GAEL UnscriptED S2:E4 | From Safety To Instruction: How Kloud-12 Transforms K-12 Teaching

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Welcome back, Gail family, to another exciting episode of Gail Unscripted.
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You're in for quite a treat today.
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We've got Kelly Martinez and Brent Coleman here from Cloud 12, and they're going to talk to us about the great product that they have and what's available to you at both the school and the district level.
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We're going to start over here with Brent.
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Brent, what led you to your partnership with Cloud 12?
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Well, first and foremost, it's great to be here, to be a part of Gale Unscripted, and appreciate what Gale does for all business partners.
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But great question.
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I'd been in education for 10 years.
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Previous to that, I'd have been in the sports world for 10 years.
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So it's 2015, ironically, 10 years ago, and schools were starting to put cameras in classrooms.
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And for me, it was the connecting of all this time in sports and all this time in education.
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Because if you're coaching and playing in sports, how do you get better?
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You watch the video.
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And so we started a partnership early in 2016.
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It was dually education at the time.
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And the quick feedback was we love the idea, it's the future, but it's not easy for teachers to access their camera, change their camera view, schedule, determine who they're sharing their camera with.
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And Cloud 12 was launched in 2016.
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So we acquired it at dually education.
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And since that time, now over the last 10 years, we've been able to partner with schools to first and foremost help with safety discipline because there's a camera in the classroom and there's a big eye in the sky and it doesn't lie.
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And then the entire professional development.
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And back before we launched into classroom cameras at that same time, I remember reading some research from Harvard.
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And Harvard had done a study, it was called Best Foot Forward.
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It's now visibly better.
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And it was really a rhetorical question: does using video improve the teacher observation process?
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And emphatically, it was yes.
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And then Jim Knight, and candidly, I didn't know who Jim Knight was back at the time, but he's he's obviously an instructional coaching guru.
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And I remember reading quotes from him.
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And at the time he said that a camera to teachers is the new internet.
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Wow.
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And you cannot get better without video.
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Yeah.
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And that's how it all got started.
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And 10 years later, it's been very fulfilling to see all the partners and implementations all over Georgia, first and foremost, but literally from coast to coast.
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Kelly works with all of them.
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Yeah.
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You're right.
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I mean, you give great examples in sports.
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Uh coaches and athletes understand that they have to watch the tape so they can critique themselves and see what they've done right, where they need to improve so that they can get better.
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And it seems like just a natural occurrence that it would move over into the field of education.
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So, Kelly, tell us what brought you to begin working with Cloud 12.
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Um well, also thank you for having us.
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It's it's a pleasure to be here and see this, your office space, and um kind of peek behind the curtain for all the wonderfulness that you create uh for Georgia educators.
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So uh it's an honor to be here.
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Um a little bit about me.
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I've been in education now for over 20 years.
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Um, so I started as a classroom teacher.
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Sorry, I don't know if I can remind us.
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What did you teach?
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I taught middle school math.
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Middle school math.
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So there's a lot of principals out there right now that are emailing you a job offer, right now.
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I do get asked that question a lot.
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Um and actually my time started uh with Teach for America.
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And so a lot of my first year, two years of teaching were really built around coaching.
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And they used a lot of video, and we had monthly coaches into our classroom.
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And so I really took that culture of coaching with me when I moved to Virginia.
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Um I stayed in alternative education, so students who had been removed from the mainstream classroom.
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And um I really was presented with a student at one point who I just was really struggling to be able to meet his needs, and I couldn't understand what his needs were.
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Um and so I reverted back to what I knew.
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I pulled out my camera and we had um started recording a little bit just to kind of see what was going on in the classroom.
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And it was amazing what insights it gave me into his behavior.
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Um, you know, student behavior is often a sign or symptom of something that they're, you know, conveying.
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And so by doing that, by looking at him on video, I was really able to change how I supported, just saw some nuances, some different things.
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And so that really turned me on to a different way of being able to use those cameras.
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So really continued on with that journey through teaching, um, and I came connected to Cloud12 because I saw the value of what video was doing.
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Um so I've been at Cloud12 now over five years and really trying to help other teachers who you know understand that video can be a powerful tool, and I think Cloud12 really aligns those two things of supporting teachers.
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I really see that support.
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Um, and so I think it's just really important that they have people who've been in education, who've sat in the classroom, who are sitting on the other side of the table still supporting the work that they're doing.
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Yeah, that's a great point.
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I I just had a flashback to when my daughter, she's our youngest, um, was in whatever elementary grade it was, but they were um multiplying fractions, and believe it or not, I couldn't remember how to do that.
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And luckily YouTube had come uh uh around by that point, so I could pull it up on YouTube, but I just thought of the power of not only teachers being able to watch um their craft of teaching, but what a powerful tool it could be if students could watch the teacher giving examples of how to work out a math problem.
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I think of all the times I went home as a middle school math student, and even if I paid attention in class, something did not carry over when I got home to do those problems at night.
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And what an advantage it would have been if I could have had a video to watch that teacher going through those steps.
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But that would be a great thing.
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Uh both of you, this is a question for both of you, why should a school district invest in cloud 12?
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A lot of reasons, but if you took, let's take SummerGale, there's probably 1,500 attendees, right?
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And you said, okay, what are the absolute two most important things for you all?
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Whether you're superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, AP, they all got together, they'd come back and say, you know what, it's the safety of our students and it's instruction.
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And what is so powerful about cloud 12 and implementation is you can move the needle in both directions.
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And to be candid, the only reason we're not in every school district is some districts see it as a want-to or a wish instead of a must.
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And I think we've had some success, a lot of it, but we still need to have more success for them realizing that this is a must and not a nice to have because you're moving that needle for safety, discipline, and then you're helping your teachers become better teachers.
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If they become better teachers, you have better student outcomes.
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Great point.
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I don't know if you got anything to add to that or not, Kelly.
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No, that's a great point.
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Um, you know, I think the single most important thing in a classroom is the teacher.
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It's the quality of the teacher.
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And I think sometimes we put too many bells and whistles in the classroom, and and at the end of the day, it's just getting back to our instructional roots.
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And the only way we can do that is by reflecting and watching that back.
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You know, I I think as teachers, we always want to say to our students, we need you to have a growth mindset.
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And the only way our students are going to emulate that is if we ourselves also have that growth mindset.
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You know, I would even talk about it to my students, saying, Oh my gosh, I watched this video back and I realized I didn't give you an example with fractions.
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You know, and so I think when you do that, you are really investing in your personnel because you want them to get better.
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They are investing in skills and traits that they can take with them.
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It's not a, you know, here's another tool, here's another website to use, here's another book.
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Um, because we can put all of those things in our classroom every day, but at the end of the day, it is that qualified teacher that is going to make the difference for our students.
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Great point.
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One thing I'll add, Ben, for people that may not be familiar with Cloud 12, is this is a camera that's installed on the ceiling, usually front-center of the classroom.
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And the teacher has the ability to set up recurring videos that matches their day.
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So it's out of sight, out of mind.
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Obviously, there's a lot of ways you could video.
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You get out your phone, you can get out your iPad, but we make it seamless easy.
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And then those videos will upload into their Google Drive or OneDrive, and then they can easily access it when they need to.
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And who controls all of that, Brent?
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Ultimately it's up to the district, but typically it's teacher driven on the in the cloud 12 side of things.
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So they're deciding when they record, and then ultimately they decide if they're going to invite someone into their room.
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I'm a teacher and we have cloud 12, and I decide I'm going to video a lesson in my first period block on how to do the steps of a math problem.
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And I'm not happy with it.
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I don't like the way it happened or little Johnny said something funny or inappropriate, so I don't want to use that video.
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I can just redo it in second period, right?
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Until I get it right.
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And even if uh the whole day went and just each class period I wasn't happy with the video, I could do it after school hours, after the kids were gone.
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I could still do the video where I wouldn't be interrupted.
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But I think the important part is that the teacher uh is in control of that and who sees it.
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Well, talk to our listeners.
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Some of them are hearing about this maybe for the first time, and they're thinking, I don't know, classroom cameras, that sounds a little intrusive.
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Uh tell us about what Cloud 12 does to help those school districts and schools understand the balance between accountability and trust.
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Who wants that one?
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Yeah, I'll take that one.
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Um, I think that's a great question, and it's a real concern.
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And, you know, I think the way that we address that is we help districts A define their purpose of why they're putting in the cameras, a real clear purpose that they can share with those teachers.
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And then being upfront and honest in what we do is we actually sit down with our districts and we we create clear policy, and that can be really district-led around their needs and and how they want to support their teachers.
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Um, but then being very transparent around that policy.
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There's no um, you know, if someone has access is going to be known.
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And so really kind of making sure that teachers understand that why, again, leading with that why, um, and then really making sure that the rest of that is is transparent and that you can be open and have those conversations.
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Um and I think very quickly people are able to um really utilize it for themselves and say quickly say, Oh, wait, you mean no one actually is watching my camera?
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No, no one actually does have access unless you share it.
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Um and it's just so funny to me because sometimes I'll sit with our administrators.
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We really sit and have a conversation, you know, what we talk about the culture in the building and what they're trying to achieve and and what policy aligns best with that.
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And every principal I sit and talk with says, Oh, I don't have time to ever even watch cameras.
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Um and so I think there's a misalignment between what teachers sometimes think person they're doing and and the reality of what their role actually involves.
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That's great.
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I know a lot of school districts and and schools that have cameras, they they go through the painstakingly uh piece with their teachers to make sure they understand that they are not going to watch these cameras without their teachers knowing it, and they're never going to use those videos for evaluative purposes.
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And I think that goes to the trust part, don't you?
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Absolutely.
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Yeah.
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So if you were advising educational leaders listening to this podcast today, um who would maybe they're on the fence, maybe I want to get the cameras, maybe I don't.
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What would you tell them to focus on when evaluating this classroom camera system?
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I mean, I would have them focus on a few main things.
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Um versus the clarity of purpose, right?
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If the clarity of purpose is instructional, really evaluating a tool that's gonna meet those instructional needs.
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Um, you know, and second thing I would say is is ease of use, right?
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Our teachers want something that's really easy.
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You know, it's not just one more thing.
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Again, I've sat in those faculty meetings where they've introduced and I'm like, oh, it could have been the greatest tool in the world, but if it's not easy to use, teachers aren't gonna adopt it, right?
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And um and so, and then I think the third thing is partnership.
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You know, a lot of what Cloud 12 does is bringing on former educators to really be able to support not only the teachers, but the building administrators, right?
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Defining out some smart goals that we can help walk alongside these districts to really meet those needs.
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Um, you know, certainly it's easy, we could put in a camera and walk away.
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But, you know, I'm still waking up every day because I care deeply about education.
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And I think it's important to partner with companies who want those same outcomes genuinely for their students.
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Um, and so I think that partnership piece, having a customer success team, people who are, you know, really again getting to know your district, your building, and your teachers is a really valuable asset in being able to roll this tool out.
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Yeah.
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Right.
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And we do call this Gail Unscripted because it is not scripted out.
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And so uh at this point, we got a live studio audience with us today.
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That's unusual for us as well.
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They couldn't wait for the podcast, they wanted to come see it in person.
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Uh, but for the first time, uh, we have some questions that uh guests are gonna ask me.
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So I think Brent has a a question or two that he's gonna ask me at this point.
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We're turning around on you.
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That's right.
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You were superintendent in Hawk County, a multi boy.
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Yeah, and when you were there, one of your big initiatives was a Cloud 12 classroom camera, district-wide.
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What led you to that decision?
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You know, uh originally, and my first thought was for safety.
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I wanted it, you know, uh there was such a push, and this was before Uval Day Texas happened.
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This was a few months before that when our board uh approved the purchase of the Cloud 12 cameras.
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But it was initially all about safety, having eyes on that classroom just in case something were to happen.
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And then me thinking that it would be a deterrent for our students for bad behavior, knowing that there was a camera in the classroom, just giving them an extra reason to do the right thing, and to protect our teachers.
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What was amazing as we went through that process was to see how our principals and academic coaches and teachers began to use that for instructional purposes.
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And that was what was really fascinating to see is how different schools and those academic coaches were truly using it as a coaching piece.
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They would sit down with teachers and they'd talk about the particular units or lessons that they were going to work on, and they would let the teachers decide when they wanted to record those lessons and be happy with the recording before they would sit down with the academic coach to get what you referred to earlier, some true coaching to help hone their craft to become better teachers.
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Could you also share how you rolled it out?
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I mean, we've already talked about that misperception, so and we hear it from superintendents.
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Oh, I don't want to make any of my teachers mad.
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We know it's a teacher shortage, you don't want to alienate any teachers, so please share with the audience of how your implementation was rolled out and how you got that bio.
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Well, luckily I worked with some really smart people and they helped me uh think of some strategic ways to do this.
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And what we knew we couldn't do is say, hey, the superintendent's come up with this really great idea, because that may not have worked very well.
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Um the district office wants to do this.
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So what we did first is we talked to the administrators, the principals, just to kind of let them know what was out there and available.
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And of course, principals loved it because they were thinking about the discipline issues that hopefully they could avoid.
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But then what we did that I thought was pretty, pretty smart, and again, I had some really smart people that that work with me that came up with this plan.
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But they said, let's get some influential teachers from each school to come in and hear from the cloud 12 professionals.
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And y'all came down and you gave a presentation, and those teachers, and when I say influencers, it it didn't matter if they were positive or negative, but they were the people in that building that we knew that the other teachers would go to for questions and answers.
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And we allowed them to hear the presentation and for them to ask questions of you all, and that's what really built the support and the go-ahead that, hey, our district wants to do this.
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Uh, I think they were really intrigued when Cloud 12 shared about the possibility of these cameras helping to protect teachers over some false accusations and some things like that.
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Um, there were all kind of little nuanced questions specifics like privacy issues.
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You know, we had teachers that would, you know, maybe recently had a uh a baby and they needed to uh do the breast pump during their planning period.
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And so y'all were able to answer all of those questions and alleve all of those fears.
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Uh, but that's how we did it.
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Uh, rather than coming from the top down, we allowed it to come from the bottom up.
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And you think about those ways that we can help support teachers.
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I literally just came from a meeting with the superintendent, and he shared, and we've heard this countless times, he had a teacher when he was a high school principal be accused of touching a female student inappropriately.
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And guess what the camera showed?
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That he was completely innocent.
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And so we shared without the camera, we likely fire that teacher, and he likely has felony charges.
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Yeah.
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And it's like, wow.
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Yeah.
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And we've, again, that's been something that's happened far too many times.
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Yeah.
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It is a great, great protection uh for teachers as far as a profession, in my opinion.
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And for what we saw in that school district working with our teachers, we did have some accusations.
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Uh, thankfully, nothing to that level, but things that were proven uh untrue.
00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:28.160
And um, you know, the what the little saying, the big eye in the sky does not lie.
00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:30.720
Um that's from your Sanford quarterback days.
00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:32.720
Right, that's the old football days.
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:43.200
But there's there's something that is just very assuring for those teachers' minds to know that they were going to be protected uh from some false accusations for sure.
00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:50.799
Do you have any other stories of um, you know, maybe outside of that safety that it would benefit your school district?
00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:59.759
Yeah, of course, like I said, I mentioned Uvalde, Texas, and boy, what an advantage that would have been if they would have had classrooms inside of or cameras inside of that classroom.
00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:06.079
But one example I can think of, we had a young lady, a student that suffers from seizures.
00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.039
And she had a seizure in one of her classrooms.
00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:14.720
Of course, the nurse and medical team, everybody gets there, they get her to the hospital.
00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:22.480
But the doctor was really, really concerned and wanted to know if she hit her head while she was having this seizure when she fell.
00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:25.119
And of course, you know, the parent didn't know.
00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:27.279
There was no way, you know, I don't know.
00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:33.519
But the parent remembered there in the emergency room that the school district had cameras.
00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:36.000
And she told the doctor, she said, you know what?
00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:38.319
Our schools all have cameras.
00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:40.160
And that mom called the school.
00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:42.319
The school immediately got on the camera.
00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:50.880
They looked, they sent the video to the hospital, to that doctor, and the doctor could see immediately that she did not fall and hit her head.
00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:52.720
And so they could alleve those fears.
00:20:53.119 --> 00:21:01.039
So that's just one example right there off the top of my head that uh was really, really important in that student's uh decision.
00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:05.920
And you think about all the medical issues that that could help solve.
00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:17.519
Uh when it comes to discipline issues, I mean that those cameras are great for finding out, you know, what exactly happened in those classrooms and what didn't happen.
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:29.519
Um, you know, sometimes uh in some middle school classrooms, maybe while the teachers turned around on the board showing a math problem, some students may do some things that maybe they shouldn't do.
00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:33.920
And what our teachers found in that district was this was a valuable tool.
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:39.039
They could go to the principal and say, Hey, would you check on my second period class?
00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:45.440
I think there may be something going on when I've turned around and I'm talking, but I'm not quite sure.
00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:51.039
And so it was the teachers coming to the principals to get help with those discipline issues.
00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:57.440
Uh but we made it a a strong point to make sure our teachers knew we were not going to be watching those videos.
00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:00.480
Number one, like Kelly said, we didn't have time to do that.
00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:06.000
Uh, but you have to build that trust with your teachers so that they know that and that you're sincere with that.
00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:09.279
But that's that's just one example off the top of my head.
00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:10.720
Medical like that.
00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:14.240
Well, this next question is for for Kelly from your perspective.
00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:23.119
What separates districts that successfully implement the modern technology like Cloud 12 versus those who don't maximize that value?
00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:38.079
I think it's the planning, you know, again, going um really again clearly defining what it is and having a proactive plan that is going to make sure that you're being a good steward with those funds and that you're utilizing this tool that you've invested in.
00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:48.319
You know, districts that I think that don't maximize that value it's because you know they they didn't really emphasize and it set goals for what that usage is.
00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:54.400
Um and also bringing in the building administrators, bringing in multiple stakeholders to that conversation.
00:22:54.559 --> 00:23:01.119
Um, you know, there's a lot of people who are kind of sitting in their individual buckets, and this is a great way to be able to bring them together.
00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:10.480
You know, an instructional coach that maybe oversees a few different campuses, um, you know, that really then amplifies the amount of work that they're able to do.
00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:15.920
Um, and so being able to utilize that is really, I think, a great way to be able to maximize that value.
00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:17.200
Work smarter, not harder.
00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:18.240
That's great.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:24.000
You know, you asked me to think of some examples, and uh uh just my brain I remembered another one.
00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:31.279
Like I said, this is Gail unscripted, but uh we, like all school districts now for the most part, had lockdown drills.
00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:44.799
And one of the things we wanted to do was include both our local police department and local sheriff's office uh not only being on the property when we had our lockdown drills with the SROs, but to utilize our camera system.
00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:53.759
So, of course, we had our regular security cameras that show all the hallways and the exterior of the building, but now we had actual classroom cameras.
00:23:53.920 --> 00:24:11.759
So, what we could do during the lockdown is different members of law enforcement, during the lockdown drill, they could walk around, and as far as the local police and sheriff's IT departments were concerned, they could kind of be the bad person that they were tracking.
00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:18.559
And so they had access into our camera system that we would have to grant and give in the event of an emergency.
00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:29.519
But that's another uh huge advantage, like I say, not just from the hallways and those common areas, but once they get behind those classroom doors was another great, great one.
00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:32.000
All right, Kelly, you get another question here.
00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:42.160
Uh two years ago, Cloud12 launched a modern IP-based bells paging and intercom system called More Voice Unity.
00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:46.960
Obviously, all schools have a need for intercom and have some type of bell schedule.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:50.319
Why Cloud12's More Voice Unity?
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:59.759
Um, well, uh, you know, I think one of the things that's really exciting about this product is that it is explicitly for K-12 schools.
00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:10.079
Um, and it is our own product that we have developed, that we design, um, and so really thoughtful around what problems are schools trying to solve.
00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:14.480
You know, it's more than a bell system, it is an emergency communication system.
00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:25.359
Um, and so, you know, being able to utilize that um in a way and and also with the partnerships we partner and work really closely with is synthetics.
00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:34.720
And I think this is um something that I know a lot of our Gale partners um have utilized and really seen a lot of value from their synthetics partnership.
00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:47.200
And so we've really worked closely with them to be able to integrate in some really unique ways that again, going back to your last question of maximizing value, you know, something that people have already invested in.
00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:51.440
And so there's a few different ways, and actually one of which is going back to the cameras.
00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:54.559
We actually just finished our synthetics integration.
00:25:54.720 --> 00:26:09.839
Um, so now when a crisis alert or staff alert um it is going to, for the list of responders, they're going to be able to have that direct, immediate access to that camera to be able to see what's going on in that classroom.
00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:17.279
Um, in a whole school lockdowns room, they're also going to be able to see everything that's going on in that classroom.
00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:21.759
Um and so all of that is going, you know, is set up now, it's integrated.
00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:27.519
Um and something else that's really cool is our system is designed in a way that it's always checking that integration.
00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:35.359
You know, one of the things that, you know, sometimes you can set technology up and you forget about it, but sometimes things break in technology.
00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:43.119
And so being aware of that and really making sure proactively that those investments are talking, that they're working effectively.
00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:50.160
Um, and again, through the lens of the way we view it is this is an emergency critical communication.
00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:54.240
And so we're thinking about those students when it is a lockdown.
00:26:54.400 --> 00:27:04.000
You know, that's when we view that system, when the power's out, when there's a thunderstorm coming through, and we've got a whole dismissal, or we've got to put our students in a lockdown drill.
00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:10.000
Ensuring and having that peace of mind that you're gonna be able to be able to communicate with everyone on your campus.
00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:10.640
Wow.
00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:36.400
So you what I'm hearing is you've worked with synthetics closely, and now you you have the capability, as soon as let's say there's any emergency medical situation in a classroom, a student having a seizure, that now the school personnel have the access that that camera and the synthetic system just kind of speak to one another, and that administrator andor school nurse they're able to see exactly what's going on in that classroom right now.
00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:37.200
Wow.
00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:50.319
And that's something for me, forgive me, Kelly, but we talked about the front end of dually education and launching into classroom cameras, and synthetics and cloud 12 both evolved out of dually education.
00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:53.839
So we were once one company, and both just were growing too fast.
00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:56.000
It made sense for them to have their own leadership.
00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:58.480
But I've been involved with both from the beginning.
00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:04.559
So having this integration is something just gets me excited because we've we've been working on it for a while.
00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:14.559
And I guess the one thing for me on the synthetic side and putting on my synthetics hat is when you have the worst case scenario and you have a campus-wide lockdown.
00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:22.559
On synthetics, you have light splash, you have network devices that have a message, but that intercom piece is very, very important.
00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:32.000
And there are more schools in Georgia than there should be that have a very antiquated intercom system.
00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:42.079
And I think I challenge building leaders and district leaders to think of intercom first and foremost as your almost number one part of your safety plan.
00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:48.720
Because you'll hear, well, that that school, you know, let's just take Colkwit, and I'm not gonna pick on Colkit, but I guess I will.
00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:55.920
You were superintended there, but it's common in district that size to say, well, you know, our intercoms are varied by age, which is normal.
00:28:56.000 --> 00:29:01.440
But we've got this one school, you know, we put an intercom in there in 1982 when they built the school and it's still there.
00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:02.559
Well, still working.
00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:04.240
Hey, we need to get a new one in there.
00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:13.279
Yeah, because that's that needs to be a big part of your safety plan, and that's what we challenge districts, and and we need to make sure that integration is seamless.
00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:20.400
And because of that partnership between Cloud 12 and Syntegix, we want to make it seamless when you have both.
00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:21.920
Wow, that that's impressive.
00:29:22.079 --> 00:29:29.279
I didn't know that they were uh the two systems were talking uh and you could get those instant video feeds like that.
00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:30.160
That's a game changer.
00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:38.480
And actually, even on the intercom side, um, when there is a synthetics alert, it's going to actually record uh the audio transmissions to the office.
00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:45.200
And post-event, you get a transcript along with a AI-genated summary, post-event analysis.
00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:49.279
So as you're looking at evaluating what did we follow our safety plan?
00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:54.240
Was you know, were these things you know that we're supposed to do, were they actually done?
00:29:54.400 --> 00:29:59.680
Um so it gives us a little bit more insight into what's going on in the building in those emergencies as well, too.
00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:00.480
Wow.
00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:08.000
So going back to the intercom system, what are some misconceptions school leaders might have about intercom systems?
00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:11.839
You mentioned, oh well, put in an 82, but it still works.
00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:19.759
You know, what do we really need in intercom other than uh, hey, we're doing this month's fire is real, please report to your uh location.
00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:25.200
So maybe what are some of those misconceptions about intercom systems that school leaders might have?
00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:31.920
I think it's what I alluded to a while ago is not thinking of it as enough as a safety tool.
00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:34.079
More of a it's a bell schedule.
00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:39.359
And we're gonna announce just some somewhat important morning messages.
00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:44.079
This is critical in an emergency, and we need to be able to communicate.
00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:44.480
Yeah.
00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:49.200
Communication is key in the event of the unthinkable uh, of course.
00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:55.440
What are the biggest safety and communication gaps that you all still see in schools?
00:30:56.720 --> 00:31:03.200
Um I would think it's it's not knowing actually what parts of your building aren't covered, right?
00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:08.240
It's making that assumption that the intercom system is working in every single space.
00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:11.920
Um unless you've walked to every single classroom and listened to that announcement.
00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:16.799
I'd be hard pressed to believe that a system in the 1980s has a hundred percent.
00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:22.079
And to me, when you even have one classroom that can't reach, that's when the real danger.
00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:26.240
It's the assumption that it's working most of the way.
00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:32.240
It's that that's where you're really gonna, you know, that's where the liability you open yourself up to that.
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:33.359
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:52.160
One thing we didn't talk about that I've always thought has a great possibility, uh, like with Cloud 12 with the camera system, is let's say I'm in a small rural school that we can't offer uh particular AP courses, and I know the state of Georgia's got online Georgia virtual school, I know.
00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:57.359
But some students just need a live teacher looking at them in the face.
00:31:57.519 --> 00:32:14.240
Um I've always thought there's just a great opportunity out there for some other schools that uh are bigger that have those AP courses, if there could be some sort of partnership where that rural school is able to pick up, you know, that student sit in virtually on that AP course.
00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:14.960
Do y'all know?
00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:21.519
Is it is there any schools out there doing some of that, or whether it's across the country or anything?
00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:23.519
Have you heard any mention of that?
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:26.720
Well, you and I talked about that back when you were superintendent.
00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:28.960
I think that's where we want to get to.
00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:33.839
But it is common within districts to build a video library of best practices.
00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:42.079
We've got some districts that have given uh gift certificates, bonuses to teachers if one of their videos is selected.
00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:48.799
And the teachers coming in that are new or one year, if they could go see Miss Coleman's, Mrs.
00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:54.079
Coleman's unbelievable lesson from that veteran teacher, the value in that.
00:32:54.160 --> 00:32:54.720
Yeah, right?
00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:56.480
Yeah, and so that's common.
00:32:56.640 --> 00:33:03.200
I hope to get to a place where the my vision is at each RESA, they've got our lessons and they're all sharing.
00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:04.480
I think we'll get there one day.
00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:10.160
Yeah, I just remembered, you know, we we've got a um down there, they have a huge uh e-saw population.
00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:14.160
And one of the things we talked about, they have so many different elementary schools.
00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:21.039
If Kelly's the ESOL teacher and she can't be at work today, that's just not a job that any sub can do.
00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:21.599
Right.
00:33:21.839 --> 00:33:39.680
And uh the cloud 12 system would enable, if Brent is an ESOL teacher at another school, these two students that are gonna miss out on Kelly today or just sit with a substitute that can't help them, now with Cloud 12, they could get real live firsthand instruction.
00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:43.279
I thought I just thought of that, another great example.
00:33:43.519 --> 00:33:49.839
Uh Brent, I know you've also been a partner of Syntegics from way back, like you you mentioned from the beginning.
00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:57.039
Tell us about that partnership with Cloud 12 and how Georgia districts can benefit from that if they haven't already.
00:33:57.200 --> 00:34:04.079
Maybe they're out there and they're looking and they're searching and they're thinking about something like synthetics or the camera system.
00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:06.400
Yeah, and I think we may have answered that already.
00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:15.679
I mean, on the classroom camera side, if you have both, the ability as a responder to see exactly what the emergency is in that classroom.
00:34:15.920 --> 00:34:18.400
Because back when we launched Syntx, that's the first question.
00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:21.840
Well, you should have a different button for every alert type.
00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:24.639
Well, people mess it up when they're in an emergency.
00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:26.159
So that's critically important.
00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:27.440
So that's number one.
00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:38.239
And then number two, as we mentioned on the intercom side, the ability to know that when you have that campus-wide alert with synthetics, that intercom message is gonna work, it's gonna be online.
00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:46.000
And then Kelly alluded to the fact that Cloud 12 will record all audio communication that happens during an alert.
00:34:46.079 --> 00:34:52.159
So in a debrief, you can review that and it's it's great information for preparing for the next emergency.
00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:52.480
Yeah.
00:34:52.639 --> 00:34:52.800
Awesome.
00:34:53.119 --> 00:34:54.639
All right, Kelly, this is for you.
00:34:54.960 --> 00:35:01.199
Cloud 12 develops and builds everything in-house and only works with K-12 schools, correct?
00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:01.760
Yes.
00:35:02.079 --> 00:35:02.480
All right.
00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:09.280
So why is it important for you or to you to be a part of a company that designs and owns its own hardware and software?
00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:11.039
What are the advantages of that?
00:35:11.360 --> 00:35:28.880
Um, well, and there's so many advantages, and it's it's really cool to be part of to see how much work and effort go into, again, figuring out what problem are we trying to solve, and that gives us the ability to really address it in a way that other people aren't.
00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:32.079
Um and it gives us the also the ability to be very nimble.
00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:43.199
We can make changes, we can, you know, we listen to our customers again because we are trying to s reach certain outcomes by listening and being able to design, make those changes.
00:35:43.280 --> 00:35:45.679
And I think that also just gives us really strong support.
00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:48.079
We really support our customers.
00:35:48.239 --> 00:35:54.320
Um, you know, fast response time and really understand our product because it is ours.
00:35:54.480 --> 00:36:08.239
And so I just think that it is really cool that we have really poured and invested in creating what we think is the best product that can fit the needs of our students, our schools, our principals, and ultimately our students.
00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:09.039
Right.
00:36:09.280 --> 00:36:13.920
I think the the whole thing just goes right back to one of Brent's opening comments.
00:36:14.079 --> 00:36:22.239
I'm thinking of our Gale members out there that are listening and are watching this podcast, and you're thinking about, I might be interested in that, you know.
00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:30.639
But Brent said it's the two things that are on the forefront of every educational leader's mind: school safety and academic achievement.
00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:39.280
But talk to our members a little bit about who they should contact, who do they call, who do they email, how does the process go?
00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:42.880
If I call Kelly, what what is the timeline?
00:36:43.039 --> 00:36:52.960
What uh uh uh just talk through that process of how that goes from that first interaction, they give you a call or an email leading up to the decision that they make.
00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:57.199
From a timeline of implementation, usually about three months or so.
00:36:57.599 --> 00:37:06.480
So if you're thinking about best strategy, best use of dollars as you plan through that new budget, you know, is now too late to be ready for back to school?
00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:06.960
No.
00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:16.639
I would say typically it's about 90 days from hey, we're making a purchase, we're sending the order until we're launching and going live with cloud 12 in the classrooms.
00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:21.840
But if they call Kelly or call you and they say, we want you to come down and do it.
00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:23.119
We'll come see a teacher.
00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:24.880
More than glad to.
00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:25.599
Perfect.
00:37:25.840 --> 00:37:38.639
I mean, our favorite part of this job, truly for me, is going into the school districts, going into the small towns, and then you find the meet and three or you find the barbecue, and that just adds to it.
00:37:39.039 --> 00:37:39.440
That's right.
00:37:39.679 --> 00:37:48.559
Well, are there any parting words you'd like to tell our Gale members uh about cloud 12, whether it's the intercom or camera system, before we wrap up this episode?
00:37:49.280 --> 00:37:50.239
Go ahead, Kelly.
00:37:50.639 --> 00:37:58.480
Well, I was just gonna share it's been um, I think such a valuable partnership and and something you know we really look forward each year to the Gale conferences.
00:37:58.719 --> 00:38:06.400
Um we actually are going to have um at the winter gale um our side of the house that is our customer success, that is our former educators.
00:38:06.559 --> 00:38:12.239
So a lot of our administrators are going to be able to get to talk and meet with the person who helps plan those goals.
00:38:12.400 --> 00:38:23.199
So really suggest stopping by the booth at Gale, having a conversation whether this is something you're exploring and talking about, you know, diving into what need are you trying to solve, how can we support that?
00:38:23.360 --> 00:38:30.880
Or if you're already one of our customers, reach out so that we can talk about what are your continued goals, you know, what does 26 look like for you?
00:38:30.960 --> 00:38:32.880
Um, and we can help you achieve those.
00:38:32.960 --> 00:38:36.639
You know, what what does that look like from above safety instructional perspective?
00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:39.679
So stop by Winter Gale, make sure you say hi to our team.
00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:40.880
I won't be there.
00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:45.199
Um, but you know, the people who are serving Georgia and really supporting our educators will.
00:38:45.519 --> 00:38:45.679
Perfect.
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:46.559
Brent, you can last.
00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:48.800
And I'll just end Jim Knight.
00:38:48.960 --> 00:38:52.239
We talked about him on the front end, and I just know he was the keynote at GACIS.
00:38:52.400 --> 00:38:59.519
So when you're thinking about the instructional coaching gurus in today's world, he he floats to the top, right?
00:38:59.760 --> 00:39:06.559
But if you look him up and you analyze his opinion, you know, we cannot get better unless we see how people see us.
00:39:07.039 --> 00:39:09.519
And video allows us to do that.
00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:13.440
And it really is back to the coach.
00:39:13.599 --> 00:39:14.079
Yep.
00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:19.679
I mean, every high school coach in Georgia uses video to win games.
00:39:20.239 --> 00:39:26.320
So every instructional coach, principal, superintendent should use video to improve instruction.
00:39:26.400 --> 00:39:26.559
Yeah.
00:39:26.719 --> 00:39:28.800
And that's would be my parting words.
00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:35.039
And it's great to be with you and just appreciate all you do and love all the Gale people, especially Ivy over here.
00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:36.159
There you go.
00:39:36.639 --> 00:39:39.360
Well, thank you for coming, Brent and Kelly.
00:39:39.519 --> 00:39:41.679
Thank you for your great partnership with Gail.
00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:43.440
We love you and appreciate you.
00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:59.679
And if you're an administrator out there and you've listened to this and this has piqued your interest, school safety and academic achievement, uh, it it serves both of those purposes, and it gives your teachers a tool that they may not currently have to be able to watch themselves on video to continue.
00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:06.239
To hone their craft to get better at teaching, which is only going to make the academic achievement go up.
00:40:06.400 --> 00:40:08.000
So thank you again for coming.
00:40:08.159 --> 00:40:12.159
Thank you, Gail family, for joining another episode of Gail Unscripted.