Edtech Insiders

Send us Fan Mail Mindy Sjoblom is the Founder and CEO of OnYourMark , a research-backed virtual tutoring organization serving thousands of elementary students nationwide. Catherine Tierney is Head of Product and Program at OnYourMark, bringing deep experience from Match Education, MyCoach, and ThinkCERCA to the design of human-centered, evidence-based learning technology. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they explore the latest developments in education technology, from OpenAI’s push into interactive learning to new research on AI efficacy, growing AI backlash, and rising cybersecurity threats in K–12 schools. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:05:30] OpenAI launches a new suite of 70+ interactive science and math learning experiences built on cog...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Rachel Book is an education leader at Lincoln Learning Solutions with over 20 years of experience in early childhood and student development. Charlie Thayer , Chief Academic Officer, brings 15+ years in online and blended learning, specializing in scalable, instructionally sound solutions. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: The difference between generic AI tools and pu...

Send us Fan Mail Josh Jones is the CEO of QuantHub , an edtech and workforce company advancing data and AI literacy across K–12, higher education, government, and enterprise. A serial entrepreneur and former data science consultant, Josh has spent decades helping organizations adapt to rapid technological change. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why AI education should focus on durable sk...

Send us Fan Mail Dean Celaj is the Founder and CEO of GoTeacher , a platform helping school districts understand, manage, and enforce student data privacy. Previously, he founded Akademi.al, an education platform used by over 90% of students in Albania during COVID, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode Why most school districts are technically out of compli...

Send us Fan Mail Join Ben Kornell and guest host Matt Tower as they break down the biggest stories shaping K–12 policy, AI in education, edtech funding, and emerging school models. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:02:55] FBI raids LAUSD headquarters and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s home, raising questions about federal investigations and possible ties to the AllHere scandal [00:06:07] The hosts unp...

Send us Fan Mail Greg Hart is the CEO of Coursera , bringing 25+ years of leadership and technology innovation from Amazon, where he helped develop Alexa and expand Prime Video globally. At Coursera, he leads the company’s mission to make learning more engaging, skills-focused, and accessible worldwide. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why skills are becoming the “atomic unit” of modern e...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Ben Kornell and guest host Peter Stiepleman , host of The Imperfect Leader , as they explore AI in schools, screen-time policy, math reform, higher ed disruption, and the future of assessment integrity. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] Peter Stiepleman on leading with “ed, not tech” when implementing AI in schools [00:06:33] Seattle-area student walkout over ChatGPT ac...

Send us Fan Mail Priyank Chodisetti is the Co-founder and CEO of Workback.ai , an AI-powered platform helping edtech organizations achieve accessibility compliance faster and at scale. A repeat founder and former engineering leader at Coursera, Priyank brings firsthand experience navigating the complexity of WCAG standards and ADA requirements. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode Why ADA Titl...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Kathy Weston is one of the leading national experts on parenting, family life and parental engagement in children's lives. In 2018, she established Tooled Up Education , a holistic bank of evidence-based resources for whole-school communities. Tooled Up supports 166 schools in 8 countries, delivering bespoke CPD for educators as well as 'on tap' resource support...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they unpack a fast-moving week in education. From AI-native curriculum battles and literacy leadership shifts to voucher surges and national AI pilots reshaping special education.  ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:48] ASU+GSV preview and the expanding global EdTech ecosystem [00:06:25] The 2026 EdTech AI Map launches with 240+ companies [00:0...

Send us Fan Mail As CEO of ISTE+ASCD , Richard Culatta focuses on shaping innovative learning leaders. He previously served as Rhode Island's Chief Innovation Officer and was appointed by President Obama to lead the US Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology. His book, Digital for Good, helps create conditions for healthy tech use. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Epis...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin, joined by special co-host Mike Palmer , host of Trending in Ed , as they break down the biggest stories shaping AI, K–12 policy, higher education, and the global future of education. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:34] SchoolAI study shows teachers using AI for reasoning and inquiry [00:09:58] Denver Public Schools blocks ChatGPT over safety a...

Send us Fan Mail Shangyup Kim is the CEO of ZEP QUIZ , the metaverse-based gamified K-12 learning platform. Built AI-driven tools that help teachers motivate students at scale and is expanding across Asia and the U.S. As a former ZEPETO leader, focusing on gamification, futuristic change, and education. Formerly built two Series B companies. Jangwoo Bae is the business developer of ZEP QUIZ, a for...

Send us Fan Mail John Gamba is Entrepreneur in Residence at Catalyst @ Penn GSE , where he mentors education entrepreneurs and leads the Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition. Over 17 years, the competition has awarded $2M to ventures that have gone on to raise more than $200M in follow-on funding, with a strong focus on equity and research-to-practice impact. The 2026 Milken-Penn GS...

Send us Fan Mail Nicole Jarbo is the CEO of 4.0 Schools , one of the nation’s leading platforms for early-stage education founders. A former KIPP teacher, Teach For America Corps member, and fintech founder, Nicole brings deep experience across classrooms, startups, philanthropy, and systems-level education change. She is also the host of the award-winning podcast Pitch Playground . 💡 5 Things Yo...

Send us Fan Mail Dora Palfi is the Co-founder and CEO of imagi , an edtech company reimagining computer science education through creative coding and AI. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Dora has a background in neuroscience, human-computer interaction, and technology, and is a passionate advocate for equitable access to future-ready skills. Special note: Free access to the Lovable × imagi collaborat...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they kick off 2026 with a wide-ranging Week in EdTech conversation covering tech backlash, AI in education, market consolidation, consumer learning tools, and major voices shaping the future of teaching and learning. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] Growing tech backlash around screen time, phone bans, and distrust of edtech. [00:03:55] P...

Send us Fan Mail Jamie Rosenberg is the Founder and Executive Chairman of ClassWallet , a fintech platform modernizing how public education funds are distributed to schools and families. A longtime social impact entrepreneur, he previously founded AdoptAClassroom.org and has spent over two decades focused on getting dollars closer to students. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode Why education...

Send us Fan Mail Henry Motte de la Motte is the Founder and CEO of EDGE Tutor , a global tutor outsourcing company supporting over 50 leading education and training organizations. Under his leadership, EDGE Tutor has scaled to 1,000+ teachers across 30+ countries, delivering millions of live tutoring sessions with a focus on quality, reliability, and human-centered learning. 💡 5 Things You’ll Lea...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of our year-end reflections, Alex speaks with educators, founders, investors, and platform leaders about what 2026 may bring for AI and learning at scale. 🎙️ Featuring insights from: Shantanu Sinha , VP & GM, Google for Education Katie Kurtz , Managing Director & Global Head of Youth & Learning, YouTube Amit Patel , Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Owl Vent...

Send us Fan Mail Nolan Bushnell is the founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese and is widely known as the father of the video game industry. Dr. Leah Hanes is the CEO of ExoDexa , co-author of the ExoDexa Manifesto, and leads the Two Bit Circus Foundation, where she has impacted over 460,000 students through game-based and project-based learning. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why traditio...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin, Ben Kornell, Michael Horn and Dhawal Shah as they break down major moves in online learning, AI, and higher education shaping the end of 2025. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] Coursera and Udemy announce a $2.5B all-stock merger forming a 175M-learner platform [00:00:30] Michael Horn on Coursera’s growing leverage over university partners [00:02:08] Ben Ko...

Send us Fan Mail 2025 was a defining year for AI in education. From rapid adoption to rising educator confidence and growing questions about what comes next. In Part 1 of our year-end reflections and predictions, Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell revisit their 2025 reflections and look ahead to what 2026 may bring for EdTech, AI, and the future of learning. 🎙️ Featuring insights from: Tom Vander Ark , F...

Send us Fan Mail Rene Kizilcec is an Associate Professor at Cornell University, where he directs the Cornell Future of Learning Lab and leads the National Tutoring Observatory . His research focuses on learning science, AI in education, and the behavioral and computational factors that shape student success. His work has appeared in Science , PNAS , and other top journals. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn...