with the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel and Excel Expert certifications. Prior to teaching at the post-secondary level, she taught middle school and high school business in Alabama and Texas. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and Ed.S. degree in business and marketing education from Auburn University.

Aimee Torres is currently a lecturer at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She teaches Microsoft Excel to business students in Information Analysis courses. She also certifies all her students in the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Associate certification and the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Expert certification. She has been a lecturer at Auburn University since 2019. Aimee has her B.S. in business administration from Troy University, her M.Ed. in business & marketing education from Auburn University, her Ed.S. in Business & Marketing Education from Auburn University and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Career and Technical Education. In addition to teaching, Aimee presents workshops at local, regional, and national business and marketing education conferences. She is a member of the National Business Education Association (NBEA) and is currently serving as President of the Alabama Business Education Association (ABEA). 
In today’s episode, we talk about how Aimee and Lauren have incorporated AI into their Microsoft Excel course. They share what AI tools they use, and how these tools help educators focus on teaching. Plus, we talk about what skills their students are learning from these projects and tools. 
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference to learn from Aimee and Lauren. Get all the details at https://certified.certiport.com/.   
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog. 
Looking for more AI resources? Get a few ideas here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/December/Tools-for-Teaching-Artificial-Intelligence. 
Connect with your fellow educators, like Aimee and Lauren, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

Project managers need a full toolbox of skills, including communication, organization, time management, and leadership. Sounds like tools educators use in the classroom every day. In this episode, we learn from project management expert, Carol York. 
 
After a successful business career, Carol York has worked as a business education teacher at Cary High School in Cary, North Carolina for 13 years, including nine years as a project management teacher. Carol has served as a CERTIFIED Ambassador and presented various sessions at the CERTIFIED Educator Conference over the years.  She is passionate about the benefits of certification for students.  She has served on North Carolina’s state curriculum development team for project management courses, and she has earned her Microsoft Office Specialist Expert, PMI Project Management Ready, and National Board Teacher certifications.
Carol gives us a peek into her 2024 CERTIFIED Educator Conference workshop. She shares how educators can use project management skills in the classroom, both with their students and to make their own lives easier. Carol reminds us that no matter what subject you teach, project management can help you! 
 
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference to learn from Carol. Get all the details at https://certified.certiport.com/.   
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog. 
Looking for more project management resources? Get a few ideas here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/Why-Teach-Project-Management. 
Connect with your fellow educators, like Carol, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.

We are excited for our 2024 CERTIFIED Educator Conference in June and are dedicating our next few episodes to previews of some of our breakout sessions. We were lucky enough to sit down with Brittany Hochstaetter and Chad McKenzie to discuss what they’ll be sharing at our 2024 #CERTIFIEDConf. 
Chad is an Associate Professor in the Information Technology division at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh and has 17 years of teaching experience within the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). Chad’s teaching style focuses on fostering relationships with his students and creating learning environments, both virtual and seated, that are engaging, positive, and personalized.
Brittany is an experienced Professor of Communication with over 15 years of experience in higher education. Like Chad, she’s currently sharing her gifts and efforts with students at Wake Technical Community College. She’s skilled in research, educational leadership, adult education, curriculum development, soft-skills training, administrative processes, and program development.
In today’s episode, we talk about teaching Gen Z students, and how the internet has shaped this generation. Chad and Brittany also share valuable classroom strategies to help educators prepare for teaching and engaging Gen Z students and give a peek into the research they’ll be sharing at CERTIFIED 2024. Dive into the story of Internet Culture to understand the curious nature of today’s students and learn innovative and practical classroom strategies for engaging their hearts and minds.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog. 
Connect with your fellow educators, like Chad and Brittany, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.  

We’re back with another week of insights for our creative educators. By popular demand, we’re sharing more insight from CERTIFIED Ambassador, John Beale. 
John Beale began his educational career working in museums including the Spanish Colonial Quarter, the Florida Agriculture Museum, and the Florida Maritime Museum. After more than a decade in experiential education he brought his experiences to the classroom, first at middle school level teaching science and STEM marine science before finding his place at Allen D. Nease High School in St John's County, Florida, teaching Introduction to Engineering and Design, Civil Engineering and Architecture, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing and sponsoring the Transportation Technology Club with a focus on Aerospace and Electrathon motorsports. He believes that industry certification creates a solid pathway to college, careers, and creativity and that collaboration and cooperation in and out of the classroom benefits all involved.
In this episode, we dive into the concepts of design thinking and creativity. We talked with John about Intuit’s Design for Delight approach, and how to teach students design thinking skills that they can leverage in the design and development process. Plus, we discussed the soft and hard skills your students gain by applying design thinking principles. If you’re not familiar with design thinking, this is a great introduction! 
Learn more about the Intuit Design for Delight Innovator certification program: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Intuit/Certifications/Certify/Design-for-Delight. 
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog. 
Connect with your fellow educators, like John, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.  John will be presenting at this year’s conference, and we know you won’t want to miss it.

Research studies consistently demonstrate the power of active learning or learning by doing. Helping students become more engaged in the learning process means creating hands-on learning opportunities. 
In our latest CERTIFIED Academy: Design webinar, we sat down with CERTIFIED Ambassador, John Beale, to talk about hands-on learning. John Beale began his educational career working in museums including the Spanish Colonial Quarter, the Florida Agriculture Museum, and the Florida Maritime Museum. After more than a decade in experiential education he brought his experiences to the classroom, first at middle school level teaching science and STEM marine science before finding his place at Allen D. Nease High School in St John's County, Florida, teaching Introduction to Engineering and Design, Civil Engineering and Architecture, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing and sponsoring the Transportation Technology Club with a focus on Aerospace and Electrathon motorsports. He believes that industry certification creates a solid pathway to college, careers, and creativity and that collaboration and cooperation in and out of the classroom benefits all involved.
We talked with John about how to make your classroom more playful and hands-on. He also talks about why play is so important for learning and engagement. 
Looking for more? Here are some additional resources to get you started. 
Bring play into the classroom with one of John’s go-to tools: https://www.blooket.com/. 
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog. 
Connect with your fellow educators, like John, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.  John will be presenting at this year’s conference, sharing a full “toolbox” of ideas for gamifying your classroom.