Connected Educator

Interview Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach talks about her experiences with professional learners and the communities and opportunities most impacting their work in classrooms all around the world. Sheryl is the co-founder and Chief Executive …

Mark Sylvester talks about how edConnecter has changed the interactions educators have during CEM and what we can learn about connected networks of lifelong learners.

Amy Peterson discusses research and the impact of multi-tiered systems of support in educational settings.

Heidi Weber, an award winning educator from Ohio, talks about the profession of teaching and how she connects with educators around the country for her own professional learning.

Molly McMahon, Program Director at IDEO and a leading voice at The Teachers Guild, talks about creativity in the classroom and the creative teachers that bring life to local schools. The Guild is run by by IDEO’s Design for Learning Studio and Riverdale Country School’s Delta Group. They are a team of educators and designers, inspired by teachers across the globe who are innovating every day. The Guild gives a special shout out to those who dare to experiment with The Design Thinking for Educators Toolkit.

Jaime Singer spent time with us exploring the state of afterschool offerings, how parents can evaluate their own school and ways to get involved. Singer is the co-author of the book, Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating High-Quality Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs (4th Ed.).Interviewee Jaime S. Singer is a senior technical assistance consultant at AIR, where she works on projects for afterschool and expanded learning programs. She designs and implements state and national learning opportunities for the field of afterschool, provides technical assistance to afterschool practitioners on systemic support, and participates in afterschool policy meetings.She is co-author of the fourth edition of the seminal afterschool resource, Beyond the Bell®: A Toolkit for Creating High-Quality Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs (4thEd.), a resource for afterschool program leaders and staff.————Research shows that afterschool and expanded learning programs work best when they are high quality and evidence-based. Beyond the Bell® (4th edition) is a suite of professional development services, products, and practical tools designed to help afterschool program leaders and staff members create and sustain high-quality, effective afterschool and expanded learning programs. AIR takes the guesswork out of designing, implementing, evaluating, and improving afterschool and expanded learning programs by staying abreast of the research on what works and turning that information into accessible improvement tools.Beyond the Bell®: A Toolkit for Creating Effective Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs contains practical resources, tips, and tools and substantive information about all aspects of program design, management, partnerships, delivery, evaluation, and improvement, along with 96 ready-to-use tools. Each tool is designed so that program leaders and staff members can take action to improve their programs, taking the book off the shelf and bringing to life the concepts covered within. In the chapter on program delivery, for example, staff may read about how to create a warm and welcoming environment in their program. The related tools then enable staff to think deeply about their practice. A youth development checklist, for example, encourages them to examine current practices that foster positive growth in youth, whereas the activity planner supports staff in integrating best practices into their everyday programming. Additional tools provide concrete activity ideas that foster relationships among young people in the program and between staff and youth.Although the Toolkit may be used as a standalone resource, AIR also offers professional development on how best to use the information and associated tools. These workshops help afterschool and expanded learning programs build capacity to implement quality programming and staff development. The goal of each workshop is to help program leaders and staff implement practices in the Beyond the Bell® Toolkit effectively. As a result, participants come away not only having learned new information and ideas for implementing practices effectively, but also with hands-on experiences using tools and developing actionable strategies and practices that can be implemented immediately in their program.Through this Beyond the Bell® work, AIR is known as a recognized leader in providing professional development to the afterschool field. AIR staff members and Beyond the Bell® training specialists serve as keynote speakers at major afterschool conferences, statewide, and local trainings throughout the country and present workshops in more than 30 states. To learn more, visit www.beyondthebell.org.

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach talks about her experiences with professional learners and the communities and opportunities most impacting their work in classrooms all around the world.Sheryl is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of  Powerful Learning Practice, where she works with schools and districts from across the United States and around the world to re-envision their learning cultures and communities. She also consults with governments, school districts and non-profits that are integrating online communities and networks into their professional learning initiatives, including the US Department of Education’s Future Ready Leaders initiative; Alberta, Canada Initiative for School Improvement’s (AISI) online community of practice; and Victoria, Australia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s literacy coach community. Sheryl is a sought-after presenter at national and international events, speaking on topics of 21st Century reform, teacher and educational leadership, community building, and educational issues impacting marginalized populations such as the homeless.She is an advisor to the U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educators Initiative and a leader in the annual worldwide Connected Educator Month. She currently serves on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Board of Directors and The National Science Foundation’s CS10K Board. Sheryl also served on the New Media Consortium’s 2012 Horizon.K12 Report Advisory Board and their 2013 Horizon Higher Education Report Advisory Board. 

Interview Emily Liebtag, Ed.D talked with us about VIF International Education’s support of Connected Educator Month, the impact international educators can have here in US classrooms and how we can all get involved. If you would like to contribute your voice to the global discussion please visit What Does it Mean to be a Global Learner? Emily Liebtag, Ed.D is the Manager of Curriculum and Instructional Services at VIF International Education. Liebtag creates educational resources and professional development focused on global education. Liebtag taught in Durham Public Schools in North Carolina and has studied Elementary Education for the past 10 years. In addition to her work at VIF, she received her B.A. in Elementary Education and her M.Ed. in Science Education from UNC-Chapel Hill and is a Ed.D candidate in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the University of Virginia.

Matt Harris, Ed.D recently moved from Singapore to Jakarta to serve as the Deputy Head for Learning Technology at the British School of Jakarta, Indonesia. Harris talks about how the US education system is viewed from around the world and shares the impact multiple stops have had on his family. The interview closes with advice for technology companies who want to make a difference in global education.Dr. Matt Harris, Chair-Elect, ISTE Deputy Head for Learning Technology, works an international educator presently serving as the Deputy Head for Learning Technology at the British School of Jakarta in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is an EdTech leader, speaker, and author having worked with International Schools and Ministries of Education in North America, East Asia, and the Middle East. He also serves as the incoming Chair of the Board for ISTE, taking over as chair in January at which time he will become the first Chair to hold the post while living and working outside the US.