iTalks

GoGuardian is a powerful tool for educators looking to enhance their classroom management and student engagement. This innovative software allows teachers to monitor student activity on school devices, filter content, and even remotely lock screens when necessary. With GoGuardian, teachers can create a safe and secure learning environment, while also providing students with the freedom to explore the internet and learn at their own pace. In this podcast, we will hear from a kindergarten teacher at Concord Elementary, Heather Bradshaw, about the benefits of GoGuardian in the classroom, and how it can help teachers achieve their educational goals. Join us as we dive into the world of GoGuardian and discover the many ways it can transform your classroom experience!

Get ready to amplify your classroom with the power of podcasting! In this episode, Danette McClinton shares how she collaborated with her DIS to create a project-based podcast unit. She'll share the scaffolds used to support students, the challenges she encountered, and the unexpected impact on students. Listen now as we discover how student-created podcasts can turn your classroom into a powerhouse of innovation!

Listen in as two teachers share the power of collaboration, the impact for their students, and the importance of having FUN.

Side Note: If you hear a low rumbling throughout it's not your device, we recorded at a table and apparently the table amplified every bump and movement around the mic. 😉

*Interview conducted in April of 2023.

Join us as we hear from Administrative Assistant John Garrett and Title One Facilitator Melanie Hahn of Robert Anderson Middle School (RAMS). They're going to spill the tea on how their school is crushing the social media game to engage the community. The initiative, called 180 Days of RAMS aims to highlight the daily achievements of RAMS students and staff. Trust us, you don't want to miss this episode; John Garrett is going to break it down for us with social media challenges, community impact, and the secret sauce to making a post that pops!

(This episode was recorded in March 2023)

Did you hear about Southwood Academy of the Arts in Anderson School District 5? They received a South Carolina state award called Palmetto’s Finest, but what is it? What does it mean to be recognized as a Palmetto’s Finest School? And, how will it impact the students and community? Join Southwood's Digital Integration Specialists Ashley Pursley, Beth Brannon, and Jennifer Burdette with Principal Jamie Smith for a behind-the-scenes look at Southwood Academy's journey to becoming a Palmetto's Finest School.

In this episode, we invite coaches from across the state of South Carolina to share their district's journey and progress with personalized learning. You'll hear from representatives of Lexington 3, York 1, Richland 2, and Berkeley County as well as our Office of Personalized Learning coaches. Listen now to gain insight on how to power-up your coaching for more personalized learning experiences in your district, school, and classrooms!

Welcome to Season 3 of the A5 iTalks podcast! To kick off the new school year and season, we wanted to talk about the district's instructional vision and how the DIS team can support you in the classroom. 

The empowered student 

The Anderson Five DIS team is an incredible team of educators dedicated to empowering, celebrating, and inspiring the learners they serve. The team collaborates with all stakeholders to provide and support high quality learning opportunities through innovative integration of instructional technology.

Danessa Barr is the principal of Varennes Elementary in Anderson School District Five. Mrs. Barr began her journey at Varennes in January 2021. She previously served as Assistant Principal at Nevitt Forest Elementary. She also taught 5th-grade and served as Instructional Facilitator during her tenure at Nevitt Forest. Mrs. Barr is married to Joseph Barr. He works for BHG as a Director of the Spartanburg Facility. His work is focused on Addiction and Recovery for almost 10 years. Together they have one son, Jaxon, and a dog, Cinnamon.

In this episode, listeners will hear from the Anderson District 5 experts as we take a deep dive into exploring Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Brenda Kelley, Lisa Lipscomb, and Tiffany Osborne share how MTSS helps all students reach their potential. Join us to learn why MTSS could really stand for Multi-Tiered Success Systems.​

Jake Miller is the #EduGIF Guy, a keynote speaker, tech integration specialist, Google for Education Trainer, Nerd, 8th-grade science teacher, and the #EduDuctTape Podcast Host. Educational technology works best when it's not the focus of the learning; it's a tool we're using. Think of it as duct tape; duct tape is the tool we use to make the thing we're using better or solve a problem. Educational technology is a tool we use to solve a problem, meet a goal, or address a standard. The focus is the content or learning goal. Podcasting became Jake's way of sharing more with educators when posting #EduGIFs/resources on Twitter wasn't enough. He wanted to go beyond how to use the tool and share the why and purpose of the tools. Now he sits with the DIS team to discuss all this and more!

In 1946, under the leadership of Frank Brownlee and Douglas McDougald, the Community Chest of Anderson was organized to raise funds for nonprofit agencies who worked to help people in need in Anderson County. The Community Chest exceeded its goal of $45,000 in its first year, and provided these funds to seven nonprofit agencies. The Community Chest was replaced by the United Fund in the late sixties and then joined the national United Way movement in the mid-seventies. In 2003, Foothills United Way changed its name to the United Way of Anderson County, to better reflect the area in which it serves.

This year the United Way of Anderson County is celebrating 75 years of service to the Anderson community.

Superintendent Tom Wilson speaks highly of the United Way saying, “For any school district or city to thrive, it needs a strong backbone made up of dedicated volunteers and civic-oriented leaders, and that is exactly what the United Way of Anderson County provides for our community.”

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Carol Burdette has been the Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Anderson County since 2002 after serving as a volunteer with the organization for 13 years.

Mrs. Burdette is a native of Pendleton who has lived in Anderson County her entire life, attending Anderson County public schools and receiving a bachelor’s of arts degree from Southern Wesleyan University in 1982.  She has been involved with community organizations as a volunteer or staff member for 32 years.  For 22 of those 31 years, Carol served in elected office in the Town of Pendleton as a council member from 1987 – 1997 and mayor from 1997 – 2009.

Burdette has been honored with the Pointing The Way Award, the Athena award, the Leadership Anderson Alumni Award, presidential citation from her alma mater Southern Wesleyan University, 2014 Economic Development Ambassador for Anderson County by Governor Nikki Haley and was named as one of the 15 over 50 by the Independent Mail and named Non-Profit Director of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.  Most recently Burdette has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Women of the Upstate by the GSA Business Report

Hear from Superintendent Tom Wilson as he welcomes us back to another great school year.

Welcome to the last episode of Season 1 iTalks Podcast. Today Melissa Looney, Danae Acker, and Paige Mitchell discuss avoiding the educator summer slide. It's about leaving all of the education "work" in the classroom and using time this summer to explore your passions by digging into your why for education.

When we meet as a team on Fridays, we have roundtable discussions resulting from teachers’ questions throughout the week. Many ideas and initiatives have evolved from these talks. We now invite you into the conversation. In an effort to support the learners we serve and help you connect better with us, we have aptly named this episode style DIS-connectED. In this episode, we will be answering questions submitted by our A5 teachers.

In episode four, we paid a visit to Berkeley County School District and met up with David Kelly, who was an Innovative Learning Coordinator at the time. We discussed his own empowerment and learned ways he empowers others.

In episode three, we sat down with Leonard Galloway, principal of Glenview Middle School in Anderson District 5, to tackle topics such as leadership, relationship building, the power of defining your WHY.

We know that using these technology tools and having the freedom/confidence to try it and fail forward takes support not only from the DIS team but also from school leadership. Administrators have had to rethink how to offer professional development in this new environment. Here's an example from Tiffany Osborne, Associate Principal from Glenview Middle,  of how the Glenview Leadership team changed the PD plan.

Change can be scary, but as George Couros, author of The Innovator’s Mindset says, “When we embrace new opportunities, even when they seem like obstacles, we can create something much better than what currently exists. It can seem easier to stay with a ‘known bad’ than take a chance on the possibility of a ‘great’ new opportunity. Fear can make us reluctant, but it doesn’t have to defeat us”.  This is our opportunity to make positive changes in education, but what does that mean and what does that look like?  Join us in the conversation as we discuss Navigating Uncharted Waters.

When we meet as a team on Fridays, we have roundtable discussions resulting from teachers’ questions throughout the week. Many ideas and initiatives have evolved from these talks.  We now invite you into the conversation. In an effort to support the learners we serve and help you connect better with us, we have aptly named this episode style DISconnectED. Today we will be answering questions submitted by our A5 teachers.

For show notes and additional resources visit the A5 Digital Toolkit Site.