Josh Ochs

Smart Social Podcast: Keeping students safe so they can Shine Online

Kids EN ↓ 600 episodes

The Smart Social Team teaches parents, educators, and students how to stay safe on social media so they can Shine Online. We show you how to audit your Google results and use your social media accounts as a portfolio of positive accomplishments. We keep it tactical and practical with tips you can use to better understand how to navigate the digital world as a parent, student, and educator. Learn more at SmartSocial.com

Author

Josh Ochs

Episodes

"The human interactions are really the critical pieces that can't fully be replaced" with Ruben Aurelio 29.06.2026 24:12

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Superintendent Rubén Aurelio of Vallejo City Unified School District in California’s Bay Area about helping students rebuild connection, use AI resp...

"We can't be afraid to ask the questions because that's what starts dialogue" with Dr. Thomas Toohey 23.06.2026 21:43

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Thomas Toohey, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Special Services in Edison Township Public Schools in New Jersey, about helping students build...

"AI can help us increase the critical thinking and decision-making of a student" with Rory Gesch 11.06.2026 27:49

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Rory Gesch, Deputy Superintendent of Alvin Independent School District just south of Houston (serving about 30,000 students across nearly 40 campuse...

"Screen time does not equal learning time" with Dr. Brian Beckley 10.06.2026 23:55

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Brian Beckley, Chief Information Officer for Everett Public Schools (just north of Seattle, serving about 20,000 students across 28 schools), ab...

"Don't just give them a test at the end of the school year" with Tom Horne, J.D. 03.06.2026 14:01

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: On this episode of the SmartSocial.com Podcast, Josh Ochs sits down with Tom Horne, J.D., Arizona’s State Superintendent of Schools, to talk about what school safety looks like right now and what leaders can do that...

"AI should not replace your critical thinking skills"- with Christine Mai & Brett Stidham 03.06.2026 0:26

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Brett Stidham (Enterprise Innovation Strategist) and Christine Mai (AI Initiatives Lead) from Houston Independent School District about what respons...

“We see a lot of stress and anxiety that's brought forth by screen time” with David Wildy 01.06.2026 21:26

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with CTO David Wildy of Dublin Unified School District (about 12,790 students across 14 school sites) about what school leaders are seeing as screen time...

"Make sure that we do not lose the human aspect when talking about AI" -Dr. Dionel Waters 20.05.2026 22:30

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Dionel Waters, Executive Director for IDEA Public Schools Dallas–Fort Worth, about why AI conversations with students have to stay grounde...

"We have to make sure that we do not lose the human aspect when talking about AI" -Dr. Dionel Waters 19.05.2026 22:30

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Dionel Waters, Executive Director for IDEA Public Schools Dallas–Fort Worth, about why AI conversations with students have to stay grounded in r...

"The better we can prepare our students, the more successful they're going to adapt" - Dr. Adam Clark 13.05.2026 24:41

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Adam Clark, Superintendent of Mount Diablo Unified School District (29,000 students across 55 schools), about the mental health realities school...

"We have to be more cognizant about building real world Relationships" with Dr. David Cintron 11.05.2026 24:12

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. David Cintron, Superintendent of NYC Public Schools District 14 in Brooklyn (26 schools serving about 11,000 students), about the digital challe...

“Children need to develop their skills, and hopefully AI will not hinder that" -Torrance Lewis 28.04.2026 29:30

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Torrance Lewis, Assistant Superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools in Lincoln, Massachusetts, serving about 1,000 students across two campuses, incl...

"Our students need to be very adaptable" with Shaney Valencia 23.04.2026 26:51

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Shaney Valencia from Irvine Unified School District, Director of Learning Design, Differentiation, & AI Integration, about what it means for student...

"We have to make tough decisions to protect our kids" with Dr. James Soltis 09.04.2026 25:45

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Dylan Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning in Oldham County Schools (Kentucky), about what ethical AI use really looks like for...

"AI is just a helper in a process" with Dr. Dylan Smith 01.04.2026 22:13

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Dylan Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning in Oldham County Schools (Kentucky), about what ethical AI use really looks lik...

"All Screen Time Is Not Negative Screen Time" with Dr. Sherri N. Wilson 26.03.2026 33:13

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he talks with Dr. Sherri N. Wilson, Director of Innovative Learning for Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, about what it really take...

"Participate in Your Kid's Screen Time to Know What They're Exposed To Online" Andrea Messick 25.03.2026 20:00

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Host Josh Ochs welcomes Andrea Messick, Chief of Staff and Communications at Midland ISD, to discuss key digital safety challenges impacting schools and families, including group texts, disappearing messages on apps...

"It's so important that we teach students how to be safe in using AI" with Dr. Dawn Ramseur 24.02.2026 20:52

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: In this episode of the SmartSocial.com Podcast, host Josh Ochs sits down with Dr. Dawn Ramseur, Assistant Superintendent in Hoke County Schools in central North Carolina, to talk about the real digital safety issues...

"Students have posted online, gotten expelled, & embarrassed their families at home" —Dr. Lawrence 20.02.2026 26:44

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: In this episode of the SmartSocial.com Podcast, host Josh Ochs sits down with Dr. David Lawrence, Superintendent of Dayton Public Schools in southwest Ohio, to talk about student digital safety, phone addiction, and...

"We have to teach our kids to engage in online communities positively and responsibly" Harry Sherman 06.02.2026 26:32

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: In this episode of the Smart Social.com Podcast, host Josh Ochs talks with Harry Sherman, Community Superintendent of School District 9 in the South Bronx, about the challenges and strategies related to keeping stud...

"My Attention Span Is So Short, Studying Is Harder” (Snapchat, TikTok & Instagram Teen Panel) 05.02.2026 36:00

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: In this episode of the SmartSocial.com Podcast, host Josh Ochs is joined by four teenage girls who share their experiences and challenges with social media. They discuss the impact of social media on their mental he...

Stop the YouTube Shorts Scroll: Time Limits for Teen Accounts 30.01.2026 2:48

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Short videos feel harmless because each clip is quick. But that’s exactly why time can slip away, especially at night. In this episode, we talk about how parents can use YouTube’s settings for supervised teen accoun...

Apps, Attention, and Family Boundaries (8th Grader Teen Panel) 27.01.2026 25:56

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Parents, what happens after your teen opens their apps to hit play has a way of making screen time quietly take over. Four students helped Josh pull back the curtain on the part parents rarely see: the moment a norm...

"Focus on proactively limiting the need to repair an online reputation" with Dr. Gordon Amerson 26.01.2026 20:14

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: Join host Josh Ochs on the SmartSocial.com Podcast as he chats with Dr. Gordon Amerson, Superintendent of the Val Verde Unified School District. They delve into the real-world impacts of digital information, proacti...

"We can't ban technology, but we can teach kids to use it responsibly" Dr. Kuhn & Dr. Balgobin 21.01.2026 49:33

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz https://www.smartsocial.com/newsletter Join our next weekly live parent events: https://smartsocial.com/events Episode Summary: In this episode of the SmartSocial.com Podcast, host Josh Ochs explores digital safety and student success online with Dr. Carmen J. Balgobin, Superintendent of Volusia County Schools, and Dr. Matt Kuhn, Chief Techn...