Ep. 145: iCollaborate: Building A Powerful PLN With Kelli Coons And Ainsley Hill

In this episode, I chat with Kelli Coons and Ainsley Hill while at FETC. They share their story on how they met and built a powerful course, iCollaborate, all virtually! They then met in person for the first time to get this thing off of the ground at FETC. We also discuss how this session helps instructional coaches build and learn from their PLN. Us coaches often times work in silos and need that support group to grow and learn with. And what’s an episode without some food talk! Listen to hear what dish has been their favorite in New Orleans while attending the FETC conference. Buen Provecho!

About Kelli Coons

Kelli Coons is currently a District Elementary Digital Innovation Specialist for Spartanburg District Five in South Carolina.  Previously she has served as an Elementary Literacy Coach, Curriculum Coach, and as a classroom teacher.  Her participation in the Dynamic Learning Project, allowed her to work with Google for Education, Digital Promise, and Edtech Team.  This fellowship focused on providing personalized professional development to all teachers in order to ensure effective technology integration.  As one of the organizers of Edcamp Greenville since the origination in 2016, she is passionate about providing engaging professional development opportunities for educators.  She has had the opportunity to present on effective technology integration and the Edcamp model at conferences in the Carolinas, FETC,  as well as several ISTE conferences.

About Ainsley Hill

Ainsley Hill is an Instructional Technology Facilitator at Arlington Community Schools supporting Donelson Elementary School in Arlington, Tennessee. Ainsley provides training to teachers and students and coaches her faculty in technology integration. Ainsley aspires to inspire teachers to make learning more meaningful and creative by using technology as their avenue to enhance learning. When Ainsley isn’t serving as the technology facilitator and coach in her school, she is presenting in her district and at conferences across the U.S. about accessibility, the power of growing your PLN, and apps in the classroom.

Connect With Gabriel Carrillo

• EdTech Bites Website: https://edtechbites.com
• EdTech Bites Twitter: https://twitter.com/edtechbites
• EdTech Bites Instagram: https://instagram.com/edtechbites
• EdTech Bites Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/edtechbites
• EdTech Bites YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQCZcyW4BkCFQ5P2BLK61xg

Connect With Kelli Coons

• Kelli on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KelliCoons_
• Kelli on Instagram: https://instagram.com/kellicoons_/
• Kelli on Facebook: https://facebook.com/kellichad.coons

Connect With Ainsley Hill

• Ainsley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrshillteaches
• Ainsley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrshillteaches/
• Ainsley’s Website: https://www.flowcode.com/page/mrshillteaches

Ep. 295 | 115 AI Tools Later w/ Eric Curts – EdTech Bites Podcast

This episode is sponsored by TWT Audio. Are your students dealing with broken headsets, poor audio quality, or unreliable microphones at moments that matter most? TWT Audio was built for educators, by educators, designing headsets specifically for real classroom environments, durable enough to last, and comfortable for all-day use. With over 5 million headsets and headphones sold, schools trust TWT because they just work, delivering consistent performance while simplifying technology.Instead of replacing cheap headsets year after year, invest in a solution that schools nationwide trust every day.TWT Audio — hear the difference.What happens when one educator builds over 100 custom AI tools and realizes the real problem isn’t access, it’s adoption? In this episode, I chat with Eric Curts to discuss his world of Gemini Gems and how educators can stop reinventing the wheel every day. This conversation explores how AI can actually save time if we rethink how we use it.Connect With Gabriel CarrilloEdTech Bites Website: https://edtechbites.comEdTech Bites On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/edtechbites.bsky.socialEdTech Bites Instagram: https://instagram.com/edtechbitesEdTech Bites X: https://twitter.com/edtechbitesEdTech Bites Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/edtechbitesEdTech Bites On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@edtechbitesEdTech Bites YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@edtechbitesAbout Eric CurtsEric has been in education for 34 years, and currently serves as a Technology Integration Specialist for SPARCC in North Canton, Ohio. Eric's areas of expertise include artificial intelligence, Google tools, assistive tech, and creative ways to use technology in teaching and learning. Eric runs the websites ControlAltAchieve.com and EduGems.ai where all of his edtech resources can be found.Connect With Eric CurtsEric’s Website: https://www.controlaltachieve.com/Eric’s EduGems Website: http://edugems.ai/Eric On X: https://twitter.com/ericcurtsEric On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericcurts/Eric On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ericcurts.bsky.social