Integrate This! Ed Tech Podcast

David Berner and Jeremy Mikla
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Education

Integrate This! is the podcast where education and innovation meet real conversation. Join Jeremy Mikla and David Berner as they dive into thought-provoking discussions and interviews with inspiring voices across the EdTech and education world. From classroom insights to big-picture ideas, each episode brings fresh perspectives and honest dialogue about the future of learning.

  1. 2d ago

    Better Learning, Not Just Better AI | Dan Fitzpatrick

    AI is changing quickly—but better technology doesn’t automatically mean better learning. In this episode of Integrate This! EdTech, Jeremy Mikla and David Berner sit down with Dan Fitzpatrick, The AI Educator, fresh off the 2026 Back to School AI Summit, to talk about where AI in education is headed and what educators should be paying attention to right now. The conversation moves beyond the basics of “What is AI?” and into the much harder question: How do we think with machines without losing our ability to think without them? Dan shares his perspective on the growing research around AI and student learning, why AI literacy matters, and how the way students use AI may be far more important than simply whether they use it. The conversation also explores the role of student voice, the importance of giving teachers practical strategies they can use immediately, and why schools need to balance the risks of AI with the opportunities it can create. Dan also takes us behind the scenes of the Back to School AI Summit, discusses the rapid evolution of AI agents, and shares the thinking behind The Educator’s AI Guide 2027—a practical, educator-driven field guide designed to help teachers turn ideas into action. Plus, stay for the lightning round to hear about Dan’s personal team of AI agents, his favorite places in the United States, the word he hopes defines his work in education, and the very personal reason AC/DC is his keynote walk-up music. In this conversation: • Moving from AI awareness to meaningful classroom practice • Using AI without outsourcing student thinking • What emerging research tells us about AI and learning • AI literacy for teachers and students • Student voice in AI policies and decisions • Why practical, teacher-led professional learning matters • Balancing AI safety with opportunity • The accelerating pace of technological change • AI agents and what may be coming next • The Educator’s AI Guide 2027 • Amplifying the voices of classroom educators RESOURCES 🔗 The AI Educator: https://theaieducator.io/ 🔗 The Educator’s AI Guide 2027: https://aieducator.tools/2027-educators-guide 🔗 Back to School AI Summit: https://summit.aieducator.tools/

    Better Learning, Not Just Better AI | Dan Fitzpatrick

  2. Sep 10

    Girls Who Game, A.I., & Empathy: Rethinking EdTech with Dr. Nekia Becerra

    Dr. Nekia Becerra — Education Strategist at Dell Technologies and former classroom teacher, campus administrator, and district leader — joins David Berner and Jeremy Mikla on the Integrate This! EdTech Podcast to talk about what actually matters as AI transforms K-12 education: empathy, design thinking, and preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet. Nekia shares her journey from fourth-grade math teacher to Dell's Global Skilling Program, breaks down the Girls Who Game initiative (built with Microsoft, Intel, and Dell using Minecraft for Education), and explains why "failing fast" and productive struggle are essential skills for both students and teachers navigating AI in the classroom. 🎙 Integrate This! EdTech Podcast is hosted by David Berner and Jeremy Mikla, exploring AI, edtech tools, and instructional strategy for K-12 educators and district leaders. Connect with Dr. Nekia Becerra LinkedIn: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.linkedin.com/in/nekia-t-becerra/__;!!LpKI!jFAhw8KyLaz57cZyvj9nF7MLsPoitMa69BYszxUl9HUDpgTTRbs3PZFQ-RWkUxnZ1yzUAaGgpRg$ Girls Who Game: https://www.dell.com/en-us/lp/dt/girls-who-game Tech Career Circuit: https://techcareercircuit.discoveryeducation.com/ "The best career path isn't always a straight line" (TED Talk) [ted.com]: https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_ellis_and_helen_tupper_the_best_career_path_isn_t_always_a_straight_line

    Girls Who Game, A.I., & Empathy: Rethinking EdTech with Dr. Nekia Becerra

  3. Sep 3

    Human First, Tech with Purpose: Voice, Collaboration, and Better EdTech | Zareen Levien

    What happens when we put the human side of learning first and use technology with purpose? In this episode of Integrate This!, Jeremy and David are joined by Zareen Levien, Principal Educator at Padlet, for a conversation about student voice, collaboration, AI, and what better EdTech should actually look like. Zareen shares her journey from the tech world at Yahoo to the classroom, instructional coaching, district leadership, and eventually Padlet. Along the way, the conversation explores why technology should augment—not replace—the relationships and interactions that make learning meaningful. They discuss avoiding EdTech tool fatigue, creating safe and welcoming digital learning spaces, giving every student meaningful ways to participate, and challenging the “myth of the independent learner.” Zareen also shares her perspective on AI in education, including why students need adults talking with them about AI rather than simply restricting access to it. The conversation wraps up with practical Padlet ideas for classroom community, peer feedback, younger learners, multimedia creation, and more—plus the Integrate This! lightning round. Resources: Padlet: https://padlet.com Padlet Learning Resources: https://padlet.tv Zareen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zareen-poonen-levien-m-ed-786817/

    Human First, Tech with Purpose: Voice, Collaboration, and Better EdTech | Zareen Levien

  4. Aug 27

    IntegratED's 7 Pathways to Student Engagement: Megan Diede & Kara Rigsby

    Megan Diede and Kara Rigsby, co-founders of Integrated Edu, join the podcast for a deep dive into their framework for student engagement. They share how a casual "let's start running together" turned into a business partnership, and break down their core philosophy that engagement is an outcome, not a strategy, built through purposeful design, consistency, and connection (their "3 C's"). Megan and Kara walk through the seven pathways to learning (from movement to visual arts to storytelling), why they push back on traditional small-group centers and worksheet-heavy instruction, and how teachers can start with small, 1% shifts instead of overhauling everything at once. They also talk about their book, Elevated Educator, their podcast, and where their "Integrated" name really comes from. Checkout their work: integratedk12.com Get the book: https://a.co/d/0bZMy2kP

    IntegratED's 7 Pathways to Student Engagement: Megan Diede & Kara Rigsby

  5. Aug 20

    Jeremiah Frink (Dell) on Data Dunkers, AI, and Teaching Kids to Think Critically

    Jeremiah Frink spent 20 years in public education, from elementary teacher to district administrator, before moving to Dell as an education strategist. He joins the podcast to talk about Data Dunkers, Dell's program that teaches data and AI literacy through basketball stats from the WNBA and NBA, and the ISTE + ASCD Innovator Challenge, where student teams use AI to tackle real problems in their communities. Jeremiah breaks down why data literacy keeps getting treated as a one-off unit instead of something woven through every subject, what "classroom-ready AI" actually looks like beyond just prompting, and how brainstorming and design thinking can be taught as real, learnable skills. He also shares candid conversations with his own five kids about AI, screen time, and what it means to stay a lifelong learner. Stick around for the lightning round, including his walk-up song and this-or-that round. Connect with Jeremiah Frink, Dell Technologies K-12 Education Strategist, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiahfrink/ Dell Data Dunkers: A hands-on educational program that combines basketball, coding, and data analytics to help students build foundational AI and data literacy skills. http://datadunkers.ca/ Girls Who Game: An extracurricular initiative designed to empower young women and underserved students to build critical STEM, leadership, and collaboration skills through esports and Minecraft Education design challenges. http://dell.com/en-us/lp/dt/girls-who-game Dell Student TechCrew: A student-led IT help desk program that promotes career readiness by empowering students to earn industry-recognized technology certifications while supporting their district's daily tech needs. http://dell.com/en-us/lp/dt/student-techcrew

    Jeremiah Frink (Dell) on Data Dunkers, AI, and Teaching Kids to Think Critically

  6. Aug 13

    Less Noise, More Coherence: Keeping Teachers at the Center of EdTech | Dr. Gene Kerns

    How can schools take advantage of powerful technology without adding more noise to an already crowded instructional landscape? In this episode of Integrate This!, Jeremy and David sit down with Dr. Gene Kerns, Chief Academic Officer at Renaissance, to explore what effective educational technology should really accomplish. Gene shares his journey from the classroom to more than 20 years with Renaissance and explains a principle that continues to shape his thinking about EdTech: technology should support teachers, not supplant them. The conversation dives into instructional coherence—making sure assessments, curriculum, intervention, instructional resources, and technology actually work together rather than becoming disconnected pieces teachers have to assemble themselves. Gene also discusses personalized learning, using assessment data to determine “what’s next,” the growing role of AI behind the scenes, and why teachers must remain the ones making the final instructional decisions. They also tackle the ongoing debate around student screen time and why the conversation should focus not simply on the amount of technology students use, but on the quality and purpose of that use. And, of course, Gene faces the Integrate This! lightning round, where things wander from school leadership to television, becoming an ordained minister, 80s music, and whether he’d rather head to the mountains or the beach. In this episode: • Keeping teachers at the center of educational technology • “Supporting, not supplanting” teachers • Personalized learning vs. learning that is more personalized • Instructional coherence across curriculum, assessment, and intervention • Turning assessment data into meaningful next steps • Connecting supplemental resources to what teachers are actually teaching • AI as a “24/7 digital teaching assistant” • Quality vs. quantity when thinking about student screen time • The future of Renaissance Intelligence Resources & Links 🔗 Renaissance: https://www.renaissance.com/ 🔗 Renaissance Intelligence: https://www.renaissance.com/renaissance-intelligence/ 🔗 Renaissance Webinars: https://www.renaissance.com/resources/webinars/ 🔗 Renaissance Blog: https://www.renaissance.com/resources/blog/ 🔗 Dr. Gene Kerns on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gene-kerns-8bbb8014/ 🎧 Integrate This! is a podcast exploring educational technology, effective instruction, and the ideas shaping teaching and learning.

    Less Noise, More Coherence: Keeping Teachers at the Center of EdTech | Dr. Gene Kerns

  7. Aug 6

    Future Focused, Not Future Flavored: Preparing Every Student for What’s Next | Shira Woolf Cohen and Alicia Woolf

    What does it really mean to prepare every student for a future we cannot fully predict? Jeremy and David are joined by sisters and Innovageous co-founders Shira Woolf Cohen and Alicia Woolf for a conversation about moving beyond career days, isolated programs, and technology that only gives the appearance of innovation. Shira and Alicia explain why future-focused education is not about directing students toward one predetermined pathway. Instead, it means helping every learner develop transferable skills such as communication, adaptability, perseverance, self-awareness, leadership, and agency. They also explore why true inclusion goes beyond providing access—and what all educators can learn from the transition-planning practices long used in special education. The conversation includes practical ways teachers can connect existing lessons to students’ futures without adding another program to their plates, thoughtful uses of AI and educational technology, strategies for building sustainable community and employer partnerships, and creative ways rural schools can expand career exploration through virtual connections. The episode concludes with a round of “Future Focused or Future Flavored” and a sister-themed lightning round featuring cheesesteaks, Old Bay, Bravo, and keynote walk-up songs. Learn more about Innovageous and explore their resources: https://www.innovageous.com/ Connect with Shira Woolf Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirawoolfcohen/ Connect with Shira Woolf Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-woolf-91366362/ Find Leading Future-Focused Schools: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9VWS8Z7

    Future Focused, Not Future Flavored: Preparing Every Student for What’s Next | Shira Woolf Cohen and Alicia Woolf

  8. Jul 30

    Dr. Sheldon Eakins on Purposeful Leadership and Culturally Responsive Teaching

    Dr. Sheldon Eakins, host of the Leading Equity podcast and founder of Purposeful Teaching Academy, joins the podcast to share his journey from history teacher to school administrator to equity consultant. He talks about what sparked his work in culturally responsive teaching after moving from the Virgin Islands to Idaho, where he served as a special education director for the Shoshone and Bannock tribes. Sheldon breaks down how cultural assumptions show up in everyday classroom moments, using a memorable refrigerator analogy to explain the difference between individualist and collectivist mindsets in group work, and previews a new tool he's building to help teachers create more balanced, engaging collaborative learning experiences. He also talks about what purposeful, intentional teaching looks like heading into a new school year. Stick around for the lightning round, including his go-to potluck dish and his walk-up song. Check out the Purposeful Teaching Academy: https://purposeful247.com/ Follow Sheldon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldoneakins/ Check out Sheldon's Books: Amazon.com: Sheldon L. Eakins: books, biography, latest update

    Dr. Sheldon Eakins on Purposeful Leadership and Culturally Responsive Teaching
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Integrate This! is the podcast where education and innovation meet real conversation. Join Jeremy Mikla and David Berner as they dive into thought-provoking discussions and interviews with inspiring voices across the EdTech and education world. From classroom insights to big-picture ideas, each episode brings fresh perspectives and honest dialogue about the future of learning.

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