Dr. Robert Dillon has served as a thought leader in education over the last twenty years as a teacher, principal, and director of innovation. Dr. Dillon has a passion to change the educational landscape by building excellent engaging schools for all students. Dr. Dillon serves on the Leadership Team for Connected Learning, a Saint Louis based organization designed to reshape professional development to meet today's needs. Dr. Dillon has had the opportunity to speak throughout the country at local, state, and national conferences as well as share his thoughts and ideas in a variety of publications. He is the author of four books on best practices in learning, Leading Connected Classrooms, Engage, Empower, Energize: Leading Tomorrow's Schools Today, Redesigning Learning Space, and his most recent book on learning space design called The Space: A Guide for Educators.  Dr. Dillon gives several ideas on how to start re-imagining your classroom space with little to no money.

Julie teaches in the School of Communication at Webster University in St Louis where she teaches media literacy and media-related courses. She is the author of “Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save our Plugged-in World” and travels nationally and internationally speaking on the importance of critically consuming media messages and being aware of how the media impact our world.  She also then gives activities and resources that can be used by all ages.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST:
Common Sense Media - Videos and lesson plans for educators
National Association for Media Literacy Education - Check out their Resources page!
Center for Media Literacy - Evidence-based curricula and framework available.
News Literacy Project (Checkology tool) - 
#medialiteracy on Twitter, and follow Julie Smith @julnilsmith for great resources.

Michelle Benedict is an educator, parent, presenter, and practitioner of mindfulness.  She earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Lindenwood University and is currently a 3rd Grade Teacher in Hazelwood School District in St. Louis, Missouri. She recently presented “Rise Above with Mindfulness” at the TEDx Lindenwood event.  In this episode, she talks about how mindfulness has reshaped her classroom and school.  She also describes the mindfulness practice of her own classroom and how other teachers can start incorporating this simple yet powerful practice in their own setting.

Tali Raviv is the Associate Director of the Center for Childhood Resilience at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.  She has been with the Center for Childhood Resilience since 2009, and has more than 15 years of experience in community and school mental health. Dr. Raviv’s work focuses on increasing knowledge and awareness about the impact of childhood trauma on children’s development and wellbeing, and translating evidence-based interventions for traumatized youth to school and community settings.  She has particular expertise in program development and evaluation for at-risk youth and families, including those exposed to poverty.  Most recently, she co-authored the resource book, Creating Healing School Communities: School-Based Interventions for Students Exposed to Trauma which is one in a series aimed at supporting clinicians who are working in schools and communities.   In this episode, Matt and Tali discuss what trauma in children can look like in schools and how prevalent trauma can be in all populations.  

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN PODCAST:
National Child Traumatic Stress Network - toolkit for recognizing signs and symptoms as well as ideas to support kids.
Nadine Burke Harris Tedx - "How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime"
Center for Childhood Resilience - Parent and Provider Resources available

Chad and Matt continue their conversation from Episode 5, but this time they talk about the school level and the responsibilities of school administrators when it comes to bullying.  Chad covers the 1st and 4th Amendments in regard to administrators as well as cases that have impacted. They also dabble into the realm of searching student lockers and phones as well as when bullying records become part of Student Records.

Attorney Chad Watkins of Tueth, Keeney, Mohan, and Jackstadt in Edwardsville, IL talks about the definitions and legal cases behind bulling in schools.  Chad Watkins practices primarily in the area of school law. He represents school districts throughout Illinois in matters related to student rights, special education and disciplinary matters, and employment and personnel issues.  During law school, Chad tutored and taught classes at University City High School and Northwest Academy of Law. Before law school, Chad taught high school special education and coached girls’ varsity basketball in Washington, D.C.

Matt Miller is an educator and blogger. He’s the author of two books: “Ditch That Textbook,” a book about revolutionizing the classroom with innovative teaching, mindsets and curriculum, and “Ditch That Homework,” a book full of strategies to help teachers become less reliant on homework to the point they can ditch it.  Matt and Matt, who have both been Technology Coaches, talk about technology integration and what it should be which is often different that what it is in schools.

Kristina Ishmael is a Public Interest Technology and Education Policy Fellow at New America wehre she supports states, districts, and educators transitioning to Open Educational resources (OER) to rethink teaching and learning.  Before her national roles, Kristina was a teacher to high-risk elementary ELL students in Omaha, NE.  In this episode, Kristina introduces the concept of OER, issues around copyright, and how teachers can contribute to the quickly growing libraries of resources that are open to all.

School Attorney Merry Roades of Tueth Keeney Mohan & Jackstadt in Edwardsville, IL breaks down the laws that involve student privacy.  She discusses FERPA, student data on devices, and gives ideas for procedures on downloading apps and signing students up for online accounts, student email, and more.

​Angela Reeter is the Illinois Area 5 Homelessness Liaison, and has been a teacher and principal.  In this episode, she highlights what defines a homeless student, characteristics that homeless students may demonstrate, and actions teachers and schools can take to help these students.