EdTech Adventures

AI is already shaping how students learn, create, and solve problems, but many educators are still asking the same important question: “How do we use it without losing critical thinking, creativity, and authentic learning?” In this episode, Sonia Spindt, Senior Curriculum Developer at CodeCombat, discusses how schools can approach AI in thoughtful, practical ways. She shares what she is seeing acr...

Why is it important to make time for play, both with students and with educators? Matt Barinholtz, Founder & CEO of FutureMakers , is passionate about creating playful hands-on learning and encourages educators to find ways to play! FutureMakers' mission is to spark playful hands-on learning focused on educators confidently integrating engineering, tinkering, making, and play in their lessons....

Why should we care about equity-centered design in education? What impact does it make? In today’s episode, Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial , shares her experience and advice on how we can practically and effectively design learning experiences with equity in mind. Sheryl shares how she became interested in education and design research and discusses her work with the Bill &am...

What do educators need to battle burnout? How do they feel about AI in the classroom? Francie Alexander, SVP of Research at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, shares key takeaways from HMH’s 9th annual Educator Confidence Report. Recommended Resources from the Interview HMH's 2023 Educator Confidence Report Writable About Our Guest Francie Alexander is the SVP of Research at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt , al...

Do you see yourself in the stories you read? Are your beliefs, culture, and traditions embraced? Do you see heroes that look like you? In this episode, Louisa Kiwana Olafuyi, Co-Founder of Kunda Kids , shares how she practices multifaceted representation and her mission to inspire children around the world with inclusive stories that celebrate diverse cultures - particularly African heritage. Kund...

What makes a successful unstructured play experience and how can unstructured play impact the future of EdTech? In today’s episode, Tanner Higgin shares how unstructured play can be integrated into education and EdTech. Play is a powerful force for learning and unstructured play is a type of play that gives players a system of tools that they can use to create their own experiences. Tanner sees pl...

Women have been underrepresented in STEM education and STEM careers for as long as STEM has existed. Why do we need more representation and why does that disparity continue to exist? How can we encourage more women to explore STEM careers? In this episode, Naomi Harm, CEO and Founder of Innovative Educator Consulting, discusses her decades long journey in bringing more representation to STEM educa...

Bop It…Twist It…Pull It! From the 90s and beyond, these sounds have been an integral part of many people's childhood. In today’s episode, Dan Klitsner, multi-award winning Toy Inventor and creator of Bop It, joins us to discuss leveraging tactile technology to transform play experiences.  How did the idea for Bop It evolve? As is the case with many inventions, success can come from failure. It all...

This episode was recorded in April 2023. In this episode, two very special guests from CodeCombat’s Live Online Classes, Ami and Luka, share their coding adventures together as instructor and student. These two have been coding together for years and have an inspiring teacher-student relationship. Luka describes his early experiences in coding and shares his thoughts on the most challenging parts...

Digital learning refers to the use of digital technologies to facilitate and enhance the educational process and is becoming increasingly popular given the advancement of technology and widespread reach of the internet. In this episode, Joel Kupperstein, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at Learning A-Z , discusses creating digital learning content that empowers educators with effective re...

“EdTech has this great potential if we design for inclusion of mind, if we involve users of diverse backgrounds in what we develop to create more equitable learning experiences.” - Christine Reich An important part of data equity is making sure that you have the data that you need to make equity-based decisions and to think about the design of the learning experience from a universal design standp...

Trigger Warning // death Please note that about 5 minutes into this conversation, Joshua describes his childhood experiences which includes mention of a friend’s death. Whether you're 12 years old or a high school student, it’s never too early to start preparing for college. In this episode, Joshua Samuel, CEO & Founder of Coins For College , shares how he’s found a way to convert a student’s...

Online learning is becoming increasingly popular and offers many benefits to learners. With online learning, the sky’s the limit - students can learn anytime, anywhere. In this episode, Ami Dave-Patel, discusses online learning and combining the power of gameplay and personalized instruction for long-term student success.  As a seasoned Online Instruction Manager for CodeCombat Live Online Classes...

Career Technical Education (CTE) prepares students to become lifelong learners and provides them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their future careers. In this episode, Pat Keeney, CTE Champion at McGraw Hill, shares his experience in the world of Career Technical Education and how this field can help students transform their interests into viable careers. In this conversation...

How can we make education affordable for more students? Can we transform the admissions process to increase enrollment? What are some ways that we can unlock financial support for students? Alyse Maslonik, CEO & Founder of RedefinED Advisors LLC , is on a mission to improve the educational system for children in need by leveraging technology to help underserved students find the education they...

In today’s technology landscape, how can we build tools that help students master their literacy skills? Literacy is more than just reading and writing. It is using reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in understanding and communicating with the world around us. In this episode, Matthew Mugo Fields, President of Heinemann , explains how he has used innovative EdTech techniques to suppor...

Special Olympics is a global movement to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people. By leveraging the power of sports, Special Olympics helps people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills, and success. Through its Young Athletes program, Special Olympics has been delivering life-changing impact with intervention through devel...

What’s the teacher student relationship like when someone’s learning how to code? In today’s episode, Matthew and Carson discuss their experiences working together when learning how to code. Matthew is a student in CodeCombat’s Live Online Classes , where he receives personalized one-on-one education through structured coding curriculum. As an Instructor with CodeCombat’s Live Online Classes, Cars...

Creative coding utilizes code and programming as a form of creative expression. Coding can be your art toolkit, creating works of art like visual art, interactive games or films, immersive experiences, and data visualizations. There is no limit to what can be expressed with code! In this episode, Kofi Oduro ( Illestpreacha ) describes his experiences as a creative coder, merging artistic expressio...

How can technology improve the college admissions process? For David Hurwitt, CEO & Founder at Troove , this meant leveraging artificial intelligence to help people find their passion, people, and place. David Hurwitt founded Troove, an AI powered platform that helps students discover their best college fit based on the experiences of recent alumni and current higher education students. Troove...

Data privacy is the process of protecting data from unauthorized access or use and can help protect against cyber-attacks, data theft, and other malicious activities. In this episode, Jen Langdon, Education Program Coordinator at the National Cryptologic Foundation, discusses the topic of data privacy and how to introduce this concept to students. Jen describes how a passion for educating others l...

Nick Gross, Founder of Find Your Grind , discusses how we can tap into student passions to encourage self-discovery and improve the education experience. In this episode, Nick shares how an early talent and passion for a career in music led him to found Find Your Grind, a Gen Z focused learning and self discovery platform that seeks to provide students with the tools and confidence to be future re...

Professional development for computer science education empowers teachers to learn the necessary skills to effectively teach computer science. In this episode, our guest Elizabeth Bacon, Director of Pedagogy at CoderZ, explores the complex world of professional development for CS education. In this conversation, Elizabeth explains some of the strategies for developing effective professional develo...

From building chemical compounds to designing Martian robots, spatial cognitive skills are a crucial part of many STEM careers. Our guest Scott Traylor, President of the Children’s Media Association (Bay Area Chapter), discusses how we can foster spatial skills in young kids and adults too!

Whether it’s robotics, drones, or coding, how can we use EdTech tools to engage underserved communities so that they can see themselves in STEM careers? Join us and our guest Ms. Robotics, STEM Consultant, in discussing strategies for using EdTech tools to excite, inspire, and motivate all children in STEM education.