Are our students spending too much time as passive listeners? After a day shadowing a 6th-grade student, educator Debbie Tannenbaum knew we had to do better.
In this episode, we sit down with Debbie Tannenbaum, a nationally recognized educator with over 26 years of experience, to discuss how to transform classrooms into dynamic, active learning environments. As an elementary tech coach and ISTE Certified Educator, Debbie shares her mission to move beyond "digital worksheets" and empower students by putting creation, not consumption, at the heart of learning.
We explore her "Three Cs" for choosing tech tools (Choice, Collaboration, and Clickable) , how she uses AI like Gemini to differentiate lessons and boost student discourse , and why we need to teach students to be "problem finders," not just problem solvers. Plus, she reveals her top tools for amplifying student voice and choice, including Wixie, Book Creator, and Adobe Express.
(00:01:01) Meet Debbie: What a School-Based Technology Specialist really does.
(00:04:14) From French Teacher to EdTech: Debbie's origin story and the power of a 1997 computer lab.
(00:08:14) The "Three Cs": A simple framework for picking high-leverage tech tools.
(00:10:48) More Than a Buzzword: The crucial role of ISTE standards in preparing students for the future.
(00:13:44) Debbie's Top Tools: A look at Wixie, Book Creator, and Adobe Express for amplifying student voice.
(00:23:43) A Transformative Lesson: Using Gemini to customize a lesson, spark student discourse, and prove that "my kids can't do that" is a myth.
(00:32:41) Supporting Reluctant Teachers: How to meet educators where they are and build a culture of co-teaching.
(00:35:10) Beyond the Video: The evolution of student reflection and the power of multimedia.
(00:43:47) Tech Tool Toss-Up: A fun game of rapid-fire choices, including Google Slides vs. Canva and Chromebook vs. iPad.
(00:54:33) What's Next: Debbie talks about her upcoming book project and newsletter revamp.
Website: TannenbaumTech.com
Social Media: Find her as TannenbaumTech on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Top 3 Creation Tools: Wixie , Book Creator , Adobe Express
AI for Educators: Gemini
Other Tools: Desmos , Flashcard Factory , Padlet , Canva , Google Slides , Screencastify , Seesaw
Frameworks & Standards: ISTE Standards , Universal Design for Learning (UDL) , Project Zero's Thinking Routines
