Today we're thrilled to introduce Class Composer, the newest startup to join the show. We speak with CEO and co-founder Mike Cronley.

Class Composer is a software solution designed to create balanced and equitable classroom assignments. Mike shares his journey from being a third-grade teacher to developing a tool that addresses the challenges of inequitable class assignments. The conversation explores the inception of Class Composer, its functionality, customer feedback, and the future of the product as it aims to expand its impact in education.

About today's guest:

While some big ideas are born in the boardroom, others are born in the lunchroom.

In his 12 years teaching third grade near Denver, Colorado, Mike shared the frustrations of many colleagues enduring inequitable classes – for example, classes having an imbalance of low readers or students with challenging behavior. These imbalances weren’t surprising, given the student placement process was done with pink and blue paper cards.

Over lunch one day in 2007, the school’s music teacher was venting to Mike about some unruly students who mistakenly ended up in her class together, even though they were supposed to have been separated based on their disruptive behavior the year before. Wouldn’t it be great, they mused, if there were some software to create class lists and avoid these basic errors?

As a self-professed technology geek, Mike started dreaming about the possibility of creating his own solution. That dream grew into an obsession, and he found himself spending evenings and weekends consumed by research – driving his wife crazy. The result was Class Composer, software built on Mike’s tech savvy, his teacher’s perspective, and his commitment to creating positive learning environments.

Mike, who received his B.S. in Psychology from the Ohio State University and an elementary teaching certificate from the University of Colorado Denver, is no longer in the classroom, but is an educator at heart who loves making a positive impact on the lives of teachers and students. He lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two poodles, and he loves to ski, bike, and camp with his family, including his college-age son and daughter.

About today's host:
Scott Schuette is a Learning and Development Executive with years of experience driving the creation of innovative, multi-million dollar learning platforms and education programs for major corporate enterprise companies.

He is cohost of The Fabulous Learning Nerds, a podcast sharing new ideas, learning tools, approaches and technology that increase learner engagement and impact — All while having FUN! Listen to the show and subscribe here: https://fabulouslearningnerds.transistor.fm

Priten Shah, the founder and CEO of Pedagogy.Cloud and Pedagog.ai, returns as guest. He gets us caught up on the company's latest work, sets the context for ethics and AI, and discusses some of the key questions educators need to be asking about AI.

Hear about:

• Embracing tech for a meaningful purpose
• Finding new uses for AI and being realistic about some of the persistent challenges
• Priten's updated outlook for what we can expect from educators, students and AI
• Broadening our concept of future success to include more than careers
• Overcoming tech resistance

About Pedegog.ai:

Pedagog.ai is focused on supporting educators in adapting to the age of artificial intelligence in education. The company offers a variety of professional development options, including books, online courses, webinars, and in-person workshops, to help teachers learn about the latest advancements in AI and education. Their suite of tools is designed with educators in mind, aiming to enhance curriculum development and workflow efficiency through AI technology. They also provide tools tailored for student use, enabling them to engage in assignments that leverage AI capabilities in a classroom setting. Learn more:

• http://pedagog.ai/
• https://twitter.com/pedagogycloud
• https://www.instagram.com/pedagogycloud/
• https://facebook.com/pedagogycloud

About today's guest:
Priten Shah, M. ED and B.A, Harvard, is the CEO of Pedagogy.Cloud, which provides innovative technology solutions to help educators navigate global challenges in a rapidly evolving world. He is also the author of the Wiley’s Jossey-Bass publication, “AI & The Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.“ Pedagogy.Cloud has worked with over 200 different educational organizations to adapt and innovate during major world events including the Covid-19 Pandemic. He and his team are currently focused on helping educational organizations adapt to the ever growing capabilities of AI. Priten is also the founder of United 4 Social Change, a civics education nonprofit that focuses on helping teachers integrate interdisciplinary education into their curricula through animated videos, lesson plans, and innovative classroom activities. Connect with Priten:

• http://linkedin.com/in/pritenhshah
• https://twitter.com/pritenhshah

About today's host:
Scott Schuette is a Learning and Development Executive with years of experience driving the creation of innovative, multi-million dollar learning platforms and education programs for major corporate enterprise companies.

He is cohost of The Fabulous Learning Nerds, a podcast sharing new ideas, learning tools, approaches and technology that increase learner engagement and impact — All while having FUN! Listen to the show and subscribe here: https://fabulouslearningnerds.transistor.fm

We're excited to have Christel Reaves, founder and CEO of Connected Class, back on the show. Today she shares some of the big developments with Connected Class over the past six months and a lot more:

Hear about:

• Earned insights on scaling a startup
• Knowing your strengths as a founder and building the right team around yourself
• Providing resources that give parents options to support their child's education
• Literacy, math and social-emotional development
• The resilient mindset required of an edtech entrepreneur in changing times

About Connected Class

We build communication between the classroom and home environment through exciting games, strategies, and activities to help students succeed academically. Learn more:

• www.connectedclass.com
• https://twitter.com/connectedclass_
• https://www.instagram.com/connected_class
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/connected-class

About today’s guest

Christel Reaves, founder and CEO of Connected Class, is an enthusiastic educator dedicated to improving learning and equipping educators to succeed. Her passion for ensuring family engagement throughout the learning process is evident and at the core of every product and service provided by Connected Class. She oversees a team of Instructional Specialists to support schools, focusing on helping educators analyze data, develop action plans, implement instructional strategies, and enhance family engagement for improved student achievement.

Before Christel was the founder of Connected Class, she was a classroom teacher, county resource educator and district administrator. She worked closely with the state to remove low performing Title I schools from Intervene status. Over the past 25 years, she has helped many schools improve their student performance and engage families.

About today’s host

Scott Schuette is a Learning and Development Executive with years of experience driving the creation of innovative, multi-million dollar learning platforms and education programs for major corporate enterprise companies.

He is cohost of The Fabulous Learning Nerds, a podcast sharing new ideas, learning tools, approaches and technology that increase learner engagement and impact — All while having FUN! Listen to the show and subscribe here: https://fabulouslearningnerds.transistor.fm

In this episode, we welcome back Scholar Education co-founder Marlee Strawn for a deep conversation about developing "good AI" that solves pressing challenges for educators. Marlee and Scott discuss:

• Going from teacher to administrator to founder
• Starting Scholar Education and building BaxterBot
• Generating meaningful data insights
• Putting real education expertise and context behind the data
• An AI tool with a purpose - supporting students with 504s and IEPs
• Providing actionable steps for parents to support their child
• What Marlee has learned in the first 18 months of entrepreneurship

About Scholar Education

Scholar Education is an AI-powered classroom enhancement platform that offers a suite of AI tools designed to deliver a personalized learning environment, with a specific focus on implementing and tracking accommodations for ESE, 504, and ELL students. Learn more at https://www.joinscholar.com

About today’s guest

Marlee Strawn's career started as a high school teacher and reached a significant milestone when she became the founding principal of the top-performing charter high school in the seventh largest district in the nation. Following her successful tenure as principal, Marlee transitioned to a new role in the education technology sector. As the Co-Founder and Head of Education at Scholar Education, Marlee leads the development of an AI-powered classroom enhancement platform designed to eliminate administrative burdens for teachers. She was also recently selected as a 2024 EDSAFE AI Alliance Women in AI Fellow.

About today’s host

Scott Schuette is a Learning and Development Executive with years of experience driving the creation of innovative, multi-million dollar learning platforms and education programs for major corporate enterprise companies.

He is cohost of The Fabulous Learning Nerds, a podcast sharing new ideas, learning tools, approaches and technology that increase learner engagement and impact — All while having FUN! Listen to the show and subscribe here: https://fabulouslearningnerds.transistor.fm

In this episode, Barb Flowers speaks with Dr. Shannon Putman. Shannon is owner of Putman XR Consulting, focusing on immersive technology education, training, and support. She was a special education teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools (KY) for 15 years.

Hear their conversation about:

• Using VR for virtual field trips and job shadowing
• Understanding how virtual reality gives students the real experience of different jobs that are otherwise hard to access (such as working on wind turbines)
• Connecting with professional mentors through immersive technology
• Giving students of various backgrounds exposure to a range of careers
• Giving kids hope about their options for the future
• Advice for teachers to get familiar with new technology

About today’s host

Barb Flowers is a certified Life Coach and former Elementary Principal with a PhD in K-12 leadership from Kent State University. She is host of the following podcasts:

• The Principal’s Handbook — Lessons on communication, time management, overcoming overwhelm, and more, designed to help school leaders become more confident and well-rounded.
• The Teacher Burnout Podcast — This show explores the complex issue of teacher burnout and shares practical solutions to support your well-being and reignite your passion for education.

About Be More Colorful

Be More Colorful, based in Fargo, North Dakota specializes in immersive technology solutions for solving workforce development problems. Co-founded by husband-and-wife team Matt and Katie Chaussee, the company has been at the forefront of creating immersive media solutions that help people make better decisions about where they choose to live, learn, work and play. Learn more:

• https://www.bemorecolorful.com
• https://www.facebook.com/careerviewxr
• https://www.facebook.com/bemorecolorful
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/careerviewxr
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/be-more-colorful
• https://www.instagram.com/bemorecolorful
• https://twitter.com/bemorecolorful
• https://www.tiktok.com/@bemorecolorful

Adrienne Usher, Assistant Superintendent of Bullitt County Public Schools in Kentucky, is today’s guest. She discusses her work to bring engaging project-based learning to her district and more:

• Profile of a graduate and building key competencies into academics
• Creating authentic learning experiences focused on productive collaboration and innovative problem solving
• Change management through simple shifts
• Collaborative learning and documenting the learning journey with Inkwire
• How to establish a vision for learning and choose technology that supports it appropriately

About today’s host

Barb Flowers is a certified Life Coach and former Elementary Principal with a PhD in K-12 leadership from Kent State University. She is host of the following podcasts:

• The Principal’s Handbook — Lessons on communication, time management, overcoming overwhelm, and more, designed to help school leaders become more confident and well-rounded.
• The Teacher Burnout Podcast — This show explores the complex issue of teacher burnout and shares practical solutions to support your well-being and reignite your passion for education.

About today’s guest

Dr. Adrienne Usher currently serves the students, staff and community as Assistant Superintendent in Bullitt County Public Schools in Kentucky. In her role, she provides direct consultation to the Superintendent and is responsible for overseeing, promoting and implementing curriculum, instruction and assessment programming, PreK-12, alongside district and school leaders while aligning federal, state and local resources to support the instructional vision and mission for the district. Adrienne has experience in both Kentucky and Tennessee, and has served as a teacher, school counselor, instructional coach, principal, and district level administrator prior to her present role.

About Inkwire

In a world in which generative AI has called into question the value of traditional curriculum and assessments, Inkwire is a platform that engages students in real projects and helps them demonstrate their original thinking & skills through portfolios. Learn more: https://inkwire.co

Welcome to this special episode of the EdTech Startup Showcase, part of our National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

Our guest today is Kyle Wallgren, a startup coach, investor, and CEO of Edsoma, whose AI-powered app unlocks the science of reading.

Hear about:

• Kyle’s entrepreneurial background and motivation to make an impact in education
• How Edsoma works and the challenges it addresses for students, parents, and educators
• What makes Edsoma unique and the latest exciting developments, including investment from Shaquille O’Neal
• Insights for other founders in the edtech space

About today’s host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the BE Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossromano

Listen to his other shows:

• The Authority — deep-dive interviews with the leading minds in leadership, management, education, and personal development.
• Sideline Sessions — conversations with successful coaches and performance experts from professional, collegiate, and youth sports.

Joel Backon is the editor-in-chief of Educate AI Magazine, a new platform dedicated to supporting those who seek to enhance learning through artificial intelligence. The Be Podcast Network is collaborating with Educate AI to share podcasts and other content advancing educators’ understanding of AI tools and trends.

In this bonus episode, you'll hear about:

• How Joel got involved with Educate AI and the publication’s “why”
• Topics covered in the magazine: use cases, opportunities and risks, AI’s evolution
• How educators are discussing their experience with AI
• The value Educate AI seeks to provide
• Opportunities to get involved

About today’s guest

Joel Backon is the editor-in-chief of Educate AI Magazine. Before joining Educate AI, Joel launched and was the founding editor of Intrepid Ed News, an online education publication that grew to almost 100,000 readers. For most of his career, he was an independent school teacher and administrator, teaching history and government while leading the school’s instructional technology effort, running a dormitory, coaching basketball, and chairing several committees. Immediately following college, Joel spent 15 years in the printing and publishing industries.

About today’s host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the BE Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossromano

Listen to his other shows:

• The Authority — deep-dive interviews with the leading minds in leadership, management, education, and personal development.
• Sideline Sessions — conversations with successful coaches and performance experts from professional, collegiate, and youth sports.