Jason Curtis, Director of Technology at the Windsor School, shares insights on navigating career transitions within independent schools. The discussion covers the importance of "listening tours" when starting new roles, the nuances of the interview process, and balancing transparency with current supervisors when seeking new opportunities.

• The Winsor School: https://www.winsor.edu/ 
• The Hockaday School: https://www.hockaday.org/ 
• Laurel School: https://www.laurelschool.org/ 
• World War Z (Audiobook): https://www.audible.com/pd/World-War-Z-Audiobook/B00BIKAVHS 
• FirstClass (OpenText): https://www.opentext.com/products/firstclass 
• Weird NJ: https://weirdnj.com/

In this milestone 100th episode of Talking Technology with ATLIS, Peter Frank takes over the host’s chair to guide Christina, Bill, and Hiram through a celebration of the ATLIS community. Enjoy a curated collection of highlights featuring past guests, "spouses' questions" that put the hosts on the spot, a special conversation with the ATLIS founders about the organization's future, and a special treat to honor the team’s favorite undead recurring topic.

Featuring clips from these past episodes of Talking Technology with ATLIS:

• Driving Deeper Learning with Ray Shay
• A Journey with ATLIS Founders from Origins to Future Aspirations
• Data Harmony: Integrating Systems, Empowering Schools
• Lakeside School's AI Journey and Technology Leadership Lessons, with Jamie Britto
• From Educator to C-suite: Jim Foley on Leadership, Innovation, and Education
• Optimizing Independent School Operations through APIs
• Matt Scully on Innovation and Collaboration
• Listening Leadership & the Future of Education

Photos of our hosts and their spouses

Three independent school technology leaders—Lauren Marquez, John Grube, and Tomarra Londeree—join the show to share their unique pathways to earning the TLIS certification. They discuss how the process validated their expertise, helped them overcome imposter syndrome, and bridged the gap between educational technology and IT operations within their school communities.

ATLIS TLIS Certification

ATLIS Leadership Institute (ALI)

St. Mary's School

The Fay School

Providence Day School

Buck Crockett, Director of Technology at Almaden Country Day School, joins the podcast to discuss his unique path from wilderness therapy to EdTech leadership. The conversation explores managing Mac OS application frameworks, the philosophy of age-appropriate screen time, and the critical role of IT in campus construction. Buck also shares insights on "peeling back the layers" of support tickets to solve human problems with empathy.

• Almaden Country Day School
• Orton-Gillingham Approach
• Jamf Apple Device Management
• Sophos Cybersecurity
• Barracuda Networks
• Harmony, Inc International Convention and Contest
• Christina, Bill, and Hiram in the sparkly jackets

Dr. Sabba Quidwai, CEO and Futurist of Designing Schools, joins the podcast to discuss the rapid acceleration of AI and its impact on the future of work. She explores how schools can manage this change, move beyond app-focused training, and redefine learning to foster human agency.

• Designing Schools
• Wings of Wisdom Podcast (Sabba's Podcast)
• Book: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin
• Sparketype Assessment
• Desert Sands Unified School District AI Guidance
• Forbes Article: "Agency Is The New Literacy" by Dan Patrick
• The Knowledge Society (TKS)
• Alpha School
• Podcast: The Diary of a CEO
• Podcast: The Artificial Intelligence Show

Dr. Kylie Peppler of UC Irvine joins the podcast to discuss the deep connections between art, technology, and learning. She explores how playful learning—from toys to AI—can foster creativity and student agency. Dr. Peppler also offers educators a framework for embracing AI as a creative tool rather than something to fear.

• Connected Arts Learning: Peppler, K., Dahn, M., & Ito, M. (2023). The Connected Arts Learning Framework: An expanded view of the purposes and possibilities for arts 99learning. The Wallace Foundation.
• Recrafting Computer Science: Speer, S., Huang, J., Yankova, N., Rose, C., Peppler, K., Orta-Martinez, M. (2023) RoboLoom: An Open-Source Loom Kit for Interdisciplinary Engagement in Math, Engineering, and Textiles. The ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) 2023. San Francisco, CA.
• StoryAI: Han, A., Zhou, X., Cai, Z., Han, S., Ko, R., Corrigan, S., & Peppler, K. 2024. Teachers, Parents, and Students’ Perspectives on Integrating Generative AI into Elementary Literacy Education.
• STEAM: Peppler, K., & Thompson, N. (2024). Tools and materials as non-neutral actors in STEAM education. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 1-38
• E-textiles: Peppler, K. & Bender, S. (2013). Maker movement spreads innovation one project at a time. Phi Delta Kappan, 95(3), pp. 22-27.
• Scratch (scratch.mit.edu): Peppler, K. (2010). Media arts: Arts education for a digital age. Teachers College Record, 112(8), 2118–2153.
• Connected Learning Lab - UC Irvine, research institute bringing together researchers across social, cultural, and technical fields, currently focused on: Digital Wellbeing, Research-Practice Partnerships, Neurodiversity and Learning, and Growing Up with AI.
• Build Lab, program at St Christopher’s School combining the best of STEM/STEAM approaches with a broad, skills-based, project-centered focus
• ATLIS AI resources
• Christina’s husband Richard’s grandfather, Verne Lewellen, Green Bay Packer | Photo of Richard with cousins

Dr. Jeremy Roschelle and Dr. Pati Ruiz from Digital Promise join the podcast to discuss their learning sciences research into AI's role in education. They share details about an innovative project using AI to improve student reading literacy and explore frameworks for developing AI literacy and responsible use policies in schools.

• Practitioner Toolkit from Digital Promise, provides resources for collaborative learning that are flexible, adaptable, and rooted in real teaching experience
• Challenge Map, from Digital Promise
• U-GAIN Reading, program from Digital Promise seeking to amplify new knowledge about how to use GenAI to create content that matches each student’s interests and strengths, enables dialogue about the meaning of content, and adapts to a student’s progress and needs
• AI Literacy, framework from Digital Promise to understand, evaluate, and use emerging technology
• SceneCraft, program from EngageAI Institute with AI-powered, narrative-driven learning experiences, engaging students through storytelling, creativity, and critical thinking
• As they face conflicting messages about AI, some advice for educators on how to use it responsibly, opinion blog from Jeremy Roschelle
• Teacher Ready Evaluation Tool, helps standardize the way ed tech decision-makers evaluate edtech products
• Evaluating Tech Solutions, ATLIS is an official partner with ISTE to expand the presence of independent school vendors and technology solutions in the Edtech Index
• If you are interested in engaging in research with Digital Promise, or just have a great research idea, share a message on LinkedIn: Jeremy | Pati

More Digital Promise articles:

• GenAI in Education: When to Use It, When to Skip It, and How to Decide – Digital Promise
• Hearing from Students: How Learners Experience AI in Education – Digital Promise
• Meet the Educators Helping U-GAIN Reading Explore How GenAI Can Improve Literacy – Digital Promise
• Guest Post: 3 Guiding Principles for Responsible AI in EdTech – Digital Promise

Dan McGee, TLIS, Chief Technology Officer at Laurel School, joins the podcast to discuss why being a tech director is the best job in a school. He shares insights into his expansive role, which includes enterprise-level risk management, major construction projects, and the "archeological dig" of offboarding a long-tenured Head of School.

• Laurel School, all-girls private school in Shaker Heights, OH
• Swank, movie and TV show licensing
• Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (TLIS), ATLIS’s certification program
• ATLIS Board of Directors
• Huddle camera, wireless and wired cameras with pan, tilt, and optical zoom capabilities
• TRS-80, one of the earliest mass-produced and mass-marketed retail home computers, launched in 1977 by Tandy Corporation

Jennie Magiera, Global Head of Education Impact at Google, joins the podcast to discuss her journey from classroom teacher to tech leader. She shares practical ways educators can use Google Gemini to support diverse student needs and save time, while also addressing critical data privacy considerations and introducing a brand-new hub of AI resources for teachers.

• Jennie on LinkedIn
• Courageous Edventures, discover your own version of innovation, using the limitless possibilities of educational technology
• Phillips Exeter Academy
• Google for Education Learning Center
• Get Started with Google for Education products
• Google for Education training, catalog of quick lessons and comprehensive courses to build curriculum
• https://ai.google/literacy, AI literacy resources and trainings that empower students, educators, and families to use AI effectively, safely, and responsibly
• Google NotebookLM
• KPop Demon Hunters
• Carnac the Magnificent, character from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
• Voltaire, French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian

Ari Betof, co-founder of Mission and Data, joins the podcast to discuss the critical importance of making mission-driven, data-informed decisions. He explores the common challenges schools face with data governance and system migrations, emphasizing the need for longitudinal consistency and strong leadership partnerships to turn raw data into a compelling strategic story.

• Mission & Data, dedicated to the effectiveness, health, and vitality of educational institutions and other organizations
• EMA’s Impossible Questions Podcast, from the Enrollment Management Association
• EMA’s Enrollment Spectrum Podcast, exploring the central tenets of enrollment management strategy, focusing on components embodying the spectrum
• Articles by Ari Betof on Medium.com
• Stevenson School, independent Pre-K–12 boarding and day school located on California's Monterey Peninsula 
• Center for Institutional Research in Independent Schools (CIRIS), supporting the work of institutional research practitioners as they help schools collect, analyze, and operationalize data in support of their mission