The start of a new year always carries energy, promise, and the opportunity to make an impact, and this one feels especially exciting.
Our team is packing their bags and heading to Florida next week for some much-needed sun and innovation. As we head into the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC), I’ve been reflecting on how we spark meaningful change in education, not through buzzwords or fleeting trends, but through people, connection, and curiosity.
This year, I’m honored to be recognized as a Key Opinion Leader by FETC, a moment that feels both surreal and deeply grounding. Seven years ago, I stepped onto a FETC stage for the first time (check out that 2019 vibe below), fueled by equal parts excitment, curiosity, and belief that education could be more human, more connected, and more meaningful. Looking back, that moment wasn’t about a title or a spotlight; it was about finding my voice within a community of educators who were willing to question the status quo and imagine something better together.
This recognition isn’t just a milestone, it’s a reminder of the educators, students, and communities who have shaped my thinking every step of the way. It’s an opportunity to reflect on how far this work has come, and more importantly, to help elevate the stories, challenges, and ideas of those doing the real work on the ground. The honor belongs as much to the community that has grown around this work as it does to any individual moment on a stage.
So what’s top of mind as we head into the week? And which stories feel most important to elevate for the Thinkerers shaping classrooms and communities around the world?
To start, there’s no avoiding the obvious…
We’re at a pivotal moment in education. Technology is everywhere, AI, AR/VR, digital platforms, immersive tools, and yet, alongside this rapid acceleration is a renewed focus on humanization: recognizing students, educators, and communities as the true center of learning. This tension raises critical questions we can’t afford to ignore:
How do educators balance the possibilities of technology with the timeless need for human connection, curiosity, and agency?
How do administrators design systems that empower teachers while also scaling impact sustainably?
How do students take ownership of their learning in ways that are meaningful, exploratory, and connected to the world around them?
The answers don’t come from tools alone (saying this confidently as an EdTech Founder). They emerge when communities of learners, educators, and leaders come together.
True community learning goes beyond collaboration inside a classroom. It’s networks of schools, peers, families, and neighbors sharing ideas, resources, and responsibility. It’s creating environments where curiosity is protected, failure is safe, and creativity is amplified. Recently, when asked what I see as one of the biggest crises in education today, my answer was simple: we are wasting student curiosity, and overlooking what’s possible when young people are invited to be equal thought partners in shaping their communities. That belief is one of the reasons I’m so excited to be at FETC, surrounded by educators who deeply understand this and want more for their learning environments.
As part of our Thinkering Voices coverage next week, we’ll be sharing conversations that explore the intersection of technology, humanization, and community learning. I’m especially looking forward to sitting down with:
Marialice Curran and Eric Kussin, introducing the world to their Gym for the Brain immersive learning space
Dan Thomas, bringing hands-on, project-based learning to life, because there’s never a bad time for LEGOs
Austin Levinson, exploring AR/VR and the future of learning
Michelle Ament, sharing insights on the Human Intelligence Movement and how it reframes the role of educators and learners in tech-rich classrooms
Alaina Clark, diving into what a truly connected learning community can look like
…and many more voices pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in education.
These conversations aren’t about hype, they’re about practice, impact, and possibility. They highlight what’s working, what’s still hard, and how learning communities can come together to make education more meaningful and more human.
Being named a Key Opinion Leader is exciting, but it’s also a reminder: this work isn’t about individual recognition. It’s about lifting others, protecting curiosity, and building ecosystems of trust, innovation, and shared purpose. Education is never a solo effort, it’s the dynamic interplay between students, educators, administrators, and communities that drives real transformation. This is what betting on people looks like in practice: investing in relationships, believing in collective wisdom, and creating the conditions for ideas, and humans, to thrive.
I can’t wait to reconnect with old friends, meet new collaborators, and learn alongside educators and learners shaping what comes next. See you in Orlando.
