This episode is sponsored by Knowt — the AI-powered classroom tool that goes way beyond plug-and-chug. From turning your lessons into notes and practice to creating a custom chatbot based on your lecture, Knowt helps you and your students work smarter and stay privacy-compliant. To get started, visit www.knowt.com

What happens when a sign language teacher drops deep wisdom, witty moments, and some poop jokes all in one conversation? You get this episode! Join us as we sit down with Melanie Cockrell — high school ASL and computer science teacher from New Haven, Michigan — to explore what it really means to teach American Sign Language in today’s tech-savvy classrooms. From the misconceptions of ASL to how tech tools like Flipgrid (RIP) and ASLdeafined help students express themselves without the stage fright, Melanie brings clarity and passion to a language often misunderstood. Bonus: you’ll find out how body language is basically punctuation in ASL and why Melanie signs at graduation... even when no one asks her to.

If you’ve ever wondered how educational technology meets a visual language — or just want to hear a teacher talk about “having the runs” with a straight face — this episode is for you.

Melanie is finishing her 20th year of teaching. She has taught at every level from kindergarten through college, and charter, parochial, and public schools. She currently teaches ASL and Computer Science classes in person at New Haven High School, in New Haven, Michigan, and online for Michigan Virtual. Melanie and her husband of over 20 years have 4 children ranging from tenth grade down to second grade, and three little kittens they adopted.

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