Bill Selak

Schoolwide Habits Personality

Bill Selak ·

2026/09/05

In this episode, I explore the concept of schoolwide habits and personality, focusing on how educators can shape these habits to foster a more curious and engaging learning environment. I discuss the importance of personality tests, the role of habits in personality development, and the potential impact of cultivating curiosity on students from kindergarten to […]

en-US

Build It and Buy It

Bill Selak ·

2026/08/29

In this episode, I rethink the old build-versus-buy decision through a student badging project at Hillbrook. We bought a reliable ProdataKey access-control system, paid for API access, and then used Codex to build the simple, live dashboard our team actually needed—who is in each building, who has not arrived, and where an individual student last badged.

en-US

Bill Selak Talks About Curiosity—and What Schools...

Bill Selak ·

2026/08/22

In this episode, I follow curiosity from a daytime moon to the classrooms and culture of a school. After hosting a delegation of educators from South Korea at Hillbrook, I kept returning to the same idea: schools are at their best when they help students notice something, ask better questions, and build something that matters.

en-US

Bill Selak Talks About the Inverse of a Brown M&M

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/22

In this episode, I explore the famous story of Van Halen’s “no brown M&M’s” rider—and why it was never really about the candy. That idea got me thinking about what I call the inverse of a Brown M&M: the small, intentional experiences that communicate your organization’s values from day one. I share how building a […]

en-US

Bill Selak Talks About Claude for Teachers:...

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/18

In this episode, I react to Anthropic’s new Claude for Teachers announcement and explain why I’m excited—but also frustrated—as a school technology director. Great AI tools need great administrative tools, and there’s still work to do. Then we zoom out to a bigger question: what should educators actually be building with generative AI? I share […]

en-US

The Importance of “The Hang”

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/13

Before I became a teacher, I made my living as a musician. One of the unexpected lessons I learned during those years had nothing to do with playing my instrument. A drummer I knew, Gene, told a story about a friend who auditioned to play on tour with The Eagles. The drummer arrived for his […]

en-US

School Traditions During Lockdown: New Blog Post, Old...

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/09

While cleaning up old WordPress sites during my recent website migration, I stumbled across a page of notes from an NAIS roundtable I attended in early 2021. At the time, every independent school was trying to answer the same question: How do we preserve our traditions when we can’t gather together? The notes were meant only […]

en-US

Free Stock Music Websites for Student Movie Soundtracks

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/09

For years, whenever students started making videos, the same question inevitably came up: Where do I find music that I’m actually allowed to use? The good news is that there are more great options than ever. Whether you’re creating a classroom project, a school promo, or just experimenting with video, here are a few of my […]

en-US

Using Google Sheets to Create Student Groupings: ...

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/09

When students complete a Google Form to choose a group, how do you put students into groups? And how do you communicate that to students? Every December, I create 17 (or so) groups for 190 middle school students and 13 more groups for 140 lower school students. Here are my workflows using Google Sheets. I’ll […]

en-US

#nicetomeetcue

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/09

For #springcue this year, I posted a prompt every morning, from Friday, March 19 with “Day 1 – Introductions” and through Saturday, March 27. The primary goal was to give CUE friends a chance to meet new people, and get to know existing edufriends better. The daily challenge during Spring CUE is over, but feel free […]

en-US

Migrating Web Hosts? It’s Totally Doable!

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/09

In this episode, I share how I finally moved my websites off Bluehost after more than 20 years. What started as a simple side project with Cloudflare turned into a complete migration of my domains, DNS, and WordPress hosting—and it ended up being much less intimidating than I expected. Along the way, I talk about […]

en-US

My 31 Step Process for Building NextUp Music

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/07

I shipped an app! It started with a familiar kind of friction: shared listening that didn’t feel shared. My kids each wanted control of the music. I wanted some version of fairness. And somewhere along the way, my Apple Music Replay stopped reflecting my own taste. That last part stuck with me more than I […]

en-US

Rescuing 20 Years of Online Teaching While Migrating...

Bill Selak ·

2026/07/04

Three weeks before my Bluehost renewal, I found myself staring at a question that had been quietly growing for years. Do I really want to keep paying for this? Not because Bluehost had done anything particularly wrong. In fact, it had faithfully hosted my websites for almost exactly 20 years. But over the last few […]

en-US

How AI Helped Me Build My First Indie App — and Why...

Bill Selak ·

2025/11/28

Last week I attended the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship’s annual Conversations For Good event at the San José Museum of Art. During a panel on storytelling and impact, Chike Nwoffiah — film producer and curator of the Silicon Valley African Film Festival — talked about the relationship between imagination and action. He spoke about […]

en-US

50:58

Supercharging Creativity: AI in Education, and...

Bill Selak ·

2025/10/22

In this episode, the extraordinary Nick Provenzano joins the pod: an educator, maker, and AI enthusiast. We talk about the transformative power of generative AI in education, discussing how it can enhance creativity, support neurodiverse learners, and foster inclusivity in the classroom.

en-US

Rising Decline Revisited: November Tragedies [Part 18...

Bill Selak ·

2025/10/15

You’ve heard the story behind the music, now it’s time to listen to the track itself. Here’s November Tragedies the ninth and final song from Rising Decline’s 9-track album, newly remixed and reimagined with the power of AI. This is part of my 18-episode series, where I break down each track from the album, share […]

en-US

19:07

Rising Decline Revisited: November Tragedies [Part 17...

Bill Selak ·

2025/10/15

In this episode, we reach the conclusion of our retrospective on Rising Decline’s second album with the track, “November Tragedies.” I talk about the emotional weight behind the song, exploring themes of loss, heartbreak, and the cathartic power of creativity. We’ll discuss the importance of embracing the artistic process without the pressure of perfection. Stick […]

en-US

Rising Decline Revisited: Lemonade [Part 8 of 18]

Bill Selak ·

2024/12/19

You’ve heard the story behind the music, now it’s time to listen to the track itself. Here’s Lemonade, the fourty song from Rising Decline’s 9-track album, newly remixed and reimagined with the power of AI. This is part of my 18-episode series, where I break down each track from the album, share the process, and […]

en-US

13:46

Rising Decline Revisited: Lemonade and Why We Make...

Bill Selak ·

2024/12/19

In this episode, I talk about the creation and meaning behind “Lemonade,” the fourth track from Rising Decline’s second album, Camden Road. I reflect on the heaviness of life and how art, particularly music, serves as a refuge and a means of processing emotions.I discuss the importance of creating art for the sake of expression, […]

en-US

Rising Decline Revisited: Carousel [Part 6 of 18]

Bill Selak ·

2024/11/16

You’ve heard the story behind the music, now it’s time to listen to the track itself. Here’s Carousel, the second song from Rising Decline’s 9-track album, newly remixed and reimagined with the power of AI. This is part of my 18-episode series, where I break down each track from the album, share the process, and […]

en-US

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

Michael Britt

Bedtime Safari

Bedtime History

The Day with Geoff Barton

The Day News and Media Ltd