Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast: Recent Episodes
Hannah Crepeau
CERTIFIED: Certiport Educator Podcast is all about educators. This podcast will crack open the world of education, certification, and technology. At Certiport, we are dedicated to helping people succeed through certification, and we couldn’t do what we do without powerful and dedicated educators, like YOU! Whether you’ve been teaching for one month, one year, or decades, we have episodes for you. Join us as we interview other educators, students, and industry experts. Discover new ways to teach, connect with fellow technology educators, and get inspired. Teaching is a career that demands all that you have to give. So we’re here to give back to you. Listen. Learn. Grow. Become a part of the CERTIFIED community.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on July 19, 2023.
Each year, we are so excited to recognize one of our customers as our CERTIFIED Educator of the Year as part of our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference. We work with so many incredible educators, all of whom deserve recognition for their dedication and efforts. We're pleased to announce that Karen Coulombe is our 2023 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year!
Karen Coulombe is a career and technical education (CTE) teacher at Lake Stevens High School in Washington state. Karen teaches both computer applications and computer science to first-year high school students in Lake Stevens. She is also a robotics advisor for the largest VRC Robotics team in Washington. Before becoming a teacher, Karen worked for more than a decade as a licensed avionics technician and airframe and powerplant mechanic for the U.S. Air Force, DynCorp Aerospace, and the Boeing Company. She was also selected for special assignments involving Air Force One and the B2 stealth bomber.
Throughout her career, Karen has been a passionate believer in continuing education and giving back to her community. She has participated in the U.S. Naval Academy’s SET SAIL, Certiport’s National CERTIFIED Conference, STEM Guitars, Space Camp for Educators, the Washington Alliance for Better Schools STEM Externship, and multiple nanotechnology conferences. Karen also serves on the teacher advisory board for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, and as a member of two technical advisory committees.
In this episode, we talked with Karen about CERTIFIED, being named CERTIFIED Educator of the Year, and her experience both in and out of the classroom. She discusses her passion for teaching, and how she overcomes the challenges she faces in education. Plus, Karen shares her advice for creating a network of professionals to enrich your classroom and curriculum.
Learn more about Karen on the blog (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/June/Karen-Coulombe-2023-CERTIFIED-Educator-of-the-Year) and on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1m9kLUgug). You can also connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-coulombe/.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Karen, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on July 7, 2022.
Each year, we have the honor and privilege of selecting an Educator of the Year. The 2022 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year is Carol York.
Carol is a Business Education teacher at Cary High school in Cary North Carolina. After many years of experience in private industry, Carol has been teaching for 12 years. She has been teaching project management for 8 years and was on the curriculum development team for both project management one and two for the state of North Carolina. She’s recently earned her PMI Project Management Ready certification, which adds to her MOS Expert certification and National Board Teacher certification.
In this episode, we talk about Carol’s experience as an educator and her special key to helping students succeed. Find out how she forms connections with her students that last well beyond the classroom.
You can read more about Carol here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/June/Carol-York-2022-CERTIFIED-Educator-of-the-Year.
You can also learn about Carol and her fellow CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on July 7, 2021.
In this episode, we had the privilege of interviewing our 2021 Certiport CERTIFIED Educator of the Year Abner Soto-Henry. His love for education and his students is truly inspiring. He talks about his story and journey to becoming an educator. We also chat about some of the challenges with his unique teaching and his advice to help other educators in similar situations as him.
Abner Soto-Henry has taught information technology education for nearly 20 years at the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy, specializing in Microsoft certifications, IC3 Digital Literacy certifications, and CompTIA certifications. In total, Mr. Soto-Henry has more than 24 years of experience in education.
Originally from Costa Rica, Abner speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Portuguese, enabling him to connect with the students he serves. He has received several awards, including the 2013 Community Star Award from D.C. United, the 2015 Hispanic Heritage Innovative Educator Award, the 2016 D.C. OSSE Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year award, the 2019 D.C. PCSB TIERific Teacher of the Year, and 2021 Certiport CERTIFIED Educator of the Year. A former professional soccer player, his passion for teaching is only rivaled by his love of the game.
Contact Abner:
https://www.facebook.com/ctlc.laycca
https://www.facebook.com/layccagreatness
https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-sotohenry20/
More information about Certiport:
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on October 5, 2022.
As an educator, it’s easy to get into a silo. Having a demanding teaching schedule can make collaborating and connecting with other educators seem impossible. However, those who reach outside the classroom can learn valuable lessons from other educators and expand their available resources. And Denise Spence has the experience to prove it.
Denise Spence has been an educator for almost 25 years. She has earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, emphasis in Instructional Technology. Over the years, Denise has taught the correlated course content and earned various IT certification credentials. Her accomplishments include being selected as 1 of 3 finalists for Lee County's Teacher of the Year in 2000; she was the 1st ever Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year for Lee County in 2006; she was named Certiport's Global Summit's Teacher of the Year for 2010. Denise was also a 2011 and a 2012 finalist for the Microsoft Innovation Forum.
During this episode, Denise talked about the value of collaborating and learning from other educators. She gives practical advice for how to find the time and tools to make collaboration easy.
Looking for opportunities to connect and collaborate with your fellow CTE educators? Join our Certiport Academy trainings each month! Get all the details on the Certiport blog: www.certiport.com/blog. You can see past sessions in our Educator Resource Library here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Resources.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on December 15, 2021.
Students shouldn’t leave their CTE programs without a polished and professional resume. It’s impossible to transition to the workforce without one. Building a resume can require some handholding and lots of advice. So we brought in our expert, James Boshier, to help give you all the steps you need to help your students build a fantastic resume. James is the Head of Product Success at Resume-Library. As Head of Product, he owns the Resume-Library roadmap and works out what new features are added to the site.
In this episode, James gives advice on building and polishing the best resume, what students should know about cover letters (spoiler alert: they’re on the way out), and how candidates should conduct themselves in a job interview. He also talks through all the resources that Certiport candidates have access to when they’re ready for the job search.
You can learn more about Resume-Library on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/May/Why-Your-Students-Need-Resume-Library.
Resume-Library also has an entire blog dedicated to career advice. You can find articles and relevant content for your students here: https://www.resume-library.com/career-advice/.
If you’re interested in checking out the newly launched UK CV Builder James mentioned, you’ll find that here: https://www.cv-library.co.uk/free-cv-builder.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on January 12, 2022.
You know when something is so good, you just want to tell everyone about it? That’s how we felt about our latest CSB Academy webinar with Jennifer Stubblefield. We couldn’t keep this one to ourselves, so we wanted to make sure our listeners had a chance to get Jennifer’s advice.
Jennifer Stubblefield is Certiport’s new Customer Success Manager, current KBEA President, a former KY business educator, and the 2019 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year. Plus, she’s the face and voice behind the LearnKey Communication Skills for Business curriculum. We got a peek inside Jennifer’s treasure chest of experience during this episode. We talk about her favorite projects for teaching communication skills in the classroom. We discussed everything from Fortune 500 projects and portfolios to elevator pitches and the importance of an undershirt in mock interviews. If you teach any business course, you’ll want to listen, save, and share this episode. Just trust us on this one.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on May 25, 2022.
As part of our IT Specialist Academy training, we held a webinar addressing computational thinking. This one was so good, that we just had to share it here as well. We were lucky enough to feature two of our new CERTIFIED Ambassadors on this episode: Tracey Sigers and Damiano Mastandrea.
Tracey Sigers is the Department Chair of Information Technology at the National Center for Urban Solutions in Columbus, Ohio. Tracey holds an MBA with an emphasis in technology leadership, a bachelor’s degree in information technology, and an associate degree in technology. Tracey has twenty years of business background in computer systems management, college study skills, and Microsoft software experience. She’s eager to bring students into the twenty-first century using enthusiastic and dynamic teaching to help them become lifelong learners.
Damiano Mastrandrea is a Career and Technical Education Director at the Brooklyn STEAM Center. He manages the CTE portfolio of the school to ensure that they are highly relevant and rigorous. He also strategizes various career readiness approaches through workplace immersion programs supported by data-driven decisions. Damiano is a big believer in changing education as a system that works for everyone instead of the selected few and pursuing education to all corners. His passion for education has led him to earn three college degrees including a doctorate, as well last 26 industry certifications. When he has a free moment, Damiano likes to write short stories, play games, and, if he's feeling daring, bake!
We sat down with Tracey and Damiano to learn more about computational thinking. According to ComputationalThinking.org, these skills are increasingly critical for individuals and organizations as the use of computation becomes more central to every activity and every innovation. In this episode, we took a deep dive into computational thinking. Our guests taught us more about what it is, why it’s valuable for students, and how you can teach this industry-demanded skillset in the classroom.
You can learn more about the IT Specialist Computational Thinking certification exam here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ITSpecialist/Certification/Certify
You can also watch this, and other IT Specialist Academy trainings here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/April/IT-Specialist-Academy-2022
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on September 28, 2022.
According to a 2022 study by the CDC, 37% of U.S. high schoolers have faced mental health struggles amid the COVID pandemic. These struggles highlight students’ need for a positive, welcoming environment during the new school year. We couldn’t think of a better guest to discuss positivity than CERTIFIED Ambassador, Abner Soto-Henry.
Abner Soto-Henry has taught information technology education for nearly 20 years at the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy, specializing in Microsoft certifications, IC3 Digital Literacy certifications, and CompTIA certifications. In total, Mr. Soto-Henry has more than 24 years of experience in education.
Originally from Costa Rica, Abner speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Portuguese, enabling him to connect with the students he serves. He has received several awards, including being named Certiport’s 2021 Educator of the Year. A former professional soccer player, his passion for teaching is only rivaled by his love of the game.
In this episode, we talk with Abner about the positive and negative influences at play in the lives of today’s students. Abner paints a picture of the ideal classroom and talks about ways to connect with students to make your dream classroom a reality. And last, but certainly not least, he offers advice for how to fill your own cup, so you can emanate positivity in the classroom each and every day.
Want to connect with Abner for more positive energy and advice? Reach out to him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-sotohenry20/. You can also learn more about Abner, and all our other CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on June 6, 2022.
According to reports from Burning Glass, nearly 2.3 million job postings in the last year have requested project management skills, which is great news for teachers looking to help their students find jobs immediately upon graduation. Plus, project management instills additional skills such as time management, communication, and teamwork; all soft skills that are highly demanded by today’s employers.
In this episode, we sat down with one of our amazing CERTIFIED Ambassadors, Carol York. Carol York is a Business Education teacher at Cary High school in Cary North Carolina. After many years of experience in Private industry, Carol has been teaching for 12 years. She has been teaching project management for 8 years and was on the curriculum development team for both project management one and two for the state of North Carolina. She’s recently earned her PMI Project Management Ready certification, which adds to her MOS Expert certification and National Board Teacher certification.
Carol discusses her journey into teaching project management, and why these skills are applicable for all students. With a 100% certification pass rate this year, Carol has helpful ideas for how you can help your students buy into project management.
You can learn more about the PMI Project Management Ready certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/pmi/Certifications/Overview.
For advice on how to build a project management program at your school, check out this blog post: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/April/Building-a-Successful-Project-Management-Program.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on January 4, 2023.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 13% of engineers are women. Helping the next generation of female students pursue careers in engineering requires concerted focus and dedication from professionals and educators alike. In this week’s episode, we’re highlighting a panel discussion we hosted with five incredible female engineers: Kaylee Janett, a fourth year chemical engineering student at the University of Idaho; Meridian Haas, a mechanical and aerospace engineering PhD candidate at the University of California at Davis; Samantha Daniels, a Massachusetts Builder Designer with EDM; Natalie Nguyen, Oklahoma Mechanical Engineer with Balon Corporation; and Elowyn Yager, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Idaho.
These incredible women shared their passion for engineering and talked about how they first decided to pursue this traditionally male-dominated field. They shared vulnerable experiences they’ve had, facing sexist views in their education and workplace journeys. Most importantly, they discuss strategies to expand access to engineering learning for tomorrow’s female engineers.
If you work with female engineering students, this is one episode you don’t want to miss.
Strong design-software skills are a great asset in both the academic and professional arenas. Autodesk Certified User (ACU) certification can make a difference for your learners. Discover more here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Autodesk/Certifications/Overview.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our previous episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on February 1, 2023.
Have you signed up for CERTIFIED Academy: Business yet? If not, this is your sign to register and join us! CERTIFIED Academy: Business is an immersive online professional development program for business educators. This is your chance to learn from your fellow business educators and industry professionals.
From now until March, we’ll be hosting training sessions to help you learn from business education experts and industry professionals. Discover new ways of teaching, and dive into available resources for your classroom. Plus, those who register will receive a professional development certificate, allowing you to demonstrate the hours you spent learning and growing through CERTIFIED Academy.
In our latest CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinar, we focused on the four Cs of workforce readiness with veteran educator and Certiport’s Customer Success Manager, Jennifer Stubblefield. We talked with Jennifer about how to teach soft skills in the classroom, specifically communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. Jennifer also shares how to create projects that nurture these workforce-demanded competencies.
Join us for future CERTIFIED Academy Business sessions here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/January/Join-us-for-CERTIFIED-Academy-Business.
This session was sponsored by our Communication Skills for Business (CSB) certification program. Learn more about CSB here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/CSB/Certification/Overview.
Welcome to our Summer Replay series. We wanted to revisit some of our favorite and most popular episodes. These episodes were previously recorded and aired at an earlier date. This episode originally aired on June 30, 2021.
Are you new to the world of certification? New to Certiport? Happy to meet you! In this episode, we sit down with David Watkins, Certiport’s Director of Product Management. Learn about Certiport’s history, our model for certification success, and our new “My Pathway” resources to help students find their path to certified success.
Get all the details about our “My Pathway” resources here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/February/Do-You-Know-Your-Pathway
Learn more about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
For many students, college has been the main goal. But what happens after college graduation? Are students planning and preparing for their transition into the workforce? Dr. Krystal Rawls thinks there’s more that educators can be doing to help students be prepared for their first job.
Dr. Rawls is the designer of the Workforce Integration Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Building on a foundation of theoretically sound and data-driven practices, Rawls endeavors to create transparency and equity in workforce development programming to develop a more diverse, digitally competent, and skilled class of worker. Dr. Rawls draws on her transdisciplinary background in Education, Psychology, and Business to inform her innovative approach to empowering students to take their place in the modern workforce. Using labor market information to identify the skills needs of employers and curriculum data to evidence skills developed in the academic experience, Krystal creates community through skill-based language. In her role as an analyst and faculty member, Krystal gets to indulge her passion for building opportunities and relationships that are beneficial to the student, educator/worker, as well as industry and community partners. Dr. Rawls welcomes opportunities to create meaningful workforce partnerships and develop pathways for positive economic outcomes for all.
In this episode, we’re dishing out advice for both students and educators. We talk about the transition into that first “real-world job”, and how educators can use big and small means to get students ready for that next step. If you’re looking for tangible, applicable advice you can start using today, Dr. Rawls delivers.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference to learn from educators like Dr. Rawls. Get all the details at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Looking for more advice from Dr. Rawls? Listen to her previous episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wGcCPbLY6zTXdNdAO3vLO.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Dr. Rawls, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
If you’re looking for additional learning opportunities, Dr. Rawls recommends the following books or resources:
- Supporting Working-Class Students in Higher Education
- Assessing and Validating Digital Skills: DRAW Detailed Discussion and Findings
- High-Impact Practices and Gains in Student Learning: Evidence from Georgia, Montana, and Wisconsin
- Honing Self-Awareness of Faculty and Future Business Leaders
- “Psychological safety as an effective measurement in engineering classrooms” from the 2019 ASEE annual conference & exposition.
- “Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Rethinking the curriculum” from the Journal of Teacher Education.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic of discussion in nearly every industry, and education is no exception. In this episode, we’re diving into the world of AI with Aimee Torres and Lauren Miller, who will be sharing their AI expertise and experience in a 2024 CERTIFIED Educator Conference breakout session.
Lauren Miller is currently in her fifth year as a full-time lecturer at Auburn University where she teaches Information Analysis to students in the business college. As a part of this course, she certifies her students with the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel and Excel Expert certifications. Prior to teaching at the post-secondary level, she taught middle school and high school business in Alabama and Texas. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and Ed.S. degree in business and marketing education from Auburn University. Aimee Torres is currently a lecturer at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She teaches Microsoft Excel to business students in Information Analysis courses. She also certifies all her students in the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Associate certification and the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Expert certification. She has been a lecturer at Auburn University since 2019. Aimee has her B.S. in business administration from Troy University, her M.Ed. in business & marketing education from Auburn University, her Ed.S. in Business & Marketing Education from Auburn University and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Career and Technical Education. In addition to teaching, Aimee presents workshops at local, regional, and national business and marketing education conferences. She is a member of the National Business Education Association (NBEA) and is currently serving as President of the Alabama Business Education Association (ABEA).
In today’s episode, we talk about how Aimee and Lauren have incorporated AI into their Microsoft Excel course. They share what AI tools they use, and how these tools help educators focus on teaching. Plus, we talk about what skills their students are learning from these projects and tools.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference to learn from Aimee and Lauren. Get all the details at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Looking for more AI resources? Get a few ideas here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/December/Tools-for-Teaching-Artificial-Intelligence.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Aimee and Lauren, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Project managers need a full toolbox of skills, including communication, organization, time management, and leadership. Sounds like tools educators use in the classroom every day. In this episode, we learn from project management expert, Carol York.
After a successful business career, Carol York has worked as a business education teacher at Cary High School in Cary, North Carolina for 13 years, including nine years as a project management teacher. Carol has served as a CERTIFIED Ambassador and presented various sessions at the CERTIFIED Educator Conference over the years. She is passionate about the benefits of certification for students. She has served on North Carolina’s state curriculum development team for project management courses, and she has earned her Microsoft Office Specialist Expert, PMI Project Management Ready, and National Board Teacher certifications.
Carol gives us a peek into her 2024 CERTIFIED Educator Conference workshop. She shares how educators can use project management skills in the classroom, both with their students and to make their own lives easier. Carol reminds us that no matter what subject you teach, project management can help you!
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference to learn from Carol. Get all the details at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Looking for more project management resources? Get a few ideas here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/Why-Teach-Project-Management.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Carol, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
We are excited for our 2024 CERTIFIED Educator Conference in June and are dedicating our next few episodes to previews of some of our breakout sessions. We were lucky enough to sit down with Brittany Hochstaetter and Chad McKenzie to discuss what they’ll be sharing at our 2024 #CERTIFIEDConf.
Chad is an Associate Professor in the Information Technology division at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh and has 17 years of teaching experience within the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). Chad’s teaching style focuses on fostering relationships with his students and creating learning environments, both virtual and seated, that are engaging, positive, and personalized.
Brittany is an experienced Professor of Communication with over 15 years of experience in higher education. Like Chad, she’s currently sharing her gifts and efforts with students at Wake Technical Community College. She’s skilled in research, educational leadership, adult education, curriculum development, soft-skills training, administrative processes, and program development.
In today’s episode, we talk about teaching Gen Z students, and how the internet has shaped this generation. Chad and Brittany also share valuable classroom strategies to help educators prepare for teaching and engaging Gen Z students and give a peek into the research they’ll be sharing at CERTIFIED 2024. Dive into the story of Internet Culture to understand the curious nature of today’s students and learn innovative and practical classroom strategies for engaging their hearts and minds.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Chad and Brittany, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
We’re back with another week of insights for our creative educators. By popular demand, we’re sharing more insight from CERTIFIED Ambassador, John Beale.
John Beale began his educational career working in museums including the Spanish Colonial Quarter, the Florida Agriculture Museum, and the Florida Maritime Museum. After more than a decade in experiential education he brought his experiences to the classroom, first at middle school level teaching science and STEM marine science before finding his place at Allen D. Nease High School in St John's County, Florida, teaching Introduction to Engineering and Design, Civil Engineering and Architecture, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing and sponsoring the Transportation Technology Club with a focus on Aerospace and Electrathon motorsports. He believes that industry certification creates a solid pathway to college, careers, and creativity and that collaboration and cooperation in and out of the classroom benefits all involved.
In this episode, we dive into the concepts of design thinking and creativity. We talked with John about Intuit’s Design for Delight approach, and how to teach students design thinking skills that they can leverage in the design and development process. Plus, we discussed the soft and hard skills your students gain by applying design thinking principles. If you’re not familiar with design thinking, this is a great introduction!
Learn more about the Intuit Design for Delight Innovator certification program: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Intuit/Certifications/Certify/Design-for-Delight.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like John, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/. John will be presenting at this year’s conference, and we know you won’t want to miss it.
Research studies consistently demonstrate the power of active learning or learning by doing. Helping students become more engaged in the learning process means creating hands-on learning opportunities.
In our latest CERTIFIED Academy: Design webinar, we sat down with CERTIFIED Ambassador, John Beale, to talk about hands-on learning. John Beale began his educational career working in museums including the Spanish Colonial Quarter, the Florida Agriculture Museum, and the Florida Maritime Museum. After more than a decade in experiential education he brought his experiences to the classroom, first at middle school level teaching science and STEM marine science before finding his place at Allen D. Nease High School in St John's County, Florida, teaching Introduction to Engineering and Design, Civil Engineering and Architecture, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing and sponsoring the Transportation Technology Club with a focus on Aerospace and Electrathon motorsports. He believes that industry certification creates a solid pathway to college, careers, and creativity and that collaboration and cooperation in and out of the classroom benefits all involved.
We talked with John about how to make your classroom more playful and hands-on. He also talks about why play is so important for learning and engagement.
Looking for more? Here are some additional resources to get you started.
Bring play into the classroom with one of John’s go-to tools: https://www.blooket.com/.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like John, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/. John will be presenting at this year’s conference, sharing a full “toolbox” of ideas for gamifying your classroom.
The need for video production and editing skills is skyrocketing. In 2024 alone, projections anticipate companies spending over $92B on video marketing. In this webinar turned podcast episode, we dove into the world of video editing and production with CERTIFIED Ambassador, Rob Johnson.
Rob Johnson is a media professional with over twenty years of experience, having gotten his start in live television as a producer for Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia where he was nominated for three Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards. He brought his industry experience to the classroom and has been involved in various roles as a teacher and digital strategist at La Salle College High School outside of Philadelphia, PA.
Mr. Johnson's WEXPtv Media Program has won multiple Mid-Atlantic High School Emmy Awards during his tenure with many students achieving certification in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Photoshop.
We talked with Rob about why video editing and production skills are relevant for today’s students. He shared valuable tips and tricks for teaching Adobe Premiere Pro in the classroom, plus additional resources he uses to help his students master these in-demand skills. Best of all, he shares advice for how to weave in ever-changing and even emerging technologies into your classroom, such as AI.
Check out the full webinar recording here: https://youtu.be/Gldz6udM4qw.
Get all the details about the Adobe Certified Professional certification program here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Adobe/ACP/Overview.
Check out additional CERTIFIED Academy: Design sessions here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2024/March/Join-Us-for-CERTIFIED-Academy-Design-2024.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Rob, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Learn more about our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
REPLAY: This episode has been previously aired.
Education is the scaffolding around which students can build a successful life. However, students and young people often don’t see the big picture. Educators, particularly in the CTE space, need to connect students’ experiences more explicitly with relevant job roles and future career pathways. But how do you open your students’ eyes to the skills they have and the future jobs they can pursue? Offering context and integrating your classroom with the workforce is crucial.
In this episode, we were privileged to discuss skills contextualization with Dr. Krystal Rawls. Dr. Rawls is the designer of the Workforce Integration Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Building on a foundation of theoretically sound and data-driven practices, Rawls endeavors to create transparency and equity in workforce development programming to develop a more diverse, digitally competent, and skilled class of worker. Dr. Rawls draws on herd transdisciplinary background in Education, Psychology, and Business to inform her innovative approach to empowering students to take their place in the modern workforce. Using labor market information to identify the skills needs of employers and curriculum data to evidence skills developed in the academic experience, Krystal creates community through skill-based language. In her role as an analyst and faculty member, Krystal gets to indulge her passion for building opportunities and relationships that are beneficial to the student, educator/worker, as well as industry and community partners. Dr. Rawls welcomes opportunities to create meaningful workforce partnerships and develop pathways for positive economic outcomes for all.
With Dr. Rawls we discussed how to help students contextualize and understand their skillset, and how to let go in the classroom, and create authentic learning experiences. With context, your students will see that they’re not “just” students, but professionals in training.
Dr. Rawls mentioned some incredible resources to continue your learning. Check them out here
- American Council on Education: https://acue.org/?acue_courses=acues-effective-practice-framework
- “Growing Fairly: How to Build Opportunity and Equity in Workforce Development” by Stephen Goldsmith and Kate Markin Coleman: https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Fairly-Opportunity-Development-Innovative/dp/0815739486
Want to know more about implementing a Legacy project of your own? Contact Dr. Rawls on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorrawls/
Email: kmrawls@csudh.edu
Or through the CSUDH Workforce Integration Network : https://www.linkedin.com/company/csudhwin/
According to a Greenlight survey, 74% of teens surveyed reported that they don’t feel confident in their personal finance knowledge and yet, 73% reported wanting to learn more! Personal finance is a hot topic. Not only among students but within schools and governments. As a teacher, you can make a difference that goes beyond the classroom.
In this CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinar recording, we sat down with educators Dan Tedor and Imani Butler. Together we dove into the impact of personal finance education on students, how to make financial education relevant for the students in your classroom, and how integrating personal finance into your curriculum can equip students with essential skills and the confidence to make savvy financial decisions in their personal and professional spheres.
Check out the full webinar recording (with additional information from our partners at Intuit) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDjeDis9HAg&t=1s.
Get all the details for the Intuit Personal Finance certification exam here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/November/Intuit-Personal-Finance-certification.
Learn more about personal finance education at CERTIFIED this year! Get more information here: https://certified.certiport.com/conference/.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Summer is quickly approaching, which means that we’re in full CERTIFIED mode at the Certiport office. We are weeks away from our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference.
Taking place in Orlando, FL, June 17-19, CERTIFIED is the only education conference dedicated exclusively to exploring the full promise of certification in the classroom—by providing administrators, teachers, and industry experts with an engaging, energized forum for professional development, sharing their ideas, and experiences.
In this episode, we chatted with our Corporate Events Manager, Dominique Delbar and Director of Field Marketing, Ben Lambert. They gave us an inside view of CERTIFIED 2024, including an overview of the keynotes and breakouts, what parties are happening, and how to get involved in the student competitions. We talked about the total costs to attend, so you can budget with your districts and administrators ahead of time. Finally, we took a stroll down memory lane to talk about how CERTIFIED has changed over the years, and what new resources are available to help teachers year-round.
We can’t wait to see you all at CERTIFIED this year! Get more information here: https://certified.certiport.com/conference/.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators before CERTIFIED this summer in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
This one’s for all our Microsoft educators. In a recent CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinar, we sat down with a panel of education veterans from middle school, high school, and higher education.
Jan Went is a business technology instructor at Lakeview High School, a rural jr.-sr. high school of 469 students near Columbus, Nebraska. She is in her 40th year of teaching and is the organization administrator for the Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist Program. She was instrumental in their school becoming a part of the Nebraska Microsoft IT Initiative in 2016, and have qualified to remain members of the initiative for seven years. From 2017-present, Lakeview has been the home to seven state champions, one national champion, and one 5th place finish in the Worlds Competition in 2022. She currently has two state champions who will be competing at the national competition this summer in Orlando. Jan also served as a presenter at the Certiport Educator’s Conference in Orlando in 2021.
Karen Coulombe has taught a variety of Career and Technical Education courses at the 8th -12th grade level as well as the Community College since the early 2000's. Her focus is on expanding hands-on and experiential learning in meaningful ways to add valuable "tools" to the students' toolbox, building confidence and a resume of tangible skills to market in the workplace. Karen has seen certifications used to enhance resumes for those who need to get right to work; as well as to differentiate students working towards competitive internships, scholarships, and college programs. The most significant connection from certification to the real world is understanding how to work to achieve goals using the resources available. Before teaching, Karen worked for over a decade as an Avionics Technician with Boeing, DynCorp Aerospace and the US Air Force on programs including Air Force 1, the B2 Bomber, and multiple F-16 deployments abroad.
Laurene Klassen is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Assistant Director of IT Training & Communications at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She took her first Microsoft Office Specialist exam in 2010 for personal development and has been hooked ever since. In 2017, she spearheaded the MOS program at SMU after attending her first CERTIFIED conference. Their program has now certified over 5,000 students within 4 years. Laurene oversees the administrative side of their program working with over 15 faculty members to integrate the MOS exams into their curriculum. She frequently teaches Office workshops to students. She is a native of Massachusetts but now calls Texas her home.
These ladies share strategies to harness the power of project-based learning and MOS certification, helping prepare students for the demands of the workforce and post-secondary education. Listen to student success stories, discover effective tools, and acquire practical insights to enhance student success rates, teacher effectiveness, and program efficiency.
Discover some valuable tips for getting started with MOS on the blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/May/Getting-started-with-Microsoft-Office-Specialist.
Like our educators mentioned, connecting with industry is crucial to the success of your program. Get additional advice here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/November/Successful-Cert-Program-with-Industry-Education.
Learn more about the MOS certification: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Microsoft/MOS/Overview.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Jan, Karen, and Laurene, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Is your student the next U.S. National Champion? Learn how to help students earn an invitation to compete with veteran MOS teacher, Kathy Schmit. Kathy is a 10-year veteran teacher with 25 years of firsthand experience applying Microsoft products in the business industry, now serving as the statewide Actualization Manager for CCI Learning, for the WA legislatively funded Microsoft certification support team. Kathy entered the Career and Technical Education field to prepare students for the rigors and realities of the work world. Having been passed over for workplace advancement because she lacked certification or college credentials, she understands the importance and value of certification.
Kathy taught Microsoft certification for 10 years. She has had the pleasure of witnessing 3 of her students compete at the Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in Washington, DC, 4 students compete at the MOS U.S. National Championship, and several students win national and state championships through FBLA for Microsoft certification. Kathy takes great pleasure in the fact that, through their Microsoft certification and skills, many of her students have become mentors for local businesses and adults in their community, not to mention the jobs they have qualified for. Kathy will be the first to tell, in her enthusiastic manner, that certification matters! But above all else she will share with you and make you a believer that certification is for EVERYONE!
In this episode, Kathy and Certiport’s Corporate Events Manager, Dominique Delbar, sit down together to discuss all things competition. Learn how you can prepare students to compete, and how the competition can change lives. You can also discover resources that will help your students prepare. Prepare the next generation of MOS Champions!
Learn more about the MOS Championship: https://moschampionship.certiport.com/us/.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Kathy, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Students need to see that business, particularly entrepreneurship, is everywhere. In a recent CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinar, we learned from entrepreneurial education experts: Christina Deibler and Marjorie Mitchell.
In this episode, Christina and Marjorie share why it’s so important to teach entrepreneurship in schools (even if students don’t open their own businesses). We dive into the skills students learn as entrepreneurs, and projects to help teach entrepreneurial expertise. Plus, Christina and Marjorie list some of their favorite free resources they use in the classroom.
Get some valuable entrepreneurial teaching ideas on the blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/February/Bringing-Entrepreneurship-into-the-Classroom.
Learn more about the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ESB/Certification/Overview.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Christina and Marjorie, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Year after year, communication consistently appears among the top skills requested by employers. In fact, LinkedIn just published its 2024 report of the most in-demand job skills. Is anyone surprised to see communication in the number one position? Clearly, teaching learners this crucial skill has never been more important.
In this week’s episode, we revisit a CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinar from earlier this year. We sat down with Wake Technical Community College educators, Chad McKenzie and Brittany Hochstaetter, and Certiport’s own Certiport Success Manager, Jennifer Stubblefield, to discuss the importance of embedding communication teaching into your curriculum.
Chad, Brittany, and Jennifer shared how you can help empower students with valuable communication and soft skills. You’ll also learn how to build students’ digital emotional intelligence, making them effective communicators and employees in the modern workplace. Discover new and creative ways to teach this in-demand workforce skill.
Get some valuable communication teaching ideas on the blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2024/February/Embedding-communication-teaching-in-the-classroom.
Learn more about the Communication Skills for Business certification: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/CSB/Certification/Overview.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Chad and Brittany, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Every day we use and interact with devices that use artificial intelligence (AI). Help your students understand and get excited about the power of AI technology with the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior competition. The Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior (ICJ) is a global student competition for students ages 5-18. Through ICJ, educators utilize lessons to teach their students about AI technologies, students form teams, and apply these lessons to dream up a concept or idea to make a difference in their local community or world around them.
In this week’s episode, we had the opportunity to chat about ICJ with Microsoft’s Jeff Johnson. Jeff Johnson is Senior Business Manager for the Skills & Employability team in the Worldwide Public Sector Education group at Microsoft. In his role, Jeff leads the company skills strategy with K-12 and higher education institutions, government workforce agencies, educators, and partners around the world surrounding adoption and engagement with technical skills solutions for students including learning pathways and Microsoft’s industry recognized certification portfolio. Jeff is instrumental in helping Microsoft form broad education alliances with schools, higher education institutions, and governments globally to assist learners in gaining future-ready skills and technical credentials for the digital economy.
We talked with Jeff about the importance of AI skills, and how educators can introduce students to the world of AI through the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior competition. Jeff gave us all the details about ICJ, how students can compete, how educators can support them, and how to keep the AI momentum going after the competition has finished.
Jeff mentioned several resources during this episode. Get everything you need to dive into ICJ here:
- Imagine Cup Junior blog post: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2024/January/What-is-Microsoft-Imagine-Cup-Junior.
- Imagine Cup Junior website: www.imaginecup.com/junior.
- Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification information: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Microsoft/MCF/Overview.
- Free learning materials for Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/.
- For teachers working with students over 18, check out the Imagine Cup: www.imaginecup.com.
- For teachers looking for additional competition opportunities for their learners, check out the MOS World Championship: https://www.moschampionship.com/.
- Get other ideas for teaching AI in your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/December/Tools-for-Teaching-Artificial-Intelligence.
- Connect with your fellow educators in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic of discussion in nearly every industry. We are so excited that we were able to rally two experienced experts to help us dive into the world of AI, Jeff Felice and Joe Brutsche.
As President of CertNexus, Jeff is responsible for advancing the company's mission of closing the emerging technology skills gap. With 25 years of experience within the training and certification industry, serving in general management and practice leadership roles, Jeff combines his passion for professional performance with technology to bring change within global organizations while improving the opportunities for individuals in emerging tech. When not working towards improving the lives of others Jeff can be found doing the same for his own as an avid reader and cycling enthusiast.
Joe is a customer focused and data driven product management leader with a proven track record of successful product launches, fostering innovation and cross-functional collaboration. Driven and strategic with a unique combination of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) expertise, product management leadership and passion for analytics, Joe is responsible for determining Pearson VUE’s Security & Compliance, OnVUE and Analytics & Reporting product roadmaps. In addition, he leads Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Committe, which promotes and oversees the responsible use of AI within Pearson VUE. Before joining Pearson VUE, he was a Risk Assurance Director at PwC, and held roles of increasing responsibility in compliance, auditing, security and third-party assurance.
During this episode, we learned all about the impact of AI in the world of IT and beyond. We discussed what information individuals should know about AI, including machine learning, generative AI, and ethical practices. If you’re looking to dip your toes into the world of artificial intelligence, this episode with Jeff and Joe will help you take the plunge.
This episode is co-sponsored by the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals and IT Specialist certification programs. Get more information about Microsoft Certified Fundamentals at www.certiport.com/mcf and more information about IT Specialist at www.certiport.com/its.
Looking for more? Here are some additional resources to get you started.
Check out the full webinar recording on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_W6kV0dfvE.
Get other ideas for teaching AI in your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/December/Tools-for-Teaching-Artificial-Intelligence.
Connect with your fellow educators in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Your students inherently understand play. Engaging in hands-on learning and gamification is a natural way to discover, learn, and retain information for learning, regardless of age. CERTIFIED Ambassador, John, sees that in his classroom every day.
John Beale began his educational career working in museums including the Spanish Colonial Quarter, the Florida Agriculture Museum, and the Florida Maritime Museum. After more than a decade in experiential education he brought his experiences to the classroom, first at middle school level teaching science and STEM marine science before finding his place at Allen D. Nease High School in St John's County, Florida, teaching Introduction to Engineering and Design, Civil Engineering and Architecture, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing and sponsoring the Transportation Technology Club with a focus on Aerospace and Electrathon motorsports. He believes that industry certification creates a solid pathway to college, careers, and creativity and that collaboration and cooperation in and out of the classroom benefits all involved.
In today’s episode, John shares why it’s so important for educators to focus on play. However, it’s not just play for play’s sake. He teaches how you can make your learning objectives and assignments more playful and hands-on, helping drive student engagement and buy-in. You’ll love John’s practical advice for making your classroom more engaging and playful.
Looking for more? Here are some additional resources to get you started.
Bring play into the classroom with one of John’s go-to tools: https://www.blooket.com/.
Learn more from the Harvard study John mentioned, “A Pedagogy of Play: Supporting playful learning in classrooms and schools”: https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/pedagogy-of-play-book.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like John, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Research studies consistently demonstrate the power of active learning or learning by doing. Helping students become more engaged in the learning process means creating hands-on learning opportunities. CERTIFIED Ambassador and Autodesk educator, Brian Flores, is here to help you find a balance between theoretical concepts and hands-on activities.
Brian Flores is a dedicated educator with a unique blend of experience and expertise, currently working as the Robotics and Engineering Teacher at JM Hanks High School. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science with a minor in Secondary Education and is currently working on his master’s in educational administration. His professional journey is equally compelling, having worked as a Professional Aerial Videographer for the City of El Paso and spent four years at Apple, where he honed his technological acumen.
With certifications in Technology Education 7-12 grades, Microsoft Office, Google Project Management, and Autodesk Inventor, Brian ensures his students are well-prepared for the dynamic world of engineering and technology. Currently, Brian imparts his knowledge to 10-12th-grade students, teaching Engineering Design and Problem Solving, Robotics I and II, Digital Electronics, and administering Certiport certification in Autodesk Inventor and Fusion, making him an asset to both his students and the educational community at large.
In this episode, Brian talks about how he incorporates theoretical teaching and hands-on projects. He’s built his own curriculum from scratch, and offers fabulous advice about creating personalized learning experiences, and meaningful hands-on activities. He also shares the value of learning opportunities outside the classroom. If you’re ready to create a more hands-on classroom this year, this episode is for you.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Brian, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Helping students succeed in the workplace is about more than just hard skills. It’s about helping them understand how to be successful in a corporate environment, how to interact and communicate with others. But how can you give students the interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence they need to succeed, particularly in today’s digital workplace? Chad McKenzie and Brittany Hochstaetter have collaborated on that very topic.
Chad McKenzie is an Associate Professor in the Information Technology division at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh and has 17 years of teaching experience within the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). Chad’s teaching style focuses on fostering relationships with his students and creating learning environments, both virtual and seated, that are engaging, positive, and personalized.
Brittany is an experienced Professor of Communication with over 15 years of experience in higher education. Like Chad, she’s currently sharing her gifts and efforts with students at Wake Technical Community College. She’s skilled in research, educational leadership, adult education, curriculum development, soft-skills training, administrative processes, and program development.
In this episode, we talked with Chad and Brittany about digital emotional intelligence, and why it’s a focus at Wake Technical Community College. Together they share their experience in pioneering a new communication program. We discuss what they’ve learned, and how educators can successfully teach digital emotional intelligence in their classroom.
Interested in learning more about digital emotional intelligence? Here are some of the resources that Brittany and Chad mentioned during the episode.
- Community College Daily Article: https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/01/between-us/
- Inquisitive Culture Article: https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Six-reasons-successful-leaders-love-questions
- Employability Framework: https://cte.ed.gov/initiatives/employability-skills-framework
- Rich Skill Descriptors: https://www.openskillsnetwork.org/rsd.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Chad and Brittany, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Coming in with our second episode of 2024, and we’re so excited to continue our series with our CERTIFIED Ambassadors. In our last episode, we covered student engagement. But what do you do if you’re struggling to help students get started and stay motivated to succeed? Christina Davis, CERTIFIED Ambassador and educator, has some great ideas for you.
Ms. Christina Davis is a teacher in Colorado Springs, CO. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina – Columbia. She started out by spending her first nine years in the classroom as an English teacher in South Carolina and then moved to Colorado Springs where she has spent the last seven years. Even though her heart is in teaching Shakespeare to teenagers; she stumbled upon a computer lab in 2019 and has now transitioned completely to the world of business and computer science certification courses.
Christina has implemented a very successful Microsoft certification program. Since she started teaching Microsoft in the middle of the pandemic, she has had more than 400 students earn their Microsoft certifications. In addition, she runs a certification lab program for students to earn their Entrepreneurship and Small Business certifications and Communication Skills for Business-Professional Communication certifications for college credit. More than 100 students have been able to complete those credentials in the last few years!
Last year, Christina was named Certification Coordinator for her entire Charter School Network. She is fervently excited about creating new opportunities for her students to excel as their work towards earning their associate degrees while still in high school!
In this episode, we talk with Christina about how to increase student motivation in and outside the classroom. She also talks about helping students motivate each other, so you’re not the only one driving progress in the classroom. Covering everything from college credit to discovering your students’ love languages, this episode is sure to give you some new ideas.
Learn more about ACE credit for your students here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/College-Credit.
To help discover your students’ love languages and increase motivation in your classroom, you can visit https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Christina, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference at https://certified.certiport.com/.
Welcome to 2024! A new year means a new opportunity to focus on your students. In this episode, we sat down with CERTIFIED Ambassador, Jessie Kalloo, to talk about how to engage students in your classroom and beyond.
Jessie Kalloo is a CTE Instructor and Program Approval Coordinator for the Information Technology programs at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School located in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Jessie is also a Cisco Networking Academy Instructor Trainer for IT Essentials, CCNA, CCNA Security, and CCNA CyberOps covering areas throughout the United States. Being a product of CTE as a graduate of Thomas Edison High has provided him the opportunity to view teaching through a different lens. Through the various partnerships he has formed with the industry he is able to inspire, motivate and provide opportunities to his students that truly help them prepare for their future. The training he has done in and out of the classroom combined with his unique approach to teaching, has allowed for creative ways to spark the curiosity in students, helping them continuously challenge themselves to do better.
Together with Jessie, we talked about creating an engaged culture in your classroom, and practical approaches for how to keep your students engaged. Jessie even shares how he flips the classroom and allows his students to become the teachers.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Jessie, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, advanced coding and tech jobs such as software development are expected to grow 22% over the next decade. Further data from Indeed shows that Python is one of the most in-demand programming languages. Preparing students with coding skills is no longer optional but necessary for careers in technology. No one knows this more than educator Ashley Faulkner.
Ashley Faulkner is a teacher at Triton High School in North Carolina, where she is a strong certification advocate. Over the past 11 years, Ashley has earned more than 40 certifications—and helped her students earn more than 1,150 individual certifications.
She has also served as an FBLA adviser and as the North Carolina Southeast Region advisor. Outside her teaching career, Ashley is the chief financial officer for Simple Web Solutions, Inc., EM Audio, Inc., and Butler Faulkner Enterprise, and she is the mother of two active children.
In this episode, Ashley tells us about how she started teaching coding and programming. We discuss coding topics that students struggle with, and how to break them down to help students understand. Find out how certifications, like the IT Specialist program, can help prepare students for advanced computer science education.
Watch Ashley’s full CERTIFIED 2023 presentation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYjWOPAZkyo.
Learn more about coding certifications through the IT Specialist program: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ITSpecialist/Certification/Overview.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Jenny, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Are you teaching in a mixed classroom? Maybe you’re working with gifted students, students with an IEP, ESOL students, and more. How do you address the needs and learning styles of such a diverse group? Jenny Mohess addresses classroom diversity and mixed classroom benefits and challenges in this episode.
Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Jenny has lived in Osceola County (City of Kissimmee), for over 22 years. She first stepped onto Valencia’s Campus in 2000 as an international student. There she earned an A.S. in Graphic Design. While working for Apple, she earned a bachelor’s in business from USF, and master’s in art education from Boston University. These experiences led to jobs at Apple, Microsoft, and eventually, her own design studio.
Jenny currently teaches at Valencia College and has found genuine purpose in mentoring future graphic/web designers through the Valencia Graphics Program. She is now building the program at Tohopekaliga High School and sharing real-world experiences with her students. Through all the real-world projects and certifications, her students are coming to the realization that they can become Adobe Certified Professional World Champions and professional designers.
Learn about Jenny’s definition of a mixed classroom (it covers more than you think), and her advice for succeeding in meeting your students’ needs. Discover how she looks at the “whole student” and finds partners at her school campus.
Jenny briefly mentions here 2023 CERTIFIED presentation. You can check that out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxhz9ycLdIg.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Jenny, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
A truly diverse workforce is required to protect companies and countries from a growing variety of cyber threats. However, according to a report from (ISC)2, the current cybersecurity industry is predominantly male and white, with only 26% of cybersecurity professionals identifying as ethnic and racial minorities, and only 14% identifying as female.
In one of our latest CERTIFIED Academy: IT webinars, we sat down with two incredible cybersecurity professionals: Priya Senthilkumar and Yulini Persaud.
Priya is currently the Vice President of Technology at Pearson VUE. She is a thought leader who has always stepped outside her comfort zone and taken risks in her career. Her journey at Pearson started in 2008 as a Project Manager and she has grown over the last 13 years into a leadership path, where she has not only grown personally but also developed other women leaders on her team. She serves on Women Leading in Technology (WLiT) board, and volunteers time with her city’s sustainability commission.
Yulini is a Senior Information Security Analyst for The New York Times, where she’s worked for the past four and a half years. Yulini started her career in technology 10 years ago as a Cisco Networking student at Thomas A. Edison CTE High School. She then attended Monroe College, where she was the first graduate of their BS in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity program, and earned her MS in Information Security Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University.
In this episode, we discussed how to attract a diverse student population to your classroom, plus how diversity impacts the cybersecurity workforce.
You can also find new cybersecurity resources here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/September/Be-Cyber-Smart-for-Cybersecurity-Awareness-Month.
Learn more about our IT Specialist cybersecurity certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ITSpecialist/Certification/Certify.
Learn more about the Cisco Certified Support Technician cybersecurity certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Cisco/Certified-Support-Technician/Overview.
Empowering your students with industry-recognized credentials is just the first step toward their career success. Teaching students valuable skills so they can advance into meaningful employment is the goal. To help bridge the gap between classroom and career, Certiport has partnered with Career.io.
In this week’s episode, we were able to sit down with Career.io’s very own Amanda Augustine. Amanda is the resident career expert for Career.io and its sister brands, Resume.io, TopResume, TopCV, and TopInterview. As a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), she has spent over 15 years helping professionals of all stages improve their careers and land the right job sooner.
We chatted with Amanda all about what resources Career.io has available for educators and learners, plus how educators can effectively prepare students for the workforce. Get valuable advice for how to help prepare students for the job hunt, including a list of activities you can complete in the classroom to help students feel prepared when they walk into their interviews.
If you want your students to start their job search off on the right foot, this episode is for you.
Learn more about Career.io on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/October/Help-students-advance-with-Career-io.
We’ll also have more content related to job preparation on the blog coming soon.
Your students are full of potential and helping them reach that potential means they need to be challenged in a rigorous learning environment. At CERTIFIED 2023, Jenny Mohess talked about using rigor in the classroom.
Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Jenny has lived in Osceola County (City of Kissimmee), for over 22 years. She first stepped onto Valencia’s Campus in 2000 as an international student. There she earned an A.S. in Graphic Design. While working for Apple, she earned a bachelor’s in business from USF, and master’s in art education from Boston University. These experiences led to jobs at Apple, Microsoft, and eventually, her own design studio.
Jenny currently teaches at Valencia College and has found genuine purpose in mentoring future graphic/web designers through the Valencia Graphics Program. She is now building the program at Tohopekaliga High School and sharing real-world experiences with her students. Through all the real-world projects and certifications, her students are coming to the realization that they can become Adobe Certified Professional World Champions and professional designers.
In today’s episode, we recapped Jenny’s CERTIFIED presentation. We talk about challenging students and helping them gain valuable soft skills. Jenny also discusses how she gets to know the “whole student”, and how understanding your students on a deeper level helps you create a more impactful learning environment.
Learn more from Jenny’s CERTIFIED 2023 presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxhz9ycLdIg.
Get other ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Jenny, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
How do you bridge the gap between abstract knowledge and the real-world task- and project-based skills your students need to succeed in their careers? In this episode, science, STEM, and engineering teacher John Beale explores the answers.
John Beale has been in the classroom for six years teaching science, STEM, and engineering at Nease High School in St. Augustine, Florida. Over the course of his teaching career, he has also created curriculum for a seventh and eighth grade marine science STEM program and an eleventh-grade level computer integrated manufacturing class. Before beginning his high school teaching career, John worked for more than a decade directing experiential learning in museums around Florida for people of all ages.
John discusses the importance of group work in his classroom, how it helps his students learn critical workforce skills. He also discusses how he formulates his groups using the Archer Method, and how these groups help students emphasize their strengths.
You’ll also learn about his hands-on projects, and how he creates projects to give practical applications to abstract skills. John walks through his process, so you can create projects like this in your own classroom.
John has graciously offered to share his grading sheets and Microsoft Forms that he mentioned in the episode. You can find the Form here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=V9CzsxL8P0-S9HK-boRDUfG8hYV11EpPpwLHiIyvJx5UREYxRFJDSEdVRFpPUktOUUlKMDlGTVpHUC4u&sharetoken=N5lUKI7wEu4SDQzNA1TA&wdLOR=cA28D86D9-8054-493D-85F3-0820D75DD70A. The example grading sheet is available here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NnQ-HXvttSH4cM6sPySDsTGv3wXe_jBn6rfqJntJ-dc/edit#gid=0.
Get other fun ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like John, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
How many times do students walk into your classroom and ask, “Can we do something fun today?” Chances are you hear that often. So why not make your class more fun? Amy Waters shows us how.
Amy Waters is a 34-year veteran classroom teacher who currently works at Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana. Throughout her career, she has proven her nerd force bona-fides by teaching diverse subjects from Latin to computer programming. Amy is passionate about constantly creating, adapting, and improving lessons to reach all students. She currently teaches classes in business computer applications; Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator; and HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Programming.
In this episode, we talk with Amy about her CERTIFIED 2023 breakout presentation. She talks about why it’s important to incorporate fun in the classroom. Amy gives some of her best fun project successes and failures, plus some advice for how you can keep your students excited and engaged.
“Sometimes you have to give up what you think is going to work and just listen to your students.” If you want your classroom to be more fun and engaging, Amy is here to help.
Connect with Amy for additional ideas and brainstorming: awaters@stcharles.k12.la.us.
You can catch Amy’s full presentation from CERTIFIED here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyGxwoI5kFM.
Get other fun ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Amy, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Today’s workplace is full of undeniable talent in technology (which is especially important), communication skills can propel students far beyond the “just getting hired” rung on the success ladder. In this episode, Jennifer Stubblefield talks all about communication.
Jennifer Stubblefield taught Business Education in KY for 27 years where she created and managed an award-winning certification classroom in the areas of MOS, ESB, & CSB. She is currently serving as the President of the Kentucky Business Education Association and is a mentor coach for new Business teachers in KY. In 2019, Jennifer was named the Certiport Educator of the Year and was awarded as the 2018 Southern Business Education Teacher of the Year. She is a frequent speaker at conferences around the US and is known for her energetic and real-life approach to teaching. In 2021, Jennifer officially became part of the Certiport team where she now serves as the Customer Success Manager.
Join us as we talk about the importance of communication skills, specifically in the post-pandemic workplace. We discuss what communication skills learners need to excel in the workplace, and how you can teach these skills in the classroom. With Jennifer’s advice, you’ll be able to make your students unforgettable.
Connect with Jennifer via email: jennifer.stubblefield@pearson.com.
Get other ideas for teaching communication skills on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Communication-Skills-For-Business.
You can also learn more from Jennifer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mCa-7-JW6hI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdCkWISr3DQ.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Jennifer, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Are you new to certifying your students? This episode is for you. Veteran teacher and certification expert, Scott Rolando, knows what it’s like to launch a new certification program, both the struggles and the triumphs.
Scott Rolando has been a full-time teacher for 22 years, and he has taught CTE classes for the past five years. Scott currently teaches an impressively diverse range of courses at Lakeland High School in White Lake, Michigan, including business, management, technology 1 and 2, sports and entertainment marketing, cybersecurity, web design, and basic and advanced video production.
In this episode, Scott shares practical tips and step-by-step suggestions for launching a successful certification program at your school. This includes insights and ideas for getting your program going, aligning specific certifications with your current classes, getting funding, scheduling certifications into your existing programs, and more.
Connect with Scott via email: scott.rolando@hvs.org.
Get other ideas for launching and maintaining your certification program on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Scott, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Efficient and effective work is all about finding the right tools for the right job. And no one shares that message more clearly than Erica Blum.
Erica Blum is the program coordinator and an associate professor for the art and design degree at Lindenwood University. She is an Adobe Education leader and an Adobe Creative Educator Level 1. She has obtained many certifications, including the Adobe Certified Associate in Graphic Design and Illustration Using Adobe Illustrator, the ACA in Visual Communication Using Adobe Photoshop, the Adobe Certified Professional in Print and Digital Publication Using Adobe InDesign, and the Adobe Visual Design Specialist CC 2018. Professor Blum was honored to speak during the Adobe Certified Professional launch party in 2021. In addition, she is a member of the Adobe Education Exchange and has over 13 years of teaching and training in graphics, web and design concepts, printing techniques, and software applications. She has designed websites, newsletters, logos, T-shirts, brochures, cards, and more. Her artwork has been displayed in numerous arts shows and has been presented at several summits and workshops. Professor Blum spent a year studying at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art (now known as the Kubert School) working on her comic book skills. Before becoming a designer, she was an Equity stage manager in and around New York City, a database administrator, an IT worker, and a camera/teleprompter/stage manager for tv and movies.
In this episode with Erica, we talk all about her CERTIFIED Educator Conference session, and why she’s so passionate about helping educators and students find the right tool for the right job. Erica shares the importance of knowing your software, and what other skills creatives should be building before entering the workforce. We also talk through free and exciting resources available for all educators and Creative Cloud users. If you’re looking to add tools to your design toolbox, this episode is for you.
Don’t miss out on the amazing resources that Erica mentioned.
- Adobe Launch Party: https://youtube.com/live/8OvvmNsbDaM.
- Adobe Character Animator: https://www.adobe.com/products/character-animator.html.
- Adobe Capture: https://www.adobe.com/products/capture.html.
- Adobe Color: https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel.
- Adobe Fonts: https://fonts.adobe.com/.
Connect with Erica via email at EBlum@lindenwood.edu.
You can also learn more about Erica’s program at Lindenwood University here: https://www.lindenwood.edu/arts-and-humanities/art-production-and-design/.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Erica, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Certification programs have the power to change lives and create new opportunities for deserving people who need them most. In this week’s episode, we hear about the impact of certification from long-time educator, Brian Foutty.
Brian Foutty brings 28 years of classroom teaching experience to his current job as a secondary math, app development and coding, and special education teacher at Trumbull Career and Technical Center in Warren, Ohio. He has also worked for the past seven years as a Mac and iPad systems administrator and a classroom technology integrator for the students and staff at Turnbull. Brian has been an active iOS app developer since 2011, and he worked for three years as an Apple Professional Learning Specialist. Brian firmly believes that all students can benefit and become better thinkers through formal coding learning experiences.
Learn how Brian has used Swift App Development certifications to transform student outcomes in an economically challenged area. Brian talks about the value of app development skills, and how he helps students successfully transition to their next step after high school. Brian also discusses the curriculum he uses in his classroom (it’s available at no charge!), and how this program has transformed the lives of his students.
Check out Brian’s blog for app and project ideas for your students: www.swiftteacher.org.
Connect with Brian on social: https://bio.site/swiftteacher.
Learn about Brian’s program here: https://www.tctchome.com/.
Access free App Development in Swift curriculum here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Apple/App-Dev-With-Swift/Learn.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Brian, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Back to school season is here. Whether you’re a seasoned Certiport veteran, or brand new to certification, we know this episode will help you have a successful year. We were lucky enough to sit down with two members of our Certiport team: Caitlin O’Brien and Jason Majors.
Caitlin O’Brien has been with Certiport for nearly 12 years with the entirety of her career spent in customer service and client support roles, most recently taking over management of the Candidate Services and Customer Support teams. She always tries to maintain a ‘customer first’ mindset and is a passionate advocate for the candidates and teachers her teams support. When not working Caitlin loves to spend time in her ceramics studio making pottery and enjoys the outdoors by hiking, climbing, and skiing.
Jason Majors is the Director of Global Deployment for Certiport. He comes from the classroom where he prepared students for Adobe Certified Professional and Microsoft Office Specialist certifications during his five years of leading the Digital Design Academy at Escambia High School in Pensacola, FL. While teaching, he was also the lead trainer for the Microsoft Imagine Academy and traveled around the United States training teachers on best practices for preparing students to successfully earn industry certifications. He now leads the Certiport Deployment team, working with large accounts to ensure teacher and student success with certification programs.
In this episode, we’ll learn from Caitlin and Jason about how to launch and run a thriving certification program this year. We cover everything from teaching resources to IT set-up, and how to celebrate student success. You’ll certainly walk away with ideas for how to streamline your certification classroom this year.
Caitlin and Jason mentioned a library full of resources to help you in your classroom. Find them all here:
- Learning Materials and Practice Tests: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Learning-products.
- Objective Domains: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Exam-details/Objective-domains.aspx.
- Certiport’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/certiportcomms.
- CATC Newsletter: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/CATCs/Newsletter
- CERTIFIED Educator LinkedIn Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
- CATC Training Sessions: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/CATCs/Training-sessions
- Compass User Guides: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Support/Quick-reference-guides.
- My Pathway: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/My-Pathway.
- Badging: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Badging.
- Resume Library: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/resumelibrary.
- ACE College Credit: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/College-Credit.
Need additional support? Contact our fabulous Customer Service team: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Support.aspx.
Find your Certiport Territory Manager for one-on-one support: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Buy/School/Sales.
Get other fun ideas for your classroom on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Are you looking for fresh, innovative ideas for using certifications to help your students and improve your school? Karen Coulombe is here to help.
Karen Coulombe is a career and technical education (CTE) teacher at Lake Stevens High School in Washington state. Karen teaches both computer applications and computer science to first-year high school students in Lake Stevens. She is also a robotics advisor for the largest VRC Robotics team in Washington. Before becoming a teacher, Karen worked for more than a decade as a licensed avionics technician and airframe and powerplant mechanic for the U.S. Air Force, DynCorp Aerospace, and the Boeing Company. She was also selected for special assignments involving Air Force One and the B2 stealth bomber.
Throughout her career, Karen has been a passionate believer in continuing education and giving back to her community. She has participated in the U.S. Naval Academy’s SET SAIL, Certiport’s National CERTIFIED Conference, STEM Guitars, Space Camp for Educators, the Washington Alliance for Better Schools STEM Externship, and multiple nanotechnology conferences. Karen also serves on the teacher advisory board for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, and as a member of two technical advisory committees.
During this episode, we chatted with Karen about how to maximize the value of your certification investment. Karen discusses how she celebrates student success and maximizes engagement. Plus, how she gets them to leverage their certification in the workforce. Karen’s a networking expert and knows how to help your students stay plugged into opportunities in your community. Get the most bang for your buck with Karen’s advice.
Learn more about Karen on the blog (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/June/Karen-Coulombe-2023-CERTIFIED-Educator-of-the-Year) and on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1m9kLUgug).
You can also connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-coulombe/.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Karen, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Between now and 2031, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting high growth in the accounting field, with about 136,400 openings each year. Growth like this is a fabulous sign for students looking for a stable and fulfilling career. In this week’s episode, we’re talking about all things accounting with passionate accounting educator, Lenice DeLuca!
Lenice currently works as an instructor at Immokalee Technical College in Southwest Florida, where she teaches courses in accounting operations and global logistics and supply chain technology. Previously, she spent nine years as a middle school teacher at Collier County Public Schools. Throughout her career, Lenice has developed a passion for career and technical education, and she is committed to helping her students gain the skills they need to succeed and thrive in our technology-driven world. Lenice has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA and MA in international business.
In our episode, we talked with Lenice about her accounting teaching experience. We talk about the growth in the accounting field, and the skills accountants need to succeed. Lenice also gives advice for how to get students engaged in accounting (who knew Al Capone would come into play here), and the tools she uses to teach her students. Lenice is our expert for how to make accounting fun and interesting.
Learn more from Lenice on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt3lJZXBack&t=4s).
You can also connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenice-deluca-73526a7a/.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Lenice, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Welcome back! We’re so excited to be back to school, back in the classroom, back to recording with all our educators!
Do you have students interested in video games? The global video game market is currently valued at $188.7 billion, with more growth projected in the coming years. In short, students interested in video game design have massive potential to land a fantastic and fulfilling job. Help prepare them for their future gaming careers with Unity skills.
Unity is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content, empowering creators around the world. In today’s episode, we chatted all things Unity with David Manning. David is former educator with over a decade of classroom experience. He was the Game & Simulation Academy Director for Volusia County Schools for over eight years. In that role he created a curriculum that is used with students in ninth through twelfth grades to prepare them for future careers in the game industry and related fields.
David talks us through how he launched his gaming and simulation program, even giving details about computer specs and how to work with your IT department to get up and running. David also shares which free and paid resources he used in his classroom to prepare his students for their Unity certification. And last, but certainly not least, David walks you through how to help students learn coding without getting burned out, and how to keep them motivated to tackle difficult topics.
Learn more from David on the blog (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/June/Practical-Advice-for-Teaching-Gaming-Design) and on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxCQta29VMI&t=2121s).
You can also connect with him via email: david.manning@pearson.com.
Connect with your fellow educators, like David, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Each year, we are so excited to recognize one of our customers as our CERTIFIED Educator of the Year as part of our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference. We work with so many incredible educators, all of whom deserve recognition for their dedication and efforts. We're pleased to announce that Karen Coulombe is our 2023 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year!
Karen Coulombe is a career and technical education (CTE) teacher at Lake Stevens High School in Washington state. Karen teaches both computer applications and computer science to first-year high school students in Lake Stevens. She is also a robotics advisor for the largest VRC Robotics team in Washington. Before becoming a teacher, Karen worked for more than a decade as a licensed avionics technician and airframe and powerplant mechanic for the U.S. Air Force, DynCorp Aerospace, and the Boeing Company. She was also selected for special assignments involving Air Force One and the B2 stealth bomber.
Throughout her career, Karen has been a passionate believer in continuing education and giving back to her community. She has participated in the U.S. Naval Academy’s SET SAIL, Certiport’s National CERTIFIED Conference, STEM Guitars, Space Camp for Educators, the Washington Alliance for Better Schools STEM Externship, and multiple nanotechnology conferences. Karen also serves on the teacher advisory board for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, and as a member of two technical advisory committees.
In this episode, we talked with Karen about CERTIFIED, being named CERTIFIED Educator of the Year, and her experience both in and out of the classroom. She discusses her passion for teaching, and how she overcomes the challenges she faces in education. Plus, Karen shares her advice for creating a network of professionals to enrich your classroom and curriculum.
Learn more about Karen on the blog (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/June/Karen-Coulombe-2023-CERTIFIED-Educator-of-the-Year) and on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1m9kLUgug). You can also connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-coulombe/.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Karen, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Creativity is a crucial skill for any design career. But learners and professionals must be able to apply their creativity to their chosen field. Design thinking can help students use creativity to solve problems in the workplace and beyond.
This episode includes audio from our latest CERTIFIED Academy: Design webinar, where we interviewed two of our CERTIFIED Ambassadors, Greg King and Katie Watchorn. Greg King is a Computer Assisted Design Instructor at McCann Technical School in North Adams, MA. Prior to leaping into a teaching career, Greg was a Senior Mechanical Designer/Project Manager for HVAC projects in both the design build and plan-spec marketplace. Greg has been an Autodesk student & user since 1997 with a primary focus on AutoCAD and Revit. Outside of the classroom, Greg enjoys exploring the outdoors with his family and on rainy days, blissfully trying to find ways to thank his wife for allowing him to commandeer the dining room table with 3D printers, CNC machines, and laser engravers.
Katie is a Digital Business Education Career & Technical Education Instructor at the Sault Area High School’s Career Center. She discovered her passion for teaching while living in Italy, where she taught General/Business English, proofread scientific articles, edited CVs, advised on business presentations, designed email templates, and offered marketing services. She joined her Alma Mater in 2019 with the intention of helping students to discover what they really enjoy and what they want to do in their life. Throughout her professional career, Katie has worked within the marketing and sales sectors in Fort Lauderdale, FL and Milan, Italy for 7 years. Her objective is to inspire students, by bringing her industry experience into the classroom.
Together we discussed the world of design thinking, specifically Intuit’s Design for Delight framework and certification, plus how your learners (and educators) can use this framework to apply their creative skills.
Learn more about Intuit’s Design for Delight Innovator certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Intuit/Certifications/Certify/Design-for-Delight.
You can also dive deeper into creativity and design thinking here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/February/Unleash-Your-Students-Creativity.
Connect with your fellow educators, like Greg and Katie, in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
This episode is a replay from an episode aired in November 2021. We wanted to replay this in honor of Mental Health Awareness month.
Career and Technical Education is all about helping students find a meaningful and fulfilling career pathway that aligns with their skills and passions. But before students can discover what they want to do with their lives, they need to discover who they are. That is where social-emotional learning comes into play.
Dr. Damien Sweeney is a social-emotional learning expert and currently serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Kentucky Department of Education. Sweeney is also an adjunct professor at the University of the Cumberlands and Spalding University. With a passion for change agency and social justice, Dr. Sweeney has served as a special education teacher, English teacher and high school counselor in Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville, KY). Sweeney holds a Master’s in Teaching Special Education and Secondary English from Bellarmine University along with a Master’s in Education for School Counseling and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Louisville. In short, he’s been in your shoes and knows the burdens you educators carry.
In this episode, we sat down with Damien to learn about what social-emotional learning is, why it matters, and why CTE classrooms are perfectly poised to help students find a place to belong and discover who they are. Damien also helped us discover how, as adults and educators, we can dive into our own journeys of social-emotional learning, and why educators need to fill up their cup before they can give to their students. If you or your students are feeling lost, overwhelmed, underappreciated, or misunderstood, this episode will bring insight and direction to help you pave a path forward.
Looking for the resources that Damien mentioned during this episode? Check out the list below.
- CASEL Framework: https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/
- Kentucky’s Individual Learning Plans: https://education.ky.gov/educational/compschcouns/ILP/Pages/default.aspx
- Permission to Feel with Dr. Marc Brackett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUhfLKzDEkA
We can’t wait to see you all at CERTIFIED this year! Get more information here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
Summer is quickly approaching, which means that we’re in full CERTIFIED mode at the Certiport office. We are weeks away from our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference.
Taking place in Orlando, FL, June 26-28, CERTIFIED is the only education conference dedicated exclusively to exploring the full promise of certification in the classroom—by providing administrators, teachers, and industry experts with an engaging, energized forum for professional development, sharing their ideas, and experiences.
In this episode, we chatted with our Corporate Events Manager, Dominique Delbar. She gave us an inside view of CERTIFIED 2023, including an overview of the keynotes and breakouts, what parties are happening, and how to get involved in the student competitions. We talked about the total costs to attend, so you can budget with your districts and administrators ahead of time. Finally, we took a stroll down memory lane to talk about how CERTIFIED has changed over the years, and what new resources are available to help teachers year-round.
We can’t wait to see you all at CERTIFIED this year! Get more information here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
You can learn more about CERTIFIED Academy here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/January/Announcing-CERTIFIED-Academy.
Our CERTIFIED Ambassadors are your guides to help you connect with your community throughout the year. Learn more about our Ambassadors here: https://certified.certiport.com/#ambassadors.
Don’t miss out on a chance to connect with your fellow educators before arriving at CERTIFIED. Join our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
You’ve likely heard the buzz about our newest certification program: the Cisco Certified Support Technician. You can see the full announcement, launching the new program at https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/January/Meet-Cisco-Certified-Support-Technician. We are offering these certifications in collaboration with Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking technology with one of the most respected certification programs in the IT industry.
Cisco is dedicated to empowering all people with career possibilities, and offers incredible resources to educators teaching networking, cybersecurity, and IT skills in the classroom. These resources are available through the Cisco Networking Academy program. We wanted to get an inside look into Cisco Networking Academy, and we were so excited to learn from Networking Academy expert, Rebecca Chisholm. Rebecca is the Regional Manager of Cisco Networking Academy North America. In this role, she leads the Networking Academy team for North America where her team works with colleges, K12 school systems, universities, nonprofits, and state agencies to provide Cisco sponsored workforce development education and courses to a broad spectrum of students. The Cisco Networking Academy has been delivering IT focused workforce development education for 25 years and focuses on the latest networking, security, data science and programming technologies, while promoting business and entrepreneurial skills. Their courses and workshops provide foundational skills as well as job readiness skills for students of all levels, particularly those wanting to pursue a career in this growing and essential industry. Rebecca and her team are dedicated to closing the IT Skills gap by providing equal access to digital skills and job preparation.
In this episode, Rebecca showed us the history of the Cisco Networking Academy program. We talked more about Cisco’s mission and vision for a skilled future, plus what resources they’re offering (for free!) to educators to teach needed skills in the classroom. Plus, Rebecca talks about the simple steps to becoming a Cisco Networking Academy! If you’re interested in free IT curriculum, resources, and lesson plans, this one is for you.
Learn more about Cisco Networking Academy at http://netacad.com/. You can also dive into resources through Cisco’s Skills for All initiative at https://skillsforall.com/.
Dive into the new Cisco Certified Support Technician program at https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Cisco/Certified-Support-Technician/Overview.
Ready to connect with your fellow educators for new ideas for teaching Cisco in your classroom? Join educators in the CERTIFIED Educator Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
You can also find new ideas for your class on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
To celebrate the PMI Project Management Ready™ Next Generation certification exam launch, we are re-airing our past episode with 2022 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year, Carol York. We hope you enjoy this one just as much as we do.
According to reports from Burning Glass, nearly 2.3 million job postings in the last year have requested project management skills, which is great news for teachers looking to help their students find jobs immediately upon graduation. Plus, project management instills additional skills such as time management, communication, and teamwork; all soft skills that are highly demanded by today’s employers.
In this episode, we sat down with one of our amazing CERTIFIED Ambassadors, Carol York. Carol York is a Business Education teacher at Cary High school in Cary North Carolina. After many years of experience in Private industry, Carol has been teaching for 12 years. She has been teaching project management for 8 years and was on the curriculum development team for both project management one and two for the state of North Carolina. She’s recently earned her PMI Project Management Ready certification, which adds to her MOS Expert certification and National Board Teacher certification.
Carol discusses her journey into teaching project management, and why these skills are applicable for all students. With a 100% certification pass rate this year, Carol has helpful ideas for how you can help your students buy into project management.
You can learn more about the PMI Project Management Ready certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/pmi/Certifications/Overview.
For advice on how to build a project management program at your school, check out this blog post: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/April/Building-a-Successful-Project-Management-Program.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
Employers in every industry want a skilled workforce that is “tomorrow ready.” Employers emphasize the need for employees with specific foundational skills, including digital literacy, competence in Microsoft Office, and the capability to communicate effectively. What which outcomes matter most?
In this week’s episode, we’ll hear audio from a past CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinar. We were able to collaborate with educator veterans Kathy Schmit and Karen Coloumbe, plus Kalama, WA’s CTE Advisory Panelist member, Eric Yakovich.
Kathy is a 10-year veteran teacher with 25 years of firsthand experience applying Microsoft products in the business industry. Kathy entered the Career and Technical Education field to prepare students for the rigors and realities of the work world. Having been passed over for workplace advancement because she lacked certification or college credentials, she understands the importance and value of certification. Kathy will be the first to tell, in her enthusiastic manner, that certification matters! But above all else she will share with you and make you a believer that certification is for everyone!
Karen has taught a variety of Career and Technical Education courses at the 8th -12th grade level as well as the Community College since the early 2000's. Her focus is on expanding hands-on and experiential learning in meaningful ways to add valuable "tools" to the students' toolbox, building confidence and a resume of tangible skills to market in the workplace. Karen has seen certifications used to enhance resumes for those who need to get right to work; as well as to differentiate students working towards competitive internships, scholarships, and college programs. The most significant connection from certification to the real world is understanding how to work to achieve goals using the resources available. Before teaching, Karen worked for over a decade as an Avionics Technician with Boeing, DynCorp Aerospace and the US Air Force on programs including Air Force 1, the B2 Bomber, and multiple F-16 deployments abroad.
Eric is the Director of Economic Development at the Port of Kalama, Washington, where he manages properties, marketing, strategic planning, marine terminals, parks, recreation and security. Kalama is his hometown. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. He has 30 years of experience in non-profit leadership, as an accountant, finance director and chief executive officer. Mr. Yakovich resides in Kalama with his wife. They have two, adult children and one grandchild. He enjoys time with his family, friends and Husky football.
In this episode, we discuss how to map your curriculum and courses to the skills demanded by today’s employers. Learn how you can give your students the skills for success in any workplace.
Ready to connect with your fellow educators for new ideas for your classroom? Join educators like Kathy and Karen in the CERTIFIED Educator Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
You can also find new ideas for your class on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
With career and technical education, students can find pathways and careers that align with their interests and goals. So why does CTE often feel like an aside or extra? Why are we still treating education like a linear journey when we know it’s not?
In this episode, we were able to discuss the stigma around Career and Technical Education (CTE) in the United States. We were fortunate to have Matthew Fritzius lend us his expertise. Matthew is a CTE Curriculum Supervisor for Broward County Public Schools (BCPS). He has worked for BCPS for 16 years: 3 years in the CTE Department, 5 years as a high school assistant principal, and 8 years as a high school teacher. Matthew is a passionate educator who champions CTE as an avenue towards community revitalization. He is a Ph.D. student in Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Educational Leadership and Research Methodology (ELRM) Department. Matthew is a 2023 University Council for Educational Administration Clark Scholar and has been recognized as the FAU ELRM Department’s Outstanding Graduate Student for 2022/23. His research interests include school leaders’ perspectives on the role of CTE in educational equity and their approaches to positioning and leading CTE.
We talked with Matthew about his Ph.D. research, comparing CTE in the United States and other countries around the world. We discussed the power of CTE, and the impact it can have on the economic future of the U.S. He shares how Florida is working to open new pathways for students, showing them that not all jobs require a four-year degree (in fact, research shows that less than 50% of jobs do). He also offers some valuable advice for how to de-stigmatize CTE in your school, district, and state.
Matthew recommends staying connected to research and updates regarding career and technical education. Here are some of his favorite resources:
- Association for Career and Technical Education: https://www.acteonline.org/.
- The Thomas B. Fordham Institute: https://fordhaminstitute.org/.
- Perkins Funding: https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v.
- Florida DOE’s Career and Adult Education: https://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/.
Ready to connect with your fellow educators for new ideas for your classroom? Join educators like Matthew in the CERTIFIED Educator Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
You can also find new ideas for your class on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
Entrepreneurs are a major driver in the economy. Senator Klobuchar from MN said, “Entrepreneurship and innovation are key to our economic prosperity and are needed more than ever as we rebuild our economy and put the pandemic behind us.” Help your students become tomorrow’s innovative business leaders by learning from today’s entrepreneurs.
This episode includes audio from one of our CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinars. We sat down with two fabulous entrepreneurs and female powerhouses: Devon Wellington and Haili Murch.
Devon Wellington is the CEO and Founder of Finerly Decor, a home decor e-commerce business that aims to provide quality home decor at a fair price. With her husband, David, she also owns three franchises of a social etiquette business, teaching over 3,000 6-12 graders in the Northern Virginia area. With a master’s degree in Applied Developmental Psychology, Devon also has experience as a researcher in the non-profit space and in education policy for a social and behavioral research firm. Through all her varying interests, Devon has found that her throughline in her work is accessibility, whether to information, programming, or decor. She's also a big believer that there's room at the top for everyone. You can learn more about Devon's business here: https://finerlydecor.com/.
Haili Murch is a mom of two boys and a podcast connoisseur! She helps female entrepreneurs start and manage their podcasts so they can grow their businesses, have a platform for their unique message, and help give them time to create a purpose filled business for their clients and for their own lives. She started her virtual assistant business 4 years ago. At the beginning of 2020, she decided to niche down to podcasting only and her business doubled during a pandemic! She saw that working with podcasters was needed and that it wasn't going anywhere. She has worked on 40+ different podcasts and she is continually amazed with the variety of podcasts and the value they bring to their listeners. You can learn more about Haili's business here: https://www.hailimurch.com/.
In this episode, we talk about Devon and Haili’s experiences starting their own businesses, the lessons they’ve learned, what they wish they’d done differently, and how educators can spark the entrepreneurial fire in their classrooms.
Check out other CERTIFIED Academy Business session recordings here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/January/Join-us-for-CERTIFIED-Academy-Business.
Prepare your students to be successful entrepreneurs with our Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification. Learn more about ESB certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ESB/Certification/Overview.
Ready to connect with your fellow educators for new ideas for your classroom? Join us in the CERTIFIED Educator Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
You can also find new ideas for your class on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
This podcast is managed and edited by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
Every day we use and interact with devices that use artificial intelligence (AI). Help your students understand and get excited about the power of AI technology with the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior competition. The Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior (ICJ) is a global student competition for students ages 13-18. Through ICJ, educators utilize lessons to teach their students about AI technologies, students form teams, and apply these lessons to dream up a concept or idea to make a difference in their local community or world around them.
In this week’s episode, we had the opportunity to chat about ICJ with Microsoft’s Jeff Johnson. Jeff Johnson is Senior Business Manager for the Skills & Employability team in the Worldwide Public Sector Education group at Microsoft. In his role, Jeff leads the company skills strategy with K-12 and higher education institutions, government workforce agencies, educators, and partners around the world surrounding adoption and engagement with technical skills solutions for students including learning pathways and Microsoft’s industry recognized certification portfolio. Jeff is instrumental in helping Microsoft form broad education alliances with schools, higher education institutions, and governments globally to assist learners in gaining future-ready skills and technical credentials for the digital economy.
We talked with Jeff about the importance of AI skills, and how educators can introduce students to the world of AI through the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior competition. Jeff gave us all the details about ICJ, how students can compete, how educators can support them, and how to keep the AI momentum going after the competition has finished.
Jeff mentioned several resources during this episode. Get everything you need to dive into ICJ here:
- Imagine Cup Junior blog post: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/March/What-is-Microsoft-Imagine-Cup-Junior
- Imagine Cup Junior website: www.imaginecup.com/junior.
- Microsoft’s AI for Good Initiative: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/ai-for-good
- Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification information: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Microsoft/MCF/Overview.
- Free learning materials for Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/.
For teachers working with students over 18, check out the Imagine Cup: www.imaginecup.com.
First generation college students face unique challenges in the collegiate environment, but they also hold unique cultural capital that helps them succeed. We were privileged to connect with three amazing individuals from the University of California, Riverside: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dr. Cheryl Love, and Dr. Rich Yueh.
Elizabeth Montgomery serves as the Associate Director of Student and College Engagement at the University of California, Riverside Career Center. Elizabeth has worked in career services for over 12 years and in the education field for nearly 20 years. She is committed to leading her team to empower college students in their career journey and to working collaboratively with campus, community, and industry stakeholders to ensure the successful transition and career trajectory of students from college to career. She leads UCR’s Career Readiness Assessment Team (UCR CREATE) made up of faculty and staff leaders from across campus who collaborate to develop and implement initiatives that support career readiness, especially for first generation and low-income students.
Dr. Love is a Career Counselor and a College Specialist for the Arts, Humanities, School of Education and School of Public Policy in the Career Center at the University of California, Riverside. In this role she also serves as the Liaison to the African Student Programs and the Black Student Success Initiative. She has worked tirelessly over the years to encourage and support students in successfully completing their degrees and finding a career path that is a good fit for them. She is a strong student advocate and is committed to support students in and outside of the work that she has been involved with over the years. She’s passionate about the student experience, constantly working to ensure that regardless of a students’ background or circumstance that they can not only survive but thrive.
Dr. Rich Yueh believes in helping students find and make meaning from the class content. He is an assistant professor of teaching in information systems in the School of Business at University of California, Riverside. Rich is the recipient of multiple student-nominated Golden Apple Awards for excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching, as well as the inaugural James Merino Innovation Award for innovation in the classroom.
All three of our guests are experts in working with first-generation college students, as fifty-two percent of UCRs students are. The University has a lot of experience helping these students graduate and find meaningful careers. In this episode, we discussed the barriers these students face to succeeding in a collegiate environment, and the advantages they bring to the table. We also discussed the resources first generation college students have leveraged at UCR, and how the administration is taking an empathetic approach to the first-generation experience. Our guests also give incredible suggestions for how to demystify, humanize, and personalize the college experience to help all your students succeed.
Looking for additional resources to help you empower your first-generation college students? Join the CERTIFIED Educator Community to connect with educators like our team at UCR to support you in your teaching journey: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
You can also find new ideas for your class on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Here at Certiport, we’re privileged to work with many state education representatives who know and understand the power of career and technical education. The impact of these state leaders is substantial, as they have power to decide what educators can teach in their classroom.
One state who has caught the vision of CTE and the power of certification is Idaho. They’ve been running a statewide certification program since 2015, starting first with Microsoft certifications (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Microsoft) and later adding in Adobe Certified Professional (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Adobe/ACP/Overview) as well.
In this episode, we got to sit down with two Idaho educators who have been through the statewide process: Janet Webb and Lyndy Higgins. This dynamic duo comes from a small southwestern Air Force town in Idaho, with limited opportunities. Together they have grown a program that offers students opportunities to not only certify but also receive credits in some of the basic business and technology college courses. As co-advisors for the local BPA chapter, these teachers have gone above and beyond in offering students more than just a high school diploma.
Janet Webb has been teaching business and technology for 24 years. She taught for six years in California and the last 18 at Mountain Home High School in Idaho. When Idaho offered the opportunity to start certifying students in Microsoft, she jumped on board. She feels so lucky that Idaho supports the CTE programs and students and hopes to continue working together to provide students in Idaho great opportunities.
Lyndy Higgins comes from the corporate world, where she worked as a Project Manager. She’s been an educator for seven years in Mountain Home, Idaho and a Region Facilitator for the Idaho Department of Education for a year, mentoring teachers as they navigate their way through Imagine Academy, BrainBuffet, and Certiport certifications. Her industry work has empowered her to teach her students the workplace ready skills needed to pave the way for each student to be successful in with Microsoft and Adobe certifications.
Janet and Lyndy gave us the full history of certifications in Idaho schools. We talked about the challenges they faced, and how the state offered support to help make the program successful. They even gave some practical ideas for how they promote the programs in their schools and districts, to get students engaged and excited about certification from day one. If you’re a part of a statewide certification program, or hoping to be, this episode is for you.
Janet and Lyndy talked about some fabulous resources they use in their program. Here are the links for those interested:
- Idaho’s Statewide certification coordinator has graciously offered to chat with anyone interested in launching their own program. You can contact her here: Kaylene Hoyt, khoyt@sde.idaho.gov.
- Discover the value of certification: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/About/The-value-of-certification.
- Get students excited about MOS and Adobe certifications with Certiport’s Championships. Visit https://www.moschampionship.com/ for details on MOS and Adobe at https://acpchampionship.certiport.com/.
Learn more about curriculum options, like Brain Buffet here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Adobe/ACP/Learn.
The number of emergent bilingual (EB) students is on the rise. According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, over 10% of public-school students across the country speak English as a second language. You likely have a few in your own classroom. How do you make sure their educational experience is as rich and meaningful as students who speak English as their first language?
Anna Zuniga is an educator and social-emotional learning consultant in Texas who is actively working to empower EB students. Anna has over 15 years of experience in the classroom, and roughly 90% of her students are emergent bilinguals. She’s been successfully certifying students in Microsoft Word and Excel for over 6 years. The joy she receives when a student is successful in obtaining an industry-based certification is priceless.
In this episode, we talked with Anna about what it’s like to work with EB students. She shared her thoughts on how to honor their cultural and language heritage, how to bolster their confidence, and how to help them expand their vocabulary to tackle technical learning and prepare for industry certifications. Educators who work with EB students will find wonderful motivation, insight, and valuable resources from Anna’s experience.
Looking for additional resources to help you empower your EB students? Check out Teachers Pay Teachers, a resource Anna mentioned during this episode: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/.
It doesn’t have to end there either! Join the CERTIFIED Educator Community to connect with educators like Anna to support you in your teaching journey: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
You can also find new ideas for your class on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive classroom requires dedication and effort. But the efforts are well worth the results. California educator, Marjorie Duffy, has seen the results firsthand.
Marjorie has been teaching Microsoft apps for over 20 years at Cosumnes River College (CRC) in Sacramento. CRC is one of the most ethnically diverse two-year colleges in the country and Marjorie believes that adding specific, measurable skills to her students’ resumes is an important part of her work. She’s been delighted to be able to offer certification opportunities to her students since 2015.
During this episode, we talked with Marjorie about what it’s like to work with such a diverse group of students. We talk about all different kinds of diversity (in age, in race and ethnicity, in economic standing) and the impact that diversity has on the classroom. Marjorie talks about how she’s evolved her teaching approach over the years, to provide students a more inclusive learning experience. Plus, she shares how she’s learned from her students. In her words, “If you want to help learners, you have to be a learner.”
Learn more about how you can empower students of color here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/August/Empowering-Students-of-Color.
Find ways to create more gender diversity in your classroom: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/Closing-the-Gender-Technology-Gap.
We asked Marjorie to share her favorite books and resources that have helped her expand her views of diversity and inclusion. Here are some of her recommendations:
- Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
- The Vanishing Half
- Kindred
- Waking Up White: and Finding Myself in the Story of Race
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
- Harlem Shuffle
Ready to connect with your fellow educators for new ideas for your classroom? Join educators like Marjorie in the CERTIFIED Educator Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
According to a 2021 report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (https://itif.org/publications/2021/11/29/assessing-state-digital-skills-us-economy/), the United States needs to significantly increase its investment in workforce training, including for digital skills. Their report dove into the abilities of today’s working-age Americans, and the results are shocking. One in six working-age Americans are unable to use email, web search, or other basic digital tools. Closing the divide in digital skills is crucial for American’s financial and workforce future.
We were lucky enough to talk about the digital divide with Scott Kuchinsky. Scott is an experienced educator, program administrator, and licensed attorney. Currently, he’s worked as the Director of Literacy Service at Plainfield Public Library in New Jersey. In this role, Scott oversees 300 adult learners, 50 volunteer teachers, along with a team of paid employees. He’s passionate about the impact of digital training and industry-certification, and designed instructional materials for New Jersey State Library’s Literacy Bootcamp Program, leveraging Certiport’s IC3 Digital Literacy certification.
In this episode, we explain what the digital divide is, how digital literacy differs from digital fluency, and the impact the divide has on different populations. Scott also shares his preferred funding sources, and how to make sure you secure funding for your digital literacy program.
Discover more about the success happening at Plainfield Public Library here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uix0ISapfjs and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZnongEoAAs&t=4s.
Learn more about Certiport’s IC3 Digital Literacy program here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/IC3/Digital-Literacy-Certification/Overview.
Have you ever walked into your classroom and felt like you were confronting a room of hungry dinosaurs? You’re not alone! You may feel like you have a room full of raptors when all you’re hoping for is a room of sweet “teenage-sauruses”. Ed Crutchleo knows what it’s like and is here to help you tame your classroom raptors and increase course engagement.
Ed Crutchleo has over 30 years’ experience in business and industry. His philosophy on teaching is that the relationship with the student is essential to classroom performance. His mission is to “Prepare and equip students for what lies beyond”. In addition to serving his students, Ed also serves as a board advisor for the Kentucky Business Educator Association. He’s been nominated for the Kentucky Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year Award and the Kentucky Marketing Teacher of the Year Award.
In this episode with Ed, he explains how watching Jurassic World gave him a whole new insight into classroom management. He talks about how to tame your class of raptor students, how to establish classroom boundaries, and how to keep students engaged and excited in the classroom. If you’re a teacher looking for a new approach in the classroom, Ed is full of ideas.
Ready to connect with your fellow educators for new ideas for your classroom? Join educators like Ed in the CERTIFIED Educator Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
You can also find new ideas for your class on the Certiport blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
And of course, don’t miss your chance to network with new teachers at our CERTIFIED Educator Conference this June! Get all the details here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Have you signed up for CERTIFIED Academy: Business yet? If not, this is your sign to register and join us! CERTIFIED Academy: Business is an immersive online professional development program for business educators. This is your chance to learn from your fellow business educators and industry professionals.
From now until March, we’ll be hosting training sessions to help you learn from business education experts and industry professionals. Discover new ways of teaching, and dive into available resources for your classroom. Plus, those who register will receive a professional development certificate, allowing you to demonstrate the hours you spent learning and growing through CERTIFIED Academy.
In our latest CERTIFIED Academy: Business webinar, we focused on the four Cs of workforce readiness with veteran educator and Certiport’s Customer Success Manager, Jennifer Stubblefield. We talked with Jennifer about how to teach soft skills in the classroom, specifically communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. Jennifer also shares how to create projects that nurture these workforce-demanded competencies.
Join us for future CERTIFIED Academy Business sessions here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/January/Join-us-for-CERTIFIED-Academy-Business.
This session was sponsored by our Communication Skills for Business (CSB) certification program. Learn more about CSB here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/CSB/Certification/Overview.
As a teacher, you want to know that the work you do makes a difference. Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! During our latest Ask a Champion webinar, we were able to highlight one of our 2022 Adobe Certified Professional US Champions, Avery Blanchard.
A current student at Bergen Community College in New Jersey, Avery has been immersed in design throughout her high school years. By attending Rockland BOCES, Avery was able to focus on career and technical education, earning her Adobe Certified Professional certification while still in high school. Her mastery took her all the way to the Adobe Certified Professional US Championship, where she won first place!
During our chat with Avery, she gave us an inside look into her experience at the Adobe Certified Professional Championship. We talked about how the competition helped prepare her for college and her work designing for real-life clients, and how it helped build her confidence, helping her reach outside her shell.
Interested in learning more about the Adobe Certified Professional Championship? Get all the details at https://us.acachampionship.com/.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’re re-airing one of our favorite episodes from last year. We hope you enjoy revisiting this crucial and enlightening conversation with some of Chicago’s best.
At Certiport, we are determined to help students of color rise to new levels of success and education, while listening and learning from others on the best ways to become true anti-racist advocates. Shifting our classroom and education mindset is crucial to correct racial and economic inequities.
For this week’s episode, we had the privilege of sitting down with two amazing professionals from the Chicago Public School system: Dr. Nadine LeBlanc and Robert “Rob” Lee.
Dr. Nadine L. Leblanc’s professional career spans more than 25 years as an educator, building a track record of outstanding performance in teaching as well as in administration. Her most recent efforts are on a project she has labeled “Racism, Response and Responsibility” as an act of resistance to the systemic issues that still threaten Blacks within the U.S. The project includes an equity initiative called “When Black and Brown Men Teach” which engages male educators of color in the Business and IT department in Chicago Public Schools, while they mentor and coach male students of color. She lives and breathes her philosophy that is etched in the belief that all children can and will learn, given the opportunity and resources.
Rob Lee has been teaching at Michele Clark Magnet High School for the past three years and has been an instrumental part of the When Black and Brown Men Teach program. Born and raised on the westside of Chicago, Rob has always had a knack for technology and that knack drove him to make a career switch from the transportation industry to technology. He received his bachelor’s in information technology from the University of Phoenix and his Master's in Information Security from Phoenix University. He started his career at CPS in 2014 and has been dedicated to his students every day since.
In this special episode, we talk about the “When Black and Brown Men Teach” initiative, what Rob and Dr. LeBlanc have done to help their Black students thrive, and how creating brave and authentic classrooms can show Black students that there isn’t one way to be a successful Black professional.
You can learn more about empowering students of color on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/August/Empowering-Students-of-Color.
Read through additional information about the “When Black and Brown Men Teach” initiative here: https://blog.cps.edu/2021/11/17/black-and-brown-men-teach/.
Dr. LeBlanc has also graciously offered her Journey to Justice presentation, for teachers who want to spark conversations and trainings at their schools: https://certiport.filecamp.com/s/JourneytoJustice_DrLeBlanc/d
It’s 2023 and a new year means new changes here at Certiport. We’re so excited to kick-off the new year with our revamped professional development program. Get ready for CERTIFIED Academy!
CERTIFIED Academy is an immersive online professional development program for educators. Combining the best of our former Certiport Academy and Bootcamp programs, CERTIFIED Academy is your chance to learn from your fellow educators and industry professionals and certify your own skills.
In this week’s episode, we sit down with our CERTIFIED marketing team: Ben Lambert, Director of Field Marketing; and Dominique Gousse, Corporate Event Manager. We talk about the history of Certiport’s CERTIFIED program, and why we’re so excited about the new addition of CERTIFIED Academy. Learn about what resources are available for you, and how you can connect with other teachers.
Dive into CERTIFIED Academy here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2023/January/Announcing-CERTIFIED-Academy. Additional updates will be on the main blog page here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/blog.
You can also register for our 2023 CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: www.certified.certiport.com.
Don’t miss the chance to get your students involved in the MOS and Adobe Championships. While you’re at CERTIFIED, they’ll be competing for the title of US National Champion. Learn more about the MOS Championship here: https://us.moschampionship.com/. Learn about the Adobe Certified Professional Championship here: https://acpchampionship.certiport.com/us.
Get CERTIFIED updates through our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 13% of engineers are women. Helping the next generation of female students pursue careers in engineering requires concerted focus and dedication from professionals and educators alike. In this week’s episode, we’re highlighting a panel discussion we hosted with five incredible female engineers: Kaylee Janett, a fourth year chemical engineering student at the University of Idaho; Meridian Haas, a mechanical and aerospace engineering PhD candidate at the University of California at Davis; Samantha Daniels, a Massachusetts Builder Designer with EDM; Natalie Nguyen, Oklahoma Mechanical Engineer with Balon Corporation; and Elowyn Yager, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Idaho.
These incredible women shared their passion for engineering and talked about how they first decided to pursue this traditionally male-dominated field. They shared vulnerable experiences they’ve had, facing sexist views in their education and workplace journeys. Most importantly, they discuss strategies to expand access to engineering learning for tomorrow’s female engineers.
If you work with female engineering students, this is one episode you don’t want to miss.
Strong design-software skills are a great asset in both the academic and professional arenas. Autodesk Certified User (ACU) certification can make a difference for your learners. Discover more here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Autodesk/Certifications/Overview.
As a teacher, you want to know that the work you do makes a difference. Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! During our latest Ask a Champion webinar, we were able to highlight our 2022 Adobe Certified Professional World Champion, Salma Sanchez.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Salma only moved to the United States a couple years ago. However, in her short time in the US, she’s managed to earn multiple Adobe Certified Professional certifications, and take first place in the Adobe Certified Professional World Championship. She’s currently a student at Valencia College and has big plans to start her own design firm after she graduates.
During our chat with Salma, we dove headfirst into the Adobe Certified Professional Championship. We discussed her experiences at the competition, how the competition helped prepare her for college and her work designing for real-life clients, and how today’s students can prepare for this amazing opportunity.
Interested in learning more about the Adobe Certified Professional Championship? Get all the details at https://us.acachampionship.com/.
A recent study by the American Enterprise Institute discovered that less than 20% of computer science graduates are women, a decrease over the last several decades from over 35% in the mid-1980s. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 25% of computer and mathematical occupations in the U.S. are held by women, with some job titles, such as computer network architects, going as low as 9%. Preparing today’s female students for careers in IT is of paramount importance.
In this episode, we sat down with former coding educator, Jennifer Brown. Jennifer has 18 years’ experience as both an educator and a trainer. She is a Global Minecraft Mentor, Microsoft Master Trainer, and Minecraft Certified trainer and has trained hundreds of teachers on game-based learning through Minecraft: Education Edition. As a former computer science and CTE teacher, Jennifer is dedicated to the ideal that all students should have access to computer science courses. As the Product Specialist for Coding in Minecraft, Jennifer continues this dedication by training teachers how they can bring computer science to their students through the engaging, game-based curriculum of Coding in Minecraft.
Jennifer shares her thoughts on why girls are less likely to pursue careers in coding and IT, how educators can encourage female students to delve into the world of coding, and what resources educators can use to help bring coding to life.
Interested in starting a Girls Who Code club, like Jennifer’s, at your school? Get all the details here: https://girlswhocode.com/. You can also find resources through the Coding in Minecraft program here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Credentials/Coding-in-Minecraft/Overview.
Ready to learn more about how you can empower female students to enter the world of coding? Get ideas on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/Closing-the-Gender-Technology-Gap.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, anxiety is on the rise among adolescents. By 2020, 5.6 million young people in the US had been diagnosed with anxiety. And nothing can trigger anxiety like testing day. Peak certification testing season is fast approaching, so we wanted to empower our educators with tactics to decrease your students’ testing anxiety. Our fabulous CERTIFIED Ambassador, Damiano Mastandrea, gives some fabulous suggestions.
Damiano Mastrandrea is a Career and Technical Education Director at the Brooklyn STEAM Center. He manages the CTE portfolio of the school to ensure that they are highly relevant and rigorous. He also strategizes various career readiness approaches through workplace immersion programs supported by data-driven decisions. Damiano is a big believer in changing education as a system that works for everyone instead of the selected few and pursuing education to all corners. His passion for education has led him to earn three college degrees including a doctorate, as well last 26 industry certifications, in which a good portion of them are through Certiport.
In this episode, we talk with Damiano about the basics of testing anxiety. He offers valuable strategies to help alleviate testing anxiety before, during, and after their certification exam. We also discuss how you can talk to your students about their mental health, and how to create a calm and supportive environment that shows them they can succeed.
Interested in more mental health resources and education? Check out our episode 25: Social-Emotional Learning in the CTE Classroom with Dr. Damien Sweeney.
Learn more about Damiano and our other CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
Looking to brainstorm ideas with other educators? Join our CERTIFIED Educator Community to discuss testing anxiety, lesson preparation, and much more: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
The COVID-19 pandemic exponentially increased the number of students taking online courses. However, many traditional teaching tactics don’t transfer well to an online environment. If you’re looking for techniques to create an engaging online class, our CERTIFIED Ambassador and veteran educator, Brandy Sevin has some ideas for you.
Ms. Brandy B. Sevin is from Raceland, LA, and has been an educator for 24 years. She is currently an Office Systems Instructor and Program Coordinator for Office Systems and Medical Coding for Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever, LA, and a Professional Virtual Instructor of English and Business for Imagine Learning Edgenuity. She has Master’s Degrees in Educational Technology and Administrative Leadership and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education (grades 6-12) with minors in English (grades 6-12) and Library Science (K-12) for Louisiana. While working for Imagine Learning, she has become certified to teach grades 6-12 in the states of Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. During her years in education, she has incorporated Certiport certifications, from becoming IC3 certified the year it was released to becoming a Microsoft Office Specialist and Microsoft Certified Educator in the past year.
In this episode, Brandy talks through the challenges and benefits of online teaching. She also gives her full list of resources she uses to help engage her students online. If you’re hitting a wall and looking for new ideas, Brandy is here to help!
Here are all the resources Brandy uses with her students:
- Google Slides www.Google.com
- Canva for Education www.Canva.com
- Jamboard www.jamboard.com
- Wix www.Wix.com
- Prezi www.Prezi.com
- Easelly https://www.easel.ly
- Tik Tok www.TikTok.com
- Flip www.flip.com
- Canvas https://learn.canvas.net/login/canvas
- Northstar Digital Literacy https://www.digitalliteracyassessment.org
- GCF Global https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/
Connect with Brandy on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandysevin/.
We’re back again with another student success story. And who doesn’t love a little inspiration from their podcast? Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! Our Ask a Champion webinar series highlights former Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe Certified Professional Championship competitors. We talk with them about their experiences at the competition, how their teachers helped them, and how their lives have changed because of their certifications.
For those who aren’t familiar with our MOS Championship event, here’s the deal. The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students’ skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship. It's an incredible opportunity for students to showcase their talents on a world stage. This episode includes the audio from our latest Ask a Champion webinar with former Microsoft Office Specialist Champion, Tyler Millis. Tyler shares his experience at the Microsoft Championship, his advice for other competitors, and how his certifications led him to his career as a Software Developer.
You can learn more about the MOS Championship at www.moschampionship.com.
You can also read Tyler’s story on our blog:
https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2017/October/Getting-Into-an-Ivy-League-College-with-Certificat.
As a teacher, you want to know that the work you do makes a difference. Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! During our latest Adobe Certified Professional Academy webinar, we were able to highlight two former Adobe Certified Professional Championship competitors.
Acquille Dunkley found his passion for the arts at 15 years old and has been creating ever since. He migrated to West Palm Beach, Florida, from Jamaica when he was 16. After high school, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to pursue a BFA degree at The Savannah College of Art and Design. While in college, he became more motivated to learn multiple forms of visual communication. He discovered his love for lighting through photography, worked as an art gallery assistant for a few years and taught himself 3D digital software programs. After graduating, he received an offer to work in the movie industry in Los Angeles as a motion graphic designer. Since then, he has worked on projects for Amazon Prime, ABC, Disney, Netflix, and Apple TV - just to name a few. Recently, he began a new journey as a fine artist, showcasing his artwork in galleries from Los Angeles to Jamaica.
Eliot Chang is a designer with a focus on the intersection of social, gaming, and developer experiences. Eliot has a bachelors’ degree in Mathematics and Economics, a minor in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. He also graduated from the University of Southern California with a master’s degree in computer science. His background in computer science and behavioral economics allows him to make intuitive, beautiful, and fun products. He currently works as a product designer for Epic Games.
During our chat, we dove headfirst into the Adobe Certified Professional Championship. We discussed Acquille and Eliot’s experiences at the competition, how the competition helped prepare them for their careers, and how today’s students can prepare for this amazing opportunity.
Interested in learning more about the Adobe Certified Professional Championship? Get all the details at https://us.acachampionship.com/.
You can also learn about Acquille and Eliot’s stories (plus many more amazing students) on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Student-Stories.
Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
Want to prepare high school students for the App Economy? In this week’s episode, we are highlighting a past webinar we held for Month of Swift. We were privileged to learn from Virginia educator, Alex Leonard.
Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master's Degree in School Law and Policy Studies, and has been an educator of computer science courses for over 16 years. He’s taught postsecondary and secondary dual enrollment courses in Programming, Game Design, Database Design and Sciences, Cybersecurity, Networking and Web Development and Design. Additionally, he’s taught middle school STEAM courses which lead into the computer science and engineering courses available in his school district.
Currently, he’s coaching a FIRST Lego League (FLL), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics, and PUNCH autonomous drone teams for Carroll County Middle and High Schools. Alex believes that education is more than just content, education is building life-long skills that are the foundation of successful individuals. The teacher's role should be that of a coach, guiding students to learn the content. As industry and culture change, so should teaching methods. Alex embraces change and adapts his teaching to suit the needs of his individual students.
Alex shares his perspective of the App Development with Swift program. He talked about how he gets his students excited and engaged with app development, how he showcases his students work, and his advice for fellow coding teachers.
Get more ideas on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/September/Getting-Your-Students-Excited-about-Coding.
You can also learn more about the App Development with Swift program here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/August/Prepare-Students-for-the-App-Economy-with-Swift
Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
As a teacher, you want to know that the work you do makes a difference. Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! Our new Ask a Champion webinar series highlights former Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe Certified Professional Championship competitors. We talk with them about their experiences at the competition, how their teachers helped them, and how their lives have changed because of their certifications. It’s just the shot of inspiration to keep you going!
For those who aren’t familiar with our MOS Championship event, here’s the deal. The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students’ skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship. It's an incredible opportunity for students to showcase their talents on a world stage.
This episode includes the audio from our latest Ask a Champion webinar with former Microsoft Office Specialist Champion, Juan Manuel Suarez Garcia. Juan will share his experience at the Microsoft Championship, his advice for other competitors, and how his certifications led him to his career as an Analytics Engineer.
You can learn more about the MOS Championship at www.moschampionship.com.
You can also read Juan’s story on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/March/From-MOS-to-Machine-Learning-Engineer.
Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
The Adobe Certified Professional World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students’ design skills using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship where they will create a designated design project for Certiport’s chosen nonprofit client. It’s an incredible achievement for students and educators to compete in this fantastic event. However, many teachers are left wondering, “How do I get my students prepared?” Well, wonder no longer!
In this week’s episode, we sat down with educator and Adobe Championship veteran, Jenny Mohess. Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Jenny has lived in Osceola County (City of Kissimmee), for over 22 years. She first stepped onto Valencia’s Campus in 2000 as an international student. There she earned an A.S. in Graphic Design. While working for Apple, she earned a bachelor’s in business from USF, and master’s in art education from Boston University. These experiences led to jobs at Apple, Microsoft, and eventually, her own design studio.
Jenny currently teaches at Valencia College and has found genuine purpose in mentoring future graphic/web designers through the Valencia Graphics Program. She is now building the program at Tohopekaliga High School and sharing real-world experiences with her students. Through all the real-world projects and certifications, her students are coming to the realization that they can become Adobe Certified Professional World Champions.
If you’re interested in bringing students to compete in the Adobe Certified Professional Championship, this episode is for you. We talked with Jenny how to get students prepared for the Adobe Championship with design skills and expertise, how she funds her students’ your travel, and how to prepare students with the soft skills they need to enjoy and capitalize on this incredible experience.
Interested in learning more about the Adobe Championship? Get all the details for the Adobe Certified Professional World Championship here: https://www.acachampionship.com/. You can also see all the details for the Adobe Certified Professional US National Championship here: https://us.acachampionship.com/.
Connect with Jenny on LinkedIn and hear more advice on how to help your student succeed in graphic design: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenartdesignstudio/.
As an educator, it’s easy to get into a silo. Having a demanding teaching schedule can make collaborating and connecting with other educators seem impossible. However, those who reach outside the classroom can learn valuable lessons from other educators and expand their available resources. And Denise Spence has the experience to prove it.
Denise Spence has been an educator for almost 25 years. She has earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, emphasis in Instructional Technology. Over the years, Denise has taught the correlated course content and earned various IT certification credentials. Her accomplishments include being selected as 1 of 3 finalists for Lee County's Teacher of the Year in 2000; she was the 1st ever Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year for Lee County in 2006; she was named Certiport's Global Summit's Teacher of the Year for 2010. Denise was also a 2011 and a 2012 finalist for the Microsoft Innovation Forum.
During this episode, Denise talked about the value of collaborating and learning from other educators. She gives practical advice for how to find the time and tools to make collaboration easy.
Looking for opportunities to connect and collaborate with your fellow CTE educators? Join our Certiport Academy trainings each month! Get all the details on the Certiport blog: www.certiport.com/blog. You can see past sessions in our Educator Resource Library here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Resources.
Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
According to a 2022 study by the CDC, 37% of U.S. high schoolers have faced mental health struggles amid the COVID pandemic. These struggles highlight students’ need for a positive, welcoming environment during the new school year. We couldn’t think of a better guest to discuss positivity than CERTIFIED Ambassador, Abner Soto-Henry.
Abner Soto-Henry has taught information technology education for nearly 20 years at the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy, specializing in Microsoft certifications, IC3 Digital Literacy certifications, and CompTIA certifications. In total, Mr. Soto-Henry has more than 24 years of experience in education.
Originally from Costa Rica, Abner speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Portuguese, enabling him to connect with the students he serves. He has received several awards, including being named Certiport’s 2021 Educator of the Year. A former professional soccer player, his passion for teaching is only rivaled by his love of the game.
In this episode, we talk with Abner about the positive and negative influences at play in the lives of today’s students. Abner paints a picture of the ideal classroom and talks about ways to connect with students to make your dream classroom a reality. And last, but certainly not least, he offers advice for how to fill your own cup, so you can emanate positivity in the classroom each and every day.
Want to connect with Abner for more positive energy and advice? Reach out to him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-sotohenry20/. You can also learn more about Abner, and all our other CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
According to research from JP Morgan Chase & Co, over 99 percent of America’s 28.7 million firms are small businesses. In fact, the vast majority (88 percent) of employer firms have fewer than 20 employees. Preparing your students to be effective employees means preparing them to be entrepreneurs.
We couldn’t think of a better time to talk about entrepreneurship and design thinking than during our Month of Intuit, happening now! (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/August/Month-of-Intuit-2022) We sat down with CERTIFIED Ambassador and entrepreneurship guru, Christina Deibler, to discuss entrepreneurship and design-thinking education.
Christina Deibler currently teaches Entrepreneurship and Small Business and Project Management to her business and technology students at her alma mater, Wakulla High School in Crawfordville, Florida. Prior to becoming a teacher, she was a business and human resource professional as a Florida State University graduate with a degree in Business Management. She recently chose to change her path and help empower students to reach their goals in life and turn dreams into reality by employing her background in Business Management and Operations, as well as Project Management to help students forge their own path ahead in life.
In this episode, we chat with Christina about the value of entrepreneurship and problem solving skills, plus the intersection of design thinking and entrepreneurship. Christina also gives so project ideas that you can use to spark the entrepreneurial spirit in your classroom.
Learn more about Christina and our other CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
There’s nothing more gratifying as a teacher than watching your student excel. Finding ways to engage and challenge students requires effort and creativity. To help spark some ideas, we brought in Katie Watchorn.
Katie is a Digital Business Education Career & Technical Education Instructor at the Sault Area High School’s Career Center. She discovered her passion for teaching while living in Italy, where she taught General/Business English, proofread scientific articles, edited CVs, advised on business presentations, designed email templates, and offered marketing services. She joined her Alma Mater in 2019 with the intention of helping students to discover what they really enjoy and what they want to do in their life. Throughout her professional career, Katie has worked within the marketing and sales sectors in Fort Lauderdale, FL and Milan, Italy for 7 years. Her objective is to inspire students, by bringing her industry experience into the classroom.
In this episode, we talked with Katie about how to help your students achieve more using creative resources, unique assignments, and project-based learning. Katie has some amazing resources that she’s happy to share with other interested listeners. You can connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-watchorn-unipi/.
Learn more about Katie and all our CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “urban educators report the growing challenges of educating urban youth who are increasingly presenting problems such as poverty, limited English proficiency, family instability, and poor health.” Overcoming these obstacles and educating young people in urban areas can prove challenging. However, Tracey Sigers wants to change the narrative. Rather than look at urban education as challenging and difficult, she wants employers and teachers to see these areas and students as “untapped resources”.
Tracey Sigers is the Department Chair of Information Technology at the National Center for Urban Solutions in Columbus, Ohio. Tracey holds an MBA with an emphasis in technology leadership, a bachelor’s degree in information technology, and an associate degree in technology. Tracey has twenty years of business background in computer systems management, college study skills, and Microsoft software experience. In addition to her experience with Microsoft, Tracy also works with the Adobe Certified Professional program, the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification, the IT Specialist program, and the IC3 Digital Literacy certification.
In this episode, we sat down with Tracey to discuss why certification is valuable in these “untapped” communities. She shares her experience with helping students certify their skills, helping them find jobs, and how employers in the community are taking notice.
Connect with Tracey (and the other CERTIFIED Ambassadors) here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors. You can also learn more about the value of certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/About/The-value-of-certification.
Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call
The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students’ skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the MOS World Championship. It’s an incredible achievement for students and educators to compete in this fantastic event. However, many teachers are left wondering, “How do I get my students prepared?” Well, wonder no longer!
In this week’s episode, we sat down with educator and MOS Championship veteran, Patty Eckelman. Patty Eckelman is a Business Instructor at Auburn Mountainview High School for the Auburn School District #408 in Washington state. She’s been teaching for 31 years, working in four different schools, and has been working with the Microsoft Office Specialist certification program since 2001. In short, Patty knows her stuff.
If you’re interested in bringing students to compete in the MOS Championship, this episode is for you. We talked with Patty how to get students prepared with top knowledge and top scores, how to fund your travel, and how to prepare students with the soft skills they need to enjoy and capitalize on this incredible experience.
Interested in learning more about the MOS Championship? Get all the details at www.moschampionship.com. You can find details about the MOS US National Championship at www.moschampionship.com/us. You can also learn more about Patty (and all our amazing CERTIFIED Ambassadors) here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested with starting a podcast or you're currently a podcaster needing help managing your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click on one of the links below to book a call:
Need help launching a podcast? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-launch-discovery-call
Current podcaster looking for monthly support with your podcast? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcastmanagement
Current podcaster needing to rebrand and revamp your show or feel stuck and don't know what to do next? Our Podcast Relaunch Program might be a good fit for you. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-relaunch-discovery-call
We’re so happy to be back after our summer hiatus. We’ve missed our wonderful educators and listeners. To kick off the school year, we’re diving into a series of interviews with our CERTIFIED Ambassadors. We’re starting off the school year with Greg King.
Greg King is a Computer Assisted Design Instructor at McCann Technical School in North Adams, Massachusetts. Prior to leaping into a teaching career, Greg was a Senior Mechanical Designer/Project Manager for HVAC projects in both the design build and plan-spec marketplace. Greg has been an Autodesk student & user since 1997 with a primary focus on AutoCAD and Revit.
Greg has an A.S. in Engineering Technology, and holds several accreditations including LEED AP O+M, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, Autodesk AutoCAD Certified User, as well as a MA Construction Supervisor License to name a few.
In this episode, we chat with Greg about all things engineering. You’ve probably heard the joke, “Engineers aren’t boring people. They just get excited over boring things.” But, that doesn’t have to be true. Engineering doesn’t need to be boring, and Greg is out to change that perception with his students.
Listen for Greg’s ideas to make engineering the coolest class at your school. He covers some of his favorite tools and topics, plus assignments that didn’t go down as well as he’d hoped. Find out how to make engineering and design come alive!
If you’d like to connect with Greg for additional ideas (or just to geek out over engineering), you can reach him at gking@mccanntech.org. You can also watch for more of Greg’s ideas from our webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyqbVGcKDdY. You can also read more about Greg on the blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/April/Educator-Engineers-a-Brighter-Future-with-ACU-Cert.
Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.
If you are interested with starting a podcast or you're currently a podcaster needing help managing your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at hello@hailimurch.com or you can click on one of the links below to book a call:
Need help launching a podcast? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-launch-discovery-call
Current podcaster looking for monthly support with your podcast? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcastmanagement
Current podcaster needing to rebrand and revamp your show or feel stuck and don't know what to do next? Our Podcast Relaunch Program might be a good fit for you. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-relaunch-discovery-call
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast will be taking a break for the summer. This is our last episode before our break until we return on August 24th. Thanks for listening and have a great summer!
Each year, we have the honor and privilege of selecting an Educator of the Year. The 2022 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year is Carol York.
Carol is a Business Education teacher at Cary High school in Cary North Carolina. After many years of experience in private industry, Carol has been teaching for 12 years. She has been teaching project management for 8 years and was on the curriculum development team for both project management one and two for the state of North Carolina. She’s recently earned her PMI Project Management Ready certification, which adds to her MOS Expert certification and National Board Teacher certification.
In this episode, we talk about Carol’s experience as an educator and her special key to helping students succeed. Find out how she forms connections with her students that last well beyond the classroom.
You can read more about Carol here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/June/Carol-York-2022-CERTIFIED-Educator-of-the-Year.
You can also learn about Carol and her fellow CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.
According to reports from Burning Glass, nearly 2.3 million job postings in the last year have requested project management skills, which is great news for teachers looking to help their students find jobs immediately upon graduation. Plus, project management instills additional skills such as time management, communication, and teamwork; all soft skills that are highly demanded by today’s employers.
In this episode, we sat down with one of our amazing CERTIFIED Ambassadors, Carol York. Carol York is a Business Education teacher at Cary High school in Cary North Carolina. After many years of experience in Private industry, Carol has been teaching for 12 years. She has been teaching project management for 8 years and was on the curriculum development team for both project management one and two for the state of North Carolina. She’s recently earned her PMI Project Management Ready certification, which adds to her MOS Expert certification and National Board Teacher certification.
Carol discusses her journey into teaching project management, and why these skills are applicable for all students. With a 100% certification pass rate this year, Carol has helpful ideas for how you can help your students buy into project management.
You can learn more about the PMI Project Management Ready certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/pmi/Certifications/Overview. For advice on how to build a project management program at your school, check out this blog post: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/April/Building-a-Successful-Project-Management-Program.
Back in February, we sent out a call to have educators apply to become CERTIFIED Ambassadors. We wanted to create a group of education experts that you can connect with for support and ideas all year round! We received hundreds of applications, and it was incredibly difficult to choose only ten.
After much deliberation, we’re proud to present our CERTIFIED Ambassadors for 2022. Stay tuned for future podcast episodes, blog posts, and CERTIFIED Educator Community content from these incredible educators.
Get ready to meet our CERTIFIED Ambassadors at the CERTIFIED Educator Conference in Dallas on June 20-22. Register for CERTIFIED at https://certified.certiport.com/.
As part of our IT Specialist Academy training, we held a webinar addressing computational thinking. This one was so good, that we just had to share it here as well. We were lucky enough to feature two of our new CERTIFIED Ambassadors on this episode: Tracey Sigers and Damiano Mastandrea.
Tracey Sigers is the Department Chair of Information Technology at the National Center for Urban Solutions in Columbus, Ohio. Tracey holds an MBA with an emphasis in technology leadership, a bachelor’s degree in information technology, and an associate degree in technology. Tracey has twenty years of business background in computer systems management, college study skills, and Microsoft software experience. She’s eager to bring students into the twenty-first century using enthusiastic and dynamic teaching to help them become lifelong learners.
Damiano Mastrandrea is a Career and Technical Education Director at the Brooklyn STEAM Center. He manages the CTE portfolio of the school to ensure that they are highly relevant and rigorous. He also strategizes various career readiness approaches through workplace immersion programs supported by data-driven decisions. Damiano is a big believer in changing education as a system that works for everyone instead of the selected few and pursuing education to all corners. His passion for education has led him to earn three college degrees including a doctorate, as well last 26 industry certifications. When he has a free moment, Damiano likes to write short stories, play games, and, if he's feeling daring, bake!
We sat down with Tracey and Damiano to learn more about computational thinking. According to ComputationalThinking.org, these skills are increasingly critical for individuals and organizations as the use of computation becomes more central to every activity and every innovation. In this episode, we took a deep dive into computational thinking. Our guests taught us more about what it is, why it’s valuable for students, and how you can teach this industry-demanded skillset in the classroom.
You can learn more about the IT Specialist Computational Thinking certification exam here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ITSpecialist/Certification/Certify.
You can also watch this, and other IT Specialist Academy trainings here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/April/IT-Specialist-Academy-2022.
Technology is pervasive in every aspect of life, including art and creative education. Artist and educator, Rob Duarte, has seen the impact of technology on creators firsthand.
Rob is an Associate Profession in the Department of Art at Florida State University, teaching courses in sculpture, digital fabrication, physical computing, and mechatronic art. He also serves as Co-Director of the FSU Facility for Arts Research and Director of the REBOOT laboratory.
He earned an MFA in Visual Arts from the University of California San Diego, a BFA in Sculpture from the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, and BS in Business Information Systems with a minor in Computer & Information Science from the University of Massachusetts. At UCSD, Rob was an Ujima Scholar and a San Diego Fellow.
Rob’s work has been exhibited in venues as diverse as the Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the New Children’s Museum, and the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. He has also been invited to exhibit his work as part of the Florida Art Prize in Contemporary Art, the San Diego Art Prize, and the southXeast Triennial.
In this special episode, we got Rob’s opinion on the impact of technology on today’s creators. He also discussed how to bridge that gap between artists and engineers, and how he takes things back to basics in his classroom with mediums like cardboard and scissors. And finally, find out how he helps students become technology creators, not just consumers.
You can learn more about Rob here: https://robduarte.com/. Check out what’s happening at FSU at https://artsresearch.fsu.edu/ and https://art.fsu.edu/.
After two (very) long years of hiatus, we’re so happy that CERTIFIED 2022 will be back as an in-person event! For many of us, it’s been a while since we’ve been able to attend an in-person conference. We wanted to give everyone a refresher on what you can expect at our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference.
For this episode, we sat down with Tommy Demos and Eric Cornish, two of our esteemed CERTIFIED alumni. Eric Cornish is a full-time design Professor based in Miami, Florida. Professor Cornish is an active design professional and educator for nearly 20 years. He is also an Adobe Education Leader (AEL) and Adobe Digital Design Specialist. He truly believes that “Creativity is not exclusive; it is a fundamental human activity.”
Professor Tommy Demos is a full-time, tenured Professor of Film, Television & Digital Production in the School of Entertainment & Design Technology at Miami Dade College (MDC) in Miami, FL. Since 2011, he has taught over 130 sections of college-level courses in video editing, motion graphics, and animation and is currently pursuing a PhD in Leadership Studies with a concentration in Information Systems.
We discussed their memories from our last CERTIFIED Conference in 2019, how CERTIFIED impacted them and their students, and how educators can find funding to attend this, and any other, professional development conference. If you’re on the fence about attending CERTIFIED, then this episode is for you.
You can read more about, and register for, CERTIFIED here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
If you’re interested in learning more about Tommy and Eric’s work at Miami-Dade, check out their full success story here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/May/Miami-Dade-College-Unleashes-the-Power-of-Adobe.
Microsoft certification gives students and workforce candidates the power to chart their own course, fulfill their ambition, and realize their potential. In this episode, we sat down with students who earned their MOS certifications and educators who teach MOS in their classroom. We discussed how MOS certification impacts students in the classroom, and in their careers. Covering everything from confidence to helping companies save thousands of dollars, we know you’ll be on the MOS bandwagon after listening to this episode, which comes from a pre-recorded webinar.
Meet our guests!
Ashley Masters was a two-time competitor at the MOS U.S. National Championship, won two national championships for MOS Word and Excel through Future Business Leaders of America and was a student ambassador at the 2018 MOS World Championship. She's been passionate about certification since the first day she took an exam and is always eager to share how certification has transformed her life. She even launched her own certification program in her college town in 2019. She's earned 13 certifications and certification has played a large role in getting her dream job at Microsoft at 19 years old. Ashley is currently continuing her education at Washington State University, while still working full-time at Microsoft, to complete her Masters of Business Administration and is exactly one year out from graduating! You can read more about Ashley’s start with MOS certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2017/September/MOS-Certification-Got-Me-a-Job-at-15.
Our second guest is Bruce Beuzard IV. Bruce currently works as an IT System Administrator at Oracle. Before working at Oracle, Bruce worked as a Datacenter Technician for Amazon Web Services. In 2019, Bruce was named the MOS U.S. National Excel Champion, and is passionate about the power of certification. You can read about Bruce’s story here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/August/MOS-Champion-Climbing-the-Ranks-at-Amazon.
Next up is Laurene Klassen. Laurene is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Senior Manager of IT Training and Communications at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She took her first MOS exam in 2010 for personal development and has been hooked ever since. In 2017, she spearheaded the MOS program at SMU. Their program has certified over 3,000 students within 4 years. Laurene oversees the administrative side of their program and frequently teaches Office workshops to students. She is a native of Massachusetts but now calls Texas her home.
And finally, we have Joseph Reed. Joseph is currently in his 22nd year as a Business Education teacher. Of those 22 years, 18 years have also been spent as the head boy’s basketball coach, yearbook sponsor, FBLA and Deca sponsor. He also serves as the Recreation Director of Rutherford County outside of the school system. He attended MTSU for his Bachelors degree and Cumberland University for his Master's degree.
Learn more about MOS certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Microsoft/MOS/Overview.
Learn more about the MOS World Championship here: https://www.moschampionship.com/.
Education is the scaffolding around which students can build a successful life. However, students and young people often don’t see the big picture. Educators, particularly in the CTE space, need to connect students’ experiences more explicitly with relevant job roles and future career pathways. But how do you open your students’ eyes to the skills they have and the future jobs they can pursue? Offering context and integrating your classroom with the workforce is crucial.
In this episode, we were privileged to discuss skills contextualization with Dr. Krystal Rawls. Dr. Rawls is the designer of the Workforce Integration Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Building on a foundation of theoretically sound and data-driven practices, Rawls endeavors to create transparency and equity in workforce development programming to develop a more diverse, digitally competent, and skilled class of worker. Dr. Rawls draws on her transdisciplinary background in Education, Psychology, and Business to inform her innovative approach to empowering students to take their place in the modern workforce. Using labor market information to identify the skills needs of employers and curriculum data to evidence skills developed in the academic experience, Krystal creates community through skill-based language. In her role as an analyst and faculty member, Krystal gets to indulge her passion for building opportunities and relationships that are beneficial to the student, educator/worker, as well as industry and community partners. Dr. Rawls welcomes opportunities to create meaningful workforce partnerships and develop pathways for positive economic outcomes for all.
With Dr. Rawls we discussed how to help students contextualize and understand their skillset, and how to let go in the classroom, and create authentic learning experiences. With context, your students will see that they’re not “just” students, but professionals in training.
Dr. Rawls mentioned some incredible resources to continue your learning. Check them out here
- American Council on Education: https://acue.org/?acue_courses=acues-effective-practice-framework
- “Growing Fairly: How to Build Opportunity and Equity in Workforce Development” by Stephen Goldsmith and Kate Markin Coleman: https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Fairly-Opportunity-Development-Innovative/dp/0815739486
Want to know more about implementing a Legacy project of your own? Contact Dr. Rawls on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorrawls/), via email at kmrawls@csudh.edu, or through the CSUDH Workforce Integration Network (https://www.linkedin.com/company/csudhwin/)
The Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) program is a professional development program that bridges the gap between technology skills and innovative teaching. Microsoft provides educators with the tools needed to prepare for the Microsoft Certified Educator exam. In this episode, we discussed MCE with Jennifer Stubblefield, 2019 Certiport Educator of the Year, KY Business Educator, KBEA President, and Certiport’s new Customer Success Manager. We talked through the 21st Century Learning Design curriculum and how you can prepare for your Microsoft Certified Educator exam.
You can access the MCE curriculum (for free!) from Microsoft here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/21st-century-learning-design/.
You can also get information about practice tests and the certification exam here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Microsoft/MCE/Overview.
It’s no secret that employers are increasingly looking for employees with coding skills. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, advanced coding and tech jobs such as software development are expected to grow 22% over the next decade. Preparing students with coding skills is no longer optional.
Now, there are educators out there who know everything about coding—and then there’s the rest of us—asked to teach coding because we’ve had limited exposure to coding in some form. So, how does someone who’s not an expert teach coding like a genius? Coding in Minecraft is the answer.
In this episode, we sat down with Jennifer Brown, Product Specialist for Coding in Minecraft, to dive deeper into this new program. Jennifer has 18 years’ experience as both an educator and a trainer. She is a Global Minecraft Mentor, Microsoft Master Trainer, and Minecraft Certified trainer and has trained hundreds of teachers on game-based learning through Minecraft: Education Edition. As a former computer science and CTE teacher, Jennifer is dedicated to the ideal that all students should have access to computer science courses. As the Product Specialist for Coding in Minecraft, Jennifer continues this dedication by training teachers how they can bring computer science to their students through the engaging, game-based curriculum of Coding in Minecraft.
Listen and learn about the value of coding education (and it’s not always about learning to code), and how the Coding in Minecraft program can make coding accessible and fun for teachers and students everywhere.
Learn more about Coding in Minecraft here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Credentials/Coding-in-Minecraft/Overview.
You can also request a free demo of the program here: https://codingcredentials.com/.
Creativity is consistently one of the top requested job skills. However, creativity is not an end unto itself. Companies are looking for creative individuals because they think of new and out of the box ways to solve problems and improve the companies in which they work.
Design thinking can help students use creativity to solve problems in the workplace and beyond. Design for Delight is Intuit’s version of design thinking, a method of creative problem solving that focuses on the need to create better products and experiences. Design thinking is an in-demand business skill and a powerful tool used by Intuit and other leading organizations and teams around the world.
In this episode, we sat down with Marshall University’s Dr. Ben Eng and his students; Amethyst Cochran, Bella Schrader, Maddy Branham, and Paige Leonard. Together we discussed the value of creativity and design thinking skills, and how it’s applied both inside and outside the classroom.
You can learn more about the Intuit Design for Delight Innovator certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Intuit/Certifications/Certify/Design-for-Delight.
It’s not an uncommon trend, professionals deciding they want to pay it forward and use their knowledge to teach the next generation. However, if you’re a professional diving back into the classroom, it may feel overwhelming.
In this episode, we sat down with professional engineer turned educator, Mike Tyler. Mike started his career as an electrical engineer. When his son started school, Mike noticed the lack of STEM resources and teaching available in Chicago. Inspired to make a change, Mike decided to go back to school to study education and use his skills to improve the science and technology teaching in Chicago Public Schools. He’s been teaching Robotics, Physics, and Computer Science classes for over six years now.
Mike shared his experience transitioning from an industry professional to professional educator. He talked about the difficulties he came across, and the advice he would give to other teachers just starting in the classroom. Plus, get advice on how to capitalize on industry experience to make your classroom more engaging and, as Mike would say, “edutaining”.
Mike mentions several professional organizations that supported him as he started teaching. You can find several of those here:
- National Society for Black Engineers: https://www.nsbe.org/
- Computer Science Teachers Association: https://www.csteachers.org/
- IEEE: https://www.ieee.org/
- Society for Women Engineers: https://swe.org/
You can also find support from fellow Certiport educators in the CERTIFIED Educator Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
The flipped classroom movement started back in 2007, with many valuable benefits for teachers and students. Teachers spend less time introducing new topics, students develop independent learning skills, and teachers can provide a more tailored classroom experience for their students. However, many teachers remain hesitant about this pedagogical approach.
In this week’s episode, we get into the nitty-gritty of the flipped classroom with Dr. Toinette Flowers. Dr. Flowers is a long-time educator at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago. Her foray into teaching started with a class in web design but has now blossomed into so much more. Find out how she has successfully flipped her classroom, even letting students decide what applications and subjects they want to study. She also gives valuable, practical ideas to help you empower your students to guide their own learning.
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Project Management Institute® (PMI) is the world's leading association for those who consider project, program or portfolio management their profession. PMI has a portfolio of certifications for project management professionals, but knew they wanted to offer a chance for students to get involved in project management while still in school. That’s where the PMI Project Management Ready™ certification comes in.
The PMI Project Management Ready™ certification is a way for students to immerse themselves in the project management industry and connect with this passionate community of professionals. As part of Month of PMI, we wanted to introduce you to the PMI Project Management Ready certification program. We sat down with Certiport’s PMI Project Management Ready certification Product Managers, Ty Palmer and Nicole Whitehead.
Together we talk about the future of project management, how these skills are helpful for all students, and what students and educators can expect to see throughout the PMI Project Management Ready course.
Ty and Nicole mentioned a few resources during our episode. You can find relevant links below.
- Request a Classroom Kit: https://gocertiport.pearsonvue.com/programkit
- Request a Curriculum Demo: https://gocertiport.pearsonvue.com/PMILearningAndPracticeTestDemo
- PMI Certified Associate of Project Management Certification details: https://www.pmi.org/certifications/certified-associate-capm
Learn about PMI Project Management Ready badges: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/PMI/Certifications/Badging
Entrepreneurial spirit is growing across the United States. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 5.4 million new business applications were filed in 2021, a new record over 2020’s 4.4 million applications.
Unfortunately, most schools don’t have courses in entrepreneurship, so most students don’t learn about being an entrepreneur until college or even when they decide to start their own company. With an ever-changing economic landscape, it’s more important now than ever to teach students these skills before they leave the classroom behind.
In this episode, we’re bringing in veteran teacher Jennifer Stubblefield to have talk about how she used her existing business courses to teach entrepreneurship skills. She also dives into the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification, what resources she leveraged to teach entrepreneurship, and how her students are using their entrepreneurship skills after graduating. You’ll be inspired by these stories of success, trust us.
Learn more about the resources Jennifer mentioned in this episode. You can get all the details about the ESB certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/February/Getting-to-Know-the-ESB-Certification. Get information about practice test resources here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/February/What-Practice-Tests-Are-Available-for-ESB. And last, but certainly not least, learn why states should prioritize entrepreneurship education here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/How-to-Prioritize-Entrepreneurship-Education.
Do you run a successful certification program? Are you an innovative teacher who loves to go above and beyond the call of duty? Is your school forging new paths or setting new standards in excellence that you just can't wait to tell others about? Then it’s time for you to become a CERTIFIED Ambassador.
In this week’s episode, we sit down with our CERTIFIED marketing team: Ben Lambert, Director of Field Marketing; and Matt Richards, Senior Field Marketing Manager. We talk about the history of Certiport’s CERTIFIED program, and why we’re so excited about the new addition of CERTIFIED Ambassadors. Learn what types of applicants we’re looking for, and what’s in it for you.
Apply to become a CERTIFIED Ambassador here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/February/Become-a-CERTIFIED-Ambassador.
You can also register for our 2022 CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: www.certified.certiport.com
Get CERTIFIED updates through our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Happy Black History Month from Certiport!
At Certiport, we are determined to help students of color rise to new levels of success and education, while listening and learning from others on the best ways to become true anti-racist advocates. Shifting our classroom and education mindset is crucial to correct racial and economic inequities.
For this week’s episode, we had the privilege of sitting down with two amazing professionals from the Chicago Public School system: Dr. Nadine LeBlanc and Robert “Rob” Lee.
Dr. Nadine L. Leblanc’s professional career spans more than 25 years as an educator, building a track record of outstanding performance in teaching as well as in administration. Her most recent efforts are on a project she has labeled “Racism, Response and Responsibility” as an act of resistance to the systemic issues that still threaten Blacks within the U.S. The project includes an equity initiative called “When Black and Brown Men Teach” which engages male educators of color in the Business and IT department in Chicago Public Schools, while they mentor and coach male students of color. She lives and breathes her philosophy that is etched in the belief that all children can and will learn, given the opportunity and resources.
Rob Lee has been teaching at Michele Clark Magnet High School for the past three years and has been an instrumental part of the When Black and Brown Men Teach program. Born and raised on the westside of Chicago, Rob has always had a knack for technology and that knack drove him to make a career switch from the transportation industry to technology. He received his bachelor’s in information technology from the University of Phoenix and his Master's in Information Security from Phoenix University. He started his career at CPS in 2014 and has been dedicated to his students every day since.
In this special episode, we talk about the “When Black and Brown Men Teach” initiative, what Rob and Dr. LeBlanc have done to help their Black students thrive, and how creating brave and authentic classrooms can show Black students that there isn’t one way to be a successful Black professional.
You can learn more about empowering students of color on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/August/Empowering-Students-of-Color.
Read through additional information about the “When Black and Brown Men Teach” initiative here: https://blog.cps.edu/2021/11/17/black-and-brown-men-teach/.
Dr. LeBlanc has also graciously offered her Journey to Justice presentation, for teachers who want to spark conversations and trainings at their schools: https://certiport.filecamp.com/s/JourneytoJustice_DrLeBlanc/d
Did you know that National Entrepreneurship Week is right around the corner? That’s right! National Entrepreneurship Week is a non-partisan, congressionally chartered initiative founded in 2006 that takes place the third week of February annually. The National Entrepreneurship Week team is dedicated to creating a rich network of partners that engage, educate, and build equitable access to America's Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.
We were lucky enough to sit down with two members of National Eship Week team: Amber Ravenscroft and Joe Kapp.
Mrs. Amber Ravenscroft serves as Co-Chair of National Entrepreneurship Week and Manager of Innovation for The EdVenture Group (https://www.theedventuregroup.org/). She has authored and directed three Appalachian Regional Commission POWER awards, including EntreEd’s America’s Entrepreneurial Schools and Colleges and ESTEAM projects and The EdVenture Group’s Simulated Workplace Entrepreneurship Education Pathway project. Amber is a 2019 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Masters in Education Entrepreneurship program, which combines entrepreneurship, business, and education pathways to develop sustainable and scalable programming. The M.S.Ed. is the only international graduate program combining these sectors, bringing a unique perspective to her work at The EdVenture Group.
Amber serves in a leadership capacity within many entrepreneurial ecosystem organizations. She also serves as Co-Chair of the USASBE K-12 Special Interest Group and is a member of the Entrepreneur and Practitioner Advisory Board for The Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. Amber has served as a thought expert and mentor for national student pitch competitions and programs and has spoken at multiple education conferences on the importance of entrepreneurship education, innovation, and workforce development.
Joe Kapp, a serial entrepreneur and national keynote speaker, wears a number of professional hats. He is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, having started and sold his first business, in college. Mr. Kapp has significant experience working with community colleges around the United States on developing economic and entrepreneurial projects. Mr. Kapp has worked nationally with local communities to serve as an economic development catalyst and change agent. He has served as adjunct faculty and Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Eastern WV Community and Technical College.
Mr. Kapp recently founded Behavioral Business, LLC., a consulting firm that uses a entrepreneurial mindset to lead and direct clients. Mr. Kapp is co-founder of the national non-profit, the LGBT Technology Partnership.
Mr. Kapp previously owned a successful asset management firm, where he worked with numerous business clients and managed over $80 Million in client assets.
Mr. Kapp has over 10 years of experience in the technology industry, Mr. Kapp has also served as the President of a Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC. Recognized nationally, he has authored numerous articles.
Mr. Kapp holds a Master’s degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor’s degree in economics from Florida State University.
In this episode, we talk about what’s happening for National Entrepreneurship Week 2022, how states and countries can prioritize entrepreneurship, and why you don’t need to start your own business to be an entrepreneur. Joe even calls out how some of the best entrepreneurs are educators! If you’re interested in bringing creativity, grit, and workforce-ready skills to your classroom, then you need to give this one a listen.
You can learn more about National Entrepreneurship Week on our blog (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/February/Ready-for-National-Entrepreneurship-Week-2022) or on the National Entrepreneurship Week website (https://www.natleshipweek.org/).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 5.4 million new business applications were filed in 2021. This is a record year for the entrepreneurial spirit, which is great news for your students.
Whether your students are starting a bakery or launching the next billion-dollar startup, our Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification validates a students' understanding of core business principles, including the essentials needed to launch and maintain a successful business. In this week’s episode, we sat down with our entire ESB certification team to talk about why entrepreneurship education is crucial for future economic growth, how ESB certification validates entrepreneurship skills, and what resources are available for teachers to bring this certification into their classroom.
During the episode, our team mentioned various ESB resources. You can find the links, conveniently, listed below.
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business Exam Objectives: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Exam-details/Objective-domains
- ESB Academy (for helpful tips on curriculum, practice tests, and advice from fellow educators): https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/January/Welcome-to-ESB-Academy-2022
- ESB Badging: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ESB/Certification/Badging
- ESB Educator Resources: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ESB/Certification/Resources
ESB Blog Posts: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Entrepreneurship-And-Small-Business
Looking for messaging to reinforce the value of communication skills with your students? In our final CSB Academy webinar, we talked with two amazing HR professionals: Tasha Scott and Scott Chabot.
Tasha is a Global Talent Acquisition Manager and Manager for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program at Pearson. In her Global Talent Acquisition Manager position, she leads and learn from 20+ amazing recruiters and talent professionals in Sri Lanka, India, Greater China, South Africa, Australia, and UK. Tasha has a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Lindenwood University.
Our second panelist is Scott Chabot. Scott is an HR Business Partner at Pearson, and has been with Pearson for over twenty years. Scott has responsibility for supporting employees throughout the employment life cycle. This includes onboarding, training, employee relations, and performance management. Scott has a degree in Sociology from St. Cloud State University, a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification and is a certified Change Management Practitioner by PROSCI.
We talked with Tasha and Scott to find out what communication skills your students will need as they transition into the workforce, and why communication is the most demanded skill year over year.
You can find ideas for helping your students practice their business communication skills on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/January/Creative-Communication-Projects.
Employers around the world are demanding English proficiency and are rewarding employees with English skills. According to a report by Cambridge Assessment, companies provide faster progression through job grades, salary increases, and more senior roles to employees with English communication skills.
Certiport is dedicated to helping people succeed through certification, and we are thrilled to announce the newest certification in the Communication Skills for Business portfolio: the CSB English for IT certification. The Communication Skills for Business (CSB) English for IT exam validates a candidate’s ability to work in an IT setting or in an entry-level IT job using English. As this is the newest certification in the CSB program, we wanted to share the details of the exam with our listeners. Learn from CSB Program Manager, Shawn Moon, about the certification, and what curriculum and practice test resources are available.
Interested in learning more about the English for IT certification? See the details on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/June/CSB-English-for-IT-Certification
You can also visit our website: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/CSB/Certification/Overview
You know when something is so good, you just want to tell everyone about it? That’s how we felt about our latest CSB Academy webinar with Jennifer Stubblefield. We couldn’t keep this one to ourselves, so we wanted to make sure our listeners had a chance to get Jennifer’s advice.
Jennifer Stubblefield is Certiport’s new Customer Success Manager, current KBEA President, a former KY business educator, and the 2019 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year. Plus, she’s the face and voice behind the LearnKey Communication Skills for Business curriculum. We got a peek inside Jennifer’s treasure chest of experience during this episode. We talk about her favorite projects for teaching communication skills in the classroom. We discussed everything from Fortune 500 projects and portfolios to elevator pitches and the importance of an undershirt in mock interviews. If you teach any business course, you’ll want to listen, save, and share this episode. Just trust us on this one.
More info about Certiport:
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
“It’s important that we design with and not for our students.” We love this nugget of truth from Damiano Mastrandrea, CTE Director at the Brooklyn STEAM Center. Unfortunately, in many instances, educational systems fail the very young people they are designed to serve. So what can you do to change the narrative? How can you make your classroom a place where young people thrive and grow? Damiano has some ideas.
Damiano works tirelessly managing the CTE portfolio of the Brooklyn STEAM Center’s five programs, to ensure that they are highly relevant and rigorous and manages the workplace learning opportunities for students.
In this episode, we dive deep into the student population at the Brooklyn STEAM Center, what foundational pillars are in place to help students thrive, and how to educate and serve traditionally disadvantaged young people. We promise you’ll walk away motivated to engage with your students, or colleagues as Damiano would say, in a whole new way.
Interested in learning more from Damiano? Check out his latest CERTIFIED breakout session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDJqbgQkrQE.
You can also learn more about the Brooklyn STEAM Center here: https://www.brooklynsteamcenter.org/.
Students shouldn’t leave their CTE programs without a polished and professional resume. It’s impossible to transition to the workforce without one. Building a resume can require some handholding and lots of advice. So we brought in our expert, James Boshier, to help give you all the steps you need to help your students build a fantastic resume. James is the Head of Product Success at Resume-Library. As Head of Product, he owns the Resume-Library roadmap and works out what new features are added to the site.
In this episode, James gives advice on building and polishing the best resume, what students should know about cover letters (spoiler alert: they’re on the way out), and how candidates should conduct themselves in a job interview. He also talks through all the resources that Certiport candidates have access to when they’re ready for the job search.
You can learn more about Resume-Library on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/May/Why-Your-Students-Need-Resume-Library.
Resume-Library also has an entire blog dedicated to career advice. You can find articles and relevant content for your students here: https://www.resume-library.com/career-advice/.
If you’re interested in checking out the newly launched UK CV Builder James mentioned, you’ll find that here: https://www.cv-library.co.uk/free-cv-builder.
What are your students’ dream jobs? Maybe cybersecurity, drone programming, web development, and video game design? With those destinations in mind, what are the directions to get there? Serge Treyger, Broward County Public School’s Career and Technical Education Curriculum Facilitator, shares how initiatives and partnerships with the business sector in his district, and industry recognized certifications created pathways to student success. He will show how career and workplace learning opportunities are built through business and industry partnerships. Find out how you can give students a clear road map to follow their passions and achieve career success.
Serge graduated from Florida Atlantic University in South Florida with a BA in Social Science Education. In 2015, Serge completed his MS in Educational Technology at Florida Atlantic University. Serge taught various career-themed, computer language, and history courses for 7 years at Margate Middle School before joining the district's Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department as a curriculum facilitator in 2018. Serge has worked supporting teachers in various CTE programs with a special focus on Industry Certifications and teacher training.
Serge is a CERTIFIED alumni and three time presenter. You can see his latest session here.
Autodesk’s mission is to empower innovators with design and make technology so they can achieve the new possible. Since your students are the innovators and creators of tomorrow, it’s important to empower them with skills they’ll need to succeed. That’s where the Autodesk Certified User program comes in. The Autodesk Certified User (ACU) certification is an industry-recognized credential that can effectively start students’ careers as designers, engineers, and makers.
In this episode, we were able to chat with Tanner Morris. Tanner Morris is Certiport’s Product Manager over the Autodesk Certified User program. At the end of a good workday, he can usually be found building Duplo towers with his kids, keeping the Autodesk spirit alive. Tanner gives us all the details about the Autodesk certification program, including what topics are covered on the current exams, what resources are available for educators, and how to bring these skills to life for your students.
You can learn more about Autodesk Certified User certification at www.certiport.com/autodesk.
Tanner also mentioned some amazing resources during this episode, that you can find linked below:
- Autodesk Certified User Exam Objectives: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Exam-details/Objective-domains
- CAD Academy (for helpful tips on curriculum, practice tests, and advice from fellow educators): https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Autodesk/Certifications/Resources?ot=collapse55
- Autodesk Certified User Badging: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Autodesk/Certifications/Badging
- Autodesk Certified User Educator Resources: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Autodesk/Certifications/Resources
Autodesk Certified User Blog Posts: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Autodesk-Certified-User
Career and Technical Education is all about helping students find a meaningful and fulfilling career pathway that aligns with their skills and passions. But before students can discover what they want to do with their lives, they need to discover who they are. That is where social-emotional learning comes into play.
Dr. Damien Sweeney is a social-emotional learning expert and currently serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Kentucky Department of Education. Sweeney is also an adjunct professor at the University of the Cumberlands and Spalding University. With a passion for change agency and social justice, Dr. Sweeney has served as a special education teacher, English teacher and high school counselor in Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville, KY). Sweeney holds a Master’s in Teaching Special Education and Secondary English from Bellarmine University along with a Master’s in Education for School Counseling and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Louisville. In short, he’s been in your shoes and knows the burdens you educators carry.
In this episode, we sat down with Damien to learn about what social-emotional learning is, why it matters, and why CTE classrooms are perfectly poised to help students find a place to belong and discover who they are. Damien also helped us discover how, as adults and educators, we can dive into our own journeys of social-emotional learning, and why educators need to fill up their cup before they can give to their students. If you or your students are feeling lost, overwhelmed, underappreciated, or misunderstood, this episode will bring insight and direction to help you pave a path forward.
Looking for the resources that Damien mentioned during this episode? Check out the list below.
- CASEL Framework: https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/
- Kentucky’s Individual Learning Plans: https://education.ky.gov/educational/compschcouns/ILP/Pages/default.aspx
- Permission to Feel with Dr. Marc Brackett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUhfLKzDEkA
If we could choose a press agent for Microsoft certifications, it would be Kathy Schmit. Kathy is a 10-year veteran teacher with 25 years of firsthand experience applying Microsoft products in the business industry, now serving as the statewide Actualization Manager for CCI Learning, for the WA legislatively funded Microsoft certification support team. Kathy entered the Career and Technical Education field to prepare students for the rigors and realities of the work world. Having been passed over for workplace advancement because she lacked certification or college credentials, she understands the importance and value of certification.
Kathy taught Microsoft certification for 10 years. She has had the pleasure of witnessing 3 of her students compete at the Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in Washington, DC, 4 students compete at the MOS U.S. National Championship, and several students win national and state championships through FBLA for Microsoft certification. Kathy takes great pleasure in the fact that, through their Microsoft certification and skills, many of her students have become mentors for local businesses and adults in their community, not to mention the jobs they have qualified for. Kathy will be the first to tell, in her enthusiastic manner, that certification matters! But above all else she will share with you and make you a believer that certification is for EVERYONE!
In this episode, we talked about all things Microsoft certification: how to get your students excited, where to involve parents, collaborating with other teachers at your school, and leveraging the power of Microsoft certification in your community. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Kathy has seen these certifications change lives, and we know that after this episode, you’ll catch her vision.
Connect with Kathy on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineschmit/
You can read about Kathy’s student, Ashley, here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2017/September/MOS-Certification-Got-Me-a-Job-at-15.
You can also watch Ashley’s story on video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAQrlFtQCPM&list=PLhe3YAc2ftVoYFnZaIRIXpzdL36xo4pkq&index=2
Great minds don’t always think alike, or even approach their careers in the same way. And that’s okay! For this week’s episode, we’re sharing the audio from our latest Adobe Certified Professional Academy webinar. We were privileged to sit down with three fabulous creative professionals: A graphic designer, Kai Charvet; a motion graphics artist, Natalie Palumbo; and a UI/UX designer, Sarah Kim. Together we discussed their pathways to success, how they see their fields changing, and what they wish they would’ve known before starting their careers.
You can see all our Adobe Certified Professional Academy webinars here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/September/Certiport-Adobe-Certified-Professional-Academy.
In 2020, creativity was the most highly demanded soft-skill by employers. And the demand for creativity isn’t expected to go down anytime soon. But how can educators bring creativity and fresh ideas to their classroom?
There’s no one better to discuss creativity than Tacy Trowbridge (on Twitter, @tacytrow). Tacy is a lifelong educator and learning enthusiast whose passion is inspiring learners in all stages of learning, giving them a voice and empowering them to develop essential skills. Today, she drives thought leadership and advocacy for Adobe’s Global Education Team and is the host of The Creative Educator Podcast. She also works daily to empower educators with curricula and tools to teach creative and digital literacy skills.
Tacy started her career as a teacher in California schools, earned a master’s degree in Learning, Design and Technology at Stanford, and then led learning and research initiatives at the University of California and Stanford.
In this episode, we discuss creative and digital literacy skills and recent research from Adobe and LinkedIn about the value of creativity in today’s workforce. Plus, we dive into the new Adobe Certified Professional certification and the resources Adobe has available to help educators in their classroom.
Interested in learning about the resources Tacy mentions in this episode? We have all the links you need:
- Adobe Certified Professional Academy: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/September/Certiport-Adobe-Certified-Professional-Academy
- Adobe Education Exchange: https://edex.adobe.com/
- Adobe Creative Careers Curriculum: https://edex.adobe.com/digital-careers
- Adobe MAX: https://max.adobe.com/sessions/educators
- Adobe’s Creative Educator Podcast: https://edex.adobe.com/the-creative-educator-podcast
LinkedIn and Civitas Research: Quantifying the Impact of Creative Skills on College and Career: https://www.adobeforeducation.com/higher-ed/creative-literacy/civitas-research
The computer science field is exploding! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in computer science (CS) are expected to grow 22% over the next decade, much higher than other industry’s projected growth percentages. While this growth presents amazing opportunities for many, some populations are less likely to benefit. Black, Latinx, and female professionals are underrepresented in computer science today. According to 2020 survey data, only 25.2% of computing occupations are held by women, dropping even lower for Blacks (9.1%) and Latinx (8.4%).
We were privileged to be able to discuss this issue with Julia Flores. Julia was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She was fortunate enough to attend several Chicago Public Schools before going on to receive a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and two master's degrees from Roosevelt University.
Over the course of 15 years, Julia has been a teacher, school administrator, and district administrator primarily within Career and Technical Education at one of the largest school districts in the nation. Her career has been focused on curriculum, professional development, and assessment development. She rounded out her experience when she served as a Director of Instruction for one of the largest out-of-school-time non-profits in the United States. She eventually started her own consulting firm and focused her attention on public education. Through her company, she was able to return to help Chicago Public Schools develop the first-ever holistic CS program in the nation.
Now, Julia works with the CS for Success team to help other educational entities create equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science experiences for students.
In this episode, we discuss the CS education landscape in the United States, along with the inequities teachers and students face. Plus, Julia shares her advice and resources to help CS educators advocate for themselves and their students.
You can learn more about CS for Success on their website and Twitter. You can also check out this video to discover why CS for Success was founded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGiOWm8lw8
Website- https://www.csforsuccess.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CSforSuccess
As an educator, you have a vision for your students. You know their potential, what they can accomplish, and the amazing careers they have ahead of them. You just need everyone else (parents, principals, district administrators) to catch your vision. Advance CTE is here to help.
Advance CTE is a non-profit organization that supports state CTE leadership to advance high-quality and equitable career and technical education policies, programs, and pathways that ensure career and college success for each learner.
In this episode, we were privileged enough to sit down with Advance CTE’s Deputy Executive Director, Kate Kreamer, to discuss the history of CTE, the educational impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the future of CTE looks like. Kate also offers incredibly practical, data-based advice on how to improve CTE outcomes in your classroom, district, and state.
Kate mentions some valuable resources, and you can find all of them linked below.
- CTE Without Limits: https://careertech.org/without-limits
- Brave Dialogues: A Guide to Discussing Racial Equity in Career Technical Education: https://careertech.org/resource/brave-dialogues
- With Learners, Not for Learners: A Toolkit for Elevating Learner Voice in CTE: https://careertech.org/resource/learner-voice-toolkit
- Communications tools and resources to engage families and learners: https://careertech.org/recruitmentstrategies
- Career Readiness Metrics Framework: A Continuum of Actionable Measures of Career Development and Readiness: https://careertech.org/resource/career-readiness-metrics-framework
- Beyond the Numbers: A Toolkit for Communicating CTE Data: https://careertech.org/resource/beyond-numbers-toolkit-communicating-CTE-data
- History of Advance CTE: https://careertech.org/100yrs
You can also connect with Kate and the rest of the Advance CTE team on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AdvanceCTE) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/CTEWorks).
Certiport is dedicated to helping people succeed through certification. Our globally recognized credentials are aimed at enhancing individual productivity, marketability, and value. These credentials benefit candidates around the world.
At Certiport, we rely on a network of partners to promote and distribute our exams outside the United States. MyEduSolve, our partner in Indonesia, is doing amazing work to prepare individual job seekers and students for valuable employment and education opportunities.
In this episode, we sat down with Stephanie Seputra, Founder of MyEduSolve, to talk about the value of certification in Indonesia, what students are doing with their credentials, and their incredible Adobe Certified Professional National Championship.
You can learn more about MyEduSolve by clicking here: https://myedusolve.com/
You can also get details on their Instagram at @myedusolve (https://www.instagram.com/myedusolve/).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 25% of computer and mathematical occupations in the U.S. are held by women, with some job titles, such as computer network architects, going as low as 9%. There are many reasons why this gender disparity exists, and true and lasting change will require participation across society.
At Certiport, we are committed to helping close the gender technology gap. In this episode, we sat down with two amazing female tech professionals: Ashley Masters and Sydney Berry. Ashley is a Business Program Manager at Microsoft and MBA candidate at Washington State University. Sydney is a future Software Engineer and current Computer Science student at South Dakota State University. We discussed their career paths, what barriers they face as women in technology, and how educators can change the narrative to help female students succeed.
You can learn more about closing the gender technology gap here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/Closing-the-Gender-Technology-Gap). Dive into Sydney’s story here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/April/With-ACA-I-Landed-Jobs-in-UI-Design). You can also read about how Ashley got her start in technology here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2017/September/MOS-Certification-Got-Me-a-Job-at-15).
Sydney also mentioned some incredible resources to help your students. Honor your students with the National Center for Women and Information Technology Aspirations in Computing Award. Find more information here (https://www.aspirations.org/award-programs/apply-for-the-award-for-aic). College educators can also encourage their female students to connect with Rewriting the Code here (https://rewritingthecode.org/).
Most high school students can’t say their after-school job is Network Administrator, or Systems Administrator. But not all students are lucky enough to learn from Denise Spence.
Denise has been an educator for almost 25 years. Over the years, Denise has taught IT course content and earned various IT certification credentials. She knows the value of IT skills in the workforce and has established a flourishing certification program at Dunbar High School. Through her relentless efforts, high school students secure IT experience that most students don’t get until after college.
We feel lucky that Denise took some time to teach us. In this episode, we discuss why and how to build a bridge between classrooms and the workforce. Denise shares her advice for how to create a business advisory board, what efforts teachers can make today to connect with local businesses, and how the bridge between her classroom and the workforce has impacted her students.
Looking for more advice from Denise? Check out her CERTIFIED breakout session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu-_RRRrx6o
Every teacher faces barriers in the classroom: Keeping students engaged, managing lesson plans, gathering budget for needed resources. But what do you do when the barriers go well beyond the classroom? What if your students didn’t have running water? Or Internet access? Or had to ride hours on the bus just to get to school?
Traci Jones works with students who face barriers like this every day. Traci serves as a Business Management Teacher for the Pinon Unified School District #4, primarily working with high school students. Her enthusiasm and optimism cannot be deterred, and she’s using her tenacity to change the lives of students on the Navajo reservation. Find out how Traci went from zero teaching experience to helping students earn the top scores in the state for Microsoft Office Specialist certification.
Learn more about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
The school year has already begun, which means many of you educators already have to-do lists a mile long. To make sure you have your best school year yet, we brought in our favorite expert: Jennifer Stubblefield, 2019 Certiport Educator of the Year, KY Business Educator, KBEA President, and Certiport’s new Customer Success Manager.
Jennifer gave us the authentically bold picture of the barriers educators face today, and her advice for the best ways to tackle them. Let’s just say, you’ll leave this episode ready to crush any hurdle that comes into your path this school year.
You can connect with Jennifer via email at Jennifer.Stubblefield@pearson.com.
Learn more about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Over the last several months, we collaborated with the team at Pearson to dive into the efficacy of the Microsoft Office Specialist certification program. We wanted to make sure we’re offering candidates an effective measure of their skills and knowledge.
In this episode, we sat down with Emily Lai, Vice President of Learning Impact Measurement from Pearson, to talk more about the Microsoft Office Specialist efficacy report. Emily leads a team of researchers to help analyze the impact of Pearson products and services on learner outcomes, such as learning experience, engagement, course completion, performance, and progression into the world of work (all key variables for any CTE program).
As you listen to this episode, Emily shares more with us about how efficacy reports are conducted, why they’re valuable, and what educators should be looking for before they bring a certification into their classroom.
You can download the full MOS Efficacy Report here: https://gocertiport.pearsonvue.com/MOSEfficacyReport?utm_source=podcast
Evaluating certification efficacy wouldn’t be complete without the voices of our candidates. You can read stories of certified candidates and how certification has benefited them on our blog (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Student-Stories). And don’t forget to dive into the certification development process here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/About/Developing-a-certification-examination
Accounting skills are in high demand. According to statistics from Burning Glass, over 1.3 million job postings requested accountings skills in the last twelve months. However, not all accounting skills are created equally.
In this episode we sat down with Sean Duncan, President of SMD Consulting & Accounting, LLC, to discuss the skills tomorrow’s accountants need to be successful, how the accounting industry is changing, and what accounting educators can do to better prepare their students for future careers.
You can connect with Sean and the SMD Consulting and Accounting team here: https://smdaccounting.com/.
If you’re looking for a way to prepare your future accountants for success, start with Intuit certification. Get all the details here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Intuit.
Back-to-school season is practically upon us. Many educators haven’t been back in the classroom since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in spring of 2020. Most likely, proctoring exams and updating your computer lab is top of mind.
We’re here to make sure you and your students have successful testing experiences. In this week’s episode, we sat down with Josh Sommer, Director of Certiport Support to talk through setting up your testing center, proctoring advice, and how to connect with Certiport Tech Support if you hit a wall.
Josh mentioned quite a few resources in this week’s episode that will help you launch into the school year with confidence. You can find a comprehensive user guide for Compass exam delivery here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Support/PDFs/Compass/Compass-User-Guide-Windows.pdf). You’ll also want to walk through the exam launch requirements here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Support/PDFs/QRG-Exam-Launch-Requirements.pdf), along with resources for successful proctoring here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Support/PDFs/QRG-Proctoring).
You can also access a live training session with Certiport’s Tech Support team here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/CATCs/Training-sessions). Still stumped? Tech Support is standing by here (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Support/Support-for-CATCs).
Information technology is a rapidly growing field, but it can be tough for students to master advanced technologies without proper foundational knowledge. Enter Information Technology Specialist certification. The IT Specialist program is aimed at candidates who are considering or just beginning a path to a career in information technology. Students can certify their knowledge in a broad range of IT topics, including software development, database administration, networking and security, mobility and device management, and coding.
In this episode we sat down with Shawn Moon, Certiport’s Program Manager for the IT Specialist certification program to get all the details about this new certification, including what IT topics are covered on the current exams, what exams are coming, and what careers students can pursue with IT Specialist certified skills.
You can learn more about IT Specialist certification at www.certiport.com/its.
Interested in learning more about My Pathway, and the careers mapped for your IT students? Get all the details here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/ITSpecialist/Certification/My-Pathway.
More info about Certiport:
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Swift is a robust and intuitive programming language created by Apple. It’s easy to learn, simple to use, and super powerful — which makes it a great language for first time coders and full time developers.
In this episode we sat down with Sabrina Beck, Certiport’s Program Manager for the Swift certification program to talk all things Swift, what’s covered on the new certification exams, and what resources are available for teachers looking to bring Xcode into their classroom.
You can learn more about App Development with Swift certification at www.certiport.com/apple. Additional free teaching resources provided by Apple can be found at https://www.apple.com/education/k12/teaching-code/.
More info about Certiport:
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Are you trying to build a digital literacy program at your school? Then this episode is for you! Get perspective from fellow educators Abner Soto-Henry, Karen Johnson-Maloney, and Amanda Deebrah about the value of digital literacy in today’s job market, how to get your students excited about these skills, and the new IC3 Digital Literacy GS6 curriculum and exam. Learn what it’s been like to implement the courseware, how students are responding, and best practices for the coming school year.
About our guests:
Amanda Deebrah grew up and still lives in NYC. She graduated summa cum laude from the New York City College of Technology (Brooklyn, NY) with her Bachelor of Science in Education in Spring 2018. She graduated summa cum laude from the New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury, NY) with her Master of Science in Spring 2020. Amanda is a high school teacher for the NYC Department of Education and absolutely loves her job. Her students make her look forward to going to work every day. No two days are ever the same and seeing her students grow makes her feel accomplished.
Abner Soto-Henry has taught information technology education for nearly 20 years at the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy, specializing in Microsoft certifications, IC3 Digital Literacy certifications, and CompTIA certifications. In total, Mr. Soto-Henry has more than 24 years of experience in education. Originally from Costa Rica, Abner speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Portuguese, enabling him to connect with the students he serves. He has received several awards, including being named Certiport’s 2021 Educator of the Year. A former professional soccer player, his passion for teaching is only rivaled by his love of the game.
Karen Johnson-Maloney is a Louisiana native, who migrated to Florida 41 years ago. She loves helping others and becoming a teacher has allowed her to serve her students and community. She has 21 years of teaching experience, teaching high school and middle school. She is incredibly passionate about teaching IC3 and digital literacy skills. Her greatest pleasure comes from being a wife, mother and grandmother, and she divides her time between her family, making memories and enjoying the beach.
More info about Certiport:
You can also check out the webinar mentioned in this episode on our Certiport YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UezJUMrNtuI&t=3s.
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Funding for educators is always an issue. Getting budget for your certification program can be challenging. In this week’s episode, we sat down with Nicole Whitehead, Associate Product Manager at Certiport to discuss ways to fund your CTE program. We discuss everything from Perkins Funding to donations from your city’s Chamber of Commerce, and more. Nicole gives you practical advice for securing the budget you need to certify your students.
You can connect with Nicole on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-whitehead-61a023125/) for additional assistance with your funding needs.
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
We hope you enjoy this discussion with three entrepreneurship experts. You’ll get to hear from Kiara Slaton who is the Entrepreneur Educator from Palm Beach Gardens Community High School, James Wilcox who is the Director of the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Economic and Entrepreneurship Education, and Henry Mack who is Chancellor of the Florida Department of Education. You can learn more about all these guests in their bios below. Please enjoy this episode as they discuss their experiences and expertise about teaching entrepreneurship.
Kiara Slaton is a Doctoral Candidate and business Instructor, coming to public school education through her own education at Tulane, Lynn University, and St Thomas University -Miami. She understands the importance of fostering entrepreneurship in young people. An entrepreneur herself through her company She Hoops Elite Women’s Basketball Club, Slaton is personally familiar with the guiding principles of free enterprise as well as the requisite essentials of operating a business in today’s unrelenting economy. She Hoops Elite is a community-based organization dedicated to providing a platform for experienced post-collegiate women basketball players to stay in the game. As a veteran teacher, Slaton, working closely with Karen Kummerlan, has pioneered the entrepreneurship program at Palm Beach Gardens Community High School. For her students, Slaton stands as an example of how much can be accomplished by embracing her motto “Live Life . . . Lead Strong”.
James Wilcox is a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and has served as the Director of The University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Economic and Entrepreneurship Education since 2011. Through his efforts to equip and support Mississippi educators in the subject areas of entrepreneurship, economics, and financial literacy, he impacts more than 30,000 K-12 students each year. Additionally, James co-teaches Hacking for Defense (H4D) at USM and is particularly recognized as the director of the Southern Entrepreneurship Program (SEP)–a grassroots statewide youth program that engages an additional 700+ high school students per year in startup methodologies through real-world business development experiences. He holds an M.S. in Economic Development and a B.S. in International Business, both from The University of Southern Mississippi.
Henry Mack currently serves as Chancellor at the Florida Department of Education, a position he has held since October 2019. As Chancellor, he leads the Division of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, overseeing all workforce education programs and economic development initiatives for the Department. The Division is responsible for all career and technical education programs across a system of 48 technical centers and colleges, 28 state community colleges, and K-12 public schools, with a combined enrollment of over 1 million students, annually. As Chancellor, he is also responsible for the state offices of apprenticeship, adult education, and articulation and career education policy. Recognized in 2019 as South Florida’s 40 under 40, Henry frequently lectures on the future of the workforce, entrepreneurship, and the value of a higher education. He currently lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Ashely, and his two young children Hadley and Holden.
More information about how Certiport can help you learn more about entrepreneurship:
https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Entrepreneurship-And-Small-Business
https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/How-to-Prioritize-Entrepreneurship-Education
More information about Certiport:
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
In this episode, we had the privilege of interviewing our 2021 Certiport CERTIFIED Educator of the Year Abner Soto-Henry. His love for education and his students is truly inspiring. He talks about his story and journey to becoming an educator. We also chat about some of the challenges with his unique teaching and his advice to help other educators in similar situations as him.
Abner Soto-Henry has taught information technology education for nearly 20 years at the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy, specializing in Microsoft certifications, IC3 Digital Literacy certifications, and CompTIA certifications. In total, Mr. Soto-Henry has more than 24 years of experience in education.
Originally from Costa Rica, Abner speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Portuguese, enabling him to connect with the students he serves. He has received several awards, including the 2013 Community Star Award from D.C. United, the 2015 Hispanic Heritage Innovative Educator Award, the 2016 D.C. OSSE Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year award, the 2019 D.C. PCSB TIERific Teacher of the Year, and 2021 Certiport CERTIFIED Educator of the Year. A former professional soccer player, his passion for teaching is only rivaled by his love of the game.
Contact Abner:
https://www.facebook.com/ctlc.laycca
https://www.facebook.com/layccagreatness
https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-sotohenry20/
More information about Certiport:
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Welcome to a special extended episode. For this session, we interviewed education experts from the school, district, and state levels. Together they shared strategies to expand access to creative learning and discussed how to set all students up for success.
Our guest host, Tacy Trowbridge, Adobe’s Global Education Programs leader, sat down with three special guests: Dr. Lauren Lampron, Principal of SouthWest Edgecombe High School in North Carolina; Amanda Vigil, Career Pathway Specialist of the San Francisco Unified School District; and Rick Kennedy, Instructional Technology Coordinator of the Idaho State Department of Education.
Interested in additional resources to expand creativity in your classroom? Find out what Adobe offers teachers across the globe: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/September/Adobe-Resources-for-Educators.
Learn more about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
If you haven’t heard of Ryan Catalfu, we need to chat. Ryan Catalfu is no stranger to certification. Over the course of his high school career, Ryan was able to earn 20 industry certifications.
Ryan’s now close to graduating from North Carolina State University with a degree in computer science and spent his second summer interning at Microsoft. Take a journey through Ryan’s past and find out why certification is more than just a line on his resume.
You can read more about Ryan here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2020/May/MOS-and-Internal-Growth
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Teaching is hard enough, but teaching through a global pandemic? Come on! As we emerged from the COVID-19 craziness, we sat down with Florida teacher, Miranda Cole. Miranda gave us the real picture of what it was like to teach through COVID, what she learned, and lessons she wants to bring into the future. If you’re looking for the silver lining from teaching through a pandemic, or if you just want to hear someone who gets it, this episode is for you.
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Want to learn more from Miranda? Check out the webinar we hosted with her on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkMnV2_maGo.
Are you new to the world of certification? New to Certiport? Happy to meet you! In this episode, we sit down with David Watkins, Certiport’s Director of Product Management. Learn about Certiport’s history, our model for certification success, and our new “My Pathway” resources to help students find their path to certified success.
Get all the details about our “My Pathway” resources here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/February/Do-You-Know-Your-Pathway
Learn more about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Back in 2015, Certiport launched the very first CERTIFIED Educator Conference, to help teachers understand the power of certification in their classroom. However, we realized that we could do so much more to support all you technology educators in the amazing work that you do. We wanted to transform CERTIFIED from a three-day event into a community that is available year-round.
And that’s how the Certiport Educator Podcast was borne.
Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/
Find out more about our CERTIFIED Educator Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.
Ready to connect? Join CERTIFIED: Certiport’s Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.