Voices of Readiness Podcast

If we could choose a press agent for Microsoft certifications, it would be Kathy Schmit. Kathy is a 10-year veteran teacher with 25 years of firsthand experience applying Microsoft products in the business industry, now serving as the statewide Actualization Manager for CCI Learning, for the WA legislatively funded Microsoft certification support team. Kathy entered the Career and Technical Education field to prepare students for the rigors and realities of the work world. Having been passed over for workplace advancement because she lacked certification or college credentials, she understands the importance and value of certification.

Kathy taught Microsoft certification for 10 years. She has had the pleasure of witnessing 3 of her students compete at the Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in Washington, DC, 4 students compete at the MOS U.S. National Championship, and several students win national and state championships through FBLA for Microsoft certification. Kathy takes great pleasure in the fact that, through their Microsoft certification and skills, many of her students have become mentors for local businesses and adults in their community, not to mention the jobs they have qualified for. Kathy will be the first to tell, in her enthusiastic manner, that certification matters! But above all else she will share with you and make you a believer that certification is for EVERYONE!

In this episode, we talked about all things Microsoft certification: how to get your students excited, where to involve parents, collaborating with other teachers at your school, and leveraging the power of Microsoft certification in your community. It's not an exaggeration to say that Kathy has seen these certifications change lives, and we know that after this episode, you'll catch her vision.

Connect with Kathy on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineschmit/

You can read about Kathy's student, Ashley, here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2017/September/MOS-Certification-Got-Me-a-Job-at-15.

You can also watch Ashley's story on video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAQrlFtQCPM&list=PLhe3YAc2ftVoYFnZaIRIXpzdL36xo4pkq&index=2

Great minds don't always think alike, or even approach their careers in the same way. And that's okay! For this week's episode, we're sharing the audio from our latest Adobe Certified Professional Academy webinar. We were privileged to sit down with three fabulous creative professionals: A graphic designer, Kai Charvet; a motion graphics artist, Natalie Palumbo; and a UI/UX designer, Sarah Kim. Together we discussed their pathways to success, how they see their fields changing, and what they wish they would've known before starting their careers.

You can see all our Adobe Certified Professional Academy webinars here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/September/Certiport-Adobe-Certified-Professional-Academy.

In 2020, creativity was the most highly demanded soft-skill by employers. And the demand for creativity isn't expected to go down anytime soon. But how can educators bring creativity and fresh ideas to their classroom?

There's no one better to discuss creativity than Tacy Trowbridge (on Twitter, @tacytrow). Tacy is a lifelong educator and learning enthusiast whose passion is inspiring learners in all stages of learning, giving them a voice and empowering them to develop essential skills. Today, she drives thought leadership and advocacy for Adobe's Global Education Team and is the host of The Creative Educator Podcast. She also works daily to empower educators with curricula and tools to teach creative and digital literacy skills.

Tacy started her career as a teacher in California schools, earned a master's degree in Learning, Design and Technology at Stanford, and then led learning and research initiatives at the University of California and Stanford.

In this episode, we discuss creative and digital literacy skills and recent research from Adobe and LinkedIn about the value of creativity in today's workforce. Plus, we dive into the new Adobe Certified Professional certification and the resources Adobe has available to help educators in their classroom.

Interested in learning about the resources Tacy mentions in this episode? We have all the links you need:

1. Adobe Certified Professional Academy: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/September/Certiport-Adobe-Certified-Professional-Academy
2. Adobe Education Exchange: https://edex.adobe.com/
3. Adobe Creative Careers Curriculum: https://edex.adobe.com/digital-careers
4. Adobe MAX: https://max.adobe.com/sessions/educators
5. Adobe's Creative Educator Podcast: https://edex.adobe.com/the-creative-educator-podcast

LinkedIn and Civitas Research: Quantifying the Impact of Creative Skills on College and Career: https://www.adobeforeducation.com/higher-ed/creative-literacy/civitas-research

The computer science field is exploding! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in computer science (CS) are expected to grow 22% over the next decade, much higher than other industry’s projected growth percentages. While this growth presents amazing opportunities for many, some populations are less likely to benefit. Black, Latinx, and female professionals are underrepresented in computer science today. According to 2020 survey data, only 25.2% of computing occupations are held by women, dropping even lower for Blacks (9.1%) and Latinx (8.4%).

 We were privileged to be able to discuss this issue with Julia Flores. Julia was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She was fortunate enough to attend several Chicago Public Schools before going on to receive a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and two master's degrees from Roosevelt University. 

Over the course of 15 years, Julia has been a teacher, school administrator, and district administrator primarily within Career and Technical Education at one of the largest school districts in the nation. Her career has been focused on curriculum, professional development, and assessment development. She rounded out her experience when she served as a Director of Instruction for one of the largest out-of-school-time non-profits in the United States. She eventually started her own consulting firm and focused her attention on public education. Through her company, she was able to return to help Chicago Public Schools develop the first-ever holistic CS program in the nation.

Now, Julia works with the CS for Success team to help other educational entities create equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science experiences for students.

In this episode, we discuss the CS education landscape in the United States, along with the inequities teachers and students face. Plus, Julia shares her advice and resources to help CS educators advocate for themselves and their students. 

You can learn more about CS for Success on their website and Twitter. You can also check out this video to discover why CS for Success was founded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGiOWm8lw8 

Website- https://www.csforsuccess.com/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/CSforSuccess 

As an educator, you have a vision for your students. You know their potential, what they can accomplish, and the amazing careers they have ahead of them. You just need everyone else (parents, principals, district administrators) to catch your vision. Advance CTE is here to help.

Advance CTE is a non-profit organization that supports state CTE leadership to advance high-quality and equitable career and technical education policies, programs, and pathways that ensure career and college success for each learner.

In this episode, we were privileged enough to sit down with Advance CTE's Deputy Executive Director, Kate Kreamer, to discuss the history of CTE, the educational impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the future of CTE looks like. Kate also offers incredibly practical, data-based advice on how to improve CTE outcomes in your classroom, district, and state.

Kate mentions some valuable resources, and you can find all of them linked below.

• CTE Without Limits: https://careertech.org/without-limits
• Brave Dialogues: A Guide to Discussing Racial Equity in Career Technical Education: https://careertech.org/resource/brave-dialogues
• With Learners, Not for Learners: A Toolkit for Elevating Learner Voice in CTE: https://careertech.org/resource/learner-voice-toolkit
• Communications tools and resources to engage families and learners: https://careertech.org/recruitmentstrategies
• Career Readiness Metrics Framework: A Continuum of Actionable Measures of Career Development and Readiness: https://careertech.org/resource/career-readiness-metrics-framework
• Beyond the Numbers: A Toolkit for Communicating CTE Data: https://careertech.org/resource/beyond-numbers-toolkit-communicating-CTE-data
• History of Advance CTE: https://careertech.org/100yrs

You can also connect with Kate and the rest of the Advance CTE team on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AdvanceCTE) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/CTEWorks).

Certiport is dedicated to helping people succeed through certification. Our globally recognized credentials are aimed at enhancing individual productivity, marketability, and value. These credentials benefit candidates around the world.

At Certiport, we rely on a network of partners to promote and distribute our exams outside the United States. MyEduSolve, our partner in Indonesia, is doing amazing work to prepare individual job seekers and students for valuable employment and education opportunities.

In this episode, we sat down with Stephanie Seputra, Founder of MyEduSolve, to talk about the value of certification in Indonesia, what students are doing with their credentials, and their incredible Adobe Certified Professional National Championship.

You can learn more about MyEduSolve by clicking here: https://myedusolve.com/

You can also get details on their Instagram at @myedusolve (https://www.instagram.com/myedusolve/).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 25% of computer and mathematical occupations in the U.S. are held by women, with some job titles, such as computer network architects, going as low as 9%. There are many reasons why this gender disparity exists, and true and lasting change will require participation across society. 

At Certiport, we are committed to helping close the gender technology gap. In this episode, we sat down with two amazing female tech professionals: Ashley Masters and Sydney Berry. Ashley is a Business Program Manager at Microsoft and MBA candidate at Washington State University. Sydney is a future Software Engineer and current Computer Science student at South Dakota State University. We discussed their career paths, what barriers they face as women in technology, and how educators can change the narrative to help female students succeed. 

You can learn more about closing the gender technology gap here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/Closing-the-Gender-Technology-Gap). Dive into Sydney’s story here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/April/With-ACA-I-Landed-Jobs-in-UI-Design). You can also read about how Ashley got her start in technology here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2017/September/MOS-Certification-Got-Me-a-Job-at-15). 

Sydney also mentioned some incredible resources to help your students. Honor your students with the National Center for Women and Information Technology Aspirations in Computing Award. Find more information here (https://www.aspirations.org/award-programs/apply-for-the-award-for-aic). College educators can also encourage their female students to connect with Rewriting the Code here (https://rewritingthecode.org/).

Most high school students can't say their after-school job is Network Administrator, or Systems Administrator. But not all students are lucky enough to learn from Denise Spence.

Denise has been an educator for almost 25 years. Over the years, Denise has taught IT course content and earned various IT certification credentials. She knows the value of IT skills in the workforce and has established a flourishing certification program at Dunbar High School. Through her relentless efforts, high school students secure IT experience that most students don't get until after college.

We feel lucky that Denise took some time to teach us. In this episode, we discuss why and how to build a bridge between classrooms and the workforce. Denise shares her advice for how to create a business advisory board, what efforts teachers can make today to connect with local businesses, and how the bridge between her classroom and the workforce has impacted her students.

Looking for more advice from Denise? Check out her CERTIFIED breakout session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu-_RRRrx6o

Every teacher faces barriers in the classroom: Keeping students engaged, managing lesson plans, gathering budget for needed resources. But what do you do when the barriers go well beyond the classroom? What if your students didn't have running water? Or Internet access? Or had to ride hours on the bus just to get to school?

Traci Jones works with students who face barriers like this every day. Traci serves as a Business Management Teacher for the Pinon Unified School District #4, primarily working with high school students. Her enthusiasm and optimism cannot be deterred, and she's using her tenacity to change the lives of students on the Navajo reservation. Find out how Traci went from zero teaching experience to helping students earn the top scores in the state for Microsoft Office Specialist certification.

Learn more about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/

The school year has already begun, which means many of you educators already have to-do lists a mile long. To make sure you have your best school year yet, we brought in our favorite expert: Jennifer Stubblefield, 2019 Certiport Educator of the Year, KY Business Educator, KBEA President, and Certiport's new Customer Success Manager.

Jennifer gave us the authentically bold picture of the barriers educators face today, and her advice for the best ways to tackle them. Let's just say, you'll leave this episode ready to crush any hurdle that comes into your path this school year.

You can connect with Jennifer via email at [email protected].

Learn more about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/