Episode 41 – Jarod Bormann



JAROD BORMANN is an advocate for educator empowerment, a tech integration specialist, adjunct professor, learning designer, speaker, blogger, and the author of a new book, Professionally Driven: Empower Every Educator To Redefine PD.

In our conversation, Jarod talks about the need to redefine and reimagine PD with three main elements in mind: 1 growth mindset, 2 intrinsic motivation, and 3 sustainable autonomy. In the age of Google and instantly available facts, he explains how technology can unleash greater creativity, higher level thinking, and problem-solving.

Check out Jarod’s book on Amazon!

Follow Jarod:

• TW: @JBormann3
• FB: Professionally Driven
• Website 1: https://www.professionallydriven.com/
• Website 2: https://www.professionallydriven.com/the-book
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxdYkAmeElPKdbEVEipA-A

Find the highlights from our conversation at the timestamps below:

• 0:53 – Jarod describes his experience and current context in education. He taught MS/HS English in northeast Iowa for a few years, and is now a tech integration specialist at an area education center that supports schools in eight counties. Putting it simply, he’s a teacher of teachers.
• 2:07 – His lowest moment came when he saw MS English students lose their joy of reading thanks to the rigid limitations of an accelerated reading program and the quizzes and tracking systems associated with it. After redesigning the reading program, student scores in his school at first appeared to drop – and in a faculty meeting, these results were displayed on a screen for all his colleagues to see. The following year, however, the same students improved significantly, and Jarod was able to determine that in fact students were doing more recreational reading.
• 6:07 – His book, Professionally Driven: Empower Every Educator To Redefine PD, is about redefining professional development with three main elements at the core: 1 growth mindset, 2 intrinsic motivation (along the lines of Daniel Pink’s Drive), and 3 sustainable autonomy. Provide these for educators, he argues, and you’ll see dramatically better results from your PD.
• 12:03 – Speaking to K-12 education in general, Jarod is excited by the ways in which technology can unleash greater creativity and higher level thinking in students.
• 15:52 – Personal passions that light his fire outside of education include disconnecting from technology and engaging with nature through hiking, camping, and kayaking.
• 18:00 – One personal habit that contributes to Jarod’s success is the practice of constantly seeking things to be better at. The Crossfit community embodies this well by aggressively addressing weaknesses instead of shying away from them.
• 20:43 – His suggestion for a follow on Twitter is @FroehlichM.
• 21:36 – Jarod’s edtech recommendation is a tool called Wakelet, an aggregator or collector of links, videos, text, or images on any topic. He is currently using Wakelet to collect journal articles and resources for his doctoral work.
• 23:48 – Given one book to recommend, Jarod points to Mindset by Carol Dweck. “No other book has changed my life in so many different ways,” he explains.
• 24:54 – A podcast that Jarod continues to enjoy and gain great takeaways from is the TED Radio Hour. Follow them on Twitter @TEDRadioHour.
• 25:55 – A YouTube channel that he’s found incredibly helpful in terms of video editing and Final Cut Pro techniques is Ryan Nangle’s channel.
• 26:59 – When it’s Netflix time, Jarod wisely tunes in to whatever his wife is watching. Right now, that’s Orange is the New Black.
• 27:37 – We sign off on the conversation, and Jarod gives us the best ways to contact him. See above for details!

Subscribe to the podcast on your mobile device: iTunes | Google Podcasts | YouTube

Follow the podcast on Twitter @TeachersOnFire and on Instagram @TeachersOnFire.

Song Track Credits

• Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
• Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

Listen to this episode on YouTube and subscribe for more episodes!