Plugged In: ACPE Amplified

ACPE: Association for Computer Professionals in Education

How people connect and learn has evolved in the 50+ years since ACPE was formed. But our mission and ethos haven’t: (1) increasing collaboration and professional development opportunities and (2) fostering long-lasting relationships among our members.  We’re eager to keep diversifying ways to connect, learn, and have fun together. The Plugged In podcast is a place for us to amplify the voices of our colleagues and celebrate the work we do in education technology. Join hosts Marc Elliott and Rachel Wente-Chaney as they learn how to be podcasters alongside ACPE friends.

  1. JAN 28

    I'll Have What She's Having

    Send a text (recorded December 17, 2025) Episode Sponsor: Securly Join Marc, Rachel, and our guests: Ellen Dorr, Chief of Technology and Strategic Initiatives for the Renton School District and ACPE Board Member and Melissa Lim, Learning Technologies Program Administrator at Portland Public Schools _________________________________ We chat this episode about leading change through generations of technology innovations, with a focus more on the people change than the technology change itself. We also remember Rob Reiner and celebrate his most quotable, memorable films. *Oh, and Marc's hairline is uneven post-surgery, or as Nicole says, it adds character.

    1h 8m

  2. JAN 14

    Sometimes Your Brains Are Too Full

    Send a text (recorded December 11, 2025) Episode Sponsor: Insight Financial Services Join Marc, Rachel, and our guests: Kevin Johnson, Director of Technology at Fife School District and ACPE Board Member and Leigh Anne Scherer, Director of Technology & Information Services in the North Clackamas School District _________________________________ We chat this episode about technology purchases, levies, long-range planning, replacement cycles, and paying for it all. We also dither on future tech K-12 shifts to the as-a-service model. What comes next? *Oh, and Kevin and Marci look forward to seeing how many impalements per show there are on Chicago Fire. Noted.

    1h 17m

  3. JAN 8

    Marc Is Older Than Claire Danes

    Send a text (recorded December 4, 2025) Episode Sponsor: Magic School AI Join Marc, Rachel, and our guest Kris Hagel, CIO at Peninsula School District. _________________________________ We chat this episode about AI. We focus first on the people change that Kris has led in PSD the past four years. And then we settle into a broad-ranging tech and human-focused conversation about AI and its impacts in our lives, schools, and the world. *Oh, and Marc is mean to Claire Danes, but we're so happy about his successful surgery that we're only slightly mean back to him. Defend Claire Danes.

    1h 30m

  4. 12/18/2025

    Eight Frames of Invulnerability

    Send a text (recorded October 14, 2025) Episode Sponsor: Advanced Classroom Technologies Join Marc and Rachel for this Season Two opener, with guests:  Owen Craig, Director of Technology at Nooksack Valley School District  and  Matthew Ross, Director of Technology at Napavine School District _________________________________ We chat this episode about Esports. Owen and Marc both end up tearing up. Owen and Matthew bring us up to speed on the esports domain, WSSEA in Washington, invisible careers, creating spaces and connection for students, and inspiring each of us to dream. *Oh, and Matthew will know when esports has made it when the teams have cheerleaders. Brilliant, visible measure of success.

    1h 17m
  5. B-Sides S2 E1: Dystopian vs. Utopian Themes in Sci-Fi

    12/15/2025 ·  BONUS

    B-Sides S2 E1: Dystopian vs. Utopian Themes in Sci-Fi

    Send a text In this B-Sides track from Plugged In S2 E1, Marc and Rachel chat with Matthew and Owen about the dystopian and utopian themes that showed up in several season one episodes. Marc has special powers. Matthew schools us. And, Owen did the wrong homework assignment, but still gets an A+.

    20 min

  6. 12/08/2025

    Mustaches Everywhere

    Send a text (recorded October 4, 2025) Episode Sponsor: ClassLink Join Marc and Rachel for our twelfth episode, with guests: The ACPE Board _________________________________ We chat this episode about ACPE, specifically the planning for BelieveIT, our 2026 annual conference. Steve Langford is this year's president and shares the meaning and his vision for the conference. We also check-in with board members from each of the committees that make the conference a success each year, discussing the importance of community engagement via session proposals and anticipation for this year's giveaways and store catalog. We also highlight our annual student scholarships and the thematic elements of the conference that will deliver us to Ted Lasso's London neighborhood each evening. *Oh, and if you're watching this episode, we do a lot of musical chairs.

    50 min

  7. 10/13/2025

    When Shaq Tells You to Raise Your Hands...You Do

    Send a text (recorded September 29, 2025) Episode Sponsor: BumpArmor Join Marc and Rachel for our eleventh episode, with guests: Emilie Nangle, Systems Analyst at Northshore SD and  Jeff Gibbs, Executive Director of Technology Services at Gresham-Barlow SD _________________________________ We chat this episode about ACPE Mentoring. Emilie and Jeff catch us up on the genesis of this collaboration, their hopes, plans, and how to get involved. It's an invitation for ACPE folks young and old, from early career techs to engineers who started back when Ethernet topped out at 10 Mbit/s. Marc honors his former coach who observed "If you're green you're growing, if you're ripe you're rotting." And Rachel (discovered in post production) used the word 'trope' twice.  *Oh, and DJ Diesel (also known as Shaquille O'Neal) commands the mosh pit.

    1h 7m

  8. 10/03/2025

    Surfing the Gray Line

    Send a text (recorded September 24, 2025) Episode Sponsor: Motorola Solutions Join Marc and Rachel for our tenth episode, with guests: Josh Kesecker, Technology Coordinator at Wallowa County ESD and  Dr. Joe Morelock, Superintendent at Willamette ESD _________________________________ We chat this episode about amateur (ham) radio with our two favorite ham radio aficionados and fellow ACPE board members. Joe and Josh tell stories, teach us the basics, and talk about the importance of ham radio in emergency preparedness. We also chat about the growing fox hunt tradition at ACPE! *Oh, and the gray/grey line is the magical, liminal transition between darkness and light, dusk and dawn—the twilight zone—and used to describe distinct the related conditions.

    1h 20m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

How people connect and learn has evolved in the 50+ years since ACPE was formed. But our mission and ethos haven’t: (1) increasing collaboration and professional development opportunities and (2) fostering long-lasting relationships among our members.  We’re eager to keep diversifying ways to connect, learn, and have fun together. The Plugged In podcast is a place for us to amplify the voices of our colleagues and celebrate the work we do in education technology. Join hosts Marc Elliott and Rachel Wente-Chaney as they learn how to be podcasters alongside ACPE friends.

Information

  • Creator
    ACPE: Association for Computer Professionals in Education
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Plugged In: ACPE Amplified
  • Show Website
    Plugged In: ACPE Amplified