The EdTech Lab

Episode 15: In this episode, I chat with Lauren, Head of Education at Figma. With a background that includes teaching in India, and work at Google on products like Google Classroom, Lauren is passionate about making education accessible through technology.

At Figma, she leads efforts to bring design into classrooms, fostering creativity and collaboration among students. We discuss what “making design accessible” means in the context of education, how she has build such an engaged community of educators around the Figma products, and how Figma is embracing AI. Enjoy the episode!

Topics covered:

01:12 - Lauren's journey from Fulbright scholar to leading education at Figma

10:15 - what does "making design accessible" mean and why is it important?

14:00 - software vs. hardware and the need for both for equitable education

15:50 - the unexpected ways that learners and teachers are using Figma

25:30 - how Figma involves educators in what they are building

31:20 - all things AI

Learn more:

Check out Figma for Education here

Check out The EdTech Lab here

In this episode, I chat with Peter. Peter is a recently retired teacher of over 30 years, a consultant to Class Companion - an EdTech startup that has received funding from OpenAI - and he’s on the AP teacher advisory committee of College Board. He was so generous in sharing all that he’s seen and learned from his years of experience in and out of the classroom. We cover a lot in this episode. This of course includes AI, but also things like - why the schooling system right now is so broken, the importance of reps and instant feedback loops in learning, and how education must shift from a content-focus, to an engagement-focus. Enjoy the episode!

Episode #12 - In this episode I’m chatting with Ali, founder of Chapperone. Chapperone is an all-in-one platform that makes student trips outside of the classroom safer and easier. Ali is one of those founders who knows exactly the pain points of the customers she is serving having been a teacher herself for over 14 years... and throughout that time, she led over 100 student trips! It was so fascinating to hear about all the challenges that go on behind the scenes of planning a field trip, and Chapperone solves for this.

One other topic we talked about, which is of value for any teacher or edtech founder, is how to get school admin to say “yes” to a particular edtech product. Listen on for what she encourages any teacher to do when it comes to getting buy in approval. Enjoy the episode!

Topics covered:

03:00 - how Chapperone makes student trips less stressful for teachers

04:45 - the exact moment that led Ali to solve for this problem

07:05 - all of the "behind the scenes" work that goes into planning a field trip

12:30 - feedback from teachers and how this has informed Chapperone's new product features

15:15 - how to get admin to say "yes"

20:10 - the role of experiential learning in education

Learn more:

Check out Chapperone here

Check out The EdTech Lab here

Ep #11: In this episode I chat with Tanya, founder of Hairiette of Harlem. Tanya has such an interesting background. Before entering the world of education, she was actively pursuing her career as an actor, and appeared in prominent shows such as Orange Is The New Black. She is now building a reading literacy program through her beloved character, Hairiette. Her reading program involves a book series, a puppet show musical, and a teaching curriculum  - and she talks through how she came up with this model and why it is effective.

Unfortunately we did run into audio quality issues in the recording of this so the episode may sound glitchy in parts but it was a joy to record and, as usual, I hope you enjoy the episode. 

Topics:

02:30 - The seamless match between creativity and education

03:50 - Hairiette of Harlem, the reading program...

04:50 - ... and the puppet musical!

07:00 - How watching a movie can motivate reading

10:20 - Education is a sacred space and learning should be shared

Links:

Check out Hairiette of Harlem here

Follow The EdTech Lab ⁠⁠here

Ep #10: In this episode, I’m chatting with Chirag and Anthony, co-founders of Instructify. They’ve created TALIA (Teaching and Learning Intelligent Assistant). TALIA is a tool plus into existing learning management systems or platforms like Discord, then helps professors provide course-specific answers to student queries. Our conversation explores the early days of Instructify, the evolution of their mission, and the impact TALIA is having on higher education. Chirag and Anthony also come from impressive backgrounds in software engineering with experience at major companies like IBM, Twitter, and Pinterest. So they’re able to share insights into leveraging AI to enhance teaching and learning experiences from a deeply technical perspective that some in the space might not previously consider. Enjoy the episode!

Note: Anthony is no longer actively working with Instructify at the time of this episode being published.

Topics:

04:12 - the shift from "defensive edtech" to more proactive edtech

08:50 - concerns, friction, and healthy skepticism from professors

10:40 - how TALIA works

12:25 - the good and the bad of AI in edtech, from a software engineer's point of view

20:00 - what's next for Instructify

Links:

Check out Instructify here

Follow The EdTech Lab ⁠here

Ep #9: In this episode, I chat with Ethan Pierce, founder of Adaptive Reader. Adaptive Reader is a platform making classic literature accessible to all students. Ethan shares his personal journey from struggling reader to Harvard scholarship recipient, highlighting how pivotal moments and supportive teachers shaped his path. This is what’s led him on his mission to bridge reading gaps using AI and large language models. 

We dive into how Adaptive Reader rewrites novels at various reading levels and translates them into multiple languages - including Spanish, Vietnamese, Urdu, and Filipino - ensuring all students can engage with the content. A term I learned in this episode is “dignified differentiation”, meaning how to get students to engage in the same content without feeling singled out. Ethan shares the design elements that he has considered, which allowed this to happen, maintaining the integrity of the learners and the original text the study.

This is also a great episode for edtech founders that are building a product and need honest teacher feedback, because Ethan shares very tactical advice for each stage of his development process. You can listen on to hear how that teacher feedback even changed many features Ethan was originally considering. Enjoy the episode!

Topics:

01:48 - Ethan's mission when it comes to education, teachers, and learners

03:44 - How Adaptive Reader improves reading literacy

05:58 - AI, LLMs, and literacy indexes

09:05 - Tactical advice for teacher involvement in the development process

12:24 - Paperback versus digital books

17:00 - Design elements that protect dignified differentiation

18:30 - Measures of success, assessments, outcomes

23:50 - Giving students agency to pick their reading level

26:20 - The most important thing we can do for students amidst technology

Links:

Follow Ethan's journey here

Check out Adaptive Reader here

Follow The EdTech Lab here

Hi! 👋🏼 Season 2 of The EdTech Lab podcast is starting THIS WEEK. Don't forget to subscribe to get notified whenever the latest episodes drop. Thanks for tuning in.

In this episode I chat with Claire, a VP at GSV Ventures. GSV Ventures have invested in EdTech giants I’m sure you’re familiar with, like Coursera, Class Dojo, and Turnitin. Claire breaks down the essence of GSV Ventures and what their investment thesis is when looking for, what they refer to as, "pre-k to grey" startups. Claire happens to write GSV’s AI news and updates newsletter, so of course we go in depth on how companies are embracing AI, including the intriguing “David versus Goliath” dynamics between EdTech incumbents and new startups. She then shares valuable advice for startups, such as whether to think of AI as a feature or as a platform, and offers key insights on when startups should maybe refrain from implementing AI. Enjoy the episode!