Living Your Life in Color: Dream Chasing with Abdul Rahman Ibn Muhammad on The Dr. Will Show

On this episode, I hangout with Abdul Rahman Ibn Muhammad and we chat about dream chasing.

Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad aka Dream Chaser #1 lives by the motto, “Never Stop Dreaming”.  After spending two years on dialysis due to kidney failure, he vowed that if ever given the opportunity to chase his dreams again, he would never waste another day.  Three hours a day, for three days per week in a dialysis center provides an individual with a lot of time to think about all the things they wish they had done with their life.  Since receiving a kidney from his sister, Ayesha on August 8, 2001, Dream Chaser #1 has enjoyed traveling to China, Africa, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Mexico to name a few countries, going on adventures like bungee jumping, skydiving, jet packing and bull riding, writing books and recording spoken word CD's and starting businesses; namely, My People Clinical Services .  

In 2011, The Dream Support Network was developed as a new business to take dream chasing to the next level by helping other individuals to chase their dreams and support them in the process of making their dreams reality.  The Dream Support Network conducts The Dream Chasers Workshop, Dream Consultations and opportunities for Dream Chasing Adventures.  Each initiative supports our mission, "To support, encourage and inspire individuals to live the life of their dreams".  Since The Dream Support Network began, Dream Chaser #1 has encouraged and help cultivate  hundreds of Dream Chasers through The Dream Chasers Workshop, continues to chase his dreams and support other Dream Chasers in there dream chase.

Muhammad received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tougaloo College, in Tougaloo, Mississippi and received his Masters in Social Work degree from Clark-Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Muhammad is married to his beautiful wife, Dayeshell and is the proud father of three children, Aminah, Amirah and Amir.

The Power Of One with Dr. Gail Thompson On The Dr. Will Show

On this episode, I hangout with Dr. Gail Thompson and we chat about The Power Of One, a book on educating Black children.

Dr. Gail L. Thompson, an Illuminate Education Equity and Professional Development Specialist, is the former Fayetteville State University “Wells Fargo Endowed Professor of Education,” creator and former director of the “Black Men Teaching Program,” and former member of the California State Board of Education's “African American Advisory Committee.” Dr. Thompson's work has been published in many books, USA Today, other newspapers, and academic journals. She has appeared on PBS television's Tony Brown's Journal, other television programs, and radio programs. Dr. Thompson has served as a reviewer for academic journals and educational organizations, and has done presentations, keynote addresses, workshops, and consultant work throughout the U.S., two presentations in Canada, and one in Jamaica. Dr. Thompson taught at a public junior high school for three years, and at a public high school for 11 years. She created and implemented “The Literacy Club,” an after-school reading incentive program for struggling readers at several schools. Dr. Thompson is married to Rufus, who is also an Illuminator and author, and they have three children, Dr. Nafissa Thompson-Spires, NaChe' Thompson, a high school teacher & entrepreneur, Stephen Thompson, an executive with Target Stores, and grandsons Iveren & Isaiah.

Getting To Know Codeverse with Katy Lynch on The Dr. Will Show

On this episode, I hangout with Katy Lynch and we chat about her company Codeverse and the importance for children to learn how to code at a younger age.

Katy Lynch is a serial entrepreneur and tech powerhouse. She recently launched what she and her husband, Craig Ulliott, call their “legacy company,” a disruptive concept in education and technology called Codeverse, which has a mission to teach one billion children to code internationally. Destined to live a transatlantic life, Lynch was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Soon after, her father’s job moved her family to England, then stateside to Connecticut and later to the Midwest in suburban Wisconsin. After graduating from University of Manchester, Lynch soon moved back to the States, where she became fascinated by the impact and purpose of Facebook. She began as a Community Manager at a Facebook app company, Where I’ve Been, unknowingly interviewing in a room with her future husband, Ulliott, the creator of the app. Lynch ultimately worked for Where I’ve Been for two years before TripAdvisor acquired the company and she launched SocialKaty, her explosively popular digital media consulting business. With over 70 clients including large national brands such as Firestone, Shopkins and Beanie Babies, Lynch grew the business into the largest Social Media marketing agency in the Midwest before being acquired. Her successes positioned her to become the first female CEO of Techweek, the nation’s leading technology conference and festival. Having created eight companies between the two of them, Lynch and Ulliott are thrilled to be working towards the mission to teach one billion children to code through Codeverse.

Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning with Dr. Langer and Dr. Colton on The Dr. Will Show

On this episode, I hangout with Dr. Amy Colton and Dr. Georgea Langer and we chat about their book Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning.

Georgea M. Langer has a long history of work with teachers’ professional development. In her 24 years with the Eastern Michigan University Department of Teacher Education, she led several initiatives to improve teacher preparation and assessment, and was a middle school teacher.

In the 1980s, Georgea joined with Amy Colton to study and develop classroom teachers’ ability to define, assess, analyze, and reflect upon their pupils' learning as displayed in student work samples. This work culminated in the 2003 bestseller, Collaborative Analysis of Student Work: Improving Teaching and Learning, published by the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Their most recent book, Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning, was published in 2015 by Corwin Press.

Georgea received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (Research on Teaching) from Stanford University. She has published extensively in the areas of staff development (as Georgea M. Sparks), teacher education, and teachers’ reflective inquiry in journals such as the Journal of Educational Psychology, Educational Leadership, The Journal of Teacher Education, and The Journal of Staff Development. She is the co-author of two undergraduate teaching methods textbooks.

Amy Colton is a senior consultant for Learning Forward and Executive Director of Learning Forward Michigan. Amy’s work is influenced by her experience as a special education teacher and a district professional learning consultant. As a teacher-in-residence for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, she coordinated the development of the Board’s first teaching certificate. She engages district staff in a variety of learning experiences in support of their journey to cultural. In addition, Amy facilitates professional learning in the areas of: Collaborative Inquiry, Teacher Leadership, PLC development and the Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Professional Learning. Amy is the co-creator of the Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning, a collaborative inquiry process that engages teachers in the study of student work to improve their practice. Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning, was published in 2015 by Corwin Press. Her work appears in publications including the The Learning Professional, ASCD, and Corwin Press. 

Getting Jiggy with Social with Nika Stewart on The Dr. Will Show

On this episode, I hangout with Nika Stewart and we chat about making the right moves with social media.

Social Media Trailblazer, National Speaker, and CEO of GhostTweeting.com, Nika Stewart has built a reputation for turning entrepreneurs and thought leaders into social media superstars. Her company has been building social communities and amplifying the visibility of celebrities and those who should be. Nika helps clients leverage the awesome power of social media to spread their messages and maximize brand awareness.

Authors, speakers, entrepreneurs, executives, politicians, and celebrities have all enjoyed increased social media popularity through the expertise of Nika and her world-class Ghost Tweeting team. Nika is a contributor to the Huffington Post, and she and her company have been featured by the global media including the BBC, NBC NY, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine, and USA Today.

Connect with Nika on Twitter: @nikastewart

Courageous Edventures with Jennie Magiera on The Dr. Will Show

On this episode, I hangout with Jennie Magiera and we chat about her book Courageous Edventures.

Jennie Magiera is the Chief Innovation Officer for Des Plaines Public School District 62 on the North side of Chicago, IL. Previously the Digital Learning Coordinator for the Academy for Urban School Leadership and a Chicago Public Schools teacher, Jennie uses her classroom experiences to inform her work supporting educators to create new and better opportunities for their students. She believes that despite the many challenges facing schools today, every classroom can be a place for “edventures”: student-centered, passion-based experiential learning. Her work centers around acknowledging problems and finding innovative ways to navigate them so as to allow teachers and students dive into these classroom edventures.

Jennie is also passionate about reimagining professional learning to facilitate more relevant teacher support. She has served on the Technical Working Group for the US Department of Education’s National Educational Technology Plan and co-founded various new conference concepts such as PLAYDATE. She has been recognized for her work as a White House Champion for Change, Chicago Public Schools Innovator of the Year, TEDx Speaker, Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google for Education Certified Innovator, and featured on various programs such as NBC’s Education Nation, C-SPAN’s Reimagining Education and NPR.

Jennie shares her experiences taking risks in the classroom and helping others to feel comfortable doing the same in her book, Courageous Edventures. You can follow her on Twitter at @MsMagiera and learn more about her work and her book at bit.ly/edventuresbook.

The Disruption of Blended Learning with Michael Horn on The Dr. Will Show

On this episode, I hangout with Michael Horn and we chat about the disruption of innovation and blended learning

Michael Horn speaks and writes about the future of education and works with a portfolio of education organizations to improve the life of each and every student. He serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Entangled Ventures, an education technology studio, and as a principal consultant for Entangled Solutions, which offers innovation services to higher education institutions. He is also the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank.

Horn is the author and coauthor of multiple books, white papers, and articles on education, including the award-winning book Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns and the Amazon-bestseller Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. An expert on disruptive innovation, online learning, blended learning, competency-based learning, and how to transform the education system into a student-centered one, he serves on the board and advisory boards of a range of education organizations.

He is on the board of Fidelis Education, Education Elements, Noodle Partners, Everest Education, the Silicon Schools Fund, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Minerva Institute, and the LearnLaunch Institute.

He serves as an advisor to Pedago, Knod, AltSchool, Degreed, Emotuit, SchoolCNXT, ReUp Education, the Adult Literacy XPRIZE, ASU Prep Digital, and the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Teachers College, Columbia University, and he is an executive editor at Education Next. He is also a venture partner at NextGen Venture Partners.

Horn was selected as a 2014 Eisenhower Fellow to study innovation in education in Vietnam and Korea, and Tech&Learning magazine named him to its list of the 100 most important people in the creation and advancement of the use of technology in education. Horn holds a BA in history from Yale University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.