Edtech Insiders

Épisodes

• 
  Inside Reach Capital’s $265M Fund V with Jomayra Herrera 18.08.2026 50min

  Send us Fan Mail Jomayra Herrera is a Partner at Reach Capital, an early-stage venture fund investing across learning, health, and work. Previously, she worked at Emerson Collective and Cowboy Ventures, investing in companies including Handshake, Guild, Contra, and Career Karma. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why Reach Capital is doubling down on pre-seed and early-stage investing with its new $265M Fund V.How learning, health, and work intersect to create new opportunities for inno...
• 
  AI Should Support Teachers, Not Replace Them with Joy Delizo-Osborne of Student Achievement Partners 17.08.2026 52min

  Send us Fan Mail Joy Delizo-Osborne is President and CEO of Student Achievement Partners, where she works to improve instructional quality and connect evidence-based practices with curriculum and edtech. A former teacher, instructional coach, and principal, Joy brings more than 20 years of experience in education. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How AI can support and not replace teachers and students.Why productive struggle still matters in AI-powered learning.What districts should ...
• 
  Week in Edtech 8/5/26: Higher Ed Leadership Turnover Accelerates, OpenAI Expands Its Education Push, AI “Slop” Floods Teachers Pay Teachers, Students Propose AI Rules, and More! Feat. Janice Jackson of Aspen Institute 14.08.2026 58min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down the biggest stories shaping higher education, AI adoption, school technology policy, and the future of learning. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:05:13] Higher ed leadership turnover accelerates amid political, financial, and AI pressures [00:11:00] OpenAI launches new AI tools for college students, professors, and K–12 educators [00:17:27] OpenAI pushes deeper into higher ed with AI-powered academic workflows [00:20:40] AI c...
• 
  How Boddle Turned Classroom Math into a Game Kids Choose to Play with Edna Martinson 10.08.2026 49min

  Send us Fan Mail Edna Martinson is the Co-founder and COO of Boddle Learning, a gamified K–6 learning platform used by millions of students to build confidence in math, literacy, and science. She is passionate about combining great game design with research-backed learning experiences that teachers and students love. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why Boddle was built to compete with video games.How gamification drives learning and confidence.What teachers want from classroom technol...
• 
  Week in Edtech 7/29/26: Gates Foundation Shakeup, OpenAI's AI Workforce Push, Y Combinator Backs AI Tutors, Coursera Invests $100M on AI Learning, and More! Feat. Kavitta Ghai of Nectir & Aidan McDowell of UniqLearn 07.08.2026 1h 33min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down the biggest stories shaping AI, edtech investment, philanthropy, the future of work, and AI-powered learning. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:02:33] Bridges AI Summit brings district leaders together to discuss AI adoption, pilots, and edtech purchasing [00:05:19] Imagi raises $4.5M with backing from OpenAI, Lovable, Will.i.am, Kahoot!, and ElevenLabs [00:09:18] AI, cross-sector platforms, and portfolio consolidation drive e...
• 
  Inside the Inaugural Columbians in EdTech Showcase: Meet the Winners 03.08.2026 1h 19min

  Send us Fan Mail Inside Columbia's First EdTech Showcase, Alex Sarlin sits down with the founders and leaders behind the inaugural Columbia EdTech Showcase to explore the startups, ideas, and innovations shaping the future of learning from AI-powered discussion tools to health education, learning science, and content curation. 🎙️ Featuring insights from: [00:01:56] Pete Novak, Founder, Columbians in EdTech [00:14:48] Dan Wang, Co-Founder, CAiSEY [00:32:43] Kyleigh Sudlow, Lead Engineer, Puber...
• 
  Claude for Teachers: How Anthropic Is Reimagining AI for Educators with Drew Bent & Sandra Liu Huang 30.07.2026 27min

  Send us Fan Mail Drew Bent leads Education at Anthropic, where he oversees education initiatives including Claude for Teachers. A former math teacher, Khan Academy engineer, and co-founder of Schoolhouse.world, Drew focuses on applying AI to improve teaching and learning. Sandra Liu Huang is President of Learning Commons, where she leads the development of open AI datasets and learning science infrastructure for education. She previously held product leadership roles at Google, Facebook, and ...
• 
  Student-Centered Learning, AI, and School Redesign with Julie Young of Florida Virtual School 27.07.2026 43min

  Send us Fan Mail Julie Young is the Founding CEO of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), where she helped pioneer online public education and expand access to millions of learners. She later founded ASU Prep Digital and is the author of Say Yes: How Virtual Became Reality, continuing to shape the future of student-centered learning. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode How Florida Virtual School grew from a small pilot into a global model for virtual education. Why putting stude...
• 
  Week in Edtech 7/15/26: NYC Pauses AI Procurement, Anthropic Launches Claude for Teachers, Norway Restricts AI in Schools, and More! Feat. Louise Baigelman of Storyshares & Ashish Bansal of StarSpark.AI 24.07.2026 1h 31min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they discuss the latest developments in education technology, from growing AI skepticism in schools and major policy shifts to Anthropic's education strategy and conversations with founders tackling literacy and AI tutoring. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:05:49] New York City pauses AI procurement across its school system [00:11:28] New study questions AI's impact on teaching quality and student engagement [00:18:00] Norway introduces stri...
• 
  Why Kids Should Help Design EdTech: Inside the Joan Ganz Cooney Center's Co-Design Movement 20.07.2026 48min

  Send us Fan Mail Michael Preston, Executive Director, Medha Tare, Senior Director of Research, and Liza Gak, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, are leading researchers focused on child-centered educational technology. Together, they are helping edtech organizations design better products by combining learning science, participatory co-design, and thoughtful approaches to AI. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why involving children early in product design leads to ...
• 
  Building an AI Tutor That Gets Students to Think with Sue Khim of Brilliant 13.07.2026 40min

  Send us Fan Mail Sue Khim is the Co-founder and CEO of Brilliant, the interactive learning platform that has helped millions of learners build deep understanding in math, science, and computer science. In this episode, she shares how Brilliant's new AI tutor, Koji, is designed to develop critical thinking rather than simply provide answers. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why the best AI tutors ask questions instead of giving answers.How Brilliant applies active learning and game desi...
• 
  Week in Edtech 7/1/26: ETS Acquires ACT, Handshake Buys Uplimit, Google's Biggest ISTE AI Announcements, Microsoft AI Adoption Survey, and More! Feat. Karlo Young of Teachstone & Tom Sayer of Ello 10.07.2026 1h 19min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they cover major edtech acquisitions, the biggest AI announcements from ISTE, the future of assessment, and how AI is reshaping teaching and learning. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:04:15] ETS acquires ACT, reshaping the future of assessment and college admissions [00:08:02] Handshake acquires Uplimit to expand AI upskilling and workforce learning [00:11:55] The debate over screen-free learning and the rise of Yoto [00:17:41] ISTE rebrands...
• 
  How AI Coaching Is Transforming STEM Classrooms with Smita Saxena & Alexia Lewis of Maestro 06.07.2026 41min

  Send us Fan Mail Smita Saxena is the Founder of Maestro, an AI coaching platform helping K-12 STEM teachers improve instruction and student outcomes. Alexia Lewis is an 8th Grade Algebra I teacher at KIPP Polaris and a Maestro coach whose students achieved remarkable gains using the platform. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn How AI coaching saves teachers hours every week. Why human coaching + AI outperforms either alone. How AI supports differentiated instruction. &nb...
• 
  Week in Edtech 6/24/26: Anthropic's $150M AI Workforce Push, Europe's AI Literacy Framework, $27M Social Media Lawsuit, EdSurge's Decline, AI Backlash, and More! Feat. Dr. Ran Liu of Amira Learning & Antonio Pietri of PowerSchool 03.07.2026 1h 39min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest host Daniela Pico, Head of Platform at Forum Ventures, as they discuss the AI backlash, workforce transformation, AI literacy, social media regulation, and the evolving future of education technology. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:37] Anthropic launches a $150M Claude Core fellowship program for AI workforce development [00:09:09] Why organizations need AI implementation strategies and not just AI licenses [00:15:13] The rise of dedicat...
• 
  Week in Edtech 6/17/26: OpenAI, Google & Anthropic Expand AI Workforce Training, UK Weighs Social Media Ban, DonorsChoose AI Requests Surge, and More! Feat. Tom ap Simon of Pearson & France Hoang of BoodleBox 30.06.2026 1h 49min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest co-host Gemma Lenowitz Picot of Samvid Ventures as they break down the latest developments in AI, workforce development, edtech adoption, and education policy. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:26] OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic expand AI workforce training initiatives [00:10:30] Data center investments create new opportunities for workforce development [00:15:59] Anthropic launches Claude Core to help nonprofits adopt AI [00:21:00] AI safet...
• 
  Anthony Salcito of Coursera on Why Skills Are the New Degree in the Age of AI 29.06.2026 43min

  Send us Fan Mail Anthony Salcito is President & GM of Enterprise at Coursera, where he leads partnerships with enterprises, universities, and governments to build job-relevant skills at scale. Previously, he held leadership roles at Microsoft and Nerdy (Varsity Tutors), and has spent his career at the intersection of technology, education, and workforce development. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why skills are becoming the new currency in hiring. How micro-credentials compl...
• 
  What Should Universities Teach When AI Knows Everything? with George Siemens of SNHU 22.06.2026 56min

  Send us Fan Mail George Siemens is the Chief AI & Innovation Officer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and one of the most influential learning theorists in modern education. He is the creator of Connectivism, co-creator of the first MOOC, and a leading voice on how AI is reshaping learning, higher education, and knowledge itself. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode How AI is changing the architecture of knowledge and learning. Why personal knowledge systems...
• 
  Week in EdTech 6/10/26: Claude Fable Launches, NAEP Recovery, Code.org Becomes CodeAI, AI Techlash Grows, Canvas Breach, and More! Feat. Yi Ng of Curiosities AI & Dr. Rob Abel of EdTech Futures 19.06.2026 1h 35min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest co-host Thomas Rodgers of Whiteboard Advisors as they explore the latest developments in AI, edtech policy, learning outcomes, cybersecurity, and the future of AI-powered education. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:39] Anthropic’s Claude Fable launch sparks discussion about the next generation of AI capabilities [00:09:07] Meta launches a workforce academy initiative focused on data center and skilled trade careers [00:17:47] The growing e...
• 
  Preparing Students for 2076: Ben Kornell on AI, Assessment, and the Future of Learning 15.06.2026 45min

  Send us Fan Mail In this special crossover episode, Edtech Insiders host Ben Kornell joins Allison Salisbury, author of The Humanist, for a wide-ranging conversation about AI, education, workforce development, and the future of learning. Together, they explore how AI could reshape assessment, personalized learning, school design, and the skills students will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why AI should be used to redesign education and not ...
• 
  Week in Edtech 6/3/26: OpenAI, Anthropic & xAI Race Toward IPOs, AI Upskilling Booms, Handshake Surges, Global EdTech Prize Opens Applications, and More! Feat. Vikas Pota of T4 Education & Keri Dixon of Wilson Language Training 12.06.2026 1h 19min

  Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and guest co-host Matt Tower of Whiteboard Advisors as they explore the latest developments in AI, workforce learning, edtech innovation, and literacy instruction. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:24] OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI prepare for potential IPOs [00:07:45] Anthropic surpasses OpenAI in valuation as enterprise AI adoption grows [00:08:59] Byju Raveendran’s legal challenges raise questions about edtech governance [00:11:23] Handshake’s growth contras...