NICHOLAS AMARAL is the district staff development coordinator at the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District in Bergen County, NJ. Nick’s passion is education technology: helping teachers help students create and innovate in their classrooms.
In our conversation, Nick shares about a point early in his teaching career when he faced deep discouragement and a lack of motivation. Rather than turn in the towel, he doubled down, reinvented his practice, and engaged his learners like never before. Today, Nick gets excited about blended, personalized, and mastery learning, and he describes the personal habit that energizes him outside of education. Don’t miss his recommendations in books, Twitter, edtech tools, and more!
Follow Nick on Twitter @NAmaralEDU and check out his blog over at https://edtechforay.wordpress.com/.
TIMESTAMPS. In this episode, Nick discusses …
- 0:51 – his current context in education as a staff development coordinator
- 1:26 – the experience of hitting an emotional wall in his third or fourth year of teaching, and how he overcame it
- 4:13 – what ignites his passion for education: seeing the effects of blended, personalized, and mastery learning; shifting the emphasis from content to skills
- 6:02 – a passion and area of learning outside of education: music
- 6:46 – a personal habit that contributes to his success: being vulnerable, embracing failure, remaining down to earth
- 8:55 – his Twitter recommendations: Chris Aviles (@TechedUpTeacher) and Jeffrey Bradbury (@TeacherCast)
- 9:57 – his choice for learning management systems: Schoology (@Schoology)
- 11:18 – a book recommendation: How We Learn by Benedict Carey (@BenCareyNYT)
- 12:03 – his relaxation viewing content right now: Lost in Space, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Fall
- 12:31 – the best ways to follow his content online (see above)
Song Track Credits
Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)
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Teachers on Fire 