Edtech Insiders

Join host Ben Kornell as he speaks with edtech leaders about AI in English language teaching, the future of learning and work, and expanding access to computer science and AI literacy. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:10] Dr. Evelina Galaczi , Director of Research at Cambridge University Press & Assessment and Ana Petersen , a language educator in Florida on AI in English language teaching [00:19...

To celebrate 500 episodes of Edtech Insiders , Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell are joined by Reed Hastings for a special conversation about AI, education, and the future of learning. They explore the potential of AI-powered tutoring, the changing role of teachers, the future of assessment, and what schools could look like in the years ahead. Reed Hastings is the co-founder of Netflix and Chairman of P...

Dacia Toll is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Coursemojo , an AI teaching assistant designed to help students make meaningful reading gains. A former teacher and principal in New Haven and founder of Achievement First, Dacia brings a deep focus on instructional quality, student outcomes, and what it takes to improve learning at scale. Coursemojo has now expanded to more than 85 school districts, from...

George Siemens is a prominent learning theorist and digital education researcher serving as the Chief AI and Innovation Officer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) , he co-founded SNHU's AI-learning platform. He is widely known as the pioneer of the learning theory Connectivism and for creating the first Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is pa...

Jennie Magiera is the Global Head of Education Impact at Google , a bestselling author, and former teacher, coach, administrator, and professor. Chanel Johnson is an educator with 15+ years in K–12, STEM, and EdTech. She is a Google Certified AI Educator and Innovator and currently teaches 8th grade science. Hannah Ketteman is Senior Instructional Consultant for AI at Texas A&M University-Cent...

In this episode, Alex Sarlin speaks with leaders and finalists from the Global EdTech Prize about expanding access to education, supporting underserved learners, and using technology and AI to drive meaningful impact around the world. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How Edtech is expanding access for underserved and displaced learners.  New approaches to assessment, literacy, and learnin...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they interview leaders from Flint, AskSia, and 2U about AI literacy, personalized learning, responsible AI adoption, and the future of higher education. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:15] Sohan Choudhury , Founder of Flint , on AI literacy for teachers and responsible AI adoption in schools [00:15:10] Celine Xu , Co-founder and COO of AskSia , on personaliz...

This episode is produced in partnership with Microsoft. Deirdre Quarnstrom leads Microsoft ’s AI-enhanced learning product portfolio and strategy. She started her work in education bringing Minecraft Education to students and educators around the world. Deirdre also serves as a Director on the board of the Block by Block Foundation and is a founding partner and advisor at Reaction, a social impact...

Sal Khan is the founder and CEO of Khan Academy and Vision Steward and board member of TED, two global nonprofits that provide free education to 200+ million people worldwide. Sal is the author of The One World Schoolhouse and Brave New Words, and the co-author of Teaching Students to Use AI Ethically & Responsibly. His forthcoming book, Job Shock, examines how AI will transform the future of...

Dan Wang is the Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School and Co-founder of CAiSEY , a voice-first AI discussion platform that helps students develop critical thinking through conversation. Johanna Chouraqui leads instructor onboarding, user research, and operations at CAiSEY, bringing nearly a decade of experience in K-12 education and learning design. 💡 5 Things...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they break down the biggest stories shaping AI safety, tutoring research, equitable access to AI, and how educators are using AI in the classroom. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:07:16] AI safety concerns grow as Anthropic researchers and executives question the pace of frontier AI development [00:12:42] AI alignment, self-improvement, and multi-agent systems r...

Dr. Michael J. Sorrell is the longest-serving President in Paul Quinn College ’s 154-year history. A nationally recognized higher education leader, he has been named one of Fortune’s 50 Greatest Leaders and received numerous awards for his innovative leadership and commitment to students and communities. Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast Series...

Victoria Lansdown is the founder of North Star AI Enablement , helping schools, Edtech companies, and nonprofits adopt AI in practical, human-centered ways. A former educator, she has led AI-for-educators programs at Google and contributed to UNESCO’s AI competency framework discussions. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why effective AI adoption starts with a problem, not a tool . How edu...

Kristin Vincent is VP of Product at Learning Commons , where she leads teams focused on scaling proven teaching and learning practices. She has spent 20 years building Edtech products, including leadership roles at Pearson and K12.com/Strive. Brian Johnsrud , PhD is OpenAI ’s Global Head of Educational Engagement. A former K-12 teacher, college lecturer, and education technology researcher, he foc...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they unpack New York City and Los Angeles school AI restrictions, the launch of a new AI tutor from Aristotle, and how Salesforce is supporting educators, students, and career pathways in the AI era. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:57] AI, cognitive offloading, and the future of learning [00:06:21] New York City restricts student-facing AI tools in schools [...

Nils Gilman is Senior Advisor to the Berggruen Institute , an intellectual historian by training and a widely published essayist on the future of higher education and AI's impact on work and learning. His writing has appeared in Noema, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and many other venues. He holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph. D. from UC Berkeley. Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of...

Emily Freitag is Co-founder and CEO of Instruction Partners , a nonprofit focused on strengthening instructional leadership and support for educators. She previously served as Assistant Commissioner of Curriculum and Instruction for the Tennessee Department of Education and began her career as a seventh-grade math teacher in Louisiana. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: What 20 AI products...

Vinitra Swamy is the CEO and Co-founder of Scholé AI , a UC Berkeley and EPFL spinoff building AI-native learning for the future of work. A former Microsoft AI engineer and AI-for-education PhD, she focuses on bringing learning science, personalization, and AI together to transform adult learning. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How AI enables truly personalized learning. Why Scholé uses...

Paul LeBlanc is the former president of Southern New Hampshire University , the largest non-profit provider of online higher education in the country. His new book, Reclaiming Purpose: The University in an AI World , examines how higher education can respond proactively to leverage the rise of artificial intelligence and reconnect to its essential task of helping students discover lives of purpose...

Nir Zicherman is the CEO of Oboe . Oboe's mission is to teach one billion people one trillion things. In 2015, Nir co-founded Anchor, which grew to become the world's largest podcasting platform. After Spotify acquired Anchor in 2019, he led Spotify's expansion into audiobooks as VP of Audiobooks. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why AI should teach—not just answer ques...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down new federal guidance on edtech evidence and efficacy, the growing backlash against AI and big tech in schools, Harvard's AI faculty avatars, and MIT's evolving approach to teaching and learning in the AI era. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:04:47] U.S. Department of Education issues edtech evidence guidance [00:14:21] AI tutoring resea...

Dr. Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich founded Newstate University in 2026, bringing 20+ years of education leadership from executive roles at SkillsWave, Pearson, LSU and SNHU. She holds a PhD from Kent State and authored "The Power Worker" and "How to Grow Enrollment in Online Higher Education." Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast S...

Aneesh Sohoni is CEO of Teach For America and a former high school English teacher and TFA corps member. He has also led TFA Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana and One Million Degrees. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why leadership matters more than technology in education. How teachers can build practical AI fluency. Teach For America’s 4 Ds framework for using AI. Why AI can’t repla...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down the biggest stories shaping AI, Edtech investment, the growing tech backlash, and the future of assessment. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:05:47] ChatGPT for Teens introduces new safety and learning features [00:11:29] Generalized AI models raise new challenges for Edtech companies [00:13:47] OpenAI partners with CodeAI on AI learning and youth...

Tony Wan is Head of Platform at Reach Capital and co-founder and former managing editor of EdSurge . Betsy Corcoran is a writer, speaker, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of EdSurge who explores AI and learning through her work and podcast, Future Fluent . 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How EdSurge helped shape the early edtech ecosystem. Why edtech needs more honest and nuanced stor...