My Disney Class podcast

Transitioning Magic To High School With Kevin Roughton.

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie are excited to welcome back, Kevin Roughton. Kevin is a history teacher at Patriot high school in Jurupa California. He also is an educational speaker, and author of the book Teach With Magic. Use Disney Imagineering Techniques To Make Your Classroom The Most Engaging Place On Earth!

On the show today, Kevin talks to us about how he has been working to transition from the middle school classroom, which he had completely gamified and immersive for his middle school students, to the high school classroom. He shares what has worked for him so far with high school students and also shares things that haven't worked as well. Kevin talks about how he now engages high school students with a unit-to-unit model of gamification and even shares some of his best lessons from this past year. This includes themed breakout rooms using the Stranger Things series and even teaching economics through the life of Walt Disney.

Kevin also shares with us a little bit about his book that we dove deeper into on his first appearance, which was the Season 6 episode 20 show. So if you want to hear more about his book and his study of Imagineers and how their work can transfer to education, check out that episode! We wrap up with Kevin discussing an educational conference he attends every year at Disneyland called the Courageous Creativity Conference.

We hope you enjoyed our episode today with the incredible Kevin Roughton and hope you check out all the great stuff he has in his book and on his webpage especially if you are looking to add a little bit or even a lot of gamification to your classroom.

Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join our fun and supportive community in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple Music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie are again excited to explore Disney's magic through an educational lens. Howie and Ryan, delve into the educational opportunities provided by Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Park which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Ryan and Howie begin by acknowledging the special milestone of Animal Kingdom Park and discuss the park's evolution since its opening in 1998. They also highlight the park's unique focus on conservation, environmental education, and showcasing the natural world. Of course, Howie and Ryan share some of their personal experiences and memories of the park over the years since it opened and emphasize its immersive theming and educational value.

The hosts then dive deeper and explore the educational potential of Animal Kingdom Park as a rich resource for teachers and educators. They emphasize the park's various themed lands, such as Discovery Island, Africa, Asia, and Pandora - The World of Avatar, each offering distinct educational experiences. They then discuss how teachers can leverage these immersive environments to create engaging lessons in subjects like Science, Biology, Geography, Cultural Studies, and Environmental awareness.

We hope you enjoyed our episode today about the educational possibilities offered by Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Park. We hope we encouraged you to explore the park's resources, tap into its immersive environments, and use it as a catalyst for sparking students' curiosity, imagination, and love for learning.

Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join our fun and supportive community in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple Music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie welcome back one of our favorite guests, the always-inspiring Jerry Johnson. Jerry is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Strategic Public Relations at Buena Vista University. Jerry has produced and directed various documentaries, short films, corporate videos, news specials, and promotions. Under his direction, the Digital Media students at Buena Vista have received many awards for their work in these areas. Many most importantly, Jerry is considered the on-campus Disney expert!

On today's show, Ryan and Howie have Jerry on to talk about his latest and greatest project, The Cobblestone documentary. This documentary that Jerry is leading a team of his students to create is about the historic Cobblestone, a unique music venue located in Storm Lake, Iowa that featured performances by bands from the Big Band era. Jerry talks about how his team of students is working as historians as they document, film, and interview the preservationist and former patrons of the historic Cobblestone. Jerry shares lots of stories that he and his students have gathered and how they build upon this to patch together the fascinating history of this iconic music venue. There is one thing that becomes really clear for Jerry and his students, and that is that everyone has a story about the Cobblestone!

We hope you enjoyed our talk today with Jerry Johnson about his latest student project and documentary. We also hope you are inspired to work with your students on a project that looks to preserve the past as well. As the Cobblestone served as the hub for the community to gather, there are many historic buildings like this one that need to be preserved, not just for their cultural and historical significance, but also as a way to connect us to our past and inspire us for the future.

Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join our fun and supportive community in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple Music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie celebrate that special holiday, May 4th. That's right, May the fourth be with you! Star Wars fans across the globe celebrate May 4th as Star Wars Day and on today's episode, Howie and Ryan wanted to celebrate too by sharing ways that you can bring Star Wars into your classroom.

In a galaxy not too far away, Ryan and Howie have some ideas on how to bring some of that galactic magic that Lucus films, and now Disney does so well with ideas on how you can incorporate Star Wars characters, worlds, and even foods into school lesson that help teach physics, language arts, geography, and many more subjects. Examples range from high-level physics problems used to figure out the speed of a TIE Fighter to more elementary-level ideas like designing your own Star Wars character to color and create a backstory for. We believe that even if you are not a Star Wars fan, you can find inspiration in the elaborate and imaginative universe that George Lucas created back in 1976.

We hope you enjoyed our celebration of May The Fourth Be With You Day and we can't wait to hear about all the out this-universe lessons you do or did with your students. Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join our fun and supportive community in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple Music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!

LINKS:

www.educationworld.com › may-fourth-be-youMay the Fourth Be With You: Celebrating Star Wars Day in the ...

www.teacherspayteachers.com › Browse › Search:may themay the fourth be with you lessons - TeachersPayTeachers

www.techlearning.com › tl-advisor-blog › may-the-4thMay the 4th Be With You: Best Free Star Wars Teaching Ideas

https://www.starwars.com/video/artificial-intelligence-science-and-star-wars

www.teacherspayteachers.com › Browse › Search:may theMay The Fourth Teaching Resources | TPT - TeachersPayTeachers

www.sciencebuddies.org › blog › may4-star-wars-stemStar Wars STEM Activities for May the 4th Be With You Science

www.playpartyplan.com › may-the-fourth-be-with-you51 Best Ways to Celebrate Star Wars Day - Play Party Plan

Design Academy-With Ryan

Remembering Rolly Crump

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Ryan and Howie reflect and remember the contributions of the legendary Rolly Crump. At the age of 93, Roland "Rolly" Crump passed away peacefully in his home in Carlsbad CA on March 12, 2023. Most of us Disney fans know Rolly through his contributions to famous classic Disney attractions like Small World, The Haunted Mansion, and The Enchanted Tiki Room but Rolly's unique and whimsical style and art can be seen in a variety of ways all around the world. He truly had an interesting perspective on the world and through his direct style of communication, he had no qualms about sharing his views and vision. This characteristic made Rolly one of Walt's favorite people and a trusted ally.

On today's show, Ryan and Howie share a little bit about what they know about Rolly's journey and the stories that he told about Walt, and the different attractions he worked on. Howie and Ryan share their love for his uniqueness and his love of having fun and pulling pranks. It certainly is fitting that My Disney Class Podcast is honoring Rolly on its April 1st show!

We hope you enjoyed our brief look at celebrating the life of the Disney legend Rolly Crump. We also hope you are inspired to search out those unique and different students in your classrooms and buildings and help support them in sharing their unique perspectives with the world. Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join the fun and supportive community we have in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!

In today's episode of My Disney Class Podcast, Ryan and Howie discuss how Walt motivated his Imagineers and other staff. Of course we all have some experience with either needing motivation, having to motivate, or wishing for believers in our work in education. In our discussion today, let's look at some of the traits that has been reported about Walt Disney and see if we can make some connections and grabs some inspiration for our own schools and staff!

In this episode, Howie and Ryan will share what they have found in their research and readings about Walt. They share first hand accounts from legends like Bob Gurr and Rolly Crump about what they observed Walt doing that embodied great leadership and motivated the best out of his employees. Ryan and Howie will also share their personal stories and thoughts on motivation and embracing change as well.

We hope you enjoy today's show about learning to inspire through a reflective lens of how Walt Disney lead. Remember, if you like the show and want to help us spread the word about it and build our already amazing community, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Celebrate Soulfully

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss Black History Month. They look at how it's celebrated at Walt Disney World and how and how it can be observed in schools. Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada and more recently has been observed in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada, while in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it is observed in October.

On today's show, Ryan and Howie share how Walt Disney World recognizes Black History Month through distinctive opportunities throughout the parks and Disney Springs. Disney calls this celebration, Celebrate Soulfully! The unique and diverse offerings range from Black artists and performers to beautiful music and delicious food. There are definitely many options and opportunities for guests to experience at least a small sampling and exposure to the rich and diverse Black and African-American cultures. The episode wraps up with Ryan sharing several ideas with educators on how they can bring lessons and projects into their classrooms that can also help teach students about Black History. As well as expose them to the wonderful culture and people that makeup such a large part of our American history foundation.

We hope you enjoyed our brief look at celebrating Black History Month and we hope we inspired you to celebrate and promote Black history in your classroom. Not only in February but all year long! Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join the fun and supportive community we have in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!

Edmagineering Education Conference

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan welcome an old friend and a brand new friend to the show. Brian Collins is a former Imagineer who has worked with Ryan and Howie for almost eight years now and the three are uniting forces with an incredible educator named Erin King. Erin was on My Disney Class Podcast last year and she talked all about her passion for education and how she built a highly successful conference for teachers called The Happy Teacher Conference. Over the last year, Erin, Brian, Howie, and Ryan have been working behind the scenes to take the best parts of Erin's The Happy Teacher Conference and the best parts of P.D. Magic and create a super boutique conference that is personalized for a wide variety of educators from all over the globe. This conference is now known as The Edmagineering Education Conference!

On today's show, the group will discuss why we thought this partnership was a great idea and what our goals are in creating this new experience for educators. We will also discuss what the four-day event will entail and what we hope educators will get out of this highly immersive experience. We also may talk a little bit about the magic that is sure to happen when you combine educators, the world of education, and the most magical place in the world! We will also talk about ways to approach your administration about paying for and supporting your learning experience at the Edmagineering Education Conference and offer our support as needed.

We hope you enjoyed our announcement about our newest offering and hope you are just as excited as we are about attending The Edmagineering Education Conference, in Orlando from June 19th through June 22nd, as we are! Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join the fun and supportive community we have in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!

Best Educational Experiences At WDW

In today's My Disney Class Podcast episode, Howie and Ryan discuss some of their favorite educational attractions at Walt Disney World. Most people when they think of Disney, think of a place that is just for fun but it also has many attractions and programs that are geared toward learning about other cultures, the arts, and the environment. Not to mention that a lot of parents wonder if taking their kids out of school for a Disney World vacation is a good idea. You can save a ton of money if you visit WDW when school is in session but are the savings worth the time and work missed in school?

On today's show, Ryan and Howie will help tackle the question of whether or not you can find educational value in a trip to Walt Disney World. They will discuss several educational attractions and places you can visit that definitely have a solid foundation in all sorts of history, arts, communication, technology, etc. They will show that with some preparation and solid planning, you can easily justify the educational quality of a Disney World vacation primarily because Walt Disney valued children and especially their education and the company carries on that tradition.

We hope you enjoyed our discussion about educational attractions and things to do on your next Walt Disney World vacation. Like we always say, on every trip to WDW you will learn and find something new. Don't forget, if you haven't already, to join the fun and supportive community we have in our Facebook group, Educators who love Disney. Don't forget to rate and review our podcast on Apple music. Your support and feedback will only make us better!