No Such Thing: Education in the Digital Age

Mike Taubman is a lifelong educator working at the intersection of AI literacy, career‑connected learning, purpose development, and moral inquiry — all in service of helping students flourish in a rapidly evolving world. As a teacher he is currently expanding his purpose development and career-connected learning program for upperclassmen into an Innovation Studio at Uncommon Schools that will expl...

Dr. Katie Brown has spent nearly three decades leveraging the science behind high-impact language instruction to create scalable, sustainable English learning solutions. As founder and chief education officer of EnGen, a Certified B Corporation, she is pioneering a personalized, career-aligned, mobile-first approach to English upskilling and is engaging cross-sector partners – Fortune 500 companie...

Tracy Fullerton, M.F.A. is an experimental game designer, professor and director emeritus of the USC Games program. Her research center, the Game Innovation Lab , has produced several influential independent games, including Cloud, flOw, Darfur is Dying, The Night Journey, with artist Bill Viola and Walden, a game, a simulation of Henry David Thoreau’s experiment at Walden Pond which was named “Ga...

Sangita Shresthova, PhD is a multilingual scholar specializing in civic participation, popular culture, and the intersections of digital media and intercultural communication. She leads a range of projects examining civic engagement in both digital and physical spaces. Shresthova’s expertise in designing and executing complex qualitative research is exemplified by her leadership in a multi-year st...

Desmond Patton is the 31st PIK University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint appointments in the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication, where he is the Waldo E Johnson Jr. Professor of Communication. He also holds secondary appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Perelman School of Me...

Vanessa Chang builds communities and conversations about art, technology, people, and planet. She writes, curates, and teaches about new and old media, the history and philosophy of technology, design, disability and creative access, cities, comics, animation, circuses, and more.    She is Director of Programs at Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology...

Tinsley Galyean , Author of Reframe is a technologist, designer, and co-founder of Curious Learning, a global nonprofit dedicated to eradicating illiteracy. He holds a PhD from the MIT Media Lab and works at the intersection of education, storytelling, and digital innovation, creating interactive experiences for museums and programing for networks like Discovery Kids, Disney, and Warner Bros. Unde...

Matt Dalio is the founder of Endless, a visionary initiative dedicated to empowering youth to become creators of technology rather than passive consumers. His work spans three pillars: Endless Studios, a youth game-making studio; Endless Access, which tackles device affordability and connectivity; and Endless OS, an education-focused operating system designed to teach coding and digital skills thr...

Dr. Julia Stoyanovich is Institute Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Associate Professor of Data Science, Director of the Center for Responsible AI, and member of the Visualization and Data Analytics Research Center at New York University. She is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and a Senior member of the Association of...

Guest Diane Levitt shares how Cornell Tech, in collaboration with the City of New York, is reimagining computer science education through an equity-first approach. From pilot programs that stumble to systems that scale, this episode explores how institutional iteration—especially when it fails—can lead to more inclusive and impactful CS learning. Links: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/202...

In this episode of No Such Thing , I talk with Laura Slover, Managing Director of the Skills for the Future initiative—a joint effort by ETS and the Carnegie Foundation. We explore what it means to move beyond the century-old Carnegie Unit and toward a system that captures the full spectrum of what learners know and can do. From internships to outdoor leadership, from dashboards to transcripts tha...

Exploring how simulations are shaping education research and practice, with insights from the book Promoting Equity through Approximations of Practice in Mathematics Education . It examines how approximations of practice can help educators sharpen their skills while keeping equity at the forefront. It’s not just about improving instruction; it’s about ensuring that all students, regardless of back...

For decades, the conversation around youth and technology has been dominated by powerful voices—media, researchers, and word-of-mouth warnings—painting a picture of digital tools as the looming threat to young people’s well-being. But what if that narrative isn’t the whole story? What if, instead, we favored the spectrum of possibilities in the digital present and future, instead of a good or evil...

Roderic Crooks is an associate professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. His research examines how the use of digital technology by public institutions contributes to the minoritization of working-class communities of color. His current project explores how community organizers in working-class communities of color use data for activist projects, even as t...

Sylvia Martinez was an aerospace engineer before becoming an educational software producer and vice president of a video game company. She spent a decade as the President of Generation YES, the groundbreaking non-profit that provides educators with the tools necessary to place students in leadership roles in their schools and communities. In addition to leading workshops, Sylvia delights and chall...

Dave Edwards, PhD (ABD), MAT, is a queer person and career educator who has served in almost every role in preK-12th grade school communities.  After getting started as a special education paraprofessional in an Autism classroom in Saint Paul Public Schools, he served as a special education teacher, middle/high school classroom teacher, special education coordinator, Dean of Students, and Ass...

Moombix is an all-in-one solution for online music education that includes a vigorous marketplace with profiles for each teacher, a booking and payment system, a timeline that charts all communications and shared files, a calendar, lesson-planner and a learning platform that is tailored for the online lessons with all the basic tools within reach. Margret Juliana is an Icelandic serial entrepreneu...

Laylah Bulman (she/her) Laylah Bulman is a passionate advocate for immersive, inclusive game-based learning for all students. As Executive Producer for Minecraft: Education Edition, she leads strategy and content for computer science, cybersecurity and esports, producing leading learning experiences for students around the world, such as Minecraft’s Hour of Code. Laylah spearheaded the creation of...

After growing up with severe anxiety and firsthand experiencing the lack of mental health resources in schools, Tessa (she/her) founded Upstream Education to ensure teachers have the tools to help their students manage anxiety and foster well-being. She received a B.S. in Social Entrepreneurship from the Watson Institute at Lynn University. Tessa also holds a 200 hour yoga teacher certificate from...

Barry F. Malkin is the Chief Executive Officer of Carnegie Learning . An active operator, investor, and advisor to the educational services sector for over 25 years, Barry took on the role of CEO in 2015. Prior to Carnegie Learning, he was Head of Corporate Development and Strategy at Apollo Education Group, leading corporate development and strategy for one of the world’s largest educational serv...

Read the report: AI in Professional Learning: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges for Educators Brendon Krall is a Research Project Manager at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, where he assists the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL). Prior to joining Annenberg, Brendon worked as a research assistant for Dr. Stephen Raudenbush, at the Behavioral Insights and Parent...

Dr. Chris Emdin (he/him) Dr. Christopher Emdin is the Maxine Greene Chair for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Professor of Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is also the  Director of Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship At the STEAM DREAM and Ideal Lab. Sam Seidel (he/him) Sam Seidel has taught in a variety of settings, from first grade to commu...

Dan White believes that good gameplay and good learning are complementary rather than oppositional forces. An alumnus of Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Dan earned an M.S. in Education Technology under seminal learning game scholars Drs. Kurt Squire and James Paul Gee. Prior to founding Filament, Dan worked as a teacher, an instructional designer, and a game developer...

Mike Flanagan is the CEO of the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC), a growing group of high schools creating a digital high school transcript that opens up opportunity for each and every student — from all backgrounds, locations, and types of schools — to have their unique strengths, abilities, interests, and histories fostered, understood, and celebrated. Mike oversaw the design and development...

Louisa Rosenheck is a thought leader in the ed tech field, with a passion for game-based learning and playful pedagogies. She works to promote deeper learning through designing playful experiences, developing creative ways to assess learning, and building capacity in other organizations to implement innovative digital learning and curriculum in their own contexts. She is a co-author of the book Re...