Freshly Sharpened

The final part of the "Make It Easier, Make It Better" series surrounds the shortening of your stack. Looking to lighten your professional load? Shorten your stack. Looking to help engage students? Shorten their stack! Plus an all-new Whaddaya Mean You Don't?! Episode 10 is out now!

The DLCs chat about their work at a bunch of recent Professional Development sessions and conferences (Patriot Tech Camp, HMVAMC, Superintendent's Conference Day); "Whaddayamean ya don't...." use folders in Classlink? (13:10); and we play a "Fill in the Blank" game where Rick and Michael try to guess how Gemini will finish a series of sentences (15:55).

The DLCs return with Make it Easier, Make it Better, where we will explore some ways that technology can not only help with a task, but improve it. This time - Professional Development!  The DLCs talk PD - what they have seen that works, what doesn't, and more.  Plus, upcoming Patriot Tech Camp, and a new game...Taboo!  

The DLCs share their New Year's Ed-Tech Resolutions, and in "Whaddayamean You Don't..." we look into trying student-facing AI for the first time (12:10). Then _ick and _ike play a "would you rather" game called "Coffee or Running?" (19:10)

The DLCs start a new mini-series - Make it Easier, Make it Better, where we will explore some ways that technology can not only help with a task, but improve it. This episode looks at how Feedback can be more timely, more targeted, and less of a burden on a teacher's time. In "Whaddayamean You Don't...", Michael takes us on a quick tour of Canva Code (23:13) and then Rick hosts a "match the tech to the movie character" game (25:45).

Unscripted makes it's third appearance on the pod, this time with colleagues at this year's NYSCATE 25 Annual Conference. Many thanks to all who attended and played the game; the conversations were fun, but focused on digital learning integration, digital citizenship, and more - mixed with some laughs along the way!

The final part of looking at trends - are they here to stay?  We look at 1:1 devices in schools - did they accomplish what was once imagined, and if not...why?  Plus, in "Whaddaymean You Don't"...Chrome Tab Groups! Finally, Andy quizzes Rick and Michael on tasks...can AI and robots do them...yet?

The second part of the "Everything New is Old Again" theme explores how touchscreen presentation boards can become "old" quickly when they're not being leveraged as more than a replacement for an overhead projector from last century. Also, "Whaddayamean You Don't..." have time for Digital Citizenship (17:03) and Rick hosts a Spooky/EdTech version of the party board game SmartA** (24:01).

The DLCs explore why shiny new tech can gather dust if it lacks a real purpose in the classroom; this week's "Whaddayamean You Don't..." have Chromebook expectations? (17:20); and Gemini fuels an AI variation on the Family Feud! (25:40)

The Digital Learning Coaches are back! Tune in to hear what new initiatives await for 2025-2026, what everyone has been up to, and more!

Michael and Rick took the podcast on the road! In this episode, participants in Michael and Rick's session played "Unscripted: Coach Edition" and recorded the discussion to share! Get ready for some scenarios, laughs, and most importantly fresh ideas on how to solve some daily scenarios in schools.

The DLCs look back across the '24-'25 school year, highlighting the "glows", the neatest things they've seen this year, and looking forward at what's to come. Then, check out the return of the Best Friends Tech Game (26:10); this time, we get to see how well Michael and Rick know each other!

Beach reads! Simple, fun books for summer reading. The DLCs explore the Digital Learning version, with info on Books, Podcasts, Certified Educator pathways, and just simple PLAY. Get inspired to dig into something that you're interested in this Summer! (Click HERE for a link to some options for these "Beach Reads"!)

The DLCs are back! With over 13,000 teacher and staff Chromebooks in the district, we have to start asking...how can we start using less paper? It's expensive...and once you print, it's outdated! We have a "Five-ish" minute discussion about paper, copying, and more!

Jump in for a quick overview of the Schenectady Six, the Digital Learning focus for this school year and the next. The DLCs explain how it came to be and where the initiative is heading.

In our first Five Minutes Sharper of the season, the DLCs jump in with Google Gemini, chatting about its evolution and usefulness for teachers getting started with AI tools. And yes, we missed the 5 minute mark (whoops!). 7 Minutes Sharper!

The Digital Learning Coaches look at the best EdTech trends from 2015 that were going to change education, and what their role is ten years later.  After, the coaches look at some of the trends of today and talk through their predictions about if they will be around ten years from now...and what do they look like.

The Digital Learning Coaches conclude the three-part deep dive into Real Tech Integration. In these episodes, we'll explore how integrating tech is more than just using technology; it needs to be a part of planning and the creation of objectives. Part III wraps up with a conversation around the District structures, goals, and messaging that serve as anchors for the work being done at the Classroom and Building levels. And we play Cliffhangers, a modified Price is Right game! (30:00)

The Digital Learning Coaches continue with a three-part deep dive into Real Tech Integration. In these episodes, we'll explore how integrating tech is more than just using technology; it needs to be a part of planning and the creation of objectives. Part II discusses the conditions that are needed for technology integration to become a building-wide initiative, different methods to overcome obstacles, and more.  This episode will provide a bridge to Part III: The District!

The Digital Learning Coaches start a three-part deep dive into Real Tech Integration. In these episodes, we'll explore how integrating tech is more than just using technology; it needs to be a part of planning and the creation of objectives. Part I will explore tech integration at the Classroom level, as teachers plan for lessons and units with students. Also check out our game, "EdTech or Dead Tech" (43:11) where Michael and Rick try to guess whether a name is a modern EdTech tool OR a piece of defunct technology from the past. Catch the ChatGPT/Suno-created game show theme song in its entirety at the end of the episode! (56:34)

Carrie White is here! Carrie is the 2022 Schenectady City School District Teacher of the Year and 2023 Second Step Educator of the Year. Rick sits down with Carrie and Rebecca Gleason (Assistant Director of ELA and Library Services) to debrief after a 2nd Grade Wit & Wisdom lesson. Carrie talks about planning for instruction, trusting yourself as a educator, building relationships in the classroom and much more!

DIGITAL LEARNING MARCH MADNESS! The Freshly Sharpened Team has created its own Digital Learning Resource Bracket and sat down to determine which tool has the largest impact on its grade level band, making it the Digital Learning Resource Champion for 2025. Who will come out victorious? Listen and find out!

Andy and Rick are fresh off of presenting sessions at the Hudson-Mohawk Valley Area Math Conference and debrief on how it went; Rick (Red Sox), Michael (Mets) and Andy (Yankees) guess their teams' records for the upcoming baseball season; plus AR/VR and a few disappointing rounds of Google Feud (23:17)

Schenectady Math Coach Christian Rossler joins Andy and Michael for a show about new approaches in SCSD to math instruction; he details how students are learning to engage in "thinking classrooms" where they grapple with problems in different ways, building their schema while exploring the connections between manipulatives, pictorials, and abstract concepts. And, find out how Christian became "Internet famous"!

We talk about bringing FUN to the classroom all the time...but how do you plan for it? The DLCs talk about planning for fun, and what can happen if you don't plan for it...Then, the DLCs play a round of Family Feud...Tech Style (25:15)! Thanks to all the Schenectady staff that answered our call for answers!

In the first episode after the annual Patriot Tech Camp, the DLCs discuss some of the happenings of the event and some of the feedback from a great day.  Following that, is the recording of Unscripted: Teacher Edition - recorded live from Patriot Tech Camp! (15:15)

The DLCs are back for another episode! Powered by Michael's love of movie quotes and his incessant insertion of them into conversation, the Coaches talk about their favorite movie quotes that relate to education.But first, the THIRD Annual Patriot Tech Camp is on March 1, 2025....the Coaches spend time talking that event, as well as the history of Ed Camps in Schenectady, dating back to the COVID Shutdown.

The Digital Learning Coaches take on the topic of having FUN in class, reflecting on how a little laughter goes a long way toward creating an environment conducive to learning. For this week's game, Michael and Rick team up to see if they can solve "Two Truths and AI", trying to pick out AI generated news stories among actual news from schools around the country.

The DLCs are back for another episode! Andy updates us on the AI Roundtable from the NERIC Model Schools meeting, and then the three of us have a "fantasy app draft" and go back and forth picking apps and programs we would be happy getting stuck on a desert island with.

The DLCs are back behind the mics - for another episode! Rick, Andy and Michael share what they have been up to, what they are looking forward to...and then a round of the "Best Friends Ed Tech Game", a Newlywed-type game where Andy and Michael try and guess details about the other.

Freshly Sharpened: Literacy! is back with a new episode, taking the show to a 1st Grade Classroom to chat with Diana Tabares and Jennifer Fox. Rick chats with Rebecca Gleason, the Assistant Director of English-Language Arts, Diana and Jennifer about co-teaching, routines, scaffolding and how it all comes together for literacy instruction. Intro produced by SUNO with prompt written by Rick DeCarr.

Freshly Sharpened is proud to kick off a new series where we take our show on the road - or into the classroom! Rick sits down with Rebecca Gleason, the Assistant Director of English-Language Arts, and Samantha Shaw, a 4th Grade Teacher, to take a closer look at curriculum, classroom environment, first year teacher experiences, and most importantly relationships with students and colleagues. Intro produced by SUNO with prompt written by Rick DeCarr.

Freshly Sharpened is back with a full episode! In this episode, Michael, Andy and Rick look into the future of Freshly Sharpened, AI, Wayfinders, Summer Plans and more!

It's May! The Tech Coaches are back to talk about moving from consumption to creation, and the tools and ease it can be done!  We have the tools to make the move...now let's get started!

The Tech Coaches are back to talk Fair Use in the classroom today -what it means for teachers, students and administrators. And what about Artificial Intelligence - what does that mean for the future of usage rights? 

The Tech Coaches sit down for five minutes to talk about the many, many facets of Digital Citizenship, the importance of it in ALL of our lives, and how teachers can begin to implement it in their classroom.

In this episode, the Tech Coaches spend five minutes talking about the upcoming Computer-Based Testing and what teachers can do on a daily basis to help students prepare for the upcoming online assessments.

Welcome back! This "short" version is the start of something new - a quick, five-minute listen that will accompany our Tech Shorts 2.0 newsletter!

In the first episode of Freshly Sharpened, Andy, Rick and Michael discuss the importance of differentiation and scaffolding within the educational landscape.  Educational technology can assist teachers in identifying differences in the way our students learn and use data to meet students where they are.