On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers, we talk with three young people--Peter, Sierra, and Cristian--who have been working alongside Monika Hardy in the Innovation Lab in Loveland, Colorado. http://labconnections.blogspot.com/p/about.html

They have been experimenting with what happens when you set an individual free, in spaces of permission, with nothing to prove. They are are hoping/planning to experiment this next year with what happens when you set a city free, in spaces of trust, creating gatherings that matter.

See more versions of this video a the tumblr a quiet revolution unfolds

We invited Peter, Sierra, and Cristian to join us on Teachers Teaching Teachers to tell us about their talks at a recent TEDx FrontRange event.

Here are their short bios from http://tedxfrontrange.com:

Peter Harold

My name is Peter Harold, I’m a 17 year old and I live lovely Loveland, Colorado. I love to sing, sign, laugh and eat. I enjoy the outdoors and love people. My dream is help create a world where everybody’s happy. One of my aspirations is to become fluent enough in many languages to interpret God’s word for those who can’t understand it. I would also love to create music to heal others. Through these things I feel the world could achieve soul peace.

Sierra Goldstein

My name is Sierra Goldstein, I’m a 14 year old girl, and I live in Loveland Colorado. I love to read, run, kickbox, ride horses, practice/ teach yoga, travel, blog, and eat healthy food. I believe that to achieve your goals, you need a network of mentors and friends to support you on your journey. One of my accomplishments is becoming the youngest yoga instructor in the US. Teaching yoga allows me to share the divinity I have within myself, to others who seek it. My goal for when I am older is to go to Stanford University for my bachelor degree, and then move on to the National College of Natural Medicine to become a doctor in preventative medicine. From the education I receive I want to help people by teaching and giving them the tools and foods to fill their body, mind, and spirit with what they need to survive and flourish.

Cristian Buendia

Cristian a young member of society trying to change the world and his city... Has a passion for soccer and video... loves people and food....

Enjoy!

On this special Meet the Authors episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers, Paul Allison, Valerie Burton, and Gail Desler have a conversation with two teachers and recently published authors from New Iberia, Louisiana,+Margaret Simon and +Stephanie Judice/@sagaofthesetti.

Margaret has been a frequent guest on Teachers Teaching Teachers since the BP Oil Spill. Her elementary school school students published memorable poems and multimedia commentary on Voices on the Gulf, and Ms. Simons' students continue to publish on Youth Voices http://youthvoices.net/posts/user/3587

On this episode of TTT, we celebrate and explore the recent publication of Margaret Simon's Young Adult novel, Blessen. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0984891528/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

In this highlight from TTT#297, Margaret Simon explains that Blessen was born in a Writing Marathon led by Richard Louth, a director of the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project [http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/315 and http://goo.gl/ONqs7 ]. The character, Blessen grew real in a workshop with Sharon Arms Doucet [https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Sharon+Arms+Doucet%22 and after meeting a lot of Blessens as a teacher in New Iberia.

It may be a YA novel or a first-chapter book, but I agree with one Amazon reviewer who writes that Blessen is "a book for young readers, but an old reader like me can enjoy it just as well."

In this highlight from the videocast, Margaret reads "Piggly Wiggly," a chapter from her book, Blessen.

Margaret Simon is a teacher-consultant with the National Writing Project of Acadiana, Louisiana. In this podcast we explore Margaret's creative process, her use of a writing group, and her journey in publication. What questions do you have? Please add your comments below.

Margaret's friend and writing partner, Stephanie Judice, joins us as well. She published Rising last year and is working on Book 2. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/B004YXL72O/ref=sib_dp_kd#reader-link Margaret writes, "She's the one who pushed me to publish."

An interesting review of Blessen: http://revmoore.blogspot.com/2012/04/blessen.html

Stephanie Judice's Saga of Setti on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Saga-of-the-Setti/203566846334918

Margaret Simon's Blessen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blessenbyMargaretSimon

Enjoy!

This episode of +Teachers Teaching Teachers was recorded in Minecraft. We were Livecasting from +Joel Levin's / @MinecraftTeachr 's server with +Liam O'Donnell / @liamodonnell , Chad Sansing / @chadsansing , +Diana Maliszewski / @MzMollyTL , and +Denise Colby / @Niecsa .

Watch or listen as newbies +Paul Allison / @paulallison and a colleague of his, James Joseph learn first-hand what's so engaging about Minecraft!

Consider this episode of TTT to be an "in-world" follow-up to these TTT episodes: http://edtechtalk.com/node/5001 and http://edtechtalk.com/node/4980 And also 21st Century Learning's recent interview with Joel Levin: http://edtechtalk.com/ett21_166

This was lots of fun and the perspectives shared by these Minecraft teachers about their students' lives in the game both profound in themselves, and easy to transfer to any classroom or learning situation.

Some ways to follow up:

• Joel Levin's Minecraftedu.com Bringing Minecraft to the Classroom
  
  
• You can find more about the work of Liam O'Donnell, Diana Maliszewski, and Denise Colby with Minecraft at their gamingedus wiki: http://gamingeducators.pbworks.com and the students' work at the Minecraft Club Hub wiki: http://minecraftclubhub.pbworks.com. And their Bios are here: http://gamingeducators.pbworks.com/w/page/50831789/Who%20We%20Are
  
  
• For more about Chad Sansing's work with Minecraft and gaming, see these resources at the National Writing Project's Ditigital Is: http://digitalis.nwp.org/resource/2458 and http://digitalis.nwp.org/resource/2232