Principally Speaking

I enjoyed connecting with Dr. Robert Dillon, Director of Technology and Innovation for Affton Schools in Affton, Missouri. Dr. Dillon is a former Middle School Principal who clearly works hard to empower teachers and students. His latest book, Leading Connected Educators includes the stories of several successful Missouri educators.

Dr. Dillon's Website

Connect on Twitter

As I transition to my new role as a Principal, it was very valuable to me to speak with Robyn. Her latest book specifically opened my eyes to understanding what approach an administrator needs to take when working to help teachers improve. We also discussed her framework for her book Never Work Harder Than Your Students. I really enjoyed this conversation and hope you do as well.

Robyn on Twitter

Mindsteps

Never Underestimate Your Teachers

Tom was a great guest to have on Principally Speaking. He reminded me that unless listeners are changing their educational practice, there isn't much point to my show. Be sure to connect with Tom on Twitter, check out his very well-written blog, and become of a member of the Educator's PLN. Finally, he is the co-author of The Relevant Educator and author of The Educator's Guide to Creating Connections, due for release this September.

Connect with Tom on Twitter

Tom's Blog

The Educator's PLN

Mr. Tom Murray is the Digital Learning Director for the Alliance for Excellent Education. If you're a school leader and you haven't already, I would strongly urge to check out the Future Ready Schools website and take the pledge for your district. I'm excited about the prospects of the Future Ready Leadership Network. Also, don't forget to check out the book Leading Professional Learning, which he co-wrote with Jeff Zoul, my guest on Episode 34.

Tom's Website

Connect with Tom on Twitter

In the first part of this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Kristen Swanson, the co-founder of the Edcamp movement. We talk about her previous experience as a teacher and tech director, as well as her current work as an author, consultant, professor, and Director of the Research Institute at BrightBytes (whew!). In between everything else, I learn that Barcamps are like Edcamps but for coders, and that these were an inspiration to get Edcamps going. For a great place to learn more about Edcamps, especially if you want to run your own, head to edcamp.org and click on the book below.

For the second part of the show, I speak with Michelle White, who is the Director of the Passport to Innovative Education Program at The Summit in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Summit is graciously hosting EdCamp Fort Wayne this summer on July 23.

Click the image below to learn about this program.

Click below to register for EdCamp Fort Wayne 2015! It's FREE!

I've been politely bothering Sharon to be a guest on Principally Speaking for awhile and we were finally able to connect. Sharon is a Special Education Teacher as well as the Technology Director for Eagle Hill Southport School which is located in SW Connecticut. It's very clear that everything she does at Eagle Hill is centered around helping students and I really appreciated her perspective on teacher leadership. She's also an expert on using the iPad to assist students with special needs. Finally, be sure to check out her podcast Learning Differently. It was great to hear her latest episode with Jeffrey Benson, who was an early guest on Principally Speaking.

Sharon's Website: The Road to Learning

Sharon's Podcast: Learning Differently

Connect with Sharon on Twitter

I connected with Riley Johnson last year at EdCamp Fort Wayne. Last year, Riley left Indiana for the Assistant Principal position at New Tech High School in Napa, California. He will be taking over as Principal this summer. I'm grateful to have a dynamic leader in my professional learning network going through the same transition as myself.

Riley's Twitter

Paul Solarz is a 5th grade teacher in Arlington Heights, Illinois. I really enjoyed hearing about his dynamic student-centered classroom and I think you will too. Check out his new book Learn Like a Pirate if you want to "Empower Your Students to Collaborate, Lead, and Succeed." You can connect with Paul on Twitter @PaulSolarz and he can also be found at the #learnLAP and #tlap hashtags.

Just last year, I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Baruti Kafele speak at a local school. It was extremely inspirational and helped reinvigorate my passion for education and building relationships with students. I am honored to have had the opportunity to speak to him on my show and look forward to connecting with him in person at some point. I'd highly recommend checking out his books as well as his website, which is home to his dynamic YouTube videos, which deliver powerful messages to both educators and students alike.

Principal Kafele's Website

Connect with Mr. Kafele on Twitter