Listenwise Advocate Program
Who are the Listenwise Advocates?
Listenwise Advocates are a community of educators of grades 2 -12 who are passionate about the power of podcasts, public radio, and listening resources as a way to expand student learning. They are power users of Listenwise PREMIUM and want to promote the use of Listenwise in the classroom and spread their love of instructional listening resources. They encourage and inspire fellow educators in the community to use Listenwise.
Learn More
Read about the the benefits and perks, along with the expectations of being a Listenwise Advocate.
Learn More and Apply
Meet the Listenwise Teacher Advocates
Brett Benson
Brett Benson is a middle school social studies teacher at Millard North Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. He teaches 7th grade World Geography and serves as the social studies department chair. His passion for current events and podcasting drew him to Listenwise in 2019. He has been using the program as the centerpiece of current events instruction in his classroom ever since. His favorite element of Listenwise is the Friday "Debate" stories which he uses to teach students how to formulate an evidence-based argument and practice civil discourse.
Jim Bentley
Jim Bentley teaches 5th and 6th grade in the Elk Grove School District in California. Jim is a national trainer for the Center for Civic Education, National Faculty for the Buck Institute for Education, a National Geographic Fellow, and Newsela Certified Educator. He won the American Civic Education Teacher Award in 2011.
Listenwise Webinars:
Listenwise Elementary Remote Learning
Envisioning Multimedia Text Sets
Roxana Castro
Roxana Castro is a Spanish Dual Language Immersion teacher who teaches ELA and Social Studies in Glendale Unified School District.
Blogs:
What Educators Are Saying: Our New ELD Lesson Library
Erik Eve
Erik Eve is an 8th grade Social Studies Teacher in Lindenhurst, NY. He teaches honors classes using PBL, blended learning, and Google Classroom. He teaches PD to other districts on Long Island and is on the district Technology Committee.
Blogs:
Collaboration is Key in Erik Eve's 8th Grade Classroom
Hurricane Podcasting Project
Andrew Garnett-Cook
Andrew Garnett-Cook is a social studies teacher in the Brookline Public Schools in Massachusetts. He teaches Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations and U.S. History.
Blog: Reflections on NCSS - Teaching History Through Current Events
Interpreting Evidence About The Past, Using Listenwise
Listenwise Webinar: Bringing History to Life with Public Radio
Paul Hernandez
Paul Hernandez is an educator and football coach at Sanger High School in Sanger, California. He has been teaching U.S. History and Academic Language Development for six years. Paul has a passion for collaborating with other educators in order to support English learners as they develop language proficiency and listening comprehension skills.
Listenwise Webinar: Meeting the Needs of ELs in Remote Learning Using Listenwise
Laura Krenicki
Laura Krenicki is a 6th grade geography and world cultures teacher at William J. Johnston Middle School in Colchester, Connecticut. She works with students and teachers around the world in global collaborations and inquiry projects. She is the recipient of the Orion Award at Mystic Seaport Museum, the Excellence in Social Studies Education from the Connecticut Council of the Social Studies, and the Distinction in Geography Education from the National Council of Geographic Education. She is a certified Google Educator, National Geographic Educator & Trainer, and Flipgrid Ambassador.
Listenwise Webinar: Guerilla Radio: Making Podcasts in the Classroom
Bonnie Nieves
Bonnie is a high school life science teacher in Massachusetts. She is committed to helping students make meaningful connections to science concepts through authentic experiences. She is a Google Level 2 certified educator and PAEMST nominee.
Listenwise Webinar: Quick Tips! Instructional Strategies for Using Listenwise
Eric Page
Eric Page teaches English and World History at Orinda Intermediate School in Orinda, CA. A veteran educator with more than twenty years of experience, he has attended numerous training programs in literacy and project-based learning including Columbia's Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and the Buck Institute.
Dr. Scott Petri
Dr. Scott Petri is a High School History Teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Valencia, California. He is the 2021 California Council for the Social Studies recipient of Outstanding High School Teacher of the year. He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and a Masters in Educational Administration. He is a board member of the California Council for the Social Studies and the past President of the Southern California Social Studies Association.
Listenwise Webinars:
How to Teach and Assess Listening in the K12 Classroom
Practical Ways to Address SEL Goals with Podcasts
Articles
Viviani Piekutowski
Viviani is a 6th grade teacher in Santa Maria, CA, teaching multiple subjects. She has been teaching 6th grade for 4 years now. Last year she used Listenwise for a few months and found it valuable for my students. The stories are engaging and students learned about a great variety of topics. This year she hopes to use it consistently throughout the whole school year.
Listenwise Advocate Benefits and Perks
- Membership in the Listenwise Advocate-only Learning Community
- First look at new product features and opportunity to share feedback directly with Listenwise Instructional Team
- An official Listenwise Advocate digital badge
- Listenwise swag
- Recognition on Listenwise website
- Certificates awarded for contributions
- Optional leadership opportunities, such as writing blog posts, presenting webinars, moderating Twitter chats, and invitations to speak at conferences
WListenwise Advocate Expectations
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- Frequently and consistently use Listenwise PREMIUM features with students
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- Grow the use of Listenwise in your school by sharing
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- Ways to integrate with curriculum
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- Your passion for using Listenwise
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- Tips for new users
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- Grow the use of Listenwise in your school by sharing
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- Share a Teacher Spotlight for the Listenwise Newsletter
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- Write a blog post highlighting a strategy taught using a Listenwise story
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- Lead the conversation about Listenwise through social media
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- Present Listenwise to your school staff or grade-level teams.
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- Opportunity to lead or co-present conference sessions
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- Opportunity to lead or co-present webinars on integrating Listenwise into teaching, share best practices during webinars.