Coffee With A Geek Podcast

Great edtech interviews and commentary over a good cup of coffee... Coffee optional. This week I interview Joie Laykoff from Fusion Academy. A little bit about Joie in her own words: Passionate about revolutionizing education, Joie is the Senior Director of Teaching and Learning at Fusion Education Group (FEG), which provides highly personalized education across 80 campuses and an online program....

Tola has an extensive background in both private and public sector financial institutions. He has decided to bring this financial knowledge into education where he can guide students to make future focused financial decisions to empower their future. A little about Tola in his own words: "Tola Atewologun is an educator who has taught in a wide range of high school settings, including independ...

Great edtech interviews and commentary over a good cup of coffee... Coffee optional. Like many guests I came across Dr. Dickenson's work through Youtube and Instagram. She has a wide body of work within the edtech community. She's an author, content creator, and college lel educator. Her thoughts on education and the explosion of A.I. are forward thinking and innovative. A little about Pat...

I'm old enough to remember the joy of having a full set of encyclopedias to enjoy and look up information. Of course those types of resources are a thing of the past and were replaced by online Encyclopedias, search engines, and now A.I.Within this new landscape, Jan van der Crabben has created a valuable Web Encyclopedia. that has the trusted information you would expect in a new easy to navi...

I've come across Rae's ideas and work primarily through Instagram. She offers teachers great ideas to improve their teaching, .learning and mindset. A little about Rae in her own words: Rae Hughart is an educator, author, TEDx speaker, and the founder of Teachers Deserve It (TDI), a platform dedicated to empowering teachers with efficient, effective, and sustainable teaching practices. With a back...

I recently had a wonderful conversation with musician and innovator Patrick Boylan.  Patrick is developing a new music learning app called, MuseFlow.  Our conversation steered into a variety of themes from the importance of music education and learning engagement. A little about Patrick in his own words:  P atrick Boylan is a skilled multi-instrumentalist with a deep passion for self-education. De...

Great edtech interviews and commentary over a good cup of coffee... Coffee optional. For the first interview of 2025 I invited Mary Beth Hertz to discuss her teaching, her book, and her latest projects. A little about Mary Beth in her own words: Mary Beth Hertz has taught young people in Philadelphia since 2003 and has been at the forefront of educational technology. She is the author of Digital a...

In this important interview I wanted to touch base with Dr. Weiner to get his research based observations regarding Marijuana in specifically when it comes to teenagers. A little bit about Aaron in his own words. " Dr. Aaron Weiner is a board-certified Psychologist and addiction specialist, and speaks nationally on the topics of addiction, behavioral health, and the impact of drug policy on p...

I had a great opportunity to interview the dynamic Priten Shah.  Priten's new book,  AI and the Future of Education  is timely and fascinating.  I really enjoyed learning about Priten's background, insights, and thoughts on education.  A little about Priten in his own words:  " Priten Shah is an education entrepreneur and the author of *AI & The Future of Education: Teaching in th...

Wakelet is my favorite curating site for education links and materials. It's easy to use and dynamic. Also it allows for connecting with educators from across the world to share resources and ideas. Anna Dyagpleva has been a great teacher to follow on Wakelet because she is well organized and provides up to date and relevant resources. I've also started following her on X. She is always pr...

After some time to focus on a new job, the Coffee with a Geek show makes a comeback with special guest Alana Winnick. I've gotten to know Alana over the years through NYSCATE. Alana has a wide breadth of experience and knowledge that make her an ideal candidate to talk Edtech in 2024. Alana's new book explores Generative A.I. which is a fabulous guide to learn about A.I. specially for educ...

Episode Website: HERE My first interview with an Educator from the great state of Wisconsin. Tony has had a variety to roles in education and discusses his ideas for Edtech from a variety of perspectives. A little about Tony in his own words: Tony Spence joined the Waterford Graded School District as the Superintendent in July 2022. Waterford Graded is a K-8 district in Wisconsin with more than 1,...

I had a really great conversation with Texas powerhouse educator and administrator Sylvia Escobar.  A little about Sylvia in her own words. Sylvia Escobar was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. She has a BS in Biology, MS in Computer Science, MEd in Educational Leadership, and is currently working on a Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a focus on STEM. Serving twenty-three yea...

Mary is an innovative and creative teacher. She will share her teaching insights as well as discuss her new book. Artificial Intelligence to Streamline Your Teacher Life HERE h ttps://www.coffeewithageek.org

Educator Nick Fargnoli and Administrator Margie Wright have been using their podcast and blog, Toasted to inspire people to challenge themselves to work through failure to achieve successful outcomes. Each episode takes a deep dive into using failure as a Superpower. A Little about Margie: Rochester, NY native who subscribes to astrology as a science, loves a great story, is a creative soul, proud...

What an amazing educator to start my 2023 interview season off.  Therese Willkomm is an incredible educator who helps people by creating Assistive Technology tools to help improve their lives.  She uses everyday materials from old election signs to velcro. A little about Therese in her own words:  "As you know 85% of assistive technology does not involve an electronic device. My new...

So grateful to have social media guru Jordan Villanueva join me for a conversation about how to use the power of technology to promote ideas and empower opportunities.  She is a true wealth of insight and knowledge about creating quick videos to express both big ideas and useful ideas.  Make sure you check her out on all of her social media platforms.  You'll thank me! Connect with...

Nef Dukes is an artist, teacher, and videographer!  I came across Nef's work virtually through her Screencastify job.  She creates fantastic, easy to understand, videos on how to use Screencastify for amazing education based projects.  She's a wealth of information and a fascinating person. A little about Nef in her own words:  "Nefertiti Dukes is a former humanities teacher. A...

Most times my guests come from my Twitter Feed. My guest this week is no different, however, I thought I would take a little different spin this time. Instead of an " in the trenches " educator, I thought it would be helpful to get some insight from someone within the Technology sphere. Lise Rasmussen is a Cloud Solution Architect with Microsoft. Also, she hosts the WITGirls Podcast. (Women in Tec...

I came across Cristen in one of the Adobe courses about Creativity. Cristen offered a lot of great tips and ideas on how to embed creativity into your lessons and projects. I reached out via Twitter and she responded right away and was gracious enough to chat with me about creativity, her experiences in education, and her ideas for improving pedagogy. She has an incredible breadth of experiences a...

As many of you know, I've been fascinated with the potential of Virtual Worlds for educational purposes.  Once a proud member of ISTE's Virtual Environments Network PLN (PLN no longer exists!) I have been an advocate for virtual environment possibilities.  As of yet, there has been limited progress towards moving forward on a large scale.  Recently there has been renewed interest in...

I had a fantastic interview with Math Teacher Melissa Dean.  I came across Melissa on Twitter, when one of her former students Tweeted about how much Melissa inspired her.  Twitter can still offer positive feedback so I thought it was worth checking out Melissa's Twitter Feed.  I wasn't disappointed.  Melissa is a powerhouse classroom teacher but also is a Podcaster, blogger, a...

I'm so honored to have Silky Vyas as my first guest of the 2022 year.  I've been following Silky for a long time on Twitter and she shares fantastic ideas and resources.  Her background is incredibly extensive so it was a real challenge to keep my interview under 30 minutes.  However, she has a great way of crystallizing big topics into more manageable parts.   An asset fo...

This month's guest comes from across the Atlantic Ocean! Al Kingsley ( https://alkingsley.com/ ) offers some of his amazing insight into his 30 year journey of Edtech expertise. In this episode, I ask Al about his vast experience, his recent presentation at the NYSCATE 21 Conference, and his new book, " My Secret #EdTech Diary ". Al's insight carries across the miles and translates into almost any...

It's a huge honor and a pleasure to interview a longtime friend Jim Manly, the Superintendent of Kipp NYC.  Jim and I grew up together in Fredonia New York, and after high school we went our separate ways.  Both of us took a circuitous route to education.  This is a great way to connect across the miles! Jim was featured in the 2010 movie, The Lottery when he was a Principal for a S...