In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Bart Epstein,a Research Associate Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. The education entrepreneur was named one of the 30 K-12 IT Influencers to Follow by EdTech Magazine in 2022. He is the founder of the EdTech Evidence Exchange, a board member at ISTE+ASCD,  and a civil test pilot for NASA.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us about your background and journey in education. (00:32)
  What are your thoughts about the ASU+GSV conference? (01:55)
  Could you share your research about the EdTech Genome Project and the EdTech Evidence Exchange? (05:31)
  What are the challenges and opportunities for ISTE+ASCD in relation to AI? (13:38)
  How do you evaluate tech solutions and recommend them to district leaders? (19:22)
  How did you build and elevate your own profile, and what are your suggestions for other leaders? (27:09)
  What are you most hopeful about in the coming year? (34:18)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Bart Epstein’s background and journey in education (00:43)
• His thoughts about ASU+GSV and AI (02:38)
• All about EdTech Evidence Exchange and the EdTech Genome Project (05:55)
• Challenges and opportunities for ISTE+ASCD (13:59)
• Tech solution evaluations and recommendations (19:36)
• His process for building his own profile and suggestions for other leaders (27:37)
• His hopes and expectations for the coming year (34:25)

Quotes:

“I think we're most likely in the coming years to see AI teaching assistants help reduce variability in classrooms in a way that makes whole class lessons more effective for all students.”

“At ISTE and ASCD, we are focused on providing educators with the tools and support, and community that they need as they lead this recovery. Quite frankly, they are exhausted, and many of them are working environments in environments where there are teacher shortages. They are heroes who can only operate on fumes for so long. And so we need to collectively find ways to make it as easy as possible for them to get the support that they need.”

“AI, when it's done right, like other technologies, should save you a lot of time. And it should free you up to do the things that are most human and most impactful.”

“Stay laser-focused on the wants and needs of your intended audience. In a world of endless boring press releases and webinars, the way to stand out, in my experience, is to understand what people want and then give it to them. And if you don't know, ask them! People love to talk about their problems. Ask them what frustrates them, what else have they tried, what would fix their problem, what evidence they'd want to see what change they care about in the world.”

“Remember, it's never about you. It's always about them.”

“I'm most hopeful that we'll continue to make progress towards learning how to use technology to better support students and teachers. We really need it to perform.”

Connect with Bart:
LinkedIn
Twitter

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook