Edtech Insiders

In this episode, we talk to Elizabeth Madariaga and Michael Karsh, production and edtech veterans and co-founders of Edios Media.

 Edios Media is the instructional design and video production studio behind many of the most successful online courses in the world, including:

• All four Google Career Certificates (the largest MOOCs in 2021)
• INSEAD's Blockchain Revolution Specialization on Coursera
• Courses from Facebook, AWS, Paradigm, Salesforce, Lyft and C3.ai

In this episode, we talk about what makes compelling online video, how to prep and structure an incredible online course, how to provide effective 'gateway learning' to beginners, the power of reminding users 'why' they're learning, filming during a pandemic, and how storytelling principles can be best used in education.

Resources

- Axios (specifically, the Jobs section)
- Institute for the Future of Education from the Tecnológico de Monterrey
- Also, check out the Edios Media blog for deeper dives into some of the topics covered here, including storytelling and remote production.

In this episode, we speak to Nikki and Dan Gusz, the sibling entrepreneurial team behind career coaching startup Lloyd.

Lloyd's mission is to provide career coaching at scale and at affordable prices to those who may not otherwise have access to it. With support from WGU Labs, Lloyd offers 'career services as a service' to education institutions of all kinds, from individual course creators to bootcamps to universities.

Resources

Dan and Nikki recommend the publications and tweets of these entrepreneurial thought leaders:

• John Danner
• Elizabeth Yin (@dunkhippo33) on Twitter

In this episode of Edtech Insiders, we speak with Amy Amner Jenkins, Head of Schools at Outschool.

Previously, Amy was the Chief Operating Officer of Education Elements, an associate partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, a co-founder of an after school program that combines soccer and literacy, and a teacher with Teach for America. Amy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

In this conversation, Amy and I chat about how Outschool became one of the fastest growing edtech companies during the pandemic, how teachers are using their teaching skills to create side hustles or even full time jobs teaching online, and how Outschool is beginning to work directly within schools to expand learning opportunities.

Resources

Amy recommends:

• Following school district leaders on Twitter 
• Feedspot Weekly as an aggregator of edtech news
• Start with the Why by Simon Sinek

In this episode, we speak to Ben Kornell of Cambiar Education, who was most recently the CEO of Altschool  as it was acquired by Higher Ground Education in 2021.

Ben is a longtime edtech executive with educational roots- five years in the classroom - as well as experience in healthcare, and he speaks in this episode about how we might borrow some of the best practices in healthcare to improve education, as well as how to scale the educational practices of the best teachers in every school.

Resources:

Ben names several innovative companies in this podcast including:

• Crimson Education: an international small-group based high school, based in New Zealand)
• Third Space Learning: a high-dosage tutoring platform based in Sri Lanka)

Book and Blog Recommendations:

• Work by Thich Nhat Hahn 
• Class Clowns by Jonathan A. Knee
• The Flight of a Butterfly or the Path of a Bullet?: Using Technology to Transform Teaching and Learning by Larry Cuban
• Larry Cuban's Blog "Larry Cuban on School Reform"

In this episode, we talk to Adam Franklin, Sr. Product Manager for Content at K12 platform Nearpod.  

Adam explains his journey from high school classroom teacher to curriculum developer to edtech product manager, as well as what it's like building and curating a world-class content library to get teachers the resources they need. 

We also talk about an age-old k12 edtech dilemma: how to get big enough to sell to school districts while staying agile enough to respond to your end users. 

Adam's Recommendations for those interested in Edtech:

• Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon Mackenzie
• Measuring What Matters by John Doerr and Larry Page
• Hooked by Nir Eyal
• Stratechery Blog by Ben Thompson
• Jen Carolan  (@jencarolan) on Twitter
• Buzzfeed's article  "How Edgenuity Failed Students During the Pandemic"

In this pilot episode, we interview edtech investor Atin Batra, founder and general partner at Twenty Seven Ventures, also knows as 27V, a venture firm devoted to education and the future of work.

Atin talks about his journey to edtech, his interest in founders who really understand the problems, and how some of the best and most collaborative learning happens outside of traditional schools.

27 Ventures has invested in Fiveable, Edlyft, Topknot, 101Edu, Edgi, New Campus, and many other startups that are looking to transform education. We talk about several of these startups in this episode. 

Atin's Recommended Resources:

• Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas
• The Sensor Tower Mobile Data Report (Q2 2021)

Education technology is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. At Edtech Insiders, we talk to the founders, operators, educators, researchers, business leaders, and thought leaders who know the industry inside and out. This new series explores the intersection of education, technology, and business by talking to those making it happen. While most education technology podcasts focus on “how” to use education in the classroom, Edtech Insiders is about the trends, products, and business models that power the global Edtech revolution. Edtech Insiders is hosted by Edtech veteran Alex Sarlin, product manager and learning engineer for leading Edtech companies like Coursera, 2U, Skillshare, Scholastic, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Check us out, share, like, and subscribe! Also, check out the Edtech Insiders newsletter on Substack.