I realized that it's pretty difficult to schedule podcast interviews when you have a new baby in the house with a somewhat unpredictable nap schedule, and I decided I wasn't going to cut into family time.

COURSES FOR TEACHERS I'VE BEEN CREATING

During the times the little one napped, I decided to create a new course called Create Successful Videos for Distance Learning.  

It's a 1-hour self-paced course to help teachers who need to create video lessons but aren't sure where to start.

Additionally, I spent time making changes to my classroom economy.  Since our school is completely remote until at least mid-October, I had to come up with

•  a whole new list of classroom jobs
• ways that students could spend their classroom money
• ways they could earn supplemental money.

I've added all of those resources to my course How to Teach Kids About Money.

That two-hour course was originally created with a normal classroom environment in mind, but many of the things still apply to a virtual classroom economy.

PLACES I'M PUTTING OUT THE MOST CONTENT

Once I completed the courses, I decided to focus my efforts on my Instagram and YouTube channels.

On my Instagram channel, I've been posting stories each school day about how I'm approaching that day of distance learning, often sharing tech tips along the way.

On my YouTube channel, I've been creating videos all about distance learning technology and lesson ideas.

PUSHING PAUSE ON THE PODCAST

With all of that going on, something had to give so I decided to pause the podcast until further notice.

CONNECT WITH ME

I'd love to hear how things are going with you and how I could help; what kind of content would be beneficial for you right now?

• Email | thom@thomgibson.com
• Instagram | @gibsoneducation
• YouTube | /gibsonedu
• Twitter | @gibsonedu
• Website | thomgibson.com
• 'Create Successful Videos for Distance Learning' course | thomgibson.com/distancelearning
• 'How to Teach Kids About Money' course | thomgibson.com/classroomeconomy
• TeamEdu Newsletter | thomgibson.com/newsletter

I walk through six tips on how to ensure your summer is a time to recharge, including:

• strategies to wean yourself off of social media a bit
• what to think through when developing your evening routine to get more sleep
• how to start small when it comes to exercising each week
• where to start when it comes to preparing for the fall semester
• practical advice on how to structure your own professional development this summer
• ideas on creating connection with others, from those in your household, to your family and friends, to your extended network

Also, this will be my last podcast for the summer! I'll be back in August with more episodes to help you middle-school STEM teachers create meaningful and memorable experiences for your students!

RESOURCES

• Minecraft EDU
• Minecraft EDU podcast
• RoboCo robotics building game
• MarcoPolo video messaging app

CONNECT WITH THOM

• Twitter | @gibsonedu
• YouTube |/gibsonedu
• Instagram | @gibsoneducation
• LinkedIn | /thomgibson
• Website | thomgibson.com
• Email | thom@thomgibson.com

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

1. Enroll in the How to Teach Kids About Money course for educators
2. Sign up for the TeamEdu newsletter
3. Leave a podcast rating & review

I got all these ideas from other educators on social media.  In this episode, I take time to reflect on these three projects.  I talk specifically about:

• how I had students create a TikTok as their final math summative grade
• my rubric for the TikTok project
• reflections on what I would do differently with the TikTok project if I did it again
• how I introduced the Rube Goldberg project for my robotics class
• how I incorporated Minecraft in the planning process for their Rube Goldberg project
• how we utilized our Zoom class time during the week they were working on the Rube Goldberg machine
• how I structured the financial literacy project where students sold items on eBay
• how one student made over $300 when he did the eBay project
• a bonus 'virtual yearbook' project I did with my advisory students

RESOURCES:

• Esther Burnat (where I got the TikTok idea) on Instagram - @estherbrunat
• Dr. Valerie Camille Jones (also did the TikTok project) on Instagram - @dr_vcjones
• My TikTok intro slides & rubric - TikTok Project
• Mr. Aguirre (where I got the Rube Goldberg idea) on Instagram - @jacksonmstech
• My Rube Goldberg intro slide show and grading criteria -  Rube Goldberg Project
• Piskel (pixel art animator) - Piskel App
• Mike Yates (eBay project idea) - FlipLife Article
• My eBay project slides, videos, and assessment criteria - eBay Project
• My virtual yearbook details - starting virtual yearbook template

CONNECT WITH THOM

• Twitter | @gibsonedu
• YouTube |/gibsonedu
• Instagram | @gibsoneducation
• LinkedIn | /thomgibson
• Website | thomgibson.com
• Email | thom@thomgibson.com

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

1. Enroll in the How to Teach Kids About Money course for educators
2. Sign up for the TeamEdu newsletter
3. Leave a podcast rating & review