<a aria-current="page" href="/" class="router-link-active router-link-exact-active"> The International Schools Podcast

Dan Taylor on social media:

Creative Schools, Revolutionising Education from the Ground Up

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Saturday May 27, 2023

99 - Conversation with Brett Gray, Director The Ostrava International School

Saturday May 27, 2023

Brett shares his journey founding and leading a small international school in Ostrava in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. As Director of the first IB Continuum World School in the country, Brett gives us insights to his struggles with the Czech state school system, and what he has been fighting for as a teacher and educational entrepreneur for over 30 years: Leading a Mission-driven school at a time of great local and global change.

About Brett Gray

Brett Gray is the Founder and Director of TOIS - The Ostrava International School, Czech Republic.

Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and French from the University of Southern California, Brett arrived in post-communist Czechoslovakia in January 1991 with plans to write news articles about the Czech transition to democracy, and teach English on the side - for perhaps 6 months, a year at most.

Thirty-two years later he finds himself leading the only International Baccalaureate Continuum World School in the Czech Republic, and a devout believer in the principles of the IB as a foundation for education and support of Civil Society.

Over that time, Brett has confronted the challenges and opportunities inherent in creating a truly internationally accredited school in a region that desperately needs one, but doesn’t quite understand why, including; the local, regional and national politics of Czech education; the economics of a region transitioning out of heavy industry into an unknown future; the opening of a culture and way of thinking that had been sequestered behind the Iron Curtain for over 40 years, and on and on.

Brett is also a founding member and current Board Chair of ACES - the Association of Central European IB Schools, with 43 members across 12 countries working together to implement the best of IB practices, many of whom are also facing the challenges of moving beyond the traditional approaches to education in their national systems.

Brett Gray on Social Media

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brett-gray-8b6bb4171

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TOISWORLDSCHOOL/

Web: www.tois.world

Email: brett@tois.world

Resources

Books:

Vaclav Havel: Letters to Olga

Simon Sinek: Start with Why

Sir Ken Robinson:

Patrick Lencioni: The Advantage

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/flarestarmusic/

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Saturday May 13, 2023

98 - A conversation with Stefan Pasternak and Matthew Welling, educators, international school teachers, and musicians and producers

Saturday May 13, 2023

Stefan and Matthew are second generation international school educators, their parents were international school educators, they both currently are international school educators and their children are in international schools The fascinating part is this is all within the same international school. We explore their experience, anecdotes, learnings and also their respective passion for music while juggling the demands of being educators, parents and musicians. Together exploring the impact of being in an international school has had on them and their families.

About Stefan Pasternak

Stef is a singer/songwriter, performer, teacher and author that lives and works in Switzerland. He has been at La Chat for 15 years under many guises and is currently an Outdoor Learning specialist and Forest School Leader for the early years. Stef’s current creative projects include Galaxy Rock duo with Matt called FLARESTAR, and writing teaching tool picture books for 3 to 8 year olds.

Stefan Pasternak on Social Media

https://flarestar.ch/

https://www.instagram.com/flarestarenergy/

https://soundcloud.com/flarestarenergy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIX2ruh-Tp1AUxiFDPer76g

Resources

Latest Books Read:

The Storyteller - Dave Grohl

The Power of One - Bryce Courtenay

Music of the Moment:

Any early Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Peter Gabriel - Father, Son

Jojo Mayer - Jojo Mayer & Nerve LIVE - Drumeo Festival 2020

Educational Inspirations:

Patrick Harrison - http://www.greenbow.co.uk/

About Matthew Welling

Matt started learning bass back when he was a student at La Chat. 25 years on this passion has expanded across numerous bands in different countries playing multiple instruments. He leads the Department of Theory of Knowledge and teaches chemistry in the upper school at La Chat. His current projects include rocking out in the duo FLARESTAR, recording ILLUCID’s third album (a band formed back in year 10 at La Chat!) and supporting students organize and play concerts at school. The rest of his time is spent running in the Alps and hanging out with his young family.

Matthew Welling Social Media

matt.welling on Instagram

Resources

Latest Books Read:

The Dry - Jane Harper

Harry Potter The Philosopher’s Stone - J. K. Rolwing

Shadow of a Dark Queen - R. E. Feist

Music Last Played:

The Doors - Morrison Hotel

Alt-J - The Dream

Converge - Jane Doe

Amon Amarth - Surtur rising

Lamb of God - Sacrament

Rockabye baby! - Lullaby renditions of Iron Maiden

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube

Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Saturday May 06, 2023

97 - Special topic Podcast Cyber Security with Dan and John

Saturday May 06, 2023

Dan and John spend time exploring the topic of Cyber Security with Dan's work with schools and organisation and John's workshops and trainings on the topic. Dan shares his presentation on Cyber Security with thoughts, reflections and strategies on a topic that often is under the radar for educators and school leaders in International Schools.

With more options and flexibility to travel, and working remotely comes with some important steps to consider to ensure the cybersecurity of your devices and use.

2 step verification

Two-step verification is a process that involves two authentication methods performed one after the other to verify that someone or something requesting access is who or what they are declared to be.

How Two-Factor Authentication Works. (You can also use an app, but the phone is the most common method of using two-factor authentication.) Most forms of two-factor authentication ask you to sign in with your user name and password, and then enter a code that is sent to you via SMS.

Two-factor authentication:

Video

Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and your home

VPN, or Virtual Private Network, allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. VPNs can be used to access region-restricted websites, shield your browsing activity from prying eyes on public Wi-Fi, and more

Surfing the web through a virtual private network ensures that your online activities are both private and secure.

VPN service is capable of keeping your private data safe from hackers, not viruses and malware. ... Well, we designed Buffered VPN to make use of 256-bit AES encryption. It's one of the most reliable encryption protocols out there. Articles

How—and why—you should use a VPN any time you hop on the internet

Best VPN reviews and ratings for 2023e)

PC Magazine tested scores of VPN services, reviews and considered by PC Magazine to be the best VPN services.

Video

Anti Virus

Antivirus software is a type of program designed and developed to protect computers from malware like viruses, computer worms, spyware, botnets, rootkits, keyloggers and such. Antivirus programs function to scan, detect and remove viruses from your computer.

Passwords

According to the traditional advice—which is still good—a strong password: Has 15 Characters, Minimum: You need to choose a password that's long enough. ... Includes Numbers, Symbols, Capital Letters, and Lower-Case Letters: Use a mix of different types of characters to make the password harder to crack.

Using passwords to protect your devices and data infographic. (pdf handout)

Advice and Guidance
Password Guidance and Tips
8 Tips to Make Your Passwords as Strong as Possible
Password manager buyers guide
The best password managers for 2022 Ditch the sticky notes and get peace of mind.

Smartphone security

Additional resources

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube

Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Saturday Apr 29, 2023

96 - A conversation with Safa Ghnaim Associate Program Director and Louise Hisayasu Senior Project Coordinator from Tactical Tech

Saturday Apr 29, 2023

Safa and Louise from Tactical Tech showcase a few of the projects and resources focused on exploring and mitigating the impacts of technology on societies. The programs and events they organise raise awareness and encourage people to take control of their digital privacy, security, and wellbeing, with further resources to train on verification skills.

About Safa Ghnaim

Safa Ghnaim is Associate Program Director at Tactical Tech. She has contributed to and co-written materials for the Data Detox Kit and Digital Enquirer Kit projects. Prior to joining Tactical Tech, Safa specialized in adult education, among other projects.

About Louise Hisayasu

Louise Hisayasu is a Senior Project Coordinator at Tactical Tech. She works on The Glass Room project which develops exhibitions of varying formats. She has worked with partners worldwide to host, develop and localize media and digital literacy resources.

Tactical Tech on Social Media

Twitter: @Info_Activism

Instagram: tactical_tech

Facebook: facebook.com/Tactical.Tech

Other: mastodon.cc/@info_activism/

Resources

tacticaltech.org

datadetoxkit.org

digitalenquirer.org

theglassroom.org

https://theglassroom.org/misinformation-edition/

https://theglassroom.org/en/what-the-future-wants/

https://gafam.theglassroom.org/

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

http://fno.org/JM/resume.html#anchor256763

Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube

Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Saturday Apr 15, 2023

95 - A conversation with Jamie McKenzie Publisher, FNO Press, writer, speaker

Saturday Apr 15, 2023

Jamie McKenzie who has supported schools around the world as consultant, speaker and keynote, and written about education technology and information literacy . Jamie is Editor of From Now On - The Educational Technology Journal, a Web-based journal published online since 1991 and was the Director of Libraries, Media and Technology for the Bellingham (WA) Public Schools. Jamie shares his rich professional journey, the importance of questions, information literacy and the ever changing landscape of education technology- What seems to have stuck and what do we still need to engage with education technology in schools.

About Jamie McKenzie

Dr. Jamie McKenzie is an international speaker with a focus on questioning,

thinking skills, information literacies and the smart use of new technologies. His work takes him from Singapore and Sydney to Dallas and Toronto inspiring teachers to challenge

students at a high level of rigor.

Jamie is the Editor of "From Now On - The Educational Technology Journal" and “The Question Mark.” In both publications he explores both the practical and the possible, grounding his work in classroom realities.

In the early nineties, Jamie was the Director of Libraries, Media and Technology for the Bellingham (WA) Public Schools, a district of 18 schools and 10,000 students where he helped to pioneer their networking and program development. He moved on to support planning and professional development for schools and teachers around the world.

A graduate of Yale with an MA from Columbia and Ed.D. from Rutgers, Jamie has been a middle school teacher of English and social studies, an assistant principal, an elementary principal, an assistant superintendent in Princeton (NJ) and the superintendent of two districts on the East coast. He also taught four-year-olds in Sunday school.

Jamie has published and spoken extensively on information technologies and how they might transform classrooms to support student centered, engaged learning.

Jamie McKenzie on Social Media

Twitter: @EdTech2030

Resources

"From Now On - The Educational Technology Journal" is at http://fno.org

“The Question Mark” is at http://questioning.org

A full resume is available online at http://fno.org/JM/resume.html

High resolution photographs are available online for downloading at

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube

Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Saturday Apr 01, 2023

94 - A conversation with Jeff Utech (Big Dreamer & Founder) shiftingschools.com

Saturday Apr 01, 2023

Jeff has worked in International Schools, consultant, founder Learning2, COETAIL, Edurolearning and now Shifting Schools. In this podcast we take the opportunity to learn about Jeff 's new professional interest as a property investor http://www.g3-homes.com/ in the Seattle area . In this podcast we explore the new workflows, how to juggle the education and property professions together and further reflections, with some tips for International Educators thinking of purchasing a property in their home country.

About Jeff Utech

Jeff is an educational consultant and presenter. He began his career in the Elementary Classroom in Washington State. In 2001, he was the recipient of a Bill and Melinda Gates Grant, the Technology Leadership Program. This started his journey into the world of connecting students and using the world as his curriculum. From 2002 – 2012 Jeff taught at International Schools moving from a classroom teacher into technology roles and administrative positions. He has authored books, worked as a consultant for technology startups, and continues to speak at schools and educational events around the globe. He gave a TEDx talk at the first TEDx event in Bangkok, Thailand focused on education. In 2018, he was invited to the Global Knowledge Summit in Dubai to be part of global conversations about the future of education in this Knowledge Economy. Today, Jeff makes his home in Seattle, WA having worked with and supported over 20 1:1 deployments, both within the US and Internationally. During the COVID-19 pandemic Jeff supported the State of Washington and it’s educators in shifting through multiple school scenarios. As you can tell, Jeff brings a very global perspective to his trainings and conversations. His passion is inspiring and working long-term with schools and districts in supporting educators in prepare students for their future not our past.

Jeff Utech on Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jutecht

Website: http://www.jeffutecht.com/

http://www.g3-homes.com/

Further resource you would like participants engage with http://www.shiftingschools.com

Free Resources: https://www.shiftingschools.com/free-pdfs

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube

Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Saturday Mar 18, 2023

93 - A conversation with Pete Kennedy Senior Associate at Search Associates

Saturday Mar 18, 2023

In this conversation with Pete Kennedy we take the opportunity to delve into the dynamics of international school recruitment for both educators and school leaders, how recruitment has changed since COVID, what are recruiting organisations doing to engage with DEIJ, and strategies to consider as a candidate. Pete comes with extensive experience as a school head, principal and educator and now working for Search Associates

About Pete Kennedy

Before joining Search Associates, Pete enjoyed 35 years of experience as a teacher and educational leader. After a brief stint in the corporate world, Pete followed his passion for teaching and never looked back!

Pete’s career in education began as a mathematics teacher at Port Jefferson High School (NY). Representing the United States as a Fullbright Scholar in the Republic of the Philippines, Pete discovered the world of international education. Teaching positions at The American School in Japan, Jakarta Intercultural School, and the International School of Kuala Lumpur soon followed before Pete transitioned to leadership positions. Pete has served as a secondary or high school principal in the USA, Brazil, Italy, and Vietnam. On the director level, Pete served as the Superintendent of Schools for an education group in Vietnam.

Pete holds a BA in Mathematics from the State University of New York (SUNY) and an MA in Educational Leadership from Columbia University.

Growing up on the East End of Long Island (NY), Pete is an avid sailor living part-time aboard on his beloved sloop “Prosecco” aptly named in honor of a wonderful experience living in Italy.

Pete Kennedy on Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-kennedy-0931676/

Website: https://www.searchassociates.com/

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

Book - School Leaders Matter: Preventing Burnout, managing stress and improving wellbeing

Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube

Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Saturday Mar 04, 2023

92 - A conversation with Dr. Helen Kelly Author, researcher, speaker, consultant

Saturday Mar 04, 2023

Dr. Helen Kelly shares her latest book "School Leaders Matter." which explores why the school leaders’ role has become so demanding and what governments, schools and leaders themselves can do to support their wellbeing. We together unpack the different areas of the book, the relationship between stress, workload, community and well being and the significant changes in the role. To better understand the causes connected to Leader and Teacher burnout refer to our last podcast Episode #73 where Helen shares in depth the research and understandings of burnout in the workplace.

About Dr. Helen Kelly

Helen Kelly is an author, speaker, consultant and researcher in the field of school wellbeing. Between 2006 and 2020, when she retired from her work as a school principal, Helen led international schools in Bangkok, Berlin and Hong Kong. Prior to this she spent a decade as a member of the English legal profession, representing employees in the area of health and safety at work. She has been researching in the field of educator wellbeing for over a decade.

Helen is most known for her work on school leader and teacher wellbeing and workplace culture. She has a worldwide audience for her speaking engagements, workshops, blog posts and articles. She consults with schools globally, across all sectors, and aims to provide practical support to maximise staff wellbeing and enhance the culture of the workplace.

Helen’s first book School Leaders Matter: Preventing Burnout, Managing Stress and Improving Wellbeing is/was published on 28 February and is available from all major retailers.

Dr. Helen Kelly on Social Media

Twitter: @drhkelly

Facebook: Dr Helen Kelly

Website: www.drhelenkelly.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-helen-kelly-65996919/

Resources

Teachers are not to Blame for Their Own Burnout

Teacher Burnout - How poor work relationships damage staff wellbeing

International School Teacher Wellbeing During the COVID 19 Pandemic – The 2021 Report

Improving School Wellbeing Through Positive School Culture WIDEducation Magazine May 2021

In Focus: Covid’s troubling impact on international school teacher wellbeing

Podcast -Wellbeing and Resilience in Schools

Podcast - Teachers are not to Blame for Their Own Burnout

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media:

Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube

Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Saturday Feb 18, 2023

91 - Conversation on education technology integration with Aisha, Dania, Cora and Kim

Saturday Feb 18, 2023

Four educators having worked in Africa, Asia and Europe in education technology in different roles, share their insights and perspective from their respective learning journeys with the question “Does technology integration work in an international school setting, does it enhance student learning and how impactful is it”. An opportunity for us all to reflect on education technology integration, and explore the opportunities and challenges of integration digital skills.

Guests:

Aisha Kristiansen, Digital Learning Leader / Coach

Kahlil (Danai) Maramba, Instructional Coach For Technology

Kim House, Grade 5 Homeroom teacher / Digital Coach

Cora Yang, Whole School Learning Technology Coach

About Aisha Kristiansen

Aisha is the Digital Learning Leader at Stamford American International School in Singapore. She is an accomplished educational leader transforming schools in Australia, Europe and Asia. Aisha holds a Master of Educational Leadership focusing on curriculum, pedagogy and practice.

Aisha enjoys working with teachers and administration to positively impact the learning landscape for students. Beyond her passion for innovative learning and teaching, she enjoys toying with tech, reading and traveling the world with her family.

Twitter: @aishakrist

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aisha-kristiansen-9aa543b1/

Website: www.aishakristiansen.com

About Kahlil (Danai) Maramba

Danai stepped into the classroom 15 years ago in a teaching assistant role. Two years later he started teaching ICT in Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. He progressed to become the Technology Integrationist and Coach in Namibia. He now works at Saigon South International School in Vietnam as the Elementary Instructional Coach for Technology. He has a passion for helping teachers plan and deliver engaging lessons where technology is a ubiquitous tool for learning. He facilitates or hosts conferences where educators share their experiences and have discussions about teaching and learning with technology. Apart from playing tennis with his family, Danai spends his time tinkering and trying new things. Danai is a lifetime teacher and learner.

Twitter @tweetdanai

About Kim House

I am an educational technology coach at an international school in Munich, Germany. I'm originally from California. I predominantly work with elementary teachers and students. I love working with teachers to design learning engagements that get kids excited about learning and using technology. I love STEM and robotics and especially love working with students to make their ideas come to life. I'm a Google Trainer, ISTE Trainer and an Apple Distinguished Educator. I'm a mom of two teenage boys and when I'm not working I love to sing in a band.

Twitter: @techiehouse

About Cora Yang

Cora Yang is a Whole School Learning Technology Coach at Renaissance College Hong Kong. She focuses on PYP and MYP technology integration, such as coding, robotics, VR, digital design (3D, laser cut) and circuit board.

She believes that technology is the bridge for students to connect school with the real world. Technology can offer students more possibilities and opportunities to apply knowledge to different real-life skills.

Cora is a curious learner who is always up for new things and technologies to learn. Just like her curiosity, she loves bringing new technologies for educators and students to enrich the learning and teaching experience.

Cora constantly offers chances for students in her classes to work on project-based, student-centered activities.

She also focuses on gender and race equality in her work, which Cora hopes that she could bring positive impacts on future generations.

Social Media PLN

Twitter: @CoraEdTech

Website: http://coraedtech.com

Resources:

Not all that Glitters is Gold Education Technology Finally Deliver? by Professor John Hattie of Visible Learning and Dr. Arran Hamilton Director of Education at Cognition Education.
"Obstacles to successful ICT integration: lack of teacher confidence, lack of teacher competence, lack of effective training, resistance to change and negative attitudes, lack of technical support and lack of infrastructure" (Korte & Hüsing, 2007)
Anne Gläsel, why teachers are reluctant to incorporate technology into the classroom,
New global data reveal education technology’s impact on learning

John Mikton on Social Media

Dan Taylor on social media: