“We don’t need to work on decoding because students have access to assistive technology and accommodations.” “We don’t work on word-decoding in high school.” “Working on reading in high school is too little too late.” If you’ve ever heard any of these arguments, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, beliefs like these do students a huge disservice. …
Category: Educational Technology
EP 235: Engaging Families and the Role of Tech in Addressing Book Deserts (featuring Cassandra Williams)
In this episode, I reflect on my conversation with my colleague Cassandra Williams as we discuss book and resource deserts, as well as how to engage with school communities. In the interview clip I share, Cassandra shares a story of how one of her colleagues found a surprising way to increase attendance at parent-teacher conferences…
EP 231: Finding a Place for AI in Therapy and Product Development (with Natalie Yona)
In this episode of De Facto Leaders, I’m joined by speech-language therapist Natalie Yona from Cognishine to explore one of the most nuanced conversations happening in today: Where does AI actually belong in therapy? Cognishine is a multilingual, multidisciplinary digital intervention platform designed for therapists, educators, and care professionals—offering a rich library of evidence-based, culturally…
EP 156: Using AI to write IEP goals and manage service plans (with Sean Klamm)
No one working in special ed has ever said, “I chose this career so I could do paperwork all evening and weekend.” Yet many realize after getting into the field that administrative demands can take away from time spent with students or collaborating with colleagues. That’s why I was so excited to connect with Sean…
EP 140: Creating an intentional career and life with alter egos (with Meg Niman)
Many leadership initiatives in education need to come from the top… But change can happen when direct service providers emerge as leaders on their teams without waiting for permission from someone else. School administrators and other people making decisions at the district and policy level are constantly pulled in different directions. The further up the…
EP 131: What are tech and curriculum companies doing for K-12 education? (with Meg Hearn)
In K-12 education, there’s been a recent push to go digital, and many educators are wondering if people creating the products have the kids’ best interest in mind; especially in the for-profit space. That’s why I invited Meg Hearn to episode 131 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to get a behind-the-scenes perspective of curriculum…