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PODCAST

AmpED to 11

Amplify and Elevate Innovation

Elevating AI in Education Welcome to AmpED to 11, the podcast where AI, education, and technology collide to reshape the future of learning. Hosted by EdTech experts Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma, AmpED to 11 brings you the latest insights, trends, and strategies in AI-powered education. We believe that education should never settle for "good enough." Each episode is packed with cutting-edge news, expert interviews, and actionable insights that will keep you ahead of the curve in the rapidly

education tech news

All Episodes

01:06:43

Building Their Own AI: How School Districts Are Going...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/04/20

What if school districts stopped buying AI tools and started building them?In this episode, we talk with Daniel Friedman (Director of Technology, Hicksville Public Schools) and Dr. Patrick Fogarty (Assistant Superintendent, Hewlett Woodmere Public Schools & Founder of NYSAIC) about how educators are moving beyond vendor-dependent solutions to create their own local AI infrastructure.They discuss:Building local LLMs for data privacy and student researchCreating custom Regents exam generators

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47:23

The Five Questions Every Parent Should Ask About...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/04/06

Parents discover their teenagers are using AI in school, but they're learning about it after decisions are already made. Jason B. Allen, National Director of Partnerships at the National Parents Union, isn't interested in fixing a communication gap. He's here to close a partnership gap.Jason brings 21 years in education as a certified teacher, special educator, and former school and district leader. He knows what happens when schools make tech decisions without families at the table. He also knows

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01:05:46

National AI Literacy Day 2026: Building Community...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/03/27

What if the data that matters most isn't grades or test scores, but the messy, beautiful process of how students actually learn?Erin Mote, CEO of InnovateEDU, joins Brett and Rebecca for a timely conversation on National AI Literacy Day 2026. Erin founded the EdSafe AI Alliance and leads a network of educational partnerships touching thousands of school districts nationwide. Her background spans enterprise architecture, personalized learning platforms, and global education technology

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01:03:28

From Compliance to Capacity: Rethinking...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/03/23

What does it mean when policy disconnects from the classroom, and AI is forcing us to finally pay attention?Julia Fallon is the Executive Director of SETDA (State Educational Technology Directors Association) and has spent three decades navigating the intersection of education, technology, and policy. She calls it "the unglamorous middle", the space where good ideas either fail quietly or become real. After 17.5 years with Washington State's Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Julia now

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01:29:59

Harl Roehm on Fighting for What You Love in Education

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/03/09

Can you really love something if you're not fighting to make it better? Harl Roehm, a 28-year veteran CTE teacher from Collierville, Tennessee, has spent his career proving that the answer is no. Raised on a fifth-generation farm in Mississippi, Harl's journey into education started with a $25 yard-sale computer, a Saturday afternoon, and enough courage to tear it apart and put it back together. That moment sparked a 28-year love affair with technology, teaching, and pushing back against systems

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01:09:00

AI in Schools Without the Hype: Pedagogy First,...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/02/23

Two big truths can coexist: AI is powerful, and schools can absolutely make a mess of it.In this episode of AmpED to 11, Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma sit down with Joseph South (Chief Innovation Officer) and Jessica Garner (Managing Director of Innovative Learning) at ISTE ASCD to talk about what it looks like to do AI properly in K-12 without turning it into a culture war.They get into:Why most “tech problems” in schools are actually pedagogy problemsThe ISTE ASCD merger and why the pedagogy

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01:10:55

Future by Design: Marisa Janicek on Decentralized...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/02/09

What happens when a K–6 school district designs learning spaces that look more like Stanford than Sesame Street—and asks students to lead the future of work?In this AmpED to 11 episode, we're joined by the bold and visionary superintendent of Del Mar Union School District, Marisa Janicek, whose leadership journey rewrites what’s possible in public education. From building student-designed AI rubrics and leading student-run conferences to redefining space, time, and trust in elementary learning,

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01:03:52

What Only Humans Can Teach: Jessica Paulsen and...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/01/26

What if AI could actually make your classroom more human?In this episode of AmpED to 11, we sit down with Jessica Paulsen, President of Innovation and Impact at LEAP Innovations, and Roberto Vargas, Managing Director of IT and Data Systems at Distinctive Schools, to unpack a provocative question: If AI can already do many of the tasks we’ve traditionally assigned in school, what new kinds of learning should we be designing—learning that only humans can shape, feel, and experience?Jessica and Roberto

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01:05:33

AI, Empathy, and “It Depends” | Michelle Culver, Bomi...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/01/12

What happens when a heart-to-heart gets a digital co-pilot?In this bold, boundary-pushing episode of AmpED to 11, Rebecca and Brett dive deep into the tangled intersection of AI and human connection with three trailblazers from the Rithm Project—a visionary effort aiming to preserve humanity in the age of artificial intelligence.Michelle Culver (Rithm Project founder and former Reinvention Lab lead at Teach For America) is joined by Rithm Fellows Bomi Akarakiri and Cyra Alesha, both powerhouse youth

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01:07:09

AI-Resistant Teens, Killer Automations & Holiday Hot...

AmpED to 11 ·

2026/01/05

Who says AI doesn’t belong at the holiday table?In this festive, future-forward “11 Days of Xmas” special episode of AmpED to 11, hosts Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma are joined by Amplify & Elevate Innovation insiders Serena Reynolds and Versha Munshi-South for an unfiltered round of rapid-fire AI questions—plus some unexpected hot takes, tech confessions, and painfully relatable truths from parents, former principals, and teenage kids alike.It’s part AI year-in-review, part prediction party,

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01:00:30

Curiosity Compliance: Jenn Womble on Student Voice,...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/12/29

What if the future of education isn’t just about AI, but what it means to be fully, unrelentingly human alongside it?In this off-the-rails, laugh-out-loud, surprisingly profound episode, Brett and Rebecca sit down with the inimitable Jenn Womble—Chair of the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) and District Administration—and within minutes, they’re talking creatine, hormone-balancing AI spreadsheets, dicey TSA interactions involving supplement Ziplocs, and how to build community in the

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01:03:42

From Chaos to Craft: Thomas Thompson IV and Thomas...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/12/22

What if every teacher had a superpower—not to replace them, but to help them thrive?In this episode of AmpED to 11, we turn up the volume on one of the most practical and pressing questions in the AI-in-education space: How can AI actually empower teachers—in real classrooms, under real pressure—to reclaim their time, elevate their craft, and bring the joy of learning back?Meet our dynamic duo of guests: Thomas Thompson IV, CEO of Eduaide AI, and Thomas Hummel, Chief Product Officer... and a current

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56:51

From Burnout to Bold Futures: Sabba Quidwai on...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/12/15

What if the solution to the education crisis isn’t another new tool—but a radically different way of thinking?In this episode of AmpED to 11, Brett and Rebecca sit down with Sabba Quidwai—futurist, researcher, and founder of Designing Schools—for a conversation that’s equal parts AI-infused optimism and bold truth-telling. Sabba doesn’t hold back. From calling out the systemic failures that led to widespread teacher burnout, to critiquing the bandaid tech culture that treats symptoms rather than

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46:49

Why “Transform” Is the Wrong Word—Aaron Cuny on...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/12/01

Is AI going to transform education—or compound the gaps we already have?On this episode of AmpED to 11, we sit down with Aaron Cuny, co-founder of AI for Equity and former school leader, who's working at the front lines of this very question. From his 18 years inside classrooms and school systems to founding a nonprofit helping districts navigate AI with vision and ethics, Aaron brings grounded urgency to a conversation many are still only tiptoeing around.What’s at stake? Everything from how we

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01:06:05

Turning Fear Into Forward Motion with Tia Morris &...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/11/17

What if your fear of AI is louder than your love for your students?In this episode of AmpED to 11, we go deep with two bold trailblazers reshaping what it means to lead in education right now: Tia Morris, Executive Director of Teach for America New York, and Eldridge Gilbert III, SVP at SEO Scholars + Co-Founder of Legit Leader. Grounded in decades of experience and driven by fierce urgency, both are asking the right questions—and refusing to accept systems that leave kids behind.Tia’s a

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57:37

Code, Conscience, and Classrooms with Pat Yongpradit:...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/11/03

Is AI making education more equitable—or more dangerous?In this episode of AmpED to 11, we don’t just flirt with that question—we blast it wide open with Pat Yongpradit, Chief Academic Officer at Code.org and a driving force behind TeachAI, a global initiative that’s redefining how policymakers, educators, and students alike engage with artificial intelligence. From the global stage in Paris to your classroom down the hall, Pat is reshaping what it means to be literate—and ethical—in the age of

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07:14

More Than Grants: Jeremy Bhatia on Transforming...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/10/27

What if all the funding your school or nonprofit needs is already within reach—but you just can’t see it?In this episode of AmpED to 11, Brett sits down with Jeremy Bhatia, founder and CEO of Eddi, a groundbreaking AI platform that’s helping mission-driven organizations unlock and optimize every dollar they’re entitled to. Whether you’re a rural district administrator juggling five roles or a nonprofit scrambling for grant deadlines, this conversation gets real about the financial chaos simmering

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52:51

From Parent to Power Broker: Jacob Kantor on Vetting...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/10/20

What the heck is a DODO—and why is it opening doors to the future of edtech?In this bold, fast-paced episode of AmpED to 11, we sit down with Jacob Kantor, known across LinkedIn and edtech circles as “The Chief DODO”—aka, the District Office Door Opener. Jacob moves at warp speed, connecting solution providers with education leaders, but underneath the rapid-fire meetings and relentless networking is a deeply human mission: making sure powerful tools get into the hands of the people who need them

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05:54

Building with Educators, Not for Them—Inside...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/10/13

What if the most powerful edtech tool you use every day... could do even more—and still cost absolutely nothing?In this episode of AmpED to 11, Brett dives into the wildly popular ClassDojo platform with Dr. Chad Stevens, Head of Growth and Partnerships. If you're an educator or parent, odds are you've already tapped into the magic of ClassDojo's classroom connection tools. But what if we told you Dojo is no longer just for teachers?Now, it's leveling up—big time. Chad gives us an inside look at how

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01:02:47

Teaching AI Without Bias or BS —Amanda Bickerstaff on...

AmpED to 11 ·

2025/10/09

Can a chatbot help dismantle inequity in schools—or make it worse?In this kickoff to Season 2 of AmpED to 11, we sit down with Amanda Bickerstaff, co-founder and CEO of AI for Education and one of the most fearless, future-focused educators in the generative AI space. From training more real humans on gen AI than anyone else (seriously—she might be the most prolific AI educator on the planet), Amanda drops a masterclass on what AI literacy truly means and why it goes far beyond “Top 10 Tools for

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