Coffee With A Geek Podcast Andrew Wheelock

Nef Dukes is an artist, teacher, and videographer!  I came across Nef's work virtually through her Screencastify job.  She creates fantastic, easy to understand, videos on how to use Screencastify for amazing education based projects.  She's a wealth of information and a fascinating person. A little about Nef in her own words:  "Nefertiti Dukes is a former humanities teacher. After leaving the classroom, she took her passion for technology to Screencastify where she helped other educators harness the power of technology. Now, you can find her espousing the benefits of technology to improve workflows, save time, and communicate more effectively".  Connect with Nef:  Twitter: @niftynef Website:  EdTech Heroes Podcast

Most times my guests come from my Twitter Feed. My guest this week is no different, however, I thought I would take a little different spin this time. Instead of an "in the trenches" educator, I thought it would be helpful to get some insight from someone within the Technology sphere. Lise Rasmussen is a Cloud Solution Architect with Microsoft. Also, she hosts the WITGirls Podcast. (Women in Technology). I really wanted to get LIse's perspective on Women in Technology, thoughts about the future of Technology, and her day to day work. Lise is an amazing example of how you can pursue new careers in technology with passion and focus.

A little about Lise in her own words: I work as a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. My focus technology is the Power Platform in Microsoft 365

Ways to connect with Lise:

@sharepointbabe on Twitter and Instagram
Blog: https://sharepointbabe.com
Podcast: https://witgirlspodcast.podbean.com/

I came across Cristen in one of the Adobe courses about Creativity. Cristen offered a lot of great tips and ideas on how to embed creativity into your lessons and projects. I reached out via Twitter and she responded right away and was gracious enough to chat with me about creativity, her experiences in education, and her ideas for improving pedagogy. She has an incredible breadth of experiences as a learner and teacher.

A little about Cristen in her own words: Cristen holds a B.A in Political Science with a minor in World Religions from Boston University, a M.A. from New York University in Secondary Social Studies Education, and dual certification in Social Studies and Exceptional Student Education. She was born and raised in New York and has been a full-time teacher since 2007. After teaching for eight years in the New York City public school system in the Bronx, she moved with her family to South Florida and where she teaches Social Science and Social Entrepreneurship courses at a private school in Palm Beach County. She has extensive training in curriculum design and instruction and has worked with many teachers in professional development throughout her career.

Ways to connect:
Twitter (@CrisMagaletti)

I’m an Adobe Education Leader (AEL) and an Adobe Master Teacher. As a part of this community, I have been a contributor to many lessons on their edex.adobe.com platform.

Blog contributor to GoGuardian:
​​https://www.goguardian.com/blog/how-out-of-the-box-thinking-fuels-student-creativity
https://www.goguardian.com/blog/5-tips-for-designing-a-student-centered-learning-environment

As many of you know, I've been fascinated with the potential of Virtual Worlds for educational purposes.  Once a proud member of ISTE's Virtual Environments Network PLN (PLN no longer exists!) I have been an advocate for virtual environment possibilities.  As of yet, there has been limited progress towards moving forward on a large scale.  Recently there has been renewed interest in virtual world education specifically in Second Life with the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium.  (VWEC) This group has been creating an Education Hub in this virtual world.

I thought it would be a great time to chat with Jennifer Vandiver who is doing research on virtual world education for her Doctoral Dissertation.  Here is our interview conducted in Second Life.  

A little bit about Jennifer in her own words.  "I currently live in Indiana and work as an adjunct psychology professor for Ivy Tech Community College where I teach mostly introduction to psychology courses. My degree background includes psychology, sociology, and philosophy. I am currently working on my doctorate in educational psychology. I have been a resident in Second Life for nearly 9 years and have been fascinated by all aspects of the virtual world. My dissertation is interested in the experiences of educators who teach in Second Life at the post-secondary level."

I had a fantastic interview with Math Teacher Melissa Dean.  I came across Melissa on Twitter, when one of her former students Tweeted about how much Melissa inspired her.  Twitter can still offer positive feedback so I thought it was worth checking out Melissa's Twitter Feed.  I wasn't disappointed.  Melissa is a powerhouse classroom teacher but also is a Podcaster, blogger, and author.  Her book, Unravel School: Reimagine Classrooms, Reinvent Assessment, & Revive Learning is now available on Amazon and other book sellers.  I really enjoyed chatting with Melissa about Math and More.

A little about Melissa in her own words:  Melissa is a grade 7 teacher in Southeastern Manitoba, Canada. She has been a classroom educator for 20 years, spanning grades 1 to 12. She is passionate about assessment and grading reform, and mathematics education. In her spare time, she enjoys drinking coffee, running, writing and baking sourdough bread.

To Connect with Melissa:

Twitter:  @dean_of_math

Instagram @dean_of_math

Website:  deanofmath.wordpress.com

I'm so honored to have Silky Vyas as my first guest of the 2022 year.  I've been following Silky for a long time on Twitter and she shares fantastic ideas and resources.  Her background is incredibly extensive so it was a real challenge to keep my interview under 30 minutes.  However, she has a great way of crystallizing big topics into more manageable parts.   An asset for any teacher.

A little about Silky in her own words:  

Silky Vyas is presently the EY and PYP ICT Coach and Head of Information Services at Shen Wai International School, Shenzhen.

She is one of the board members of SENIA (Special Education Network and Inclusion Association) Shenzhen Chapter.

She is an ISTE Certified Educator and has more than thirteen years of teaching experience in International Baccalaureate schools, she collaborates with teachers to integrate technology and information fluency skills into the IB curriculum

She coaches the classroom and specialist teachers to use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences for all students and empower them as independent learners.

She is passionate about new technology tools for making teaching and learning compelling, relevant, and with rigor. She is also keen on exploring the uses of immersive and assistive technology tools that are meaningful, engaging, and interactive.

Follow Silky:  Twitter @silkyjay