Habits of Hope to Help Educators

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and Cool Cat Teacher Talk anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Sometimes things hit so hard it takes a moment. For Motivation Monday, today's show is about having hope. I have to admit, however, I recorded this with Dr. Julia Garcia in October, shortly after my dad died. I remember thinking, “Wow, how am I going to record this show on hope and have it be encouraging to educators when I'm crying so much and struggling?” Wow, I never could have known what would happen.

Watch on YouTube and subscribe for new episodes every week.

Key Takeaways for Teachers from Dr. Julia Garcia

• Hope isn't a feeling — it's a practice. Julia redefines hope as something you build with habits, not something you sit and wait to feel. When your feelings aren't lining up, you can still practice your way toward hope — “you can't let the caboose drive the train.”
• The habit of reflection: pause long enough to feel what's real. If you cope by distracting yourself — doom-scrolling, staying busy, keeping the mask on — the first move is to stop and connect with something true instead of numbing it.
• The habit of receiving: learn to name what support looks like. Julia once asked a principal what support would feel like, and he couldn't answer. Caring people take on all the care until they're overwhelmed. Hope grows when we let others come alongside us.
• You can't have hope without honesty. The most hopeful thing in this episode is an honest one — telling the truth about grief out loud. Your beginning date and ending date are set; the dash in between is up to you.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• The 5 Habits of Hope: Stories and Strategies to Help You Find Your Way by Dr. Julia Garcia — the book behind this conversation, reframing hope as a practice you build one habit at a time.
• DrJuliaGarcia.com — Julia's home for her keynotes, workshops, and writing on hope and mental health.
• The Journey with Dr. J — Julia's live-audience, talk-show-style podcast that blends conversation and poetry.

About Dr. Julia Garcia

Dr. Julia Garcia shares about the 5 habits of hope.

Dr. Julia Garcia is a psychologist, author, and renowned speaker dedicated to empowering people through the science of mental health. For nearly two decades, she has worked with educators, students, business leaders, and individuals facing life's toughest moments—helping them break through fear, doubt, and hopelessness to build lasting habits of healing and hope. Dr. Julia weaves her real, lived experiences with behavioral science to create practical, transformative strategies for lasting change. Whether through her TEDx presentations, her interactive workshops, or her book The 5 Habits of Hope, Dr. Julia's mission remains the same: to prove that hope isn't just something you feel—it's something you practice, one habit at a time. She additionally hosts a live-audience talk-show style podcast, The Journey with Dr. J, which blends conversation and poetry.

Connect with Julia: Website | Instagram (@drjuliagarcia)

Other Shows for Teachers Who Care About the Whole Child

• Cool Cat Teacher Talk — S4E8, “Hope and Healthy Relationships for All of Us.” Julia joined this radio/TV/YouTube show alongside Dr. Brad Marshall and Tom Hierck. (Add CCTT S4E8 link before publishing.)
• Phone Addiction in Teens: What Actually Works with Dr. Brad Marshall
• ADHD Misconceptions: What Your Students Need You to Know with Jheri South

Listen and Subscribe

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube
• All 10 Minute Teacher Episodes

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a teacher friend who needs a little hope today. And if the show has helped you, I'd be grateful if you'd leave a review wherever you're listening — it helps other educators find us.

Episode Transcript

This transcript was generated using AI and has been reviewed by humans for accuracy. Minor errors or artifacts may remain but I worked my best to find any issues with the transcript as I reviewed the show. – Vicki

Click to read the full transcript

[10 Minute Teacher Podcast intro] (00:00): This is the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast with your host, Vicki Davis.

Vicki Davis (00:05): Dr. Julia Garcia is a psychologist, author, and renowned speaker known for blending real-life experiences with the science of behavioral change. She works with audiences like schools, communities, and organizations. And she is the author of The 5 Habits of Hope and the interactive podcast The Journey with Dr. J. Thanks for coming on the show, Julia.

Dr. Julia Garcia (00:27): I'm so grateful to be here, and thank you, everyone, for listening.

Vicki Davis (00:30): In The 5 Habits of Hope, you redefine hope as something that people can practice. So how do we practice having hope?

Dr. Julia Garcia (00:38): The million-dollar question, right? I think about it like this. If I were to ask you what hope meant, and then I were to ask 100 people around you what hope meant, I bet no one's going to say the exact same thing, probably in the same way. No one's probably going to say it's a cognitive science, but we're all mostly going to think and relate to hope as a feeling. Would you agree?

Vicki Davis (00:40): Yeah. I once had a pastor who said you can't let the caboose drive the train — that feelings have to be the caboose. But ultimately it is a feeling that you have to understand: do I have it or not? And use it — read books and do things. This summer I've been studying hope, just because my dad was fighting pancreatic cancer. Okay, I know my feelings aren't lining up. So I need to figure out: how do I practice hope? Don't you think that people can learn to better have hope?

Dr. Julia Garcia (01:32): That's really why I wrote the book, because I work with educators all over the country. And I work in every kind of demographic you can imagine. And what I was experiencing and seeing and witnessing firsthand from the educators, the parents in the community, the mental health community around them, and the students were stories of hopelessness. So I'm going to actually read a couple of them, if that's okay, to paint more of a picture of why I got to this place of hope as a practice.

When I work and facilitate keynotes and things working with educators and students, I walk them through the five habits of hope in real time. It takes two minutes. And one of the prompts they're asked is to think about a time that they've struggled where they didn't open up. Because what I realized is that most people who are struggling — feeling any kind of struggle, like overwhelmed or a trauma they're experiencing — we hold it in. We have this ability as human beings to hold so many struggles at once. So in their own words — this is their handwriting, their words, and these are educators around the country:

This one's from a first-grade teacher who says, “I struggled because my best friend told me he couldn't forgive me, and I was devastated.” One's from an elementary principal: “I struggled to get out of an abusive relationship and past trauma, overwhelmed by the role in my community.” This one's from a teacher, an ELA teacher: “I struggled because I felt like an imposter. I didn't feel like I knew enough or was able to take care of what I needed to.” This is a math teacher who shares, “I struggled because I couldn't give up control and just be.” “I struggle because I try to help everyone else except myself.”

I feel like there's got to be a lot of people who can relate to that. There's so many different struggles people were saying. And then the next prompt is, can you identify a feeling you felt? And overwhelmingly, it was hopelessness. Those feelings, along with loneliness, just kept resurfacing.

Vicki Davis (03:14): Yeah. Me.

Dr. Julia Garcia (03:29): And I'm like, if we can get to a place of feeling hopeless, then we must be able to get to a place of feeling hopeful. And how can we do that? And that is really what my work in the book has been about: if we can get to hopelessness, we definitely can get to hopefulness. And that's about navigating our emotional habits and well-being.

Vicki Davis (03:48): But you know, sometimes there are really hard situations. So how do we move toward hopefulness — be full of hope instead of having none?

Dr. Julia Garcia (03:58): The first thing to do is to recognize the power of our thought patterns, right? And to know that we have the ability to reshape the neural pathways in our mind. So we get in this thought train. It's a thought pattern like, “I'm not good enough. I'm not good enough.” It's the same old story, new day, right? And it's a thought cycle. So we have to recognize: is our thought cycle harmful or helpful?

And we have to see, when it comes to our feelings and our emotions, what are we doing? Do we have a process to process them? Because I realized growing up, I did not have a process to process my feelings. So even when I started my career, I was still a mess in the background, because I wasn't dealing with my feelings, but I was showing up and putting on this mask and this facade. It came to a place where I couldn't hold all the things anymore. It came to a head.

And for me, my head came to the point where I was drinking and doing drugs and things like that after I was working with students, because I didn't have a way to process my own emotions. So I was just masking and holding, and our bodies and our minds and our spirits and our souls can only hold so much in. So how we take those first steps — it can be any of the habits, right? But it's about taking an emotional habit that's probably going to be the opposite of what you're doing. So if you don't like feelings, if you like distracting yourself from them, if you're a doom-scroller, whatever — then habit number one might be for you. It's a habit of reflection: how can I actually pause long enough to connect with something real and not distract myself from it?

I think for educators, one of the number-one habits I hear is the most useful — and it has been for me — is number four, which is the habit of receiving. And this is identifying what support would look like or feel like for me. I once asked a principal this after a full day of workshopping with his entire staff. I said, come on up here with me on stage and let us know what support would look like or feel like for you and your community. He couldn't think of anything. Can you imagine why?

Vicki Davis (05:59): Wow. Did he already have support, or did he just not want to tell anybody anything?

Dr. Julia Garcia (06:03): He didn't know how to ask for support. He was such a “I'm going to do it all, I'm going to figure it out, I'm their leader, I must figure this out” person. And they're standing there waiting and wanting to support, and he still was feeling like he had to do everything. That begins in our mind — that's our perspective. So it's these subtle perspective shifts in the culture we're creating.

And I always check in with myself, and even the students I work with, and my kids: what would it feel like or look like to feel supported right now? To feel like I'm coming alongside you in your journey and your work — instead of saying, I'm just going to take it all and solve all the problems, which a lot of caring people do. They take on all of the care, and then it becomes overwhelming. So that one's a really simple way.

Dr. Julia Garcia (06:52): You shared with us earlier about the loss of your father, and thank you for sharing that. I'm sure a lot of people listening are grieving right now, and you're still creating from that grief, and you're still doing the things you believe in. And I'm really grateful that you came today and did this with me. I would love if you can also maybe share something you're hopeful for, even in spite of this loss.

Vicki Davis (07:16): Thank you for asking that. That's so thoughtful. My dad was president of the American Soybean Association, but he was also a farmer. And so he traveled the world trying to make the world a better place for farmers. But he was also a big leader in the conservation movement, protecting wetlands. He was a big part of the 1990 Farm Bill that allows us here in the US to set aside wetlands and protect the birds and the lakes and the trees and all the things that he loved so much. And he always told me, “Vicki, if you can stay in a profession and speak for that profession, you can have a much greater impact.”

He made me promise to continue to tell the truth even when it's hard, and to continue to speak. He got to hear that the show went from five cities to 16 cities, and he was so proud. Telling the stories — I know that being vulnerable and being open about things is part of what we do. And my mom passed away in 2020 from dementia. She said, “Vicki, when you're struggling, find people to help — find things that are your talent to help people.” Now, you also have to obviously balance that — be in touch with your feelings and have your support group, and get counseling if that's needed.

I'm very hopeful, because I know that my life has purpose. I know that my students' lives have purpose, and the people I work with — and I can see such great hope and opportunity. And I try not to let the caboose drive the train, because I was so close to my dad. I was a daddy's girl. I was his oldest. But I try to take all of that relationship and who he was and become more like the good things that he was. Thanks for asking that question, because it's a hard space to be in when you're grieving so deeply. But I've always been grateful to have the kinds of parents who are worth grieving deeply. And I want to be the kind of person that's worth grieving deeply. So if you have somebody that you are grieving deeply, what a blessing it is to have that person. But one thing I know is that my parents raised me to live, not to suddenly die when they did.

Vicki Davis (09:33): You have your beginning date and your ending date, and the dash in between is up to you. And so I want to make the most of the dash, because it's over before you know it. I also have faith in the Lord, and He's taking me through a lot. There's your kind of long answer to a question. I'm really glad somebody asked me, because truthfully, Julia, I have been struggling with how do I share this with my audience. It's like you writing your poetry and sharing the way you did. That was a way you could do it. And in an interview is a way I can share.

Dr. Julia Garcia (10:04): If that was the only thing you shared on this interview, I feel like that is all it even needs to be. That was enough, because that was so real and so honest, and we can't have hope without honesty.

Vicki Davis (10:15): But the book is The 5 Habits of Hope, Dr. Julia Garcia. Thanks for coming on the show, and thanks for asking me a question for a change. It's been a long time since somebody's asked me a question.

Dr. Julia Garcia (10:26): Thank you so much.

[10 Minute Teacher Podcast outro] (10:28): Thanks for tuning in to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast. Watch the video version of this podcast and catch my new radio and TV show, Cool Cat Teacher Talk, on YouTube and a radio or TV station near you. Join my Cool Cat Teacher Classroom Matters newsletter at coolcatteacher.com/newsletter. Leave a review if you found this helpful. See you later, educator.

The post Habits of Hope to Help Educators appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

If you're seeing this on another site, they are "scraping" my feed and taking my content to present it to you so be aware of this.

from Cool Cat Teacher Blog
https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e944/

What I Learned on Day 3 (Tuesday) at ISTE 2026 #ISTELive #notatISTE

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and Cool Cat Teacher Talk anywhere you listen to podcasts.

I got up early so I could get downstairs to the Greek yogurt. It's awesome. Don't judge me — a conference runs on small joys and that yogurt is one of them.

And then I saw him. A man in a shirt for a printer named Eddie. Eddie prints edible ink. I wanted to chase him down right there, but I behaved myself (I sent my son after him later in the expo hall — more on that). I did, however, text my sister about a whole new way to eat my words. You could eat your words. You could put your foot in your mouth. The possibilities are endless. Oh yes, I love it. But I digress!

Then I headed to the lazy river for a few quiet minutes — alongside my new antagonist, Napoleon the short squirrel, who is unafraid of humans. I named him. I think he likes it. He wouldn't tell me. He's too busy plotting how to take over the little island in the middle of the lazy river. He doesn't know it's actually called Elba. Probably not the best place for a Napoleon to set up camp, but I'm not going to be the one to tell him. OK. I digress yet again. This is supposed to be about ISTE, not about an ancient emperor who took over the world.

Yet, we're talking about a new trend taking over the world. AI. Is it a tyrant? Is it the greatest assistant ever invented? Does anyone even know? No. But we do know that kids are struggling to learn because this “helper” ain't helping. At least not in the form it is in now.

So I headed over to learn, to grow, and to interview some pretty remarkable people. You never know where you'll find the amazing stories. They are everywhere. Even inside the conference center after you just made the hot walk from the Hilton.

A professor from Nebraska and the power of shorts

One of those stories found me before the day even really started. I met a remarkable professor from Nebraska — Evi Wusk, EdD at Nebraska Wesleyan. Evi is using short-form video to engage her students in learning. (I always go up to people with presenter badges and ask what they're presenting about. It is like a personal interview. We got to talking and I knew right away. I'm booking her for the show.)

That's ISTE for you. The best connections are not on the schedule!

A deep dive into Renaissance Intelligence with Todd Brekhus

Then I headed to the media center for a real deep dive into Renaissance Intelligence with Todd Brekhus, Chief Product Officer at Renaissance and General Manager of Nearpod. We both got started in the 1990's helping people learn how to use the Internet. Ok, this is cool, he actually worked at MCI along with Vint Cerf. That Vint Cerf. The one who helped invent the Internet. I've always wondered, shouldn't it have been that we Cerf the Internet? OK, again, you can hear me. I digress.

Disclosure: I'm doing some work for Renaissance at ISTE this year. I've used Nearpod for years and always do my class presentations with it. I like to do formative assessment every eight minutes. That's my goal anyway.

As I'm writing this, Renaissance Intelligence has just gone live. Everything – all of their tools -are pulled into one place. It is really exciting. I had a person demo it at the booth and it is really remarkable. I do recommend if you use any of their products to take a look at the demo on their site. It also integrates all of the testing data with how teachers can assign content.

They are focusing with the AI on the teacher side first. Keep the teacher in the middle. That is great.

Brandie Wright and the keynote on curiosity

I got to sit down with Brandie Wright, who gave the ISTE main-stage keynote on curiosity. She teaches at YELLOWHAB, the tuition-free micro-school Pharrell Williams founded in Norfolk. She talked at the mainstage on Sunday. She told the story of a student who was sitting right there with his dad on the front row.

Oddly enough, I hate to admit. I wondered if the story wasn't real but was about a generic kid and AI generated. When, before the interview, I asked her, she admitted that quite a few people have been asking if the student was real.

Are you kidding? What is wrong with us? Are we so frustrated with AI that we now all think a perfectly believable teacher needs to make up a story about some generic kid to tell us? Are we that cynical? Am I that cynical?

So, I know I've “fallen for” those fake AI stories that are all over facebook. Well, I don't like it this way either. To mistake a real human for AI is so insulting to the human. (The side of AI detection nobody talks about enough, me thinks.)

Tony Frontier: stop being the AI police

And that is what Tony Frontier talked about. There are kids who never touched AI and got a false positive. Then, they started using AI so that they could see if a false positive would happen and are REWRITING their papers to make it not be flagged as AI? Do we see what we're doing??? Seriously. The games we're playing.

So I sat down for a delightful conversation Tony Frontier, PhD, author of the best selling book, AI with Intention (and the earlier Five Levers to Improve Learning). He has been running focus groups with students all over the country. He says that they're using AI for between a quarter and 40% of their school work. Most of them are receiving no guidance from adults. They're figuring it out. But they are alone.

Hear that. Alone. Like do we want that?

Tony talks about integrity, transparency, and explainability. We have to have integrity. We need to be transparent about AI use. And can we explain the learning behind anything and everything we create and share and turn in?

He says this “AI police” thing is not good. He says the arms race to detect AI cheating is one we can't win. Instead, the real question isn't did you use AI, it's does this work represent what you actually know.

I would rather have learning detectors than AI detectors any day. I've got a lot to learn from Tony — and John Hattie said his book is the best one out there on productively using AI for learning. Wow. That's some education cred right there for me. He's my next read.

The BBC Learning Hub — free and awesome

The BBC Learning Hub has a pile of free resources that are genuinely wonderful — Bluey, Walking with Dinosaurs, amazing digital field trips. So many cool things, and free for teachers. This is a fantastic free resource and their booth has been super busy. I'll be sharing more about them as well. I love their resources!

Disclosure: the BBC is one of the sponsors of my work at ISTE this year. As always, I tell you when there's a relationship — and I only point you to things I actually love.

Where I Was On Wednesday

I had two sessions today. I was going to post this Wednesday morning. It didn't happen but for posterity, here they are. I'll write more about it on my Wednesday recap.

• 🎬 Empowering Digital Storytelling from Pitch to Publish (with AI) — 10:00–11:00 a.m., Room W206BC (also streamed). My son John is co-presenting this one with me. We'll take you from idea to finished story using AI at every step — pitch, produce, publish — plus the gear, the gadgets, and the projects I use to teach it.
• 🧰 50+ AI/Edtech Tools and Teaching Tips to Transform Your Classroom — 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room W312AB. A practical rundown organized by the teaching job each tool helps you do — assessment, creativity, coding, productivity — with the pedagogy to match. This one isn't streamed, so you have to be in the room for the goodies. Resources: bit.ly/50AI-EdtechCCT.

How the day ended

It was a full day, and we ended it with sushi. Oh yes. Sushi.

My son John — aka Cameraman, aka Producer, aka the guy I send into the expo hall to track down Eddie the edible-ink printer — reports back that yes, it prints on Rice Krispies. Anything flat, apparently. Which got me wondering about Mochi. (I'd never had it before this trip. I think I'd print “yum” right on the outside.)

I'll never forget that John's whole life changed in tenth grade when a teacher assigned him to record a podcast. And that teacher's life changed too — because now he's my editor. We sure do have fun together. Wednesday he co-presented the digital storytelling session with me. He knows more about it now than I do.

I have to wonder what would have happened if John had not had a teacher willing to let him tell stories digitally. Would he be working for me now? Would I be talking about digital storytelling today?

Well, it thundered and rained like crazy as Tuesday came to a close. I figure Napoleon got to plot his takeover of Elba island in the middle of the Lazy River somewhere in his snug nest. I hope that today, as I write this on Wednesday, that I'll get to interact with this little feller one more time. If you wonder – yes, in the South we name animals all the time. Especially ones with odd little quirks. In my family, they have always been historical names. The last Napolean I knew was Napoleon Bone a Bark and his nemesis was a little puppy named Lady Astor. They didn't like each other but somehow made us laugh. Sometimes history repeats itself. I wonder if Napoleon the squirrel has secretly named me Lady Astor. I hope not. The original Lady Astor didn't seem so nice.

It has been an amazing conference. The tools are cool. The people are remarkable. And the squirrel is short.

I was about to post this post on Wednesday morning before everything began but someone came up to me. He is awesome. I am posting after I'm back in my room but I do think posting matters. Conversations matter. Thoughts matter. You matter. (Hat tip to my friend Angela.) OK, I'm not so sure about squirrels. But I digress. Time for a nap.

See you later, educator.

---

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, and Renaissance and the BBC are among the sponsors of my ISTE coverage this year. If you buy through an affiliate link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it helps support this blog. I always tell you when there's a relationship, and I only recommend what I actually use and love.

A squirrel wearing a tricorne hat peeks out from a tree hole next to a sign with an inspiring message for ISTE 2026.

The post What I Learned on Day 3 (Tuesday) at ISTE 2026 #ISTELive #notatISTE appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

If you're seeing this on another site, they are "scraping" my feed and taking my content to present it to you so be aware of this.

from Cool Cat Teacher Blog
https://www.coolcatteacher.com/iste-2026-day-3/

What I Learned on Day 2 (Monday) at ISTE 2026 #ISTELive #notatISTE

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and Cool Cat Teacher Talk anywhere you listen to podcasts.

This morning was so sweet as I joined my friends Eric Curts, Jaime Donally, Rachelle Dené Poth, Gabriel Carrillo, and Victoria Thompson for our Edtech and AI Supershare. The crowd was awesome and had so much energy! (That was surprising for a 9 am session!) That really started the day on an up note!

In today's post I'm going to share some of the cool things I saw, the conversations in the hallway, and just some general observations about what people are talking about. I will tell you one frustration. Social media is not making it easy to connect. The algorithms they use now don't help us connect with others who are there very easily. There was a day when most educators were on Twitter, but now people are in a variety of places. It just makes it harder. One day someone will invent something, that's for sure.

First Stop: Edtech and AI SuperShare

What I Learned on Day 1 at #istelive #notatiste

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and Cool Cat Teacher Talk anywhere you listen to podcasts.

I started the morning in the lazy river with for some quiet time with my Bible, Journal, and a moment. The water was moving slowly, the conference hadn't started the intensity yet, and then my friend Angela Maiers — founder of the You Matter movement — came over and brought me breakfast.

We floated and we talked. And what we talked about was kids: how we help them build social skills, how we help them know they matter, how we teach them to relate to other people, get along, and get out of the house. I didn't know yet that the last thing I'd hear at the end of the day — a keynote built on neuroscience — would say the same thing right back to me. More on that at the end.

Smart glasses, with Jaime Donally and Hall Davidson

My second stop was a conversation I'd been looking forward to: Jaime Donally and Hall Davidson showing me their Meta display glasses — the ones with Meta AI built in. I recorded a hilarious video below for those of you not here so you can feel like you're here!

The post What I Learned on Day 1 at #istelive #notatiste appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

If you're seeing this on another site, they are "scraping" my feed and taking my content to present it to you so be aware of this.

from Cool Cat Teacher Blog
https://www.coolcatteacher.com/iste-2026-day-1-roundup/

My ISTE 2026 Sessions #ISTELive #ASCDAnnual

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and Cool Cat Teacher Talk anywhere you listen to podcasts.

ISTE 2026 is really a joy for me. It is 19 years since my first ISTE, and this year they named me a “Featured Voice.” That just thrills me so much! I do hope to be helpful. In this post, I'll share the sessions I've got going on, and I'll add links to the resources as well, so you can bookmark it!

I will be sharing videos and thoughts just about everywhere I share: X • LinkedIn • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • YouTube • Bluesky • Threads • TikTok

My Sessions — short version

• Mon Jun 29 · 9:00a · W311CD (also streamed) — ⚡ AI & Edtech Power Hour (panel)
• Wed Jul 1 · 10:00a · W206BC (also streamed) — 🎬 Digital Storytelling: Pitch → Publish (with AI)
• Wed Jul 1 · 11:30a · W312AB — 🧰 50+ AI/Edtech Tools & Teaching Tips

I will also be recording and sharing interviews with remarkable educators, thought leaders, and more. The schedule is so full, but it always has room to learn, and it is so exciting! Stay tuned to my social media for clips, thoughts for you, and info on what people are talking about at ISTE.

Oh yes, I've been vibe coding to prepare for this year's ISTE. Of course, I had a friend tell me if I know how to code (which I do), it isn't really vibe coding because I can read it all and am just coding with tools. That said, it is really incredible to be able to crank out these useful, simple html resources to teach. I've been doing it all year long in class and have taught my students to do it as well. It is so exciting to share this at ISTE! I've got links below to play them.

Details for each Session

Note: I have a few tools I'm adding to these, so come back and reload them on the day of the presentations. I'll also come back here and add links.

All my ISTE session info will be right here: www.coolcatteacher.com/iste2026

⚡ AI & Edtech Power Hour: Turbocharged Tools for Every Subject and Grade (panel)

Mon June 29 · 9:00–10:00a · Room W311CD · Also streamed for virtual attendees
A fast-paced, interactive panel spotlighting practical AI and Edtech tools and pedagogies across subjects and grade levels. This year, the panelists are Dr. Rachelle Dene Poth, Eric Curts, Gabriel Carrillo, Jaime Donally, and Victoria Thompson. It is always high energy and so much fun, and I always have some surprise intros that I write for each of them. The room has always filled early and been closed, so this is one of those that is a fun three-pete (this is the third time we've done this one at ISTE!)

🔗 SuperShare resources · ISTE session page · Add to Google Calendar

🎬 Empowering Digital Storytelling from Pitch to Publish (with AI)

Wed July 1 · 10:00–11:00a · Room W206BC · Also streamed for virtual attendees
Take students from idea to finished story using AI at every step — pitch, produce, publish. I'll share my gear, my gadgets, my projects for teaching storytelling, and some cool websites that make it so easy.

🔗 Digital Storytelling resources (link to be added) · ISTE session page · Add to Google Calendar

🧰 50+ AI/Edtech Tools and Teaching Tips to Transform Your Classroom

Wed July 1 · 11:30a–12:30p · Room W312AB
Cut through the AI noise with 50+ classroom-tested tools organized by teaching need — assessment, creativity, coding, and productivity. In this session, I'm sharing my current thinking on AI. How I teach about it. I have some tools to test your knowledge on AI terminology, and a model of innovation that really works. I've updated my recommendations on lots of tools and also share the pedagogical best practices that goes with the recommendations I'm sharing! This won't be streamed so the only way to get the goodies is to be in this one.

🔗 Resources & slides · ISTE session page · Add to Google Calendar

🎮 Play the games: Spy the AI (vocabulary) · Turtle Tracker – I have vibe coded these and also share how I made them and the tips and tricks to teach your students vibe coding too!

I hope to connect with some of you at ISTE 2026. I hope you are having a great June! I'm about to get in the car and head out! (I live close enough in Georgia to Orlando to drive so it is time to hit the road!)

The post My ISTE 2026 Sessions #ISTELive #ASCDAnnual appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

If you're seeing this on another site, they are "scraping" my feed and taking my content to present it to you so be aware of this.

from Cool Cat Teacher Blog
https://www.coolcatteacher.com/iste2026/

How Students Actually Learn: Memory & Attention

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and Cool Cat Teacher Talk anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Today we're focusing on a thought leader and classroom AP Psychology teacher, remarkable educators! Here's something I've believed for most of my 24 years in education: if you don't have a student's attention, you just can't teach that student. Blake Harvard is the AP Psychology teacher behind The Effortful Educator. Blake says attention isn't a “nice to have.” It's a necessary component of learning, and it's exactly where we lose kids the most. This show with Blake will change how you think about every lesson you design.

In these ten minutes, Blake unpacks how students actually learn — the power of a quick pre-test, why piling a “fun” complex activity on top of complex content backfires, and the two strategies with more than a century of research behind them: retrieval practice and spaced practice. My favorite line? “You're not going to prepare for a game by watching practice.” That one will stick with you — and it might just change how your students study tonight.

Sponsor. Today's show is sponsored by EF Explore America and their STEM Tours. Lead your students on a STEM tour to places on the cutting edge of innovation to show them how STEM thinking often shows up where you least expect it. Imagine your students coding robots with MassRobotics at MIT, exploring marine ecosystems in Florida's coral reefs, or even sitting down to talk with a former spy in Washington DC. If you want to inspire your students and give them a fresh perspective on the power of STEM, visit efexploreamerica.com/STEM.

Listen to the Show

About Blake Harvard

Blake Harvard how to get student attention

Blake Harvard is a full time teacher in Alabama. He is in his 20th year of teaching and currently teaches AP Psychology. He has a particular affinity for reading research into cognitive psychology for implementation in his classroom to improve student outcomes. He began writing about how he implements these research findings on his website (www.effortfuleducator.com) 9 years ago. Blake recently released his first book, Do I Have Your Attention? Understanding Memory Constraints and Maximizing Learning. It focuses on memory processing and learning strategies that over a century of research indicates improve learning in the classroom.

Blake has worked with numerous organizations like ISTE, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the US Department of Education and has also presented to numerous faculties across the world about memory and learning.

Connect with Blake: Website | X (@effortfuleduktr) | Bluesky (@blakeharvard.bsky.social) | Facebook (The Effortful Educator) | Instagram (@blake_harvard) | LinkedIn

Other Shows for Teachers Who Want to Teach How Students Learn

• Cool Cat Teacher Talk — S5E3, “Do I Have Your Attention?“ Blake joined this radio/TV/YouTube show alongside reading expert Mary Ehrenworth.
• Executive Function Strategies K-3 Teachers Can Use Today with Dr. Sarah Oberle
• Brain Friendly Reading Strategies That Actually Work with Malia Hollowell
• Brain First, AI Second: Teaching Writing in the AI Era with Philip Seyfried

Listen and Subscribe

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube
• All Shows on coolcatteacher.com

If this episode made you think, share it with a teacher friend.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a sponsored episode and blog post. EF Explore America has compensated me to share information about their STEM Tours. However, all opinions expressed are my own. I have personally reviewed these resources and only recommend tools I believe offer genuine value to classroom teachers. My endorsement is limited to the educational products and services discussed in this episode. This post also contains affiliate links; if you choose to buy a book through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” The sponsor has no impact on the editorial content of this show.

The post How Students Actually Learn: Memory & Attention appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

If you're seeing this on another site, they are "scraping" my feed and taking my content to present it to you so be aware of this.

from Cool Cat Teacher Blog
https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e943/

Heart First, Tools Second: How to Teach and Use Tech in Today’s World

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and Cool Cat Teacher Talk anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Today's show is full of ideas — how to teach in today's world based on the current research and the best thinking, an AI researcher who stays grounded in being human, and a set of practical tool tips from instructional coach Amy Storer. But all the tools in the world don't matter if we don't build our classrooms on a foundation of relationship. So here's the throughline: the heart comes first, and then we pick the tools.

You'll hear from Dr. Patricia Dickenson, author of Smart Teaching in the Age of AI, on teacher-driven instruction and using AI to plan, differentiate, and rethink how we assess. You'll hear from Dr. Jie Tao, who leads Fairfield University's AI & Technology Institute, on building AI out of compassion and using it without giving up control. And you'll hear from Amy Storer on the tools teachers are most excited about right now. I think you'll come away with lots of ideas, real insight into the tools educators are using today, and practical tips you can use tomorrow. Heart first, tools second.

A note: part of this episode touches on suicide and the research being done to detect and prevent it. If you or a student you love is struggling, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline anytime by calling or texting 988.

Listen to the Show

Key Takeaways for Teachers

From Dr. Patricia Dickenson — Teach heart-first, then let AI help

• Bring your authentic self into the room. Patricia's design starts with the teacher's gifts, energy, and lived experience — not just the standards. Her own fourth-grade teacher, Miss Santa Maria, showed up through chemo and shaped her for life. More is caught than taught.
• Use AI to plan, differentiate, and assess — without offloading your thinking. From custom GPTs that “unpack a standard” for a new teacher to analyzing 150 quizzes for skill gaps, AI can amplify a teacher's work. Used the wrong way it's a diminisher; used well, it's an amplifier.
• Teach AI literacy, don't ban the tools. Frameworks like UC Davis's PAIRR keep writing human while using AI as a feedback partner. Students will use AI regardless — better that we teach them to use it wisely.
• Keep it balanced. A composite-shapes lesson became a ten-minute, AI-built city-skyline art project that still let her differentiate up to a seventh-grade standard. Put your toe in; mix it up.

From Dr. Jie Tao — Build (and use) AI out of compassion

• The best technology solves real human problems. Jie pledged to work only on research his own mother would care about — including a model to detect suicidal ideation and a free tool that summarizes medical research for patients.
• Stop “prompt and pray.” A consistent prompting structure beats hoping for a brilliant answer. The interview pattern (have the AI ask you questions) and a “scratchpad” that uses only the information you provide make AI far more reliable.
• Use agentic AI without giving up control. Jie defines the steps and gives the agent limited autonomy within each one — and cautions that fully autonomous agents still have “the memory of a goldfish.” Keep AI in a controlled environment; test it and try to break it before students touch it.
• It's an “overconfident intern,” not Google. Knowledgeable but not always right. Understand what it can and cannot do, and step in to steer.

From Amy Storer — Coaching that clicks (and tools you can use tomorrow)

• Adobe Express keeps getting more classroom-ready. Create a Podcast (studio-quality, with an Enhance button to clean up hallway noise), Animate a Character, and Quick Actions like editing or merging PDFs — all in one place.
• Canva Code builds the interactive you imagine. Describe your “dream interactivity” (like a food-chain sorting game) and Canva AI → Code writes it for you — no coding required. Magic Studio handles background removal and more.
• Little time-savers add up. Press a number key in Canva presentation mode for a timer overlay; use Scribe to auto-generate step-by-step, screenshot-rich how-to guides for families and colleagues.
• Tools should lighten the load. “I'm team anything that saves teachers time.” Comfort and good policy help teachers move from worry to wise use.

About the Guests

Dr. Patricia Dickenson shares how AI in the classroom can help teachers plan, differentiate, and assess.

Dr. Patricia Dickenson

Dr. Patricia Dickenson is a Professor of Teacher Education. She began her career as an elementary teacher, and taught middle school mathematics.  Dr. Dickenson was also a Mathematics Coach for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Dr. Dickenson has been a teacher training and consultant for Princeton Review, Harcourt Mathematics and Pearson.  Dr. Dickenson is also a Cal TPA Assessor. 

Dr. Dickenson's work has focused on designing instruction, planning lessons, and assessment. She has expertise in technology integration, Universal Design for Learning, and  Adult Learning Theory.

Connect:

• patriciadickenson.com

• YouTube: Teach with Dr. D

• X: @teacherpreptech

• Instagram: @teachwithdrd

Dr. Jie Tao

Dr. Jie Tao on how the best technology is built out of compassion for real human problems.

Jie Tao is a leading AI Educator and Instructional Designer, and the founding director of Fairfield Dolan's AI & Tech Institute, specializing in translating complex AI concepts into practical business skills for non-technical leaders.

He designs and implements high-impact AI literacy curricula and strategic workshops for C-suite executives, as well as conducting academic research and practical consulting, designing agentic AI workflows and systems.

He is dedicated to demystifying artificial intelligence through a proprietary, hands-on methodology, and empowering professionals to lead with confidence and make smarter business decisions in the era of AI as an associate professor of analytics and the director of an international graduate program at Fairfield Dolan, and has received numerous research and teaching awards from top academic journals, conferences and institutions. He has also received recognitions from professional organizations (e.g., Nvidia Deep Learning Institute).

Connect: LinkedIn

Amy Storer

Instructional coach Amy Storer shares the practical tools teachers are most excited about right now.

Amy Storer is an Innovative Learning Specialist and respected speaker in Montgomery ISD who is passionate about empowering educators through purposeful technology integration.

She thrives on partnering with educators to enhance the great learning already happening in their classrooms and schools by leveraging powerful digital tools. Amy is a certified educator and trainer for Google, Microsoft, Adobe Express, and Canva, and she brings energy, expertise, and heart to every professional learning experience. Her work centers on meaningful PD, authentic classroom connections, and innovative strategies that make learning stick.

Connect: LinkedIn · X: @techamys · Instagram: @techamys

Coming Soon on the 10 Minute Teacher

Each of these conversations will be edited into its own solo episode of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast in the coming weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss the full interviews with Dr. Patricia Dickenson, Dr. Jie Tao, and Amy Storer.

Other Shows for Teachers Using AI

• All Cool Cat Teacher Talk episodes
• All 10 Minute Teacher episodes

Subscribe to Cool Cat Teacher Talk

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube
• All Cool Cat Teacher Talk Episodes

Enjoying the show? A quick rating and review in your podcast app helps more teachers find Cool Cat Teacher Talk — thank you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This episode includes some affiliate links. This means that if you choose to buy I will be paid a commission on the affiliate program. However, this is at no additional cost to you. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Heart First, Tools Second: How to Teach and Use Tech in Today’s World appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

If you're seeing this on another site, they are "scraping" my feed and taking my content to present it to you so be aware of this.

from Cool Cat Teacher Blog
https://www.coolcatteacher.com/heartfirst/