In this episode, listeners will hear from the Anderson District 5 experts as we take a deep dive into exploring Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Brenda Kelley, Lisa Lipscomb, and Tiffany Osborne share how MTSS helps all students reach their potential. Join us to learn why MTSS could really stand for Multi-Tiered Success Systems.​

Are you looking for opportunities to engage learners in hands-on experiences driven by your standards? Did you know each A5 school is equipped with an Innovation Learning Lab to support these opportunities? Anna Baldwin, Director of eLearning & Integration, and Dr. Paige Mitchell, Learning Engagement Coach for the SC Department of Education, share the origin story of how these tools got to your schools.

Check out the resources for this episode at bit.ly/a5italks!

In this episode we talk to Sandy Bradshaw, Anderson School District Five District's Master STEM Teacher Leader. Sandy Bradshaw has been an educator for over 35 years. Sandy utilizes a problem-based learning approach to engage students in inquiry and real-world problem-solving. In her classroom, she facilitates learning and encourages students to collaborate and communicate to solve problems or make scientific discoveries. She is also a PLTW LAUNCH Master Teacher and now travels during the summer training others. Most recently, Sandra was named as the Project Lead the Way National LAUNCH Teacher of the Year and was also awarded the Presidential Award of Excellence for Mathematics and Science Teaching. Click here to see a picture of Mrs. Bradshaw receiving the award.

Sandra has led professional development sessions at the school and district level, presented at state and national conferences, and served on district and state science leadership teams.  She is also a Mickelson /Exxon Mobil Science Teacher, a PAEMST mentor, and a reviewer for Science and Children magazine.

Sandra has a B. A. in elementary education, magna cum laude, and a M.Ed. in elementary education from Clemson University.  She is a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Middle Childhood Generalist and is also endorsed to teach gifted students.

Jake Miller is the #EduGIF Guy, a keynote speaker, tech integration specialist, Google for Education Trainer, Nerd, 8th-grade science teacher, and the #EduDuctTape Podcast Host. Educational technology works best when it's not the focus of the learning; it's a tool we're using. Think of it as duct tape; duct tape is the tool we use to make the thing we're using better or solve a problem. Educational technology is a tool we use to solve a problem, meet a goal, or address a standard. The focus is the content or learning goal. Podcasting became Jake's way of sharing more with educators when posting #EduGIFs/resources on Twitter wasn't enough. He wanted to go beyond how to use the tool and share the why and purpose of the tools. Now he sits with the DIS team to discuss all this and more!

In 1946, under the leadership of Frank Brownlee and Douglas McDougald, the Community Chest of Anderson was organized to raise funds for nonprofit agencies who worked to help people in need in Anderson County. The Community Chest exceeded its goal of $45,000 in its first year, and provided these funds to seven nonprofit agencies. The Community Chest was replaced by the United Fund in the late sixties and then joined the national United Way movement in the mid-seventies. In 2003, Foothills United Way changed its name to the United Way of Anderson County, to better reflect the area in which it serves.

This year the United Way of Anderson County is celebrating 75 years of service to the Anderson community.

Superintendent Tom Wilson speaks highly of the United Way saying, “For any school district or city to thrive, it needs a strong backbone made up of dedicated volunteers and civic-oriented leaders, and that is exactly what the United Way of Anderson County provides for our community.”

--

Carol Burdette has been the Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Anderson County since 2002 after serving as a volunteer with the organization for 13 years.

Mrs. Burdette is a native of Pendleton who has lived in Anderson County her entire life, attending Anderson County public schools and receiving a bachelor’s of arts degree from Southern Wesleyan University in 1982.  She has been involved with community organizations as a volunteer or staff member for 32 years.  For 22 of those 31 years, Carol served in elected office in the Town of Pendleton as a council member from 1987 – 1997 and mayor from 1997 – 2009.

Burdette has been honored with the Pointing The Way Award, the Athena award, the Leadership Anderson Alumni Award, presidential citation from her alma mater Southern Wesleyan University, 2014 Economic Development Ambassador for Anderson County by Governor Nikki Haley and was named as one of the 15 over 50 by the Independent Mail and named Non-Profit Director of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.  Most recently Burdette has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Women of the Upstate by the GSA Business Report

Hear from Superintendent Tom Wilson as he welcomes us back to another great school year.

Welcome to the last episode of Season 1 iTalks Podcast. Today Melissa Looney, Danae Acker, and Paige Mitchell discuss avoiding the educator summer slide. It's about leaving all of the education "work" in the classroom and using time this summer to explore your passions by digging into your why for education.

When we meet as a team on Fridays, we have roundtable discussions resulting from teachers’ questions throughout the week. Many ideas and initiatives have evolved from these talks. We now invite you into the conversation. In an effort to support the learners we serve and help you connect better with us, we have aptly named this episode style DIS-connectED. In this episode, we will be answering questions submitted by our A5 teachers.

Ashley Pursley and Danae Acker welcome back David Kelly to share his journey with personalized learning.  You'll remember David Kelly from our previous iTalks Episode called The Empowered Educator. He shared his experience as an innovative learning coordinator in Berkeley County School District. In this episode, we will take a dive into his experience with personalized learning.

Visit our site page for episode show notes and resources!

Did you know the SC Department of Education has an office for Personalized Learning? Are you familiar with personalized learning? This team of educators work to make the Profile of the SC Graduate actionable through the Personalized Learning Framework. For episode 7, the DIS Team was fortunate enough to have Dr. Sarah Catto, the Upstate’s learning coach from the Office of Personalized Learning in the South Carolina Department of Education, to answer our questions about personalized learning.

Visit our site page for episode show notes and resources!