Focus on EDU: EdTech and The Education Experience

Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey are two kindergarten teachers (and authors) from opposite ends of the country whose classes collaborate on a daily basis. The mindset of Innovating Play was born from the idea that it is possible to protect and nurture best practices in early childhood education, while expanding opportunities for appropriate connection and discovery through technology. They are g...

Christopher Turner is an educator, esports coach, program director, and more. He is plugged into the esports community from elementary school to graduate school and beyond. Today we dive into a great discussion around what esports looks like at different levels and what folks should do if they are looking to become part of this great community and build their own program!   Thanks for joining...

People flock to edtech conferences year after year, but does anyone really know what goes into a successful show? Jennifer Womble certainly does. As the Program Chair for FETC (the Future of Education Technology Conference), Jennifer gives us a little taste of what goes on behind the scenes. She also shares what her favorite part of the conference is, what we can do to prepare, and what we might e...

K-12 esports are on the rise! Today, we talk with coach, leader, and esports pioneer, Chris Aviles of Garden State Esports, about the 4 Cs of esports. While competitive gaming is becoming more and more popular throughout the world, it's important to reflect on how we must remain focused on our students and the different benefits they can get from these programs. Chris dives in to tell us about wha...

As educators, we are responsible for much more than facts on a page and standards. In light of the shared experience of living through a pandemic, there has been a renewed focus on the concept of social-emotional learning. Today I talk with the eTwinz, Mario and Alberto Herraez, educators from Spain that are currently living and teaching in Utah. We talk about checking in on students' emotional st...

Gamification, game-based learning, and competitive gaming are all popular in education right now. Today, I talk with Glen Irvin Flores about his experiences with game-based learning and how it can be so powerful in the classroom. As an instructional technology coach and former teacher, Glen has experienced the hands-on approach of applying game-based learning in the classroom, but also the coachin...

As students, educators, and leaders across the country work together to reshape education, standard district practices like hiring, promotion, and growth continue. Today, I talk with Dr. Natasha Rachell of Atlanta Public Schools about being a new instructional technology director at such a pivotal time. We address what folks are focusing on, the stigma around learning loss, and much more! Thanks f...

It's no secret that silos exist in education. While they may materialize in individual departments, between schools, within districts, and among states, Vriti Saraf is ready to bring the world's educators together to truly learn, grow, and collaborate together. We discuss examples of amazing schools and programs from around the world, the value of no-code tools, why it's important to bring folks t...

While many edtech tools were integrated into school and district digital learning ecosystems in the last year, many are now being re-evaluated. Today, I talk with Joe Marquez, Director of Academic Innovation for CUE, about why it's important to sort our education tools as game changers or life savers! Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed...

Over the last decade, connectivity has gone from a "nice to have" to a "need to have". This is especially true as our schools and the families they support navigate a third school year impacted by a pandemic. Join me in a conversation with the CIO of the Georgia Department of Education, Dr. Keith Osburn, and the CIO of Fulton County Schools in Georgia, Dr. Emily Bell. Learn about the challenges an...

When you're one of the leaders that sets the vision for one of the nation's largest school districts, it has to be clear and it has to scale. For Miami-Dade County Public Schools, this means over 400 schools and more than 350,000 students. Marie Izquierdo started as a student in the district and has worked her way up to being the Chief Strategy Officer. Marie and I talked about the vision for educ...

As esports continues to grow in the K-12 space, district leaders like Bradford Harris from Texas, continue to lead the way and blaze a trail for others looking to build their program. Join us for this conversations where we cover the idea that not all successful esports programs will look the same, where knowledge of games falls in order of importance, and a few other things you need to know if yo...

There are so many incredible leaders in education today and Dr. Ashley Kennedy, the Director of Instruction and Innovative Practice for Cobb County Schools in Georgia, is a people leader on the rise! In this episode of Focus on K-12, we discuss leading with a student-centered vision by staying close to the classroom, using research-based practices for learning and engagement, and generational chan...

Today on Focus on K-12, I talk to the Chief Information Officer for Fulton County Schools, Dr. Emily Bell, about how we've been moving "from bricks to clicks" in education. When making the move to digital instruction and digital resources, in addition to pedagogical shifts, we've got to make sure we keeping an eye on security and where our data is headed. We tackle the balances between 1) cybersec...

Instructional coaching has become more and prevalent in school districts around the country as district and school leaders look to reflect on and improve their pedagogical practices, technology integration, and invest in the growth of their staff for the benefit of the students. Today, I talk to STEM/Instructional Coach and one of EdTech's 30 K-12 Influencers of 2021, Victoria Thompson. She takes...

Sometimes we find great opportunities for engagement with EdTech in places we wouldn't expect. Today, Rachelle Dene Poth talks through some ways she's been able to infuse her World Languages classroom with edtech tools and innovative lessons. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for futur...

As we continue to learn, grow, and take on new roles in education, we need to make sure we've got our own systems of support in place to keep pushing us, help us problem-solve, give us honest feedback, and lend an ear when we need someone. Today, I talk to the Chief Technology Officer of Wake County Public School System, Marlo Gaddis, about the role that her support system plays in her life as she...

As we navigate the transition back to "normal" in education, there are things that have shifted that we don't want to see return to the way we've always done them. We need to maintain some of this momentum to push forward and embrace the paradigm shift. In Metro Nashville Public Schools, Dr. Lakisha Brinson is helping lead the way as their Director of Instructional Technology and Library Services....

Today's episode is (appropriately) a collaboration between Lemonade Learning and Focus on K-12. Lainie Rowell and Brianna Hodges join me as we discuss collaboration. Adults are expected to collaborate on almost everything they do at work, but unless it's specifically noted on an assignment that students should collaborate, it's considered cheating when they do. We also touch on a few other element...

Disruption comes with the opportunity to reinvent existing processes and systems. For educators, this year has been one of constant and pervasive disruption of almost every aspect of their journey through teaching and learning. Eric Sheninger and I discuss the impact and opportunity that exists today in our schools through the lens of his new book, Disruptive Thinking in our Classrooms ( #Disrupti...

Teachers and education leaders often talk about the lack of appropriate representation of students of color in their teachers and the school environment in general. Dr. Valerie Adams-Bass from the University of Virginia takes us through some ways we can address this problem in our schools, the role the media plays in the issue, and how teacher preparation programs play their part. Thanks for joini...

When things get busy in a school district, it's easy to reduce your work to checklists on a Post-It, canary yellow legal pad, or the latest to-do list app. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Neil Gupta, Director of Secondary Education for Worthington Schools in Ohio, about the importance of continuing to build experiences for our students and staff rather than settling for checkboxes. Thanks for joini...

So often in schools, our students and teachers want the many systems that we put in place and use on a daily basis to just WORK (as they should) and play nice in the sandbox with each other. Susan Bearden, the Director of Digital Programs for InnovateEDU, and I discuss this concept (interoperability) and how it impacts the world of education. InnovateEDU is a non-profit whose mission is to elimina...

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are global goals that we should all be working on to improve our planet. Dr. Jen Williams, educator, author, and co-founder of Take Action Global and TeachSDGs takes us through the 'why' behind these goals, some ways students are getting involved, and how we can get started with them in the classroom. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and...

Dr. Tracey Miller, Chief Academic Officer for Martin County School District, shares some nuggets of wisdom from MCSD's journey as they reopened schools back in August and have remained opened throughout the last 8 months. This is a thoughtful reflection from an amazing leader for school district leaders on the precipice of their reopening or those reflecting on their journey through reopening amid...