The Idea Spark

Helping Students Find Work They'll Love: Career Readiness in the Real World As industries evolve and the skills gap widens, the question remains: How can we better connect education to employment?  In this episode of The Idea Spark , host Carl Hooker welcomes Jennifer Wilkerson, VP of Innovations and Advancements at NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research), and Andy Dun...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." Carl sits down with Lexi Daly, Learning Innovation Coordinator and Reading Teacher at Trinity E...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." In this episode, Carl sits down with Heather Brantley, Events and Community Specialist at Curip...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." Carl sits down with Bria Jones. Her title is Customer Success, Wakelet & bulb, and in this...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." Carl sits down with Leonardo Ortiz Villacorta (aka Leo). Leo is a leader in communications, glo...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." Carl sits down with Victoria Andrews. She’s Partner, Professional Learning at Getting Smart, fo...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." In this episode, Carl sits down with Barbara Bray, an author, speaker, podcaster, coach, story...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." In this episode, Carl sits down with Jerod Wright, a teacher and former coach who now teaches b...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees, friends old and new, asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world — or, as Carl puts it: “Tell me your idea spark." In this episode, Carl sits down with Peggy Hammond. She teaches technical theater at the Alabam...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees — friends old and new —  asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world. In other words: "What is your idea spark?" In this episode, Carl speaks with Crystal Yang, a college student and entrepreneur, CEO + fou...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees — friends old and new —  asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world. In other words: "What is your idea spark?" In this episode, Carl sits down with Erika Sandstrӧm (aka Green Screen Gal), a Digital Learni...

Carl Hooker brings us a live podcast from the ISTE+ASCD conference in San Antonio, Texas. He connects with conference attendees — friends old and new —  asking each to share a problem they're working to solve in their corner of the education world. In other words: "What is your idea spark?" In this episode, Carl speaks withTony Vincent, an independent consultant, speaker, and AI Coo...

Carl sits down with Laura Weiss, senior director of commercial strategy and growth initiatives at Pearson, to explore how dual enrollment and early career pathways are helping students move more efficiently and affordably toward their professional goals. Discussion focuses on high-quality, virtual asynchronous courses that support a wide range of learners, and how these models are reshaping the jo...

In this episode, Carl speaks with Elyse Monahan, a former educator and current National Product Sales Specialist at Pearson, to explore the future of Career and Technical Education (CTE). Once considered peripheral to academic planning, CTE programs have emerged as central topics in national discussions surrounding workforce development, education equity, and student well-being. This week’s episod...

In this episode, host Carl Hooker gives a preview for the podcasts to come in this series hosted by EdSurge Solutions Studio.