Captivate Your Classroom with Dr. Marc Isseks

In this episode of My EdTech Life, I sit down with Dr. Marc Isseks, author of Captivate, to explore how educators can break free from “cognitive entrenchment” and rediscover what it means to truly engage learners. Marc brings over 30 years of classroom, curriculum, and leadership experience, and his insights will challenge the way you think about teaching, technology, and student voice.

We dig into why success can sometimes stop us from growing, how teachers can overcome rigidity and the dreaded phrase “this is the way we’ve always done it,” and why technology should be treated as a microphone, not an encyclopedia. Marc shares stories that will resonate with every educator—from rethinking assessment to giving students choice and voice in their learning.

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, administrator, or EdTech leader, this conversation will spark reflection and give you fresh ideas to amplify student engagement and your own growth as an educator.

Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome to My EdTech Life + Sponsor shoutout
01:00 – Introducing Dr. Marc Isseks and his 31 years in education
04:00 – The story behind Captivate and why he wrote it
08:00 – Breaking cognitive entrenchment in schools
12:00 – Test #3 story: why success can stall innovation
16:00 – Technology shifts: from Tic-Tac-Toe to TikTok
21:00 – Engagement vs. learning: choosing the right apps
25:00 – Tech as a microphone, not an encyclopedia
30:00 – Process over product: lessons from Pixar
35:00 – The three new R’s: remixing, recording, researching
40:00 – Reframing screen time, dopamine, and classrooms
44:00 – Marc’s biggest takeaways for educators
47:00 – Rapid-fire closing questions
48:30 – How to connect with Marc + final thoughts 

Big thanks to our amazing sponsors for supporting this mission:
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