IETL Podcast

Screen time has become one of the most debated topics in education, often framed as a simple question of “how much is too much?” But what if that’s the wrong question? In this episode of the IETL Podcast, Tony and MJ are joined by Cooper Sved to unpack the findings from his recent Blaschke report for CoSN . Together,… Read more

In this episode of the IETL Podcast, we welcome Tara Thomas, registered lobbyist for AASA, The School Superintendents Association, for an in-depth federal policy update focused on the issues that matter most to K–12 education leaders. Tara breaks down the latest developments in Congress and federal agencies, including… Read more

In this episode of the IETL Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Steve Webb to explore how technology is shaping the future of school safety. From surveillance systems and access controls to emergency communication tools, technology-based security solutions are playing an increasingly central role in keeping students and… Read more

Enjoy our yearly tradition of interviewing CoSN 2025 Attendees to find out what the one thing is that they will take away from the conference.

Join MJ and Tony, in this second special episode of the IETL Podcast, host a panel of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) while we dive into a dynamic book study of The Savvy Edtech Leader . Join us as these edtech experts unpack key insights, share real-world applications, and discuss how the book’s strategies align… Read more

Join MJ and Tony, in this special episode of the IETL Podcast, host a panel of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) while we dive into a dynamic book study of The Savvy Edtech Leader . Join us as these edtech experts unpack key insights, share real-world applications, and discuss how the book’s strategies align with the… Read more

Join MJ and Tony on this episode of the Illinois Educational Technology Leaders (IETL) Podcast for an insightful discussion on women in technology and the power of allyship . In this episode, we explore the challenges, successes, and strategies for fostering inclusivity in the tech field. Hear from inspiring leaders… Read more

Is the Department of Education going to close? How do we prepare for a new Federal Administration? Explore the answers to these questions and many others as a new Federal Administration takes charge of the White House. Join special guest Noelle Ellerson Ng with MJ and Tony as they discuss a second Federal update.

Join MJ and Tony with special guest CoSN CEO Keith Kreuger for a federal update. Keith discusses the Cybersecurity Pilot with the FCC, E-Rate, the USAC legal case, and other federal updates.

Join MJ and Tony in listening to takeaways from CoSN 2024! Reminder: Workshop #1 is 9/27!

Join the IETL Podcast Book Study of Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. This is the third and final episode, in which IETL members will discuss specific parts of the book and how we can incorporate them into our teams. Linke to the book:… Read more

Join the IETL Podcast Book Study of Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. This is the second of three episodes where IETL members will discuss specific parts of the book and how we can incorporate them with our teams. Linke to the book:… Read more

Join the IETL Podcast Book Study of Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. This is the first of three episodes where IETL members will discuss specific parts of the book and how we can incorporate them with our teams. Linke to the book:… Read more

Join MJ and Tony in talking with Noelle Ellerson Ng, AASA's Associate Executive Director of Advocacy give a Federal Legislative Update. We cover topics including current bills impacting technology and educational funding, FCC updates, eRate, and Cybersecurity. Want to join our book study? Sign up at the link below!… Read more

Listen to eSports coach Bryan Tallitsch on how to start and maintain an eSports program in your school district! Want to join our book study? Sign up at the link below! https://forms.gle/BJMvjB3nitapLojV8 eSports Links IHSA link https://www.ihsa.org/Sports-Activities/The-Future-Games-Here There can be a very low… Read more

AI is the hottest topic in edtech currently. Come listen to MJ and Tony talk with Andrew Ko, former AWS and Mircosoft edtech leader and IETL member Michael Marassa, on the impacts and policy implications of AI in Illinois.

Join MJ and Tony as they reflect on the past CTO summit, membership growth and introduce season 6 of the IETL podcast.

Season 5 comes to an end with MJ and Tony talking about the explosion of AI in education, CoSN's newly released strategic Plan, ways to get involved in IETL, and transitions. AI Resources https://wakelet.com/wake/ItnnuMz7WByinQt30DKz-

Join MJ, Tony, and a bunch of other Illinois IETL members talk live at CoSN! Learn about what our colleagues thought was the most impactful session that they attended. Additionally, Keith Krueger the CEO of CoSN announces that CoSN 2024 is in Miami! If you have never attended the CoSN conference, this is a great way… Read more

Our book group title this school year is *Upstream - The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen* by Dan Heath. Join MJ, Tony, and our fantastic panel as we dissect the first of three sections of our book Upstream. Please join our discussion by tweeting and including the hashtag #IETLUpstream

Our book group title this school year is *Upstream - The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen* by Dan Heath. Join MJ, Tony, and our fantastic panel as we dissect the first of three sections of our book Upstream. Please join our discussion by tweeting and including the hashtag #IETLUpstream

Our book group title this school year is *Upstream - The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen* by Dan Heath. Join MJ, Tony, and our fantastic panel as we dissect the first of three sections of our book Upstream. Please join our discussion by tweeting and including the hashtag #IETLUpstream

MJ and Tony take some time to reflect on season 4 of the IETL podcast. We also review the gift guide if you are looking for any last-minute gifts. Finally, we are introducing Season 5 and our NEW BOOK STUDY, Upstart! If you are interested in joining the Upstart Book Study fill out the form below.… Read more

Have you ever had such a hard time finding staff that you needed to look for a Managed Service Provider? If not, listen as two of our fellow colleagues talk about how they have used MSPs.

Imagine starting as a first-time CTO or changing districts and realizing that your team is not working the way you expected. What next? How do you design and build a team that works for the ever-changing role of technology support? What physical and political barriers will you need to overcome? Listen in as MJ, Tony,… Read more

Welcome back to a new school year and, more important, Season 4 of the IETL podcast. MJ and Tony have special guests, Michael Marassa and Michael Arensdorff on, to talk about summer projects and Staffing. Come listen to four different Technology Department structures, struggles with filling positions, and unique… Read more

It is Summer Project time! Come listen into some tips and tricks on how to deal with construction, deployment, preperation and other summer projects. MJ's favorite game:… Read more

The 2022 CoSN Conference in Nashville is just over one week away! Listen along as MJ and Tony talk with the one and only Keith Krueger on all of the AMAZING learning opportunities at this conference. There is still time to sign up and attend in person or virtual. Click here to find out more:… Read more

It is hiring season! Are you struggling to find the right person for your open positions? Has your department evolved or does it need to? Listen along as John Armstrong describes what he is doing to help combat the staff shortage! ****Spoiler Alert**** This episode is a teaser for the next IETL workshop! Make sure to… Read more

Interested in earning your Certified Educational Technology Leader designation? Listen as MJ and Tony talk with two newly certified CeTL Technology Directors about their process. CETL Framework: https://www.cosn.org/careers-certification/framework-of-essential-skills/ CETL Information:… Read more

Welcome to Season 3! MJ and Tony reflect on the 2022 IDEAcon conference and leadership lessons from Jeff McCausland from Diamond 6. If you want to learn more about professional learning from Diamond 6, visit their website. https://www.diamondsixleadership.com/ #FullyCharged… Read more

Over the past two seasons, we have explored focusing on our social and emotional health. This week MJ and Tony talk with Julie Adams, one of the authors of #FULLYCHARGED. Julie shares the importance of taking care of ourselves, staff, and students. She explains the importance of the science behind social-emotional… Read more

This is our second episode in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion theme. During season 1 we focused specifically on gender equity in the Technology world, in this episode MJ and Tony talk to three amazing leaders about ways Technology leaders can disrupt the status queue. Suggest podcasts on DEI work - Leading Equity… Read more

The technology department is thought of as the break-fix department in many organizations, but it is so much more! With every student, teacher, and staff member using technology daily, it is time to tell our story and the fantastic things we do to engage with our communities. Join MJ and Tony as they talk with the… Read more

What does the life of the CTO look like after you recover from a Cyber Event? Join MJ and Tony with Jason Barthel of Rockford Public School District to discuss what happens after the event. Jason explains how his team worked through a cyber event and what they focused on next. Not only will you hear the lessons… Read more

What is the difference between a Habit and a Goal? Listen in as MJ and Tony explore the first part of Atomic Habits by James Clear. Join in on our Twitter chat of what are the Atomic Habits of a CTO!

Welcome to the first episode of our second season! In this episode, we meet our new cohost, MJ, and review the shortest summer yet and the accomplished projects. Additionally, we outline some topics for this season, including a book study of Atomic Habits by James Clear. Make sure to subscribe to get each of our… Read more

Our final episode of Season 1 focuses on summer projects and reflections on our podcast.

The 2020 - 2021 school year brought many challenges, one of which was the increased awareness of the inequities of home internet access. Join our guests: Matt, John, and Brian as we review the CoSN Home Internet Survey results and talk about how we are using ESSER and ECF to address this challenge.

One of the biggest roles that a CTO has to get right is preparing our budgets! This is the second episode in our timely series where we talk with Michael the CTO at New Trier about his process. We also discuss the impact and uses of the COVID impact funds such as CARES and ESSER.

COVID-19 has changed many things in our world and increased the demand for more innovative technology solutions. These solutions have put new stress on already taxed CTOs and technology departments. Listen as another IETL member tells his story on how he is managing the stress through a focus on Social-Emotional… Read more

Technology has been historically male-dominated departments. This was confirmed in a recent CoSN document showing only 25% of the US CTOs are female. In this episode, we are lucky to have two female IETL members who share their journey to becoming a CTO.

Are you looking at making a change this year? Did new leadership get hired at your current district? These situations can be challenging and overwhelming. John and Tony talk with Don Ringelestein about his transition planning from his most recent change as well as tips and tricks for CTOs on building relationships.

COVID-19 has changed many things in our world and increased the demand for more innovative technology solutions. These solutions have put new stress on already taxed CTOs and technology departments. Listen as one IETL member tells his story on how he is managing the stress through a focus on Social-Emotional Health.