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EdTech & Innovation · Weekly

Make EdTech 100

Real talk and real strategies that make EdTech feel doable.

A weekly podcast for K–12 educators and the EdTech community focused on stories that feel joyful, insights that actually help, and solutions that keep things grounded in learning.

Listen on the show site ↗For K–12 teachers, instructional coaches, school leaders

Host

LH

Lindy Hockenbary

Educator, EdTech consultant & founder

📍 Rural Montana, USA

Lindy is a former classroom teacher turned EdTech consultant who works with K–12 districts to make technology feel doable in the classroom. Raised in rural Montana, she brings a grounded, practical voice to conversations about AI, screen time, and digital literacy — always centering teachers and students.

Featured guests

10 guests
SH

Dr. Stacy Hawthorne

District leader & learning advocate

📍 United States

Dr. Stacy Hawthorne is a district leader and national speaker who helps K–12 systems lead with learning first and technology second. She partners with school systems across the country to design forward-leaning programs that put student possibility ahead of compliance.

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DT

Debbie Tannenbaum

School-based technology specialist, Saratoga Elementary

📍 Fairfax County, Virginia

Debbie Tannenbaum is a school-based technology specialist in Fairfax County, an author, and a sought-after speaker on meaningful technology integration. She is best known for reframing 'screen time' as 'screen value' and championing creative, purposeful tech use in elementary classrooms.

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AS

Adam Sparks

Education researcher & former classroom teacher

📍 United States

Adam Sparks is an education researcher and former classroom teacher whose work translates academic findings on edtech and screen time into practical guidance for educators, families, and policymakers.

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ME

Dr. Michelle Eckler

Director of Instructional Technology, Stratford Public Schools

📍 Stratford, Connecticut

Dr. Michelle Eckler leads instructional technology for Stratford Public Schools, bringing classroom-tested perspective to district-wide decisions about devices, digital literacy, and student wellbeing.

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JC

Jack Churchill

Assistive technology leader & dyslexia advocate

📍 United Kingdom

Jack Churchill is an assistive technology leader, dyslexic learner, and great-grandson of Winston Churchill. He builds and advocates for tools that make reading, writing, and learning accessible — arguing that assistive tech isn't cheating, it's access.

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AM

Aaron Makelky

Educator & Descript education advocate

📍 Wyoming, USA

Aaron Makelky is a high school social studies teacher and AI-in-the-classroom advocate who now also partners with Descript to help educators tell better stories with audio, video, and AI. He's known for grounded, classroom-tested takes on agentic AI and creator tools.

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MB

Marne Bender

Librarian & esports coach

📍 Montana, USA

Marne Bender is a Montana school librarian and esports coach who uses the library and competitive gaming to reach students who don't see themselves in traditional school activities — building belonging, leadership, and digital skills along the way.

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KE

Dr. Kelli Erwin

Digital citizenship lead, Learning.com

📍 United States

Dr. Kelli Erwin works with Learning.com to bring digital citizenship and computer literacy curriculum to K–12 schools nationwide. She focuses on what gets lost when students get devices without learning how to be thoughtful citizens online.

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MS

Merissa Sadler-Holder

French teacher & AI fluency advocate

📍 United States

Merissa Sadler-Holder is a high school French teacher who has become a leading voice for AI fluency in world language classrooms — refusing to cast technology as hero or villain and instead modeling thoughtful, daily use with students.

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ES

Erika Sandstrom

"Green Screen Gal" & classroom video coach

📍 Massachusetts, USA

Erika Sandstrom — better known online as the "Green Screen Gal" — is a media teacher and creator who helps educators bring video, calm, and joy into their classrooms without adding another thing to their plate.

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All episodes

18 episodes
  1. E18

    You Can't Ban Possibility with Dr. Stacy Hawthorne

    Dr. Stacy Hawthorne shares stories from districts across the country proving that when technology starts with a learning problem instead of a device, students don't just learn more — they imagine more.

    June 10, 2026·1:13:05·With Dr. Stacy Hawthorne
  2. E17

    It's Not About Screen Time, It's About Screen Value with Debbie Tannenbaum

    Lindy sits down with Debbie Tannenbaum, school-based technology specialist at Saratoga Elementary in Fairfax County, to flip the screen time debate on its head.

    June 2, 2026·1:02:06·With Debbie Tannenbaum
  3. E16

    What the Research Actually Says About EdTech with Adam Sparks

    The screen time debate is loud, emotional, and increasingly driving education policy. But what does the research actually say? Adam Sparks breaks it down.

    May 27, 2026·1:10:58·With Adam Sparks
  4. E15

    The Screen Time Debate Needs More Voices Like This: A Conversation with Dr. Michelle Eckler

    Dr. Michelle Eckler, Director of Instructional Technology for Stratford Public Schools, brings practitioner insight to a national debate that needs it.

    May 20, 2026·1:10:17·With Dr. Michelle Eckler
  5. E14

    We Can't Ban Our Way to Digital Literacy. We Have to Teach It.

    The TikTok comments came in fast. "It's too late." "That's on parents, not teachers." "Banning is the only answer." Lindy gets the frustration — and strongly disagrees.

    May 13, 2026·1:00:36
  6. E13

    Not All Screen Time Is Created Equal

    A kid creating a digital book for a real audience. A kid clicking through a digital worksheet. A kid doom-scrolling at 10pm. All three involve a screen, but they are not the same.

    May 6, 2026·28:05
  7. E12

    Is AI Safe for Students? Part 2: It Depends on the Tool

    Lindy builds on the question every educator and parent is asking, using new research from Stanford to separate hype from helpful.

    April 8, 2026·57:51
  8. E11

    Jack Churchill on Why Assistive Tech Isn't Cheating—It's Access

    Lindy sits down with Jack Churchill — assistive technology leader, dyslexic learner, and great-grandson of Winston Churchill — to unpack accessibility in the classroom.

    April 1, 2026·45:32·With Jack Churchill
  9. E10

    What is the Research Telling Us About AI Literacy?

    It's AI Literacy Day and episode 10 of Make EdTech 100. Lindy digs into a big question: what does the research actually say about AI literacy?

    March 26, 2026·27:42
  10. E09

    Is AI Safe for Students?

    Lindy explores how AI tools can support learning while keeping teachers firmly in control.

    March 18, 2026·29:32
  11. E08

    Education in the AI Agent Era with Aaron Makelky

    We've moved beyond text generation. Aaron Makelky helps educators understand what agentic AI means for schools.

    February 25, 2026·51:46·With Aaron Makelky
  12. E07

    Finding the Kids Who Don't Have a "Thing": Esports, Libraries, and Montana Magic with Marne Bender

    What happens when a Montana librarian starts an esports team? Marne Bender shares how she finds students who otherwise slip through the cracks.

    February 18, 2026·44:01·With Marne Bender
  13. E06

    One in a Million: How Rural Montana Shaped My EdTech Why

    Lindy steps out from behind the mic to share how her journey in rural Montana shaped the way she thinks about education and technology.

    February 11, 2026·20:32
  14. E05

    In 2026, Video Isn't Optional for Teachers

    Students live in a world of video — and school can't pretend otherwise. Lindy makes the case for why teacher-created video matters.

    February 4, 2026·32:39
  15. E04

    Learning.com and the Missing Piece: Teaching Kids How to Be Citizens in a Tech World

    Lindy sits down with Dr. Kelli Erwin from Learning.com to unpack what's missing when we hand students devices without teaching digital citizenship.

    January 28, 2026·1:01:20·With Dr. Kelli Erwin
  16. E03

    Teaching with Machines: AI Fluency with Merissa Sadler-Holder

    Lindy is joined by Merissa Sadler-Holder, French teacher, to talk about what happens when we stop treating technology as either hero or villain.

    January 12, 2026·39:01·With Merissa Sadler-Holder
  17. E02

    The Joy Is REEL: Bringing Video and Calm to Classrooms with Erika Sandstrom

    What if video wasn't one more "thing" on your plate, but a pathway back to joy in teaching? Lindy sits down with Erika Sandstrom, the legendary Green Screen Gal.

    January 12, 2026·58:28·With Erika Sandstrom
  18. E01

    Teaching is Hard. Let's Solve One Challenge: AI Slop.

    In the first episode of Make EdTech 100, Lindy tackles the growing challenge of "AI slop" in student work and why AI detection tools are not the solution.

    January 5, 2026·29:35