Podcast: Tech Tips, Podcasting and Computer Science with the Tech Squad

Today, the Getting Smart team is bringing you a conversation with David Platt and a group of students on tech tips, podcasting, and computer science — live, from Covina High School.

So who is David Platt? David started out as a German teacher at Covina High School in Southern California. After a few sections of German were canceled, Platt scrambled to reinvent his teaching career. David started teaching keyboarding and then moved on to computer applications in the early 2000s. The rising prevalence of computer science led him into coding and he began to view Java as a third language. He earned a certificate for teaching Computer Science and is in his second year teaching Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles.

Soon after that, Platt recruited the Tech Squad — a group of students that provide tech support across the school. Two of Platt’s students, Gabriel and Kayla, launched a podcast — Tech Tips With Tech Squad. A podcast recorded in Covina High School focused on discussing tech, events, and tech tips, from a student’s point of view.

In today’s conversation, Tom talks with David, Gabe, and Kayla to learn more about this cool way for kids to learn about technology and share it with the world.

Key Takeaways

[:15] About today’s episode.
[1:19] Tom welcomes David onto the podcast.
[1:49] David introduces the students he has with him today, Gabriel and Kayla.
[2:14] How long has Covina High School had a podcast? How did it come to fruition?
[3:37] What does David teach at Covina?
[6:13] What year are Gabe and Kayla in?
[6:33] What computer classes have Gabe and Kayla taken? And how did they meet?
[7:44] Why Kayla originally wanted to do a podcast focused on technology. What has she learned since working on it?
[8:34] Gabe talks about his interest in technology, background in computer science, and dreams for the future.
[10:25] Who of the three first spotted the rise of artificial intelligence?
[12:21] Gabe’s sense of what artificial intelligence could mean for his life.
[13:05] Gabe speaks about his interest in hardware rather than software.
[14:13] Tom, David, Kayla, and Gabe shed some light on their favorite ed-tech podcasts.
[16:17] David speaks more about how his teaching career and how it has evolved over the years.
[17:28] Learning tools and tips David recommends for teachers.
[19:31] What’s next for Kayla after she graduates.
[21:13] Where to find Tech Tips with Tech Squad online.

Mentioned in This Episode

Covina High School
Covina High School’s Tech Tips With Tech Squad Podcast
@CovinaHTechTips on Twitter
Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles
Check This Out Podcast, with Ryan O’Donnell and Brian Briggs
Detroit: Become Human (Videogame)
Command Line Heroes Podcast
Future of Life Institute Podcast
Linear Digressions Podcast
TOSAs Talking Tech Podcast
The 10-Minute Teacher Podcast, with Vicki Davis (CoolCatTeacher)
Google Teacher Tribe Podcast, with Matt Miller and Kasey Bell

For more, see:

• Smart List: 22 Coding and Computer Science Resources
• The Importance of Understanding Technology, Coding & Computational Thinking
• Why Every High School Should Require an AI Course

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