Easy EdTech Podcast with Monica Burns

In this episode, I chat with Luke Straub, Content Marketer at Jotform, about how districts can automate Canvas enrollment and streamline course registration. You'll also hear how schools can add approvals, conditional logic, and email notifications to enrollment workflows, what different schools learned from moving away from paper forms, and what to know about student data privacy when connecting a form tool to an LMS. If you want to save time onboarding new students, summer learners, or staff in professional learning courses, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/10/16/canvas-onboarding-bonus/

Sponsored by Jotform: http://jotform.com/education

Follow Luke Straub on social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-straub-4922a2133/

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I chat with Chrissy Beltran, instructional coaching consultant and founder of Buzzing with Ms. B, about defining the coaching role and building coaching partnerships that stick. You'll also hear why video coaching is her favorite low-lift, high-return strategy, how the low, moderate, and high impact tiers in her new book help coaches choose their next move, and what differentiated support looks like when you're helping teachers adopt a new tech tool. If you want to make every interaction with a teacher count, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/10/13/coaching-partnerships-392/

Sponsored by my free weekly newsletter: https://ClassTechTips.com/newsletter

Follow Chrissy Beltran on social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-beltran-898756263/

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I share practical ways to use podcasts in the classroom, from selecting student-friendly episodes to setting a clear purpose for listening. You'll also hear tips on using transcripts for reading support, integrating podcasts into group work, and encouraging students to create their own podcasts. If you want to boost engagement and support literacy skills with podcasts in the classroom, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/10/06/podcasts-in-the-classroom-391/

Sponsored by my free weekly newsletter: https://ClassTechTips.com/newsletter

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I chat with Jason McKenna, Vice President of Global Educational Strategy for VEX Robotics, about designing inclusive classroom ecosystems and rethinking the screen time debate. You'll also hear how an accessibility framework reshaped the way VEX builds its tools, why Jason compares learning to gardening, and how hands-on robotics makes abstract coding concepts concrete for students. If you want to create a classroom where every learner has a meaningful way in, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/10/02/rethink-screen-time-bonus/

Sponsored by VEX Robotics: https://vexrobotics.com

Follow Jason McKenna on social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-mckenna/

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I chat with Sela Estelle, an educator and designer who helps teachers create classroom resources with design in mind, about designing resources for students. You'll also hear why the quality of your design has to match the quality of your content, the two design principles Sela wishes every teacher knew, and how she thinks about designing for a screen versus a printed page. If you want to make the resources you are already creating clearer, more engaging, and easier for students to actually use, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/09/29/designing-resources-for-students-390/

Sponsored by my free EdTech Essentials study guide: https://ClassTechTips.com/studyguide

Follow Sela Estelle on social: https://www.instagram.com/designs.and.such

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I share ten ways to take your students around the world through virtual field trips and global learning with AI. You'll also hear about practical tools and sample prompts for creating tours, videos, reading activities, and creative projects connected to places around the world. If you want to make global learning with AI feel approachable and easy to bring into your classroom, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/09/22/global-learning-with-ai-389/

Sponsored by my free EdTech Essentials study guide: https://ClassTechTips.com/studyguide

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Stephen Hodges, CEO of Efekta Education, about how AI can supercharge education in the developing world. You'll hear how teachers in Brazil use a flipped classroom model with AI, how personalized instruction can address Bloom's two sigma problem, and what schools need to get right before rolling out AI tools. If you want to see what thoughtful, AI-powered learning looks like around the world, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/09/18/supercharge-education-bonus/

Sponsored by Efekta Education: https://Efekta.com

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Jessica Espinoza, university professor of curriculum and instruction, about what it really means to use meaningful learning experiences instead of worksheets. You'll also hear how sketchnoting builds reading comprehension, why thinking maps are the most natural swap for a worksheet, and how AI can help you create listening tasks that lead to deeper thinking. If you want practical routines that make student thinking visible this school year, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/09/15/instead-of-worksheets-388/

Sponsored by my free EdTech Essentials study guide: https://ClassTechTips.com/studyguide

Follow Dr. Jessica Espinoza on social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-espinoza-ed-d-210b731b5/

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I share what you need to know about Gemini Notebook, the new name for NotebookLM, and why this Google AI tool is worth a spot in your teacher toolkit. You'll also hear what changed, what stayed the same, and favorite features to try, like debate-style audio overviews, customized slide decks, and infographics made from your own sources. If you want a quick guide to using Gemini Notebook in the classroom for lesson prep and student resources, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/09/08/gemini-notebook-in-the-classroom-387/

Sponsored by my free EdTech Essentials study guide: https://ClassTechTips.com/studyguide

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/

In this episode, I chat with Crystal Uhiren, an instructional technology facilitator and certified Apple Learning Coach, about keeping student thinking at the center of AI use. You'll also hear practical, low-prep strategies like the two-minute idea sort, mid-class progress pit stops, and screenshot check-ins that build accountability without adding to your workload. If you want to embrace AI while protecting the productive struggle that helps students actually learn, this episode has you covered!

Show notes: https://classtechtips.com/2026/09/01/Student-Thinking-386/

Sponsored by my free EdTech Essentials study guide: https://ClassTechTips.com/studyguide

Follow Crystal Uhiren on social: https://x.com/MrsUTeachesTech

Follow Monica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classtechtips/

Take your pick of free EdTech resources: https://classtechtips.com/free-stuff-favorites/