What has 74,000 members, a 40,000 square foot office and conference center, is over 40 years old, hosts one of the largest edtech conferences in the world, and helps educators around the world advance teaching and learning through the use of technology? If you guessed TCEA, you’re right. TCEA, the Texas Computer Education Association, is a powerhouse of an nonprofit organization in the Ed Tech field and in this episode, we are thrilled to have Mrs. Lori Gracey, TCEA Executive Director and Dr. Ronnie Gonzalez, TCEA President and current Assistant Superintendent of Operations in Navasota ISD with us. We’ll learn all about TCEA, its mission, its beginnings, the incredible conference it holds yearly, and we’ll even take a look into the future of ed tech. It’s a fascinating dialogue with two very dedicated and talented educators.

LInks to topics discussed in this episode:

TCEA Website

It's Signing Day at Robert G Cole High School in San Antonio Texas. The green and gold backdrop is up. Colored balloons fill the air. The cheerleaders are energizing the crowd of supporting students as the band plays the school fight song. Excitement fills the air as a college bound senior signs a four-year scholarship to attend a State University to play on one of their varsity teams.

Is it baseball? Basketball? Football? No. It’s ESports. One of the fastest-growing activities in middle schools and high schools today, Esports is taking the country by storm and giving students the opportunity to shine not only in video games, but in real world roles like leadership, social media management, marketing, and more.

In this episode we were blessed to visit with the faculty and student founders of the Robert G. Cole Esports program - Mr. Wacey Tobler, and students Kavan and Stephen - to learn how they started the program and how they’ve nurtured it into one of the most successful clubs on campus. We hope you enjoy this lively conversation.

Here are links to some of the things discussed in this episode:

RGC ESports Edlio Landing Page

A giant Edlio thank you to Dr. Patrick Gittisriboongul for taking time out of wildly busy schedule to talk to us today about personalizing EdTech learning for teachers and staff. It is evident that Dr. Gittisriboongul and Lynwood Unified care deeply about their staff and students and Edlio is proud to ride alongside them on their journeys part of their communication solution.

Here are a few links related to our talk this week.

Lynwood Unified School District

A giant Edlio thank you to our lovely guests from The Cornelia Connelly Center in New York City…

The work they are doing at The Connelly Center is truly inspiring and we wish them continued success! To learn more about The Cornelia Connelly Center, visit their School Website and  follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Huge thanks to Julie and Jordan Riggs for taking time to talk to us about their creators’ journey from idea to app store. It’s clear that it is their passion about communication in schools that drives their success. We hope you’ll be inspired to follow your dreams, take a chance, and see where your ideas will take you!

Here are lInks to items we referenced in this episode:

SchoolInfoApp  

We want to thank Janet for taking time out of her crazy busy schedule to visit with us on this very important topic. It is evident from her journey that she is passionate about helping parents overcome language barriers. We wish her continued success in her journey.

Here are lInks to items we referenced in this episode:

The Esposas Miitares Hispanas Facebook Page

We want to thank Amanda for taking time out of her very busy schedule to visit with us. She is clearly passionate about what she does and her love for her students and willingness to help educators everywhere was evident. We hope you enjoyed the podcast.

Here are lInks to items we referenced in this episode:

Edlio is happy to announce that we're starting a new podcast - EdTech on Deck - to help guide you through these uncharted waters. Through thoughtful discussions with educators, practitioners, and parents just like you,  we hope to connect educationally-minded people together. We know there is power in a global professional learning network. We hope you'll jump onboard for EdTech on Deck!