The Connected Educator

Episode 15: EOY Video Showdown!

In this exciting episode of The Connected Educator, Janie and Miranda face off in an electrifying battle of the video tools: Adobe Express Video versus Google Vids! Who will emerge victorious in this epic showdown? Tune in to find out! 🤩Plus, we share inspiring ideas for end-of-year video projects that will ignite your students' reflections on the past year and help them create meaningful, lasting memories. * Digital design challenge website [https://www.pvusd.net/Departments/Business-Services/Technology/Instructional-Technology/Design-Challenges/index.html] * Miranda’s Google Vids basics video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuThttJG1ic] * Kate’s recommended Adobe template [https://adobesparkpost.app.link/8KvAvDlVGFb?category=templates&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&url=%2Fexpress%2Ftemplates%2Fsearch&placement=template-x&locale=en-US&contentRegion=us] for explainer videos * Polls & Quizzes in Canva [https://youtu.be/SduY8ES7p0Q?si=9HdWQARk7jBzwy7c] * Canva Custom Animation [https://youtube.com/shorts/zgm5nYnxwlc?si=Jyat8z-v5qXbKKlf]

Episode 14: Best of Spring CUE 2025

Join us for a lively discussion about our favorite sessions from the Spring CUE conference! Joined by special guests Jackson Shaad, Engagement Manager at Adobe, and Stephanie Sumarna, EdTech & Innovation Coach at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. Together, we share our top tips and resources, and explore some exciting ways that teachers and parents are using AI. Resources: Adobe Express [https://www.adobe.com/express/?sdid=91BF4S9K&mv=search&mv2=paidsearch&ef_id=CjwKCAjw-qi_BhBxEiwAkxvbkPoHO1x4rlluLZHLYxWUSFix1d9rC7hb3cGTGuO6-QI8Klk3SCcdIRoCOyAQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3085!3!569345525675!e!!g!!adobe%20express!15557590691!136734402131&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-qi_BhBxEiwAkxvbkPoHO1x4rlluLZHLYxWUSFix1d9rC7hb3cGTGuO6-QI8Klk3SCcdIRoCOyAQAvD_BwE] Canva and Magic School and Perplexity, Oh My! [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IyiIVo6bHzDceTqoJbq5DysUoqZw-YuD/view] It’s a Femininomenon: Trailblazing Women in EdTEch & Their Career Journeys [http://sccoe.link/springcue25] Parents As AI Leaders [https://www.canva.com/design/DAGgP1Q3wN8/Ijv59CyAAUk9wVDTPO9ApA/view?utm_content=DAGgP1Q3wN8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=he4095185da] AI Parent Life [https://www.aiparent.life/] From Design to AI Magic: Personal Branding with AI-Powered Stickers [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10NVp6C7gy_ClABMlwXawCeqvWpABGoZqKe_vh8U9cm4/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p] Gobs of Goodies from Google [http://bit.ly/googlegoodies]

Episode 13: It's March! Reduce the Madness

Hey there, fabulous educators! 🌟 We all know that March can be a bit of a challenge, am I right? So, in this episode, we are shifting our focus to some of our absolute favorite, super fun, and easy-to-use tech tools to use in your personal time that can totally lighten your load, ease that stress, and sprinkle a little joy into your everyday routine! * Apps * NTS Radio * Radio Garden * BandsInTown * Hello Talk * ChatGPT * Gemini * HomeExchange * Too Good To Go * SmartWOD * Atlas Obscura * More Tech Tips * Visual Lookup feature on iPhone/ Google Lens on android * Hidden folder in iPhone photos * Google Drive app: take photo/video feature

Episode 12: Podcasting in Education, Empowering Student Voice

In this episode of The Connected Educator, we explore how podcasting can transform your classroom into a hub of creativity, collaboration, and communication. Whether you’re looking for new ways to amplify student voice or seeking an engaging, real-world project for your learners, podcasting is a tool that delivers. We’ll share the specific tools and low-budget workflow we use to create our podcast—designed to replicate the conditions many teachers face: no sound studio, noisy classrooms, and limited time. You’ll also hear inspiring clips from real student podcasts, including Valencia View, an elementary project, and a thought-provoking podcast by a high school student. Discover how podcasting can enhance critical thinking, storytelling, and technical skills while solving common classroom challenges like engaging reluctant learners and building a sense of ownership in student work. Ready to get started? Tune in to learn practical tips and gather the inspiration to bring podcasting into your classroom. Let’s empower your students to find their voice! Show notes: * Podcasts to play in class:  * Adobe Podcast Studio [https://podcast.adobe.com/], How to start a podcast in Adobe Express [https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/how-to-start-a-podcast] * For lower Elementary: Story Pirates [https://www.storypirates.com/]: Topic: Creative writing and storytelling. Features hilarious and heartwarming stories written by kids and performed by professional actors. * For upper Elementary: Bust or Trust [https://bustortrust.com/]: full of fun facts and silly jokes, this podcast encourages young listeners to think critically about “evidence” and how to debate and disagree in a playful and productive way. * For Middle School: The Past and the Curious [https://thepastandthecurious.com/]: Topic: History. Quirky and little-known historical tales brought to life with humor and music. * For High School: TED-Ed Podcast [https://www.ted.com/podcasts]: Topics: Wide-ranging educational topics. Features deep dives into fascinating ideas, perfect for sparking classroom discussions. * For All Ages: Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls [https://www.rebelgirls.com/podcast]: Topics: Biographies and inspiration. Stories of extraordinary women from history and today. * PVUSD Podcast Examples: * Valencia View [https://open.spotify.com/show/4SZnQYBIIWw1hbbA2O3Ojs]: Current events for Valencia Elementary. * Mis Vacaciones [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T_6uCZUhnd1154CSy3NhhfEkmAtZwlcp/view?usp=sharing]: A PVUSD High School student tells about his summer vacation in Spanish. * More links: * Incredibox.com [http://incredibox.com] * myinstants.com [http://myinstants.com]  * GZM podcasts [https://gzmshows.com/] * GZM Classroom [https://www.gzmclassroom.com/classroom-resources/six-minutes/] * Further Reading: * North, A. (2024, December 19). ‘A sneaky way to boost kids’ literacy’ Vox. [https://www.vox.com/life/391437/kids-podcast-top-2024-reading-literacy [https://www.vox.com/life/391437/kids-podcast-top-2024-reading-literacy]]

Episode 11: Hour of Code

In this episode, we’re excited to chat about the annual Hour of Code event and share some of our favorite coding activities that we enjoy doing with students, both with devices and unplugged. Plus, be sure to catch our interview with Jacob Martinez, the founder and CEO of The Digital NEST. This fantastic local organization is all about supporting and inspiring young people to explore careers in technology! Hour of Code resources: * Traveling Circuits [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fNRyI9GGvN0JsaTla-gnPD5D3J5stR83/view] * Unplugged Dance Party [https://studio.code.org/s/dance-unplugged/lessons/1] * Code Monkey Jr.  [https://app.codemonkey.com/junior/chapters/sequencing/challenges/1?_gl=1*1c5v2o6*_gcl_au*NjU1NjgzNDM5LjE3MzIyMjY1NDM.] * Music Lab [https://code.org/music] * Hour of Code Activities [https://hourofcode.com/us/learn] * Hour of Code Resources for Teachers [https://hourofcode.com/us/how-to] * Digital Nest [https://digitalnest.org/] * Computer Science Standards [https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/csstandards.pdf] * Dragon Blast [https://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/dragon-blast]