Episode 61: Preparing For Backup

July 9, 2015

If you work with computers and computer files on a regular basis, the most important thing you can do is backup your files. The odds are that at some point you will experience a hard drive crash or a virus/malware infection that could possibly destroy all of your files.

This tip is unique in that, we are not going to talk about how to backup your files, instead we will be discussing how to prepare for a successful backup. These tips will make your backup thorough, complete, and trouble free.

David's 5 Tips for Preparing for a Successful Backup

1. Before you start a backup, you need to clean up your file folders.

2. Make a backup of all of your Browser Bookmarks.

3. make sure all of your files are located in a specific location.

4. Determine the size of your files.

5. Determine your backup medium.

Important stuff:

If you don't know how to backup files, find a youtube video, instructional web page, ask a friend or pay someone to set up and show you how. It's that important!
Even if you work in an environment that does backups, make your own! Remember, it is your data, you are responsible for it, and you will be the one crying if everything is lost!
Test your backups. A backup isn't any good if you can't use it.
Periodically review your backup policies. You might need/want to tweak them. Update your bookmark backups, etc. You might have old files that can be archived on CD/DVD and deleted from the hard drive.

Great advice to take to heart!

So what are you waiting for?

Time to prepare for that backup!

Length: 16:00

00:0000:00

Episode 60: Vicki Davis-The Cool Cat Teacher

July 1, 2015

Vicki is a teacher and an IT Director in a small school system in Camilla, Georgia, but she is connected through her writing, speaking, podcast, and social media content throughout the world!

This is her 13th year teaching.

She writes regularly for the website Edutopia and Vicki can frequently be found as a national keynote speaker presenting on a multitude of topics.

She is a published author and has her own podcast on the BAM Radio Network called Every Classroom Matters

I subscribe to her podcast on iTunes and look forward to every episode.

Her books are Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step At A Time and Reinventing Writing: The 9 Tools that are Changing Writing, Teaching, and Learning Forever

She has an amazing blog, http://www.coolcatteacher.com/, where she expresses her thoughts about many different areas associated with teaching from technology to classroom management and many topics in between. She also connects the readers to many resources for helping with better teaching and school leading.

She also is very active on social media, especially Twitter, where her handle is @coolcatteacher

https://www.pinterest.com/coolcatteacher/

https://www.facebook.com/coolcatteacher

https://www.youtube.com/coolcatteacher

Vicki is engaging and overflowing with incredible ideas for making the classroom experience unforgettable.

After talking with Vicki, I couldn't stop talking to my team members about her inspiring words!

I think that you will get just as energized.

Enjoy!

Length:

40:45

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Episode 59: Amanda Miliner, 2015 Georgia Teacher of the Year

June 17, 2015

Amanda is an elementary teacher in Houston County, Georgia who was recognized as the 2015 Georgia Teacher of the Year. In 2006 she was Miss Georgia and competed for the title of Miss America.

This last year she spent time in schools model teaching, presenting, co-teaching and talking with various organizations across the state. She also traveled to Washington, DC where she met the President, twice.

She sees herself as a self-made person. She knows how important education is. She likes to explain to kids that she came from a single parent home but that she has not let that interfere with her life journey. She is a first generation college graduate in her family and now she is working on her doctorate. She emphasizes to kids that she wanted something better for herself.

Amanda has a no excuses mentality in the classroom. She expects the kids to work hard and not ask for handouts.

She comments that she didn’t start out wanting to be a teacher, but explains how the desire to teach rose to the top.

Listen closely as she talks about the teacher who hooked her into wanting to be a teacher because she had a classroom that was like an educational theme park!

We talk about what her ideal classroom would look like as well as what her favorite resources are.

She describes herself as being orange not blue and how that impacts her teaching and her interactions with the kids.

She will challenge you to think about how you see and work with the kids.

Catch up with Amanda on Twitter @gatoty2015

Amanda mentioned these resources:

Kidblog

iMovie

Length: 30:36

00:0000:00

Episode 58: iPrincipal update with Mark Wilson

June 12, 2015

This is my third of an on-going conversation with Dr. Mark Wilson about his book in the works called iPrincipal.

Check out our earlier talks at Episode 48 (The Introduction), and Episode 53 (Intentional).

Also, you can find out more about Mark and his focus on leadership at Episode 8 as well as his website.

The iPrincipal...today's fully prepared and highly effective principal is inspirational.

While the iPrincipal is expected to be an instructional leader (to be discussed in another episode), to lead effective schools, principals also need to be inspirational leaders.

Inspirational Principals excel in:

1. Seeing Connections

2. Sharing Ideas Clearly

3. Seeking Opportunities

I think that you will find Mark's thoughts engaging and thought provoking.

Enjoy!