Episode description

In this episode of the TeacherCast Podcast, Jeff welcomes Travis Allen from iSchool Initiative on the program to discuss why it's important for teachers to allow students to have the opportunity to solve real-world problems in the classroom.

I had the privilege of meeting Travis this year at ISTE where he and his team at iSchool Initiative partnered with Cisco to create an immersive, gamified, breakout experience that had 20,000 teachers buzzing during the entire conference.  In this interview, you will learn how Travis took his first steps at becoming an entrepreneur during his teenage years, and how he is turnkeying those experiences into helping other students create their own paths through a program called SLED: Students Leading Education.

In this episode, we discuss:

• From Student … to Edupreneur
• Teaching students to impact change
• The importance of asking students non-googleable questions
• How is iSchool Initiative helping students and teachers solve real-world problems
• Escape the Bus
• SLED: Students Leading Education

Travis Allen is a young visionary promoting technology and culture readiness within the learning environment. Before graduating from high school, Travis created a viral YouTube video on revolutionizing America’s education through the use of mobile technology. While in college, he started a company, iSchool Initiative, which focuses on empowering students with a voice. With the support of his team, Travis has presented in over 45 states and 11 countries, allowing him to reach an audience of over 300,000 people! He has been featured on CNN, Huffington Post and Forbes. In 2011, he was the winner of Google Young Minds competition; in 2012, he was invited to the White House for Education Datapalooza; and in 2015 he won the GA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Travis is quickly becoming one of the most influential leaders of the emerging digital learning movement.

Why we are here iSchool Initiative exists because we saw a significant need to improve and support Education in America. The tools that our students have at their disposal and the amount of information that is readily available has created a need for a new set of skills in today’s world. Students must become passionate, lifelong learners who have the ability to problem-solve and manage an unknown future. Unfortunately, the system is antiquated – leaving our students unprepared.

Our Vision – Help create and define a new type of learning environment. Our services are designed to challenge the status quo and ask what learning should look like given the tools and information at our disposal.

Our Mission Help schools embrace technology and create a positive culture of lifelong learning. We do this by:...