Gitte Frederiksen’s TED Talk “Great Leadership is a Network, not a Hierarchy” hit a deep chord with me. Leadership often takes on the role of gatekeeping with workers sharing ideas or their struggles with their leadership and the ideas being struck down or the struggles ignored.

One of my favorite education-related videos over the last ten years is Richard Culatta’s “Rethinking Digital Citizenship.” It explores how and why we teach our students from a young age the dangers and prohibitions associated with technology, but now the proper ways to use technology for good, nor praise them for their good uses. It is an amazing deconstruction of why, as a society, we have determined that students can only understand technology in terms of the evils it can perform.

I first encountered the term “Imposter Syndrome” just after starting my graduate degree from a professor friend. I was describing how I felt a bit odd teaching college courses. I explained that I had just left my undergrad behind less than six months ago and I was now in charge of a course of undergrads seeking writing instruction. She tried to assure me, but I was obstinate that it felt weird and a bit off. “Imposter Syndrome,” were the next words out of her mouth.

When I received my first 3D printer on a grant in 2016, I was already fascinated with the possibilities for creating and printing objects for my classroom and students.

A few years ago I was fascinated with Adobe Character Animator. I had my yearbook students make their own avatars and then make photography explainer videos. It was just so much fun to play around with little cartoons and make a video with my voice. Adobe just upped the game with a web version that relies on an audio recording of your voice. It takes that recording, auto animates to your voice including arm and head movements. The whole process of making the video to the right took me about 10 minutes

A few months ago I was asked to start a new web series for Utah Education Network about Google tools teachers can use. Nicole, my producer, and I decided to make these videos fun, maybe a little goofy, but entertaining. This month, within a discussion about extension activities, I believe that I have achieved that goal. Just watch the first minute to see what I mean (really, as if you can’t tell by the Viking helmet). However, in the video I explore a few options for educators to use in their classes for early finishers for extension activities.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be able to fund a trip to Chicago for ISTE. I was so excited to speak to new people, learn about everything I possibly could, and just explore EVERYTHING. Throughout the week I was able to meet up with a few new people including a bunch through the Global PLN. Erin, or her pen name E.E., led a lot of the excellent activities that week. Flash forward a few years and she has just released a new young adult novel and I was lucky enough to pull her into recording with Dani and me for UEN Homeroom. The episode explores how and why to write for students, exploring difficult topics with students, and how to be a global participant in your classroom.

About a year ago Adobe announced Project Shasta, an online podcasting tool for revising and editing podcasts. I joined immediately. I loved the simplicity and getting a transcript as I spoke, but I just didn’t want to add something that was in beta to my podcasting workflow. A few weeks back, Project Shasta was rebranded as Adobe Podcasts and is working towards being a full part of the Creative Cloud.

Maybe it is my nostalgia for the 90s or my years of overpaying for bits of plastic with music on them, but there is something to holding a physical media object in your hands. CDs, DVDs, and A-Tracks all feel different than the several thousand songs I have on my iPhone. A CD has artwork that people put work into, it has a lyric sheet, and sometimes, as noted by many a punk kid, other bands to check out and/or a reading list of all the amazing books and zines that informed the music.

On August 1st, 2022 I am so excited to share my keynote at the Utah Charter Network Annual Symposium at Thanksgiving Point. My keynote is entitled “Reconnect with your passion as an educator through connection.” In it I share my journey as an educator to find my community in education and how I continue to share and build up my community in Utah and beyond. Check out the entire presentation above!

In my last school, there were two science teachers that both had open play chess boards available to all students when they came into the class. They marked each day who made moves and when it was the teacher’s turn to move. It was a great way of exchanging with students and engaging them in the classroom beyond content. However, I always worried about those chess boards being moved, pieces tumbling to the ground, and losing their place. It happened on occasion and it was always an issue. So, why not move this online, and make it a customizable board.

One of my heroes, Henry Rollins, once said (paraphrasing), “Travel helps kick the ignorance out of your body.” I first heard that at 19, just a few months before I was able to wander Europe for the first time on my own meager dime. That was a transformative experience for me and one that I still reflect on every time that I travel. One thing that I have learned is that travel is weird. It helps you to see the weird little worlds that exist everywhere and interact with people, social customs, and ideas that you may have never interacted with in your geographic backyard.