What happens when we put the human side of learning first and use technology with purpose?

In this episode of Integrate This!, Jeremy and David are joined by Zareen Levien, Principal Educator at Padlet, for a conversation about student voice, collaboration, AI, and what better EdTech should actually look like.

Zareen shares her journey from the tech world at Yahoo to the classroom, instructional coaching, district leadership, and eventually Padlet. Along the way, the conversation explores why technology should augment—not replace—the relationships and interactions that make learning meaningful.

They discuss avoiding EdTech tool fatigue, creating safe and welcoming digital learning spaces, giving every student meaningful ways to participate, and challenging the “myth of the independent learner.” Zareen also shares her perspective on AI in education, including why students need adults talking with them about AI rather than simply restricting access to it.

The conversation wraps up with practical Padlet ideas for classroom community, peer feedback, younger learners, multimedia creation, and more—plus the Integrate This! lightning round.

Resources: Padlet: https://padlet.com

Padlet Learning Resources: https://padlet.tv

Zareen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zareen-poonen-levien-m-ed-786817/

Megan Diede and Kara Rigsby, co-founders of Integrated Edu, join the podcast for a deep dive into their framework for student engagement. They share how a casual "let's start running together" turned into a business partnership, and break down their core philosophy that engagement is an outcome, not a strategy, built through purposeful design, consistency, and connection (their "3 C's"). Megan and Kara walk through the seven pathways to learning (from movement to visual arts to storytelling), why they push back on traditional small-group centers and worksheet-heavy instruction, and how teachers can start with small, 1% shifts instead of overhauling everything at once. They also talk about their book, Elevated Educator, their podcast, and where their "Integrated" name really comes from.

Checkout their work: integratedk12.com

Get the book: https://a.co/d/0bZMy2kP

Jeremiah Frink spent 20 years in public education, from elementary teacher to district administrator, before moving to Dell as an education strategist. He joins the podcast to talk about Data Dunkers, Dell's program that teaches data and AI literacy through basketball stats from the WNBA and NBA, and the ISTE + ASCD Innovator Challenge, where student teams use AI to tackle real problems in their communities. Jeremiah breaks down why data literacy keeps getting treated as a one-off unit instead of something woven through every subject, what "classroom-ready AI" actually looks like beyond just prompting, and how brainstorming and design thinking can be taught as real, learnable skills. He also shares candid conversations with his own five kids about AI, screen time, and what it means to stay a lifelong learner. Stick around for the lightning round, including his walk-up song and this-or-that round.

Connect with Jeremiah Frink, Dell Technologies K-12 Education Strategist, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiahfrink/

Dell Data Dunkers: A hands-on educational program that combines basketball, coding, and data analytics to help students build foundational AI and data literacy skills. http://datadunkers.ca/

Girls Who Game: An extracurricular initiative designed to empower young women and underserved students to build critical STEM, leadership, and collaboration skills through esports and Minecraft Education design challenges. http://dell.com/en-us/lp/dt/girls-who-game

Dell Student TechCrew: A student-led IT help desk program that promotes career readiness by empowering students to earn industry-recognized technology certifications while supporting their district's daily tech needs. http://dell.com/en-us/lp/dt/student-techcrew

How can schools take advantage of powerful technology without adding more noise to an already crowded instructional landscape?

In this episode of Integrate This!, Jeremy and David sit down with Dr. Gene Kerns, Chief Academic Officer at Renaissance, to explore what effective educational technology should really accomplish.

Gene shares his journey from the classroom to more than 20 years with Renaissance and explains a principle that continues to shape his thinking about EdTech: technology should support teachers, not supplant them.

The conversation dives into instructional coherence—making sure assessments, curriculum, intervention, instructional resources, and technology actually work together rather than becoming disconnected pieces teachers have to assemble themselves. Gene also discusses personalized learning, using assessment data to determine “what’s next,” the growing role of AI behind the scenes, and why teachers must remain the ones making the final instructional decisions.

They also tackle the ongoing debate around student screen time and why the conversation should focus not simply on the amount of technology students use, but on the quality and purpose of that use.

And, of course, Gene faces the Integrate This! lightning round, where things wander from school leadership to television, becoming an ordained minister, 80s music, and whether he’d rather head to the mountains or the beach.

In this episode: • Keeping teachers at the center of educational technology • “Supporting, not supplanting” teachers • Personalized learning vs. learning that is more personalized • Instructional coherence across curriculum, assessment, and intervention • Turning assessment data into meaningful next steps • Connecting supplemental resources to what teachers are actually teaching • AI as a “24/7 digital teaching assistant” • Quality vs. quantity when thinking about student screen time • The future of Renaissance Intelligence

Resources & Links

🔗 Renaissance: https://www.renaissance.com/ 🔗 Renaissance Intelligence: https://www.renaissance.com/renaissance-intelligence/ 🔗 Renaissance Webinars: https://www.renaissance.com/resources/webinars/ 🔗 Renaissance Blog: https://www.renaissance.com/resources/blog/ 🔗 Dr. Gene Kerns on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gene-kerns-8bbb8014/

🎧 Integrate This! is a podcast exploring educational technology, effective instruction, and the ideas shaping teaching and learning.

What does it really mean to prepare every student for a future we cannot fully predict?

Jeremy and David are joined by sisters and Innovageous co-founders Shira Woolf Cohen and Alicia Woolf for a conversation about moving beyond career days, isolated programs, and technology that only gives the appearance of innovation.

Shira and Alicia explain why future-focused education is not about directing students toward one predetermined pathway. Instead, it means helping every learner develop transferable skills such as communication, adaptability, perseverance, self-awareness, leadership, and agency. They also explore why true inclusion goes beyond providing access—and what all educators can learn from the transition-planning practices long used in special education.

The conversation includes practical ways teachers can connect existing lessons to students’ futures without adding another program to their plates, thoughtful uses of AI and educational technology, strategies for building sustainable community and employer partnerships, and creative ways rural schools can expand career exploration through virtual connections.

The episode concludes with a round of “Future Focused or Future Flavored” and a sister-themed lightning round featuring cheesesteaks, Old Bay, Bravo, and keynote walk-up songs.

Learn more about Innovageous and explore their resources: https://www.innovageous.com/

Connect with Shira Woolf Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirawoolfcohen/

Connect with Shira Woolf Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-woolf-91366362/

Find Leading Future-Focused Schools: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9VWS8Z7

Dr. Sheldon Eakins, host of the Leading Equity podcast and founder of Purposeful Teaching Academy, joins the podcast to share his journey from history teacher to school administrator to equity consultant. He talks about what sparked his work in culturally responsive teaching after moving from the Virgin Islands to Idaho, where he served as a special education director for the Shoshone and Bannock tribes. Sheldon breaks down how cultural assumptions show up in everyday classroom moments, using a memorable refrigerator analogy to explain the difference between individualist and collectivist mindsets in group work, and previews a new tool he's building to help teachers create more balanced, engaging collaborative learning experiences. He also talks about what purposeful, intentional teaching looks like heading into a new school year. Stick around for the lightning round, including his go-to potluck dish and his walk-up song.

Check out the Purposeful Teaching Academy: https://purposeful247.com/

Follow Sheldon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldoneakins/

Check out Sheldon's Books: Amazon.com: Sheldon L. Eakins: books, biography, latest update

In this episode of Integrate This!, Jeremy Mikla and David Berner sit down with Dr. Jenny Pieratt, PBL expert, author, curriculum designer, and founder of Crafted Curriculum, to talk about project-based learning that is real, rigorous, and student-centered.

Jenny shares her journey into PBL through High Tech High, explains the difference between doing a project and designing true project-based learning, and offers practical advice for teachers working across grade levels and subject areas. The conversation covers real-world learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, assessment, rubrics, durable skills, student agency, and how educators can start small with “PBL light.”

The episode also explores how AI can support teachers in the PBL design process by helping with brainstorming, rubric creation, project planning, and reflection. Jenny emphasizes that AI can make PBL more manageable, but only when paired with strong instructional design and teacher expertise.

Jeremy and David also challenge Jenny with a fun round of “Project or Not a Project?” featuring classic classroom activities like volcanoes, state reports, school gardens, AI-generated slideshows, lunch waste challenges, choice boards, and playground design.

Resources shared by Jenny:

AI Tools for Lesson Planning with PBL: https://craftedcurriculum.com/ai-tools-for-lesson-planning-with-pbl/

PBL + AI Certification Course: https://www.coursesbycrafted.com/pbl-ai-certification-course

Instructional Leader Course: https://www.coursesbycrafted.com/offers/o2EVgD2T/checkout

Aman Sahota, co-founder of Factors Education, joins David Berner and Jeremy Mikla to talk about building an AI platform that personalizes learning around a district's Portrait of a Graduate. He shares his path from studying sustainability to founding Factors Education, the mentor who pushed him into K-12, and how the platform uses student learner profiles to personalize resources by Lexile level, language, and interests while staying aligned with district priorities. The conversation digs into AI bias in education, why reflection-based data collection beats once-a-year surveys, and how Factors is building an open-source benchmark for equitable AI modeling with the University of Toronto. Aman also talks through the Portrait of a Graduate movement, New York's 2029 legislative mandate, using esports to teach durable skills, and the unglamorous reality of building an ed-tech startup on the road. Stick around for the lightning round, including his walk-up song and go-to vegetarian spots across the country.