Voices of eLearning

Twenty or so years ago, EdTech wasn’t a thing. Now, though, there are plenty of companies that develop products for school districts. The missing piece of the puzzle is when they can’t get their product in front of school administrators. Enter Doug Roberts, Founder and CEO of the Institute for Education Innovation. They are working to bridge that gap. He talked about this on this episode of Voices...

School districts across the country are receiving new COVID relief funding. How should they wisely invest the funds? Technology, infrastructure, and teacher training are three areas that former Michigan State Superintendent Tom Watkins believes should be a priority. Watkins joined Voices of eLearning to discuss this topic and his career. Besides serving as state superintendent, Watkins also led th...

Technology should be a supportive player in the world of education, with the teacher at the center. When deployed effectively and properly, it can enable educators to engage and connect. Discussing this concept and more, Voices of eLearning host JW Marshall spoke with Wei Oania, Global Education General Manager with the Intel Internet of Things (IoT) Group. Wei leads a team that focuses on IoT nee...

Technology to support the learning experience is wide-ranging, and Voices of eLearning seeks to highlight those making a difference. Capturing voice, music, and other audio can be a creative gateway for students and teachers. That’s what Soundtrap at Spotify is facilitating. Audrey O’Clair, Education Specialist at Soundtrap at Spotify, talked about giving students a voice with host JW Ma...

Synergies often bring together the ideal parts, which can then work together better to deliver solutions. Such is the story of the guests on Voices of eLearning. JW Marshall spoke with Darryl Krall, National Sales Manager for Panasonic America, and Dr. Sonny Magana, Founder and CEO of Magana Education. Together the two are partnering to embed Dr. Magana’s T3 Framework into Panasonic’s hi...

The process of applying to college continues to get more complex, especially for international students. The burden is on the student, requiring time, money, and research. That creates inequities, but the platform Concourse is changing that. Voices of eLearning host JW Marshall sat down with the company’s Founder and CEO, Joe Morrison. Morrison has a rich technology background and later...

Voices of eLearning enjoys bringing success stories to listeners that demonstrate the power of technology, innovation, and opportunity. Host JW Marshall welcomed Anne Wintroub, Director of Social Innovation at the AT&T Foundation, and Max Tuchman, CEO and Co-Founder of Caribu.  Wintroub leads the AT&T Aspire Accelerator program, which provides investments to early EdTech com...

Professionals tasked with developing and implementing learning modules for organizations face many challenges and opportunities. The design of the course and learning experience make all the difference in changing behaviors. Talking about this topic, Voices of eLearning host JW Marshall spoke with Dr. Britt Andreatta, CEO of 7th Mind. Dr. Andreatta is a thought leader in the space. She began...

Voices of eLearning brings audiences a wide-ranging interview with one of the biggest proponents of EdTech and education for all. Host JW Marshall welcomed Deborah Quazzo. Quazzo is Managing Partner at GSV Ventures and the Co-Founder of ASU+GSV Summit. Quazzo has been in the space for over 25 years as an investor, philanthropist, and evangelist. “I always thought it was a category that deserved mo...

The original flex time in school was study hall, but there have been many changes to that model. Now schools are more intentional about these periods, and it continues to evolve. Talking about flex time and its future, Voices of eLearning host JW Marshall spoke with James Bacon, Director of Outreach and Operations for Edficiency. Edficiency offers easy software that allows districts to s...

Host JW Marshall welcomed award-winning freelance eLearning designer Tim Slade to offer insights. Slade also founded the eLearning Designer Academy where he supports other designers with courses. Slade, like many in the field, didn’t have a typical journey to eLearning. He started in retail loss prevention. He was so good at his job; the company wanted him to train others. That was his i...

Voices of eLearning tackled the subjects with a prominent voice in the sector, eSchool News editor Kevin Hogan. Hogan is also a fellow podcaster on the show EdTech Today.  Hogan has been covering the space for years and noted that school districts accelerated adoption of technology, a vertical that was typically 10 years behind corporate adoption. So, what did they learn f...

In most cases, schools and companies that leverage eLearning look to a Learning Management System (LMS) as the foundation. Often, an LMS can be challenging to customize and optimize for better outcomes. That’s where experts can change the game, which Voices of eLearning is tackling by welcoming the co-founders of eThink, Brian Carlson and Cheryl Patsavos. eThink is fully-managed eLearning sol...

Host JW Marshall welcomed David Lopez, Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances, North America ED at ScreenBeam. Lopez started his career in the classroom. Then he trained teachers on how to use technology before joining ScreenBeam. He now works with districts across the country and globally to solve tech problems using ScreenBeam’s wireless display technology. Lopez shared what’s he’s heard regarding...

Voices of eLearning host JW Marshall has discussed the future of eLearning and the learning loss phenomenon throughout 2020, but this week he's taking a look at how to interpret the immense amount of data that EdTech professionals are poring through to better understand how schools can maximize online learning. To get a further understanding of the recent surveys in the EdTech field, Marshall sits...

Public school funding is always a complex topic. With stimulus money funneling in, there are many opportunities for K-12 districts to build a better future. Host JW Marshall welcomed back Mike Belcher, Director of EdTech Innovation at HP, to discuss where schools should spend over $67B in one-time funding. While it's a nice number, it's still not enough. This funding must...

Voices of eLearning took on the topic of entrepreneurial mindsets with a pioneer in the field, Gary Schoeniger, Founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI). ELI offers training and development to educators, students, and businesses. The idea for ELI started 30 years ago with Schoeniger asking, “How do underdogs win?” That set him on a path to decode the entrepreneurial m...

Big picture what does this number mean, considering it was the largest for the industry ever. Wan said, “It shows the pandemic accelerated tech trends in education, bringing in new and existing investors.” So, what types of companies were able to excite investors? Wan broke it down into a few categories. “First, there was the consumer space, a reflection of the pandemic forcing home to be a learni...

Most teachers had little experience with online teaching when the pandemic began. In just a few days, they were expected to translate the classroom to the internet. Voices of eLearning is always seeking to provide teachers tips and insights on how to transition successfully. Today, JW Marshall has an expert to share her knowledge, Courtney Ostaff. Ostaff literally wrote the book on the subject, as...

A year after the pandemic, education is still adjusting to change. Technology has been a significant support player in the shift, including AV solutions. Host JW Marshall sat down with Jason Meyer, Group Product Manager Projectors for Epson America, to chat about AV trends in education. Meyer’s team focuses primarily on the K-12 market, supply school districts with modern AV equipment to facilitat...

Education received a technology boost that was unexpected but needed during the pandemic. As students went from the classroom to the dining room, the need for EdTech, including content and a way to measure it, became paramount. Joining host JW Marshall are two online learning leaders Thom Jackson, President and CEO of EdisonLearning, and Kiran Athota, CEO of FocalPoint K12. EdisonLearnin...

The way teachers teach and students learn is continually evolving. Thanks to technology, there are lots of digital tools to support this. But what about hands-on, creative learning? What role does it have in education? Founder of 3Dux Design Marci Klein shared her story of developing an architecture modeling product with her kids. The concept was born from Klein’s daughter, inspired by a summer ar...

In a global economy, it’s hard to find many industries that are stretching across borders. EdTech is no different, as the fundamentals of leveraging technology in the learning environment have become universal. But how do EdTech companies go global, and what challenges do they face? Global Expansion Strategy CEO Michael Spencer, a veteran in the EdTech space and technology expert, shares what the...

As public education enters 2021, the same challenges persist, and these weren’t simply the result of the pandemic. The actuality of the K12 ecosystem already had plenty of inequity, both socially and digitally. The pandemic made it more obvious. Taking on these inequities and empowering educators is Megan Robinson, National Director of Content and Implementation at Curriculum Associates. In h...

Teng explained that location and how severe coronavirus outbreaks were in specific areas greatly influenced how school districts reacted to the pandemic. “We just saw a lot of different reactions to the pandemic over time. Now, I would say we're reaching a bit more of an equilibrium where, yes, certain areas are open for in person learning in schools,” Teng said. He noted that schools in areas wit...