The Virtual Staffroom

By Chris Betcher

Education K-12 Educational Technology

What's The Virtual Staffroom about?

Conversations with leading teachers about technology in the classroom.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Virtual Staffroom episodes:

02.19.2022
VSR46: This is Personal
Kathleen McClaskey and Barbara Bray take a special interest in personalised learning, differentiated instruction and the whole concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In this episode we dig into many of these concepts to learn more, including the sharing...
02.19.2022
VSR45: Blocks and Filters
Like most teachers, Brett Moller, Bruce Fuda, Ashley Proud and Carolyn Foote all have to deal with the realities of filters and blocks on their school Internet connection, although they all experience this reality in slightly different ways.. In this...
02.19.2022
VSR44: A World of Difference
Michael Graffin is a young relief teacher from near Perth, Western Australia who has never had his own classroom but has still managed to discover the joys of working across the Internet on global projects. In this episode, Michael is...
02.19.2022
VSR43: The Global Village
John Warnken is a good guy. He's 58 years old, lives in Florida and is not officially a teacher. However, John has been voluntarily working with students from all over the world to help them improve their English and broaden...
02.19.2022
VSR42: iOS App Smackdown!
Deon Scanlon, Andrew Churches, Allanah King and Amanda Marrinan are leading Australian and New Zealand educators who use iPads, iPods (and even iPhones) in their work with kids. In this episode we share 48 of our favourite and most useful...
02.19.2022
VSR41: Culture and Vision
Helen Otway is an assistant principal and Ultranet Coach in Victoria, Australia. She is passionate about ICT, professional development and developing a school culture of continual learning. In this episode we talk about a range of topics including sharing to...
02.19.2022
VSR40: There's an App for That
Apple's iDevices are gaining lots of traction in the education sphere lately, and with good reason. They have many of the characteristics of an almost perfect learning device, so it's no wonder so many schools around the world are trying to work out how...
02.19.2022
VSR39: Scientific Curiosity
Tim Kong, John Pearce, Britt Gow and Leigh Zeitz get together to chat about science education, but we soon get carried away talking about some of the bigger, broader issues of teaching in general. In the end, we cover a...
02.19.2022
VSR38: Student Voice
When it comes to blogging with students, Linda Yollis and Kathleen Morris know what they're talking about. In this episode they share some of their wisdom about getting very young students to blog effectively. Some great tips and advice on...
02.19.2022
VSR37: Design is Everything
Melinda Alford is a teacher who cares about design. From the design of her classroom, to the design of her school, to the design of the work she expects from her students, design plays an important role in the things she does....
02.19.2022
VSR36: Connected
In this episode I get to have a fun chat with three highly connected educators about the value that being connected brings to them. Chrissy Hellier is a New Zealander working in Bangkok; Amanda Marrinan teaches in Brisbane Australia; and...
02.19.2022
VSR35: Free As In Speech
Mark Osborne from Albany Senior High School in NZ joins us to talk about the way his school leverages the power of Open Source software, cloud computing and hosted servers. We are also joined by Australian teachers Roland Gesthuizen and...
02.19.2022
VSR34: Short Notice
After rustling these guys up on Twitter at short notice, Rob Newberry, David Wees, Linda Pilkington, Britt Gow and Suzie Vesper join us to talk about copyright, iPads and iPods, and pretty much anything else on their minds! Originally published July...
02.19.2022
VSR33: This Is Not Amazing
During the recent Australian ITSC Conferences run by Apple Australia, Chris Betcher gave the keynote address called This is Not Amazing. This podcast is a recording of that keynote. Originally recorded May 30, 2010 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/virtual-staffroom/message
02.19.2022
VSR32: Be Very Afraid
Be Very Afraid is the brainchild of Professor Stephen Heppell, a gathering that brings together students from all over the UK to showcase some incredible ICT related projects. In this episode we hear some Stephen's personal insights about BVA. Originally published...
02.19.2022
VSR31: The Culture Shift
Pamela Livingston, Leslie Wison and Ben Jones know an awful lot about implementing successful 1-1 computing rollouts. In this episode we dig into the core ideas behind a successful 1-1 implementation. Originally published January 20, 2010 --- Send in a voice message:...
02.19.2022
VSR30: The Whiteboard Conundrum
In this episode as we speak with Rob Newberry, James Hollis, Danny Nicholson, Martin Levins and Stuart Walsh, five experienced and opinionated IWB users and try to explore some of the bigger, deeper questions behind the use of IWB technology. Originally...
02.19.2022
VSR29: The C Word
This episode is a roundup of thoughts, ideas and impressions from delegates at the recent IWBNet Leading a Digital School Conference on Australia's Gold Coast. Originally published September 7, 2009 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/virtual-staffroom/message
02.19.2022
VSR28: All This Scratchin'
Bill Kerr and Peter Ruwoldt teach in South Australia and have been using Scratch extensively with their students for quite a while. Peter was very involved in Scratch Day, an annual event to promote Scratch, and he shares some of his...
02.19.2022
VSR27: Raising The Bar
Jarrod Robinson, Ben Jones and Shane Roberts are not ones for sticking with the status quo. Our conversation explores some very cool tools being used for integrating technology with PE, such as Bluetooth broadcasting, QR codes and the Wii Remote. Originally...
02.19.2022
VSR26: Cold Snap
In a bit of a departure from the usual format for the show, in this episode we play a recording of a Skype call between our three Year 5 classrooms at PLC Sydney and Anthony Powell, a communications technician at...
02.19.2022
VSR25: Computer In My Pocket
In this episode we chat to two teachers with a great deal of experience with cellphones for education - Liz Kolb from Ann Arbor, USA and Toni Twiss from Hamilton, New Zealand. Originally published September 28, 2008 --- Send in a voice...
02.19.2022
VSR24: From The Front
This episode is a compilation of live interviews from the Second Leading a Digital School conference in Sydney, Australia. This conference focuses on providing school leaders with the skills and mindsets needed to lead our schools into the 21st century. Originally...
02.19.2022
VSR23: Cos I'm Free
Pia Waugh is the president of Linux Australia, so-owner of Waugh Partners, and a leader of the OLPC project in Australia. She is passionate and knowledgeable about the use of Open Source technologies in schools and business. Originally published July 16,...
02.19.2022
VSR22: Moodlemania
In this episode we are joined by three highly experiences Moodle users who share some insights with us. Talia Carbin, Darrel Branson and Julian Ridden each work intensively with Moodle in three different settings and in different ways. Originally published June...
02.19.2022
VSR21: Teaching Tech
Kim Cofino and Susan Sedro work to assist teachers to successfully integrate technology in authentic and meaningful ways. In this podcast we get to hear some of the wise advice that Kim and Susan have learned as they fulfill this...
02.19.2022
VSR20: The Kiwi Connection
Jane Nicholls, Chrissy Hellier, Allanah King and Simon Evans are leading educators from New Zealand who live and breathe collaborative technologies. In this episode they chat about topics as diverse as podcasting, Skype, Twitter and Second Life. Originally published November 25,...
02.19.2022
VSR19: Beyond The Filters
In this episode Chris Betcher gets interviewed by Texan librarian Carolyn Foote. They discuss a range of issues from dealing with the restrictions of policies and filters, the use of Skype for cross-cultural learning, and anything else that came to...
02.19.2022
VSR18: The Learning Trail
Anne Wade is research project manager at Montreal's Concordia University, and her focus is on a project known as ePearl, a web based tool that enables students to gather, present and reflect upon their work and leave a learning trail...
02.19.2022
VSR17: I Like Chinese!
Jess McCulloch is an extremely enthusiastic Chinese language teacher who is turning to technology to help engage and excite her students about the language. In this episode Jess talks about some of the cool tools she is using in her...
02.19.2022
VSR16: Global Conversations
The K12 Online Conference is an innovative approach to professional development for educators. In this episode we talk with the conveners of the event and discuss the history and philosophy behind it. Originally published October 12, 2007 --- Send in a voice...
02.19.2022
VSR15: Whiteboards Everywhere!
This episode comes to you directly from the Fourth National Interactive Whiteboard Conference on the Gold Coast. We wander around the conference interviewing delegates, as well as bringing you part of videoconference session with Ben Hazzard. Originally published September 4, 2007 ---...
02.19.2022
VSR14: Questions Are The Answer
As a leading teacher-librarian, Barbara Braxton knows about information literacy. In this episode, we talk with Barbara about the information process, developing "thick questions", and creating tasks that avoid the need to plagiarise. Originally published August 28, 2007 --- Send in a...
02.19.2022
VSR13: Happy Birthday Edublogs!
Edublogs is a well-respected free educational blogging service started two years ago by James Farmer. In this episode we talk to James about the Edublogs service, where it grew from and where it's going, and some great ideas for classroom...
02.19.2022
VSR12: Use It Till It Breaks
Adrian Bruce is an innovative Australian teacher who freely gives away his work over the Internet. After nearly 10 years of giving his stuff away, his website gets over 2 million hits every month as it distributes his work to...
02.19.2022
VSR11: Taking It Further
In this episode we talk to Simon O'Carroll and Neil D'Aguair about the Flat Planet Project. These two teachers met via the blogosphere and came up with this effective project for their students that took them much further than they...
02.19.2022
VSR10: Open Minded
In this episode we talk with Rob Ruberry and Jason Hando, two Australian teachers that have a good deal of experience with such Open Source tools as Joomla, Mambo and Moodle. We discuss the pros and cons of Open Source...
02.19.2022
VSR09: Changing Focus
Our guests in this episode are Bruce Fuda and Mark Harriott from Stromlo High School in the ACT. Their school is developing their own curriculum, has recently restructured itself as a Year 6-10 school, and has also been targeted as...
02.19.2022
VSR08: Flat Classrooms
In this episode we talk with Janet Barnstable from Oak Park, Illinois and Sharon Peters from Montreal, Quebec. Both Janet and Sharon are leading proponents of collaborative online learning projects. Originally published December 30, 2006 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/virtual-staffroom/message
02.19.2022
VSR07: Getting One To One
Paul McMahon talks about the sorts of planning and background issues involved in transitioning a school from a traditional learning environment to one in which students are given laptops as learning tools. Originally published December 27, 2006 --- Send in a voice...
02.19.2022
VSR06: A Bird's Eye View
Luc Zwartjes is a geography teacher from Belgium with a deep interest in the use of GIS/GPS. His work is a great example of a passionate teacher working with students on real-world problems using sophisticated technology to create engaging tasks. Originally...
02.19.2022
VSR05: Look At The Board
In this episode we talk with Bryn Jones and Paul McMahon about a range of ideas and issues around the use of IWBs. We also touch on the value of an IWB enabled classroom as well as a number of...
02.19.2022
VSR04: Across The Pond
In this episode we explore the use of Skype as a communication tool by hosting a group Skypecast with members of the Australian OzTeachers group. Skypecasts enable a large group of people to get together in a virtual chat space...
02.19.2022
VSR03: It Takes Leadership
Interactive Whiteboards are becoming a central component of a 21st Century classroom. Join John Pearce, Margo Metcalf and Mal Lee as they talk about the best ways to implement an IWB program. Originally published October 23, 2006 --- Send in a...
02.19.2022
VSR02: The New Web
What is Web 2.0 and why is it important? This episode talks with Michael Cridland, a young Brisbane teacher who is looking at ways to incorporate podcasting and blogging into his classroom. Originally published October 12, 2006 --- Send in a voice...
02.19.2022
VSR01: Learning for Life
Our first episode features a conversation with Anne Baird from Wedderburn school in Victoria. Anne talks about the role of ICTs in today's classrooms, the changing nature of learning and the importance of the teacher's role in learning. Originally published October...
01.20.2012
VSR46: This is Personal
Kathleen McClaskey and Barbara Bray take a special interest in personalised learning, differentiated instruction and the whole concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In this episode we dig into many of these concepts to learn more, including the sharing...
01.12.2012
VSR45: Blocks and Filters
Like most teachers, Brett Moller, Bruce Fuda, Ashley Proud and Carolyn Foote all have to deal with the realities of filters and blocks on their school Internet connection, although they all experience this reality in slightly different ways.. In this...
01.12.2012
VSR44: A World of Difference
Michael Graffin is a young relief teacher from near Perth, Western Australia who has never had his own classroom but has still managed to discover the joys of working across the Internet on global projects. In this episode, Michael is...
04.15.2011
VSR43: The Global Village
John Warnken is a good guy. He's 58 years old, lives in Florida and is not officially a teacher. However, John has been voluntarily working with students from all over the world to help them improve their English and broaden...

What's The Virtual Staffroom about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Virtual Staffroom episodes:

VSR46: This is Personal

VSR45: Blocks and Filters

VSR44: A World of Difference

VSR43: The Global Village

VSR42: iOS App Smackdown!

VSR41: Culture and Vision

VSR40: There's an App for That

VSR39: Scientific Curiosity

VSR38: Student Voice

VSR37: Design is Everything

VSR36: Connected

VSR35: Free As In Speech

VSR34: Short Notice

VSR33: This Is Not Amazing

VSR32: Be Very Afraid

VSR31: The Culture Shift

VSR30: The Whiteboard Conundrum

VSR29: The C Word

VSR28: All This Scratchin'

VSR27: Raising The Bar

VSR26: Cold Snap

VSR25: Computer In My Pocket

VSR24: From The Front

VSR23: Cos I'm Free

VSR22: Moodlemania

VSR21: Teaching Tech

VSR20: The Kiwi Connection

VSR19: Beyond The Filters

VSR18: The Learning Trail

VSR17: I Like Chinese!

VSR16: Global Conversations

VSR15: Whiteboards Everywhere!

VSR14: Questions Are The Answer

VSR13: Happy Birthday Edublogs!

VSR12: Use It Till It Breaks

VSR11: Taking It Further

VSR10: Open Minded

VSR09: Changing Focus

VSR08: Flat Classrooms

VSR07: Getting One To One

VSR06: A Bird's Eye View

VSR05: Look At The Board

VSR04: Across The Pond

VSR03: It Takes Leadership

VSR02: The New Web

VSR01: Learning for Life

VSR46: This is Personal

VSR45: Blocks and Filters

VSR44: A World of Difference

VSR43: The Global Village