Why #NerdyCast? #EdChat

I have received a few questions about why I have decided to start an entire YouTube channel for NerdyCast. The answer is not because I have so much extra time on my hands, it's because I felt there was a void that could be filled with a fun educational channel that explores the other parts of education that are not openly discussed.

There are so many of us that are passionate about "nerdy" things. We can be Trekkies or Wookies, but we love something and want to find ways to share it with other passionate teachers and our students in the classroom.

I look to provide content that covers all things we geek out about and some ways they can be incorporated in the classroom.

Here is a short video that sums up what I think #NerdyCast is about. Remember to subscribe so I can reach 100 subscribers. Live shows on YouTube are available after 100!

Schools Need More Zach Morris and Less Jessie Spano #NerdyCast

Welcome to the first #NerdyCast. I'm really excited to bring the show back to its roots in being a bit more funny and still about education. For those that have followed the move from iTunes to the other place now here, thanks.

Here are my thoughts on school from the perspective of Zack Morris and Jessie Spano. I wrote a post about it some time back about all of the characters, but this video focuses on these two specfically. Click here to read that older post after the video if you want to see what I think about Kelly, Lisa, Screech and the rest of the SBTB crew.

If you like what you saw, make sure to subscribe to the channel. After 100 subscribers, Tim and I can do live broadcasts on YouTube. We want to do something awesome for the #EduBro Awards and a live show on YouTube is part of the plan. Thanks for watching and I hope you will be back soon. 

Being a nerd in the classroom #edchat - Thanks @WilW

Please watch this video first so the rest of the post will make sense. 

"It's not about what you love. It's about how you love it."

I saw this video when it first went around a few months ago and I have been meaning to write about it for a while. There are a couple of things that this video made think about and I wanted to share it with all of you. 

First, I have been a nerd all my life, but only really outed myself a handful of years ago. I grew up playing sports. I played soccer and did all of the "regular" guy things guys were supposed to do. Secretly, I played board games and D&D with my brothers and online. I loved games like Mystery Mansion and Gunslinger. There were so many different games we used to play as brothers I cannot even begin to list them all. I remember being embarrassed to tell my friends that I played these games and I never wanted to be associated with the types of kids that did play those games. It was lonely at times when I couldn't' discuss the fact that Batman had his back broken by Bane in the comics or how awesome Batman The Animated Series really was for older kids. It wasn't until I was much older, perhaps my late 20's, that I decided that it didn't matter anymore. So what that I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer and continue to read the series in comic form. It's damn good storytelling. I cannot wait to start playing some of the boardgames that Wil shows on TableTop. (If you have no idea what this is, please check it out if you love boardgames. The people are hilarious and the games are interesting.) 

I think of this now because I have a 2 year old son and he is getting into the things I like. He loves his superheroes and is in love with the Muppets. We would spend hours watching old episodes on YouTube and he loves the most recent movie. A small part of me worried about raising a son that others might think of as a nerd or that he might be ostracized for liking things outside of the norm. I watched this video and it made me think about what really matters. I want Leo to love whatever he wants no matter what anyone says. The last bit of advice also was spot on, "I want you to be honest, honorable, kind..." These are words for everyone, not just nerds, should live their life by. 

The second thing this video made me think of was my classroom. I strive to create a classroom environment that is welcoming to all of my students. In a class of 30, I will get 30 different personalities, but I want them all to feel like they fit in. This past school year, I really found myself speaking up on behalf of my Whovian students who tried to make a literary comparison in class to the 11th Doctor. There were snickers, but, not only where those students correct in their comparison, it was the best one I heard all day. Schools can still be a harsh environment for students to express who they are without fear of criticism. It is not easy, but teachers can help make it better. I am going to be adding this video to my Transcendentalism Unit. I play songs from different artists about being and individual and show Steve Jobs' speech from Stanford for the unit. I will be happily adding this video to that unit to further demonstrate the raw awesomeness of being yourself and not letting others dictate what you like. 

Thanks Wil Wheaton, Thoreau would be proud. 

StudyBlue to the rescue! #EduTour

A huge shut out to StudyBlue for hosting our final PitStop in San Francisco. We are going to be in their offices downtown and I can't wait to see where these awesome people work.

StudyBlue is an awesome tool that allows users to create notecards, flashcards and other notes and then share them using social media. The Twitter and Facebook integration is great because it allows for easy sharing for students and that is very important to them.

The other aspect of StudyBlue that is really nice is that it is accessible on the go using mobile devices. Our students are more and more mobile than ever before. They want to access their information when they want wherever they are. StudyBlue makes that possible with their mobile apps across platforms. It doesn't matter if kids are on iDevices or Android, they can share their notes and flashcards with just a couple selections.

I really see this as a big deal for students in my high school who are always getting ready for their big AP exams and other tests. These notes are very helpful to have if they have down time between classes or during lunch. They do not have to run to their locker or worry about losing their notebook because their flashcards and notes are saved in StudyBlue.

I really look forward to exploring this tool more during the school year and will really encourage my students to give it a try in my class and others.