Advertise on podcast: Education Excellence

In this episode, Michael chats with Michelle Manson, Vice President of Marketing at CTL, and Jason Mendenhall, CEO of CTL, about the evolution of the classroom tech ecosystem. They also discuss how CTL is serving K–12 IT beyond hardware, the launch of 5G-embedded Chromebooks, CTL's new free student CTE Chromebook repair curriculum, the company's life cycle service offerings, how CTL's B corporation mission is driving sustainability with a new IT asset disposition capability, and why the future of ed tech investment requires a shift from just buying devices to managing life cycles. Join CTL at FETC in Orlando, Jan. 11–13, at booth 2717. See what CTL is showing at the event and book an appointment at tinyurl.com/CTLatFETC. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay.

In this episode, Michael chats with Chelsea Lopez, Director of Education Advancement at The Social Institute. Together, they discuss common misconceptions about AI in education; how administrator and educator perceptions about AI have evolved over the past few years; how The Social Institute is empowering school communities with AI literacy through engaging lessons for students, PD courses for educators, and resources for families. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay.

In the fourth and final installment of our series with PowerSchool, Michael chats with Jesse Roy, Director of Education Strategy at PowerSchool, and Steven Anderson, Director of Solutions Engineering at PowerSchool. Together, they discuss PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, focusing on the report's findings related to the connection between school and home. From there, they talk about solving issues with communication and engagement; overcoming real barriers to chronic absenteeism; the intersection of social media and education; PowerSchool's all-in-one MyPowerHub solution, which is helping to close myriad gaps in the school-home connection; and much more. To download PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, visit www.powerschool.com/edtech-focus-report-2024. This episode and the entire series are sponsored by PowerSchool. For more information, visit PowerSchool.com. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay.

In this episode, Michael chats with Richard Fernandez, Director of Executive Engagement at PowerSchool, supporting the company's solutions in Texas, and Jeff Pelzel, Director of Education Engagement at PowerSchool, supporting the company's solutions in California and other West Coast states. Together, they discuss PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, focusing on the report's modern education workforce component. From there, they talk about key aspects of classroom instructional models, advocating change through engagement with administrators, overcoming challenges in attracting the next generation of educators, success stories about driving positive change in education, and much more. To download PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, visit www.powerschool.com/edtech-focus-report-2024. This episode and the entire series are sponsored by PowerSchool. For more information, visit PowerSchool.com. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay.

In this episode, Michael chats with Dr. Richard Hughes, Education Innovation Advisor at PowerSchool, and Tracy McCown, Director of Solution Engineering, Data, Analytics, and AI at PowerSchool. Together, they discuss PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, focusing on the report's leadership and data component. From there, they talk about the need for bold leadership in education, how data-driven insights and decision-making lead to successful solutions, tips for K–12 leaders on demonstrating strong leadership in their school communities, and much more. To download PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, visit www.powerschool.com/edtech-focus-report-2024. This episode and the entire series are sponsored by PowerSchool. For more information, visit PowerSchool.com. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay.

In this episode, Michael chats with Ryan Imbriale, Vice President and Head of Worldwide Education at PowerSchool, and Chris Cirillo, Group Vice President of Product Management at PowerSchool. Together, they discuss PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, focusing on the report's student-driven personalized learning pillar. From there, they talk about how newer technologies can support personalized learning efforts, why schools should be embracing new technologies such as generative AI, how schools can forge an attainable and successful path forward with personalized learning, and much more. To download PowerSchool's 2024 Education Focus Report, visit www.powerschool.com/edtech-focus-report-2024. This episode and the entire series are sponsored by PowerSchool. For more information, visit PowerSchool.com. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay.

In this episode, Michael chats with Mark Hedstrom, Co-Executive Director of the Skilled Careers Coalition. Together, they discuss the inspiration behind the Skilled Careers Coalition's goals and mission, how Mark is fostering meaningful partnerships in the education space, a social media campaign aimed at helping to connect students with trade careers, how students are becoming directly involved with the organization's initiatives, and much more. This episode is sponsored by the Skilled Careers Coalition, skilledcareers.org. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

In this episode, Michael chats with Laura Tierney, Founder and CEO of The Social Institute. Together, they discuss what led Laura to create The Social Institute, how the organization bridges the gap between students and educators and parents, the company's gamified peer-to-peer #WinAtSocial learning platform, how the platform is helping schools improve school culture and the student experience, and much more. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

In this episode, Michael chats with Hal Speed, Head of North America for Robotical. Together, they discuss Hal's background and what brought him to Robotical; advancements with the company's flagship product, Marty the Robot; the evolution of AI and machine learning in education; getting out ahead of challenges with employability in an increasingly digital world; the future of robotics in education; and much more. Learn more at robotical.io. Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

In this episode, Michael chats with Lisa Flint, Director of Sales at OtterBusiness. Together, they discuss Otter's Achiever and Defender series, how the company is evolving to serve the edtech space and beyond, an innovative new Otter product, and much more.   Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

In this episode, Michael chats with Glenn Collins, Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Umety. Together, they discuss Umety's history and background, the value of virtual and augmented reality in education, the company's innovations for K–12 education, how schools are utilizing technology in the classroom today, and much more.   Catch Glenn and Umety at ISTE Live in Denver, June 23–26.   Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

In this episode, Michael chats with Emily Cook, Vice President of Educational Services at Bluum. Together, they discuss Bluum's mission and how that drives impact in education, the company's strategic approach to education technology, edtech trends—including funding, AI, and esports—and much more.   Catch Emily and Bluum at ISTE Live in Denver, June 23–26.   Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

New Education Excellence host Michael Levin-Epstein chats with LeeAnn Kittle, Executive Director of Sustainability for Denver Public Schools. Together, they discuss LeeAnn's path to her current role, how she is driving innovation in sustainability at DPS, contributors—and barriers—to success in climate action in the district, how other districts can go about forging their own paths toward sustainability success, and much more.   Music by Ruwin from Pixabay

Kris chats with Justin Reilly, CEO of Impero Software, a company that that integrates data about what students are doing on various devices from a several perspectives: what students are actually learning; tools for teachers to monitor that learning; and tools to ensure device safety.  The software enables teachers to capture exactly what students are learning in real time as well as how much time students are taking on certain tasks and whether they are making expected progress or need additional help. The bottom line in the classroom is the creation of a powerful tool for teachers as well as student empowerment. Reilly discuss one of Impero's products that is just being launched, free of charge, in the United States, called Impero back:drop. This tool is a cloud-based solution for schools to manage and record student health information, such as mental health, behavioral, and medical issues, including COVID-19 symptoms. According to Reilly, Impero back:drop eliminates the need for paper-based reporting, providing a safe and secure place to record and store student safety concerns anywhere, and any time. For more information or to schedule a demo, visit www.imperosoftware.com.  

Kris chats with James Palcik, Director of Education, Safety, and Compliance at Flinn Scientific, about the challenges facing science educators during this pandemic. Palcik discusses the development of Flinn's new Professional Learning Series, which include webinars offering guidance on the safe reopening of brick-and-mortar school facilities; OSHA guidance courses; and its Lab Safety 101 and 102 sessions, which have been previously deployed to assist thousands of science teachers. Palcik also discusses the recent launch of its Elementary and Science Stem Education Program, which is designed to increase safety awareness across North America — an initiative that has proven to be exceptionally popular. Not every product is made equally, he notes, explaining that items needed during this pandemic, such as facemasks, gloves, and hand sanitizers, differ in quality, and that you should never discount safety. Flinn is committed to providing educators with only the highest quality products in this space, he notes.  This episode is sponsored by Flinn Scientific, www.flinnsci.com.