Send us Fan Mail 2025 was a defining year for AI in education. From rapid adoption to rising educator confidence and growing questions about what comes next. In Part 1 of our year-end reflections and predictions, Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell revisit their 2025 reflections and look ahead to what 2026 may bring for EdTech, AI, and the future of learning. 🎙️ Featuring insights from: Tom Vander Ark , Founder & CEO, Getting Smart Bjorn Billhardt , CEO, Abilitie Jacob Kantor , Founder & Chief ...
Dec 24, 2025•2 hr 4 min
Send us Fan Mail Rene Kizilcec is an Associate Professor at Cornell University, where he directs the Cornell Future of Learning Lab and leads the National Tutoring Observatory . His research focuses on learning science, AI in education, and the behavioral and computational factors that shape student success. His work has appeared in Science , PNAS , and other top journals. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode How the National Tutoring Observatory is building the largest dataset of real tutor...
Dec 22, 2025•44 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin, Ben Wallerstein, and Matt Tower for Week in Edtech, exploring OpenAI’s teacher certifications, kids’ online safety legislation, early literacy declines, college admissions pressures, and what remains irreplaceable in education as AI advances. ✨ Episode Highlights [00:03:00] OpenAI launches teacher certifications, expanding into K–12 [00:05:00] Big Tech credentials raise control and gatekeeping concerns [00:07:55] Doubts emerge around certifying AI pedagog...
Dec 19, 2025•1 hr 29 min
Send us Fan Mail This special EdTech Insiders episode, recorded live at the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi, spotlights the Global EdTech Prize winners and finalists sharing how they’re scaling impact across K–12 learning, teacher AI workflows, and digital skills worldwide. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Abwaab’s AI-driven grading and human coaching model. Brisk’s rapid global growth through workflow-embedded AI. Matific’s adaptive, game-based math learning. Arukay’s digital skills ...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Send us Fan Mail Charlie Hopkins-Brinicombe is the co-founder of Trophy.so , a gamification infrastructure platform helping EdTech and wellness companies build engaging learning experiences in weeks, not months. With a background in product development and motivation design, Charlie focuses on creating scalable systems that boost retention, habit formation, and learner satisfaction. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why most gamification fails. Which mechanics truly motivate learners. Ho...
Dec 15, 2025•47 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they break down the biggest shifts in global edtech. From PhysicsWallah’s major IPO to Google–OpenAI competition, higher-ed adoption of AI, and new benchmarks shaping the future of learning. ✨ Episode Highlights [00:07:00] PhysicsWallah’s IPO reshapes Indian edtech and signals renewed global momentum [00:15:00] Google and OpenAI escalate the AI race with Gemini 3, Nano Banana Pro, and OpenAI’s “garlic” model [00:31:00] Higher education s...
Dec 12, 2025•1 hr 34 min
Send us Fan Mail Frank Wu is the Co-founder of Aibrary and a Harvard Kennedy School MPP graduate. He led 20+ edtech and AI investments at TAL, helped build Think Academy in the U.S., and previously taught 3M+ students. Susan Wang is the Chief Growth Officer at Aibrary and a Yale and Harvard Business School alum. She led creator and product operations at TikTok and worked in strategy at TAL, with deep experience scaling edtech products. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode How AI is reshaping...
Dec 10, 2025•54 min
Send us Fan Mail Dr. Sonia Tiwari is a Children's Media Researcher focused on how characters shape learning experiences. With a background spanning animation, game design, and a PhD in Learning Design & Technology, she advises edtech and media companies on ethical, developmentally aligned character design. Her work has been featured at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, UNICEF, and the National Geographic Society. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How AI changes children’s relationships with ch...
Dec 08, 2025•54 min
Send us Fan Mail Dr. Sarah Johnson is the CEO and President of Teaching Lab and Relay Graduate School of Education, leading their AI-enabled product innovation and educator preparation initiatives. She is joined by Teaching Lab Studio fellows: Riz Malik , creator of Coteach , a curriculum-aligned AI assistant for math teachers; Gautam Thapar , CEO of Enlighten AI , a personalized AI grading and feedback platform; and Louisa Rosenheck , co-lead of NISA and the Tangle & Thrive research project...
Dec 01, 2025•57 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they break down OpenAI’s unexpected launch of ChatGPT for K–12, Google’s accelerating AI momentum, and what these shifts mean for schools, teachers, and the edtech ecosystem. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:02:03] OpenAI unveils ChatGPT for K–12 educators—secure, curriculum-aware, and free through 2027 [00:03:02] The emerging AI Classroom Wars between OpenAI and Google across major U.S. districts [00:07:36] Google’s big week: DeepMind tutoring...
Nov 28, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Send us Fan Mail This special on-site episode of Edtech Insiders was recorded live at the Google AI for Learning Forum in London on November 14, 2024, where we sat down with leaders shaping Google’s next generation of learning tools, including Shantanu Sinha , VP of Google for Education, Tal Oppenheimer , Product Management Director, Google Labs & Learning, Julia Wilkowski , Pedagogy & Learning Sciences Team Lead, Google, and Maureen Heymans , VP & GM, Learning, Google. Together, the...
Nov 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Send us Fan Mail Brandon Busteed is the CEO of Edconic and a nationally recognized leader in work-integrated learning. Formerly President of Kaplan University Partners and Head of Education & Workforce Development at Gallup, he has spent his career building bridges between higher education and industry through research, innovation, and large-scale partnerships. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why work-integrated learning matters Why employers say grads aren’t work-ready Why interns...
Nov 24, 2025•49 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they unpack the breakthroughs and backlash following the Google DeepMind AI for Learning Forum in London—and what it means for the future of edtech. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:30] Google DeepMind’s AI for Learning Forum sets a new global tone for learning innovation [00:06:58] Google’s “Learn Your Way” tool personalizes entire textbooks with AI [00:08:12] AI video tools like Google Flow redefine classroom content creation [00:13:40] Wh...
Nov 21, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Send us Fan Mail This special EdTech Insiders episode features the four Shark Tank winners from EdTech Week. Each founder shares how their breakthrough approach is transforming learning, teaching, and workforce development across K–12, higher education, and global training environments. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Lirvana Labs’ multilingual, trauma-informed AI companion. Socrait’s voice-powered automation of teacher admin work. Skillmaker.ai’s XR training that cuts years to days. G...
Nov 20, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Send us Fan Mail Rohan Mahimker is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Prodigy Education , a global leader in digital game-based learning. Rohan launched Prodigy alongside his fellow Co-Founder and Co-CEO Alex Peters in 2011. Today, Prodigy’s flagship math game is used by more than 20 million 1st-8th Grade students and is one of the most popular supplemental classroom tools in the United States. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How a university project evolved into one of the world’s most popular ...
Nov 17, 2025•47 min
Send us Fan Mail Mireia Torello is the CEO and co-founder of Aikreate , an EdTech company revolutionizing AI Literacy for students and educators worldwide. With a PhD in Earth Sciences and an Executive MBA from IESE Business School, Mireia brings a unique mix of scientific and entrepreneurial experience. She has led Aikreate through partnerships with schools, universities, and governments and has been recognized at top innovation forums like SXSW EDU and ASU+GSV’s Women in AI. Her mission: make ...
Nov 13, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Send us Fan Mail Adam Mangana is the Co-Founder and CEO of Optima Ed , the first full-time VR homeschool backed by Meta. With over 15 years in edtech leadership, he’s pioneering immersive, AI-driven learning experiences that expand access to quality education and reimagine how, where, and why students learn. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How Optima Ed blends classical education with cutting-edge VR technology. Why the future of learning is immersive, individualized, and accessible . ...
Nov 10, 2025•54 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they recap a post–New York EdTech Week full of highs and hard truths. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] Alpha School's backlash and what it reveals about AI-based education. [00:06:58] EdTech’s new K–20 alliance with Microsoft and Google for responsible AI. [00:10:09] The risks and lessons from Alpha School's rapid rise and fall. [00:21:53] Chegg cuts 45% of staff amid AI disruption and market pressure. [00:26:01] Kaplan launches AI tools...
Nov 07, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Send us Fan Mail Joe Watt co-founded ECMC Group ’s Education Impact Fund to back bold ideas expanding equity and opportunity in education. Today, he leads the Fund as Managing Director, shaping how patient, mission-driven capital creates lasting change. He’s joined by Atin Batra , a Director at the Fund, who leads investments across the learner journey, bringing a global venture lens and a deep focus on measurable outcomes that improve learner success. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: H...
Nov 03, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, we spotlight the GESAwards , often called the “United Nations of EdTech,” with founder Avi Warshavsky of MindCET and three inspiring finalists from around the world. They share how they’re harnessing AI, rethinking prison education, and transforming music learning for millions of students. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why GESAwards are built on local partnerships How AI levels the global EdTech playing field Designing learning platforms for ...
Oct 27, 2025•42 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they explore the latest developments in education technology leading into NY EDTECH WEEK, from AI adoption in classrooms to major acquisitions and emerging trends across global EdTech. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:39 ] 85% of teachers and 86% of students used AI this year, sparking concerns about disconnection. [00:05:21] Google’s Notebook LM and OpenAI apps mark the next phase of AI-driven learning. [00:10:56] Campus acquires Sizzle AI ...
Oct 24, 2025•1 hr 26 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell with guest Anna Edwards of Whiteboard Advisors as they unpack a packed week in education technology. From sweeping cell phone bans to AI reshaping classrooms and colleges, and celebrate a major milestone of 400 episodes of EdTech Insiders! ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] States expand K–12 phone bans over mental health [00:04:29] Federal shutdown hits Title I, Head Start, ED [00:06:28] ICE detains superintendent, raising compliance fears [...
Oct 17, 2025•1 hr 34 min
Send us Fan Mail Deborah Howes is the President of Howes Studio and a pioneer in digital museum education. With over three decades leading EdTech programs at top cultural institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, and MOCA Los Angeles. She now helps museums and nonprofits transform analog learning into dynamic digital experiences. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn: How AI is transforming museum archives and accessibility. Why authenticity and trust matter i...
Oct 14, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Matt Tower as they break down the biggest headlines shaping the future of education technology. From OpenAI’s new video model to major EdTech funding rounds and the rise of curriculum-informed AI. ✨ Episode Highlights [00:03:56] EdTech Week 2025 preview at Columbia University featuring OpenAI’s education keynote. [00:06:50] SETDA report: AI overtakes cybersecurity as top K–12 tech priority. [00:09:05] OpenAI’s Sora 2 video model brings lifelike multimo...
Oct 10, 2025•1 hr 38 min
Send us Fan Mail Vanessa Castañeda Gill , CEO and Co-Founder of Social Cipher and Lucy Stevens , Co-Founder and Creative Director of Social Cipher , lead a majority-neurodivergent team creating social-emotional learning video games that help neurodivergent youth build self-understanding and connections; inspired by Vanessa’s experiences as an autistic/ADHD Latina, their games and curriculum are now used in 200+ schools and therapy centers across 8 countries, earning recognition from Forbes 30 Un...
Oct 08, 2025•54 min
Send us Fan Mail Janak Panchal and Rishan Dutia are cofounders of CoGuide , an AI classroom assistant that plans lessons and runs live discussions in 30+ languages. Janak, a former assistant guide with 250+ socratic discussions sessions within the Acton Academy Network, built the first MVP. Rishan leads engineering and builds the Vision OS for hand-raising and participation analytics. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How a teacherpreneur and a student founder teamed up to build CoGuide ...
Oct 06, 2025•37 min
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they dive into the latest headlines shaping the future of education technology, from AI tutors and Gallup polls to new VR career pathways and the impact of phone bans in schools. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:38] Mashable compares AI tutors from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic [00:10:45] Gallup poll shows confidence in K-12 at all-time low [00:15:48] CZI launches Learning Commons open-source AI infrastructure [00:20:41] CZI + Anthropic part...
Oct 03, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, we spotlight the Global EdTech Prize 2025 with founder Vikas Pota of T4 Education and six inspiring finalists from around the world. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why educators (not investors) choose the winners How AI, AR, and VR expand access to learning Innovation across Brazil, Nigeria, India, MENA, and Ukraine How schools and governments are becoming edtech leaders The role of global collaboration in scaling impact ✨ Episode Highlights: ...
Oct 01, 2025•1 hr 57 min
Send us Fan Mail Julie Stewart and Scott Stewart , award-winning creators behind global children’s shows for Disney, Netflix, and Sesame Workshop, co-founded Nurture with serial entrepreneur Roger Egan , former CEO of RedMart, and learning expert Musa Roshdy , a Minerva University alum and advisor at Transcend Network, to build future-ready skills through immersive play. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How Nurture turns screen time into active learning Why story and humor drive deeper ...
Sep 30, 2025•54 min
Send us Fan Mail Jean-Claude Brizard is President and CEO of Digital Promise , a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on accelerating innovation in education. He is the former Chief Executive of Chicago Public Schools and Superintendent of Rochester, NY. Previously, he spent 21 years with the NYC Department of Education, serving as Regional Superintendent for 100+ schools and Executive Director for 400 secondary schools. He also served as Senior Advisor and Deputy Director at the ...
Sep 29, 2025•27 min
