BBC Learning English Podcast

Natasha Singer has covered tech industry influence in schools for The New York Times for more than a decade. Her school tech reporting helped prompt California to enact a landmark student online privacy law. Her new book is "Coding Kids: Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools". In a review, The New Yorker called the book "an even-tempered yet withering narrative of how the nation’s public schools came under the spell of private corporations." 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How B...

Mallory Dwinal-Palisch is the President of Craft Education, a nonprofit division of Western Governors University that is developing the ecosystem platform for enabling work-based pathways across higher education and the workforce. Mallory has devoted her career to merging education with tech innovation. Her work streamlines regulatory data and addresses labor shortages, unlocking opportunities for working learners and providing real-time talent solutions for businesses. Hosted by Matthe...

Michael Feldstein is Chief Strategy Officer at 1EdTech, where he helps shape an open, trusted, and interoperable edtech ecosystem. With more than 30 years in educational technology, he has also led the Empirical Educator Project, co-founded Argos Education, and founded the eLiterate blog. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why AI, interoperability, and cybersecurity are increasingly connected in edtech.How interoperability standards can help reduce security risks.What AI should and shou...

Join host Ben Kornell as he speaks with edtech leaders about AI in English language teaching, the future of learning and work, and expanding access to computer science and AI literacy. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:10] Dr. Evelina Galaczi, Director of Research at Cambridge University Press & Assessment and Ana Petersen, a language educator in Florida on AI in English language teaching [00:19:03] Ben Wirz, founding partner and David Guérin, partner of Brighteye Ventures on the future of le...

To celebrate 500 episodes of Edtech Insiders, Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell are joined by Reed Hastings for a special conversation about AI, education, and the future of learning. They explore the potential of AI-powered tutoring, the changing role of teachers, the future of assessment, and what schools could look like in the years ahead. Reed Hastings is the co-founder of Netflix and Chairman of Powder in Utah. He served as Netflix CEO for 25 years and previously founded Pure Software. Reed se...

Dacia Toll is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Coursemojo, an AI teaching assistant designed to help students make meaningful reading gains. A former teacher and principal in New Haven and founder of Achievement First, Dacia brings a deep focus on instructional quality, student outcomes, and what it takes to improve learning at scale. Coursemojo has now expanded to more than 85 school districts, from large districts like Boston, Denver, and Duval County to 5 small districts in rural Wisconsin and...

George Siemens is a prominent learning theorist and digital education researcher serving as the Chief AI and Innovation Officer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), he co-founded SNHU's AI-learning platform. He is widely known as the pioneer of the learning theory Connectivism and for creating the first Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast Series, featuring conversations with leaders shaping the fut...

Jennie Magiera is the Global Head of Education Impact at Google, a bestselling author, and former teacher, coach, administrator, and professor. Chanel Johnson is an educator with 15+ years in K–12, STEM, and EdTech. She is a Google Certified AI Educator and Innovator and currently teaches 8th grade science. Hannah Ketteman is Senior Instructional Consultant for AI at Texas A&M University-Central Texas and a Google Faculty Fellow, focusing on human-first AI integration in education. 💡 5 Th...

In this episode, Alex Sarlin speaks with leaders and finalists from the Global EdTech Prize about expanding access to education, supporting underserved learners, and using technology and AI to drive meaningful impact around the world. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How Edtech is expanding access for underserved and displaced learners. New approaches to assessment, literacy, and learning outcomes. How AI is enabling more personalized learning experiences. How technolog...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they interview leaders from Flint, AskSia, and 2U about AI literacy, personalized learning, responsible AI adoption, and the future of higher education. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:15] Sohan Choudhury, Founder of Flint, on AI literacy for teachers and responsible AI adoption in schools [00:15:10] Celine Xu, Co-founder and COO of AskSia, on personalized AI learning and student independence [00:43:03] Adam Fein, VP of Academic Innovation and Strategic ...

This episode is produced in partnership with Microsoft. Deirdre Quarnstrom leads Microsoft’s AI-enhanced learning product portfolio and strategy. She started her work in education bringing Minecraft Education to students and educators around the world. Deirdre also serves as a Director on the board of the Block by Block Foundation and is a founding partner and advisor at Reaction, a social impact VC fund. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How Microsoft is approaching AI in education.Wh...

Sal Khan is the founder and CEO of Khan Academy and Vision Steward and board member of TED, two global nonprofits that provide free education to 200+ million people worldwide. Sal is the author of The One World Schoolhouse and Brave New Words, and the co-author of Teaching Students to Use AI Ethically & Responsibly. His forthcoming book, Job Shock, examines how AI will transform the future of work and how societies can build learning systems that help people adapt, learn, and thrive. Co-...

Dan Wang is the Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School and Co-founder of CAiSEY, a voice-first AI discussion platform that helps students develop critical thinking through conversation. Johanna Chouraqui leads instructor onboarding, user research, and operations at CAiSEY, bringing nearly a decade of experience in K-12 education and learning design. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why voice-based AI can foster deeper critical thinking than text-based...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they break down the biggest stories shaping AI safety, tutoring research, equitable access to AI, and how educators are using AI in the classroom. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:07:16] AI safety concerns grow as Anthropic researchers and executives question the pace of frontier AI development [00:12:42] AI alignment, self-improvement, and multi-agent systems raise new questions about control [00:21:47] Randomized trial finds meaningful learning gains from ...

Dr. Michael J. Sorrell is the longest-serving President in Paul Quinn College’s 154-year history. A nationally recognized higher education leader, he has been named one of Fortune’s 50 Greatest Leaders and received numerous awards for his innovative leadership and commitment to students and communities. Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast Series, featuring conversations with leaders shaping the future of higher education. 💡 5 Things You’ll Le...

Victoria Lansdown is the founder of North Star AI Enablement, helping schools, Edtech companies, and nonprofits adopt AI in practical, human-centered ways. A former educator, she has led AI-for-educators programs at Google and contributed to UNESCO’s AI competency framework discussions. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why effective AI adoption starts with a problem, not a tool.How educators can balance AI experimentation with meaningful guardrails.Why AI policies need practical guida...

Kristin Vincent is VP of Product at Learning Commons, where she leads teams focused on scaling proven teaching and learning practices. She has spent 20 years building Edtech products, including leadership roles at Pearson and K12.com/Strive. Brian Johnsrud, PhD is OpenAI’s Global Head of Educational Engagement. A former K-12 teacher, college lecturer, and education technology researcher, he focuses on helping educators and students use AI to build skills, agency, and new possibilities for lea...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they unpack New York City and Los Angeles school AI restrictions, the launch of a new AI tutor from Aristotle, and how Salesforce is supporting educators, students, and career pathways in the AI era. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:57] AI, cognitive offloading, and the future of learning [00:06:21] New York City restricts student-facing AI tools in schools [00:11:13] AI, edtech, and the growing technology backlash [00:15:08] The paradox of banning AI in ...

Nils Gilman is Senior Advisor to the Berggruen Institute, an intellectual historian by training and a widely published essayist on the future of higher education and AI's impact on work and learning. His writing has appeared in Noema, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and many other venues. He holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast Series, featuring conversations with leaders shaping the future of...

Emily Freitag is Co-founder and CEO of Instruction Partners, a nonprofit focused on strengthening instructional leadership and support for educators. She previously served as Assistant Commissioner of Curriculum and Instruction for the Tennessee Department of Education and began her career as a seventh-grade math teacher in Louisiana. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: What 20 AI products look like in real classrooms.Where AI is helping and hurting student learning.Why schools should id...

Vinitra Swamy is the CEO and Co-founder of Scholé AI, a UC Berkeley and EPFL spinoff building AI-native learning for the future of work. A former Microsoft AI engineer and AI-for-education PhD, she focuses on bringing learning science, personalization, and AI together to transform adult learning. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How AI enables truly personalized learning.Why Scholé uses multiple AI agents to teach.How learning science shapes AI-native education.The future of learning ...

Paul LeBlanc is the former president of Southern New Hampshire University, the largest non-profit provider of online higher education in the country. His new book, Reclaiming Purpose: The University in an AI World, examines how higher education can respond proactively to leverage the rise of artificial intelligence and reconnect to its essential task of helping students discover lives of purpose. Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast Seri...

Nir Zicherman is the CEO of Oboe. Oboe's mission is to teach one billion people one trillion things. In 2015, Nir co-founded Anchor, which grew to become the world's largest podcasting platform. After Spotify acquired Anchor in 2019, he led Spotify's expansion into audiobooks as VP of Audiobooks. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why AI should teach—not just answer questions.How personalized learning paths can outperform traditional chatbots.Lessons from building consumer products that ...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down new federal guidance on edtech evidence and efficacy, the growing backlash against AI and big tech in schools, Harvard's AI faculty avatars, and MIT's evolving approach to teaching and learning in the AI era. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:04:47] U.S. Department of Education issues edtech evidence guidance [00:14:21] AI tutoring research highlights mastery-based learning [00:16:36] The growing backlash against AI and big tech in schools [00...

Dr. Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich founded Newstate University in 2026, bringing 20+ years of education leadership from executive roles at SkillsWave, Pearson, LSU and SNHU. She holds a PhD from Kent State and authored "The Power Worker" and "How to Grow Enrollment in Online Higher Education." Hosted by Matthew Rascoff This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast Series, featuring conversations with leaders shaping the future of higher education. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This ...

Aneesh Sohoni is CEO of Teach For America and a former high school English teacher and TFA corps member. He has also led TFA Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana and One Million Degrees. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why leadership matters more than technology in education.How teachers can build practical AI fluency.Teach For America’s 4 Ds framework for using AI.Why AI can’t replace human connection in learning.How teachers are using AI to personalize learning.✨ Episode Highlight...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down the biggest stories shaping AI, Edtech investment, the growing tech backlash, and the future of assessment. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:05:47] ChatGPT for Teens introduces new safety and learning features [00:11:29] Generalized AI models raise new challenges for Edtech companies [00:13:47] OpenAI partners with CodeAI on AI learning and youth safety [00:17:07] Reach Capital launches a new $265M fund focused on early-stage companies [00:23...

Tony Wan is Head of Platform at Reach Capital and co-founder and former managing editor of EdSurge. Betsy Corcoran is a writer, speaker, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of EdSurge who explores AI and learning through her work and podcast, Future Fluent. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How EdSurge helped shape the early edtech ecosystem.Why edtech needs more honest and nuanced storytelling.What the tech backlash gets right and where it misses the bigger picture.Why teacher-turned-...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down the biggest stories shaping educator confidence, tutoring, higher ed grading, AI models, education policy, and AI workforce development. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:02:47] Edtech Insiders heads to Teach For America’s 35th anniversary [00:05:19] HMH survey shows educator AI adoption reaches 80% [00:08:45] Varsity Tutors exits school-based tutoring [00:11:46] What makes tutoring effective? [00:13:00] MIT drops freshman grades as Harvard ti...

Jomayra Herrera is a Partner at Reach Capital, an early-stage venture fund investing across learning, health, and work. Previously, she worked at Emerson Collective and Cowboy Ventures, investing in companies including Handshake, Guild, Contra, and Career Karma. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why Reach Capital is doubling down on pre-seed and early-stage investing with its new $265M Fund V.How learning, health, and work intersect to create new opportunities for innovation.What Jomay...

Joy Delizo-Osborne is President and CEO of Student Achievement Partners, where she works to improve instructional quality and connect evidence-based practices with curriculum and edtech. A former teacher, instructional coach, and principal, Joy brings more than 20 years of experience in education. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How AI can support and not replace teachers and students.Why productive struggle still matters in AI-powered learning.What districts should consider when eva...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down the biggest stories shaping higher education, AI adoption, school technology policy, and the future of learning. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:05:13] Higher ed leadership turnover accelerates amid political, financial, and AI pressures [00:11:00] OpenAI launches new AI tools for college students, professors, and K–12 educators [00:17:27] OpenAI pushes deeper into higher ed with AI-powered academic workflows [00:20:40] AI could reshape univ...

Edna Martinson is the Co-founder and COO of Boddle Learning, a gamified K–6 learning platform used by millions of students to build confidence in math, literacy, and science. She is passionate about combining great game design with research-backed learning experiences that teachers and students love. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why Boddle was built to compete with video games.How gamification drives learning and confidence.What teachers want from classroom technology.How AI is sha...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they break down the biggest stories shaping AI, edtech investment, philanthropy, the future of work, and AI-powered learning. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:02:33] Bridges AI Summit brings district leaders together to discuss AI adoption, pilots, and edtech purchasing [00:05:19] Imagi raises $4.5M with backing from OpenAI, Lovable, Will.i.am, Kahoot!, and ElevenLabs [00:09:18] AI, cross-sector platforms, and portfolio consolidation drive edtech investment ...

Inside Columbia's First EdTech Showcase, Alex Sarlin sits down with the founders and leaders behind the inaugural Columbia EdTech Showcase to explore the startups, ideas, and innovations shaping the future of learning from AI-powered discussion tools to health education, learning science, and content curation. 🎙️ Featuring insights from: [00:01:56] Pete Novak, Founder, Columbians in EdTech [00:14:48] Dan Wang, Co-Founder, CAiSEY [00:32:43] Kyleigh Sudlow, Lead Engineer, Puberry [00:41:22] And...

Drew Bent leads Education at Anthropic, where he oversees education initiatives including Claude for Teachers. A former math teacher, Khan Academy engineer, and co-founder of Schoolhouse.world, Drew focuses on applying AI to improve teaching and learning. Sandra Liu Huang is President of Learning Commons, where she leads the development of open AI datasets and learning science infrastructure for education. She previously held product leadership roles at Google, Facebook, and Quora. 💡 5 Things...

Julie Young is the Founding CEO of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), where she helped pioneer online public education and expand access to millions of learners. She later founded ASU Prep Digital and is the author of Say Yes: How Virtual Became Reality, continuing to shape the future of student-centered learning. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode How Florida Virtual School grew from a small pilot into a global model for virtual education. Why putting students and not syste...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they discuss the latest developments in education technology, from growing AI skepticism in schools and major policy shifts to Anthropic's education strategy and conversations with founders tackling literacy and AI tutoring. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:05:49] New York City pauses AI procurement across its school system [00:11:28] New study questions AI's impact on teaching quality and student engagement [00:18:00] Norway introduces strict limits on gene...

Michael Preston, Executive Director, Medha Tare, Senior Director of Research, and Liza Gak, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, are leading researchers focused on child-centered educational technology. Together, they are helping edtech organizations design better products by combining learning science, participatory co-design, and thoughtful approaches to AI. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why involving children early in product design leads to better edtech.&nb...

Sue Khim is the Co-founder and CEO of Brilliant, the interactive learning platform that has helped millions of learners build deep understanding in math, science, and computer science. In this episode, she shares how Brilliant's new AI tutor, Koji, is designed to develop critical thinking rather than simply provide answers. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why the best AI tutors ask questions instead of giving answers.How Brilliant applies active learning and game design to STEM educat...

Join hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they cover major edtech acquisitions, the biggest AI announcements from ISTE, the future of assessment, and how AI is reshaping teaching and learning. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:04:15] ETS acquires ACT, reshaping the future of assessment and college admissions [00:08:02] Handshake acquires Uplimit to expand AI upskilling and workforce learning [00:11:55] The debate over screen-free learning and the rise of Yoto [00:17:41] ISTE rebrands and launches a n...

Smita Saxena is the Founder of Maestro, an AI coaching platform helping K-12 STEM teachers improve instruction and student outcomes. Alexia Lewis is an 8th Grade Algebra I teacher at KIPP Polaris and a Maestro coach whose students achieved remarkable gains using the platform. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn How AI coaching saves teachers hours every week. Why human coaching + AI outperforms either alone. How AI supports differentiated instruction. Using AI to tu...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest host Daniela Pico, Head of Platform at Forum Ventures, as they discuss the AI backlash, workforce transformation, AI literacy, social media regulation, and the evolving future of education technology. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:37] Anthropic launches a $150M Claude Core fellowship program for AI workforce development [00:09:09] Why organizations need AI implementation strategies and not just AI licenses [00:15:13] The rise of dedicated AI teams and A...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest co-host Gemma Lenowitz Picot of Samvid Ventures as they break down the latest developments in AI, workforce development, edtech adoption, and education policy. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:26] OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic expand AI workforce training initiatives [00:10:30] Data center investments create new opportunities for workforce development [00:15:59] Anthropic launches Claude Core to help nonprofits adopt AI [00:21:00] AI safety concerns raise ...

Anthony Salcito is President & GM of Enterprise at Coursera, where he leads partnerships with enterprises, universities, and governments to build job-relevant skills at scale. Previously, he held leadership roles at Microsoft and Nerdy (Varsity Tutors), and has spent his career at the intersection of technology, education, and workforce development. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why skills are becoming the new currency in hiring. How micro-credentials complement, not replac...

George Siemens is the Chief AI & Innovation Officer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and one of the most influential learning theorists in modern education. He is the creator of Connectivism, co-creator of the first MOOC, and a leading voice on how AI is reshaping learning, higher education, and knowledge itself. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode How AI is changing the architecture of knowledge and learning. Why personal knowledge systems may become essen...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest co-host Thomas Rodgers of Whiteboard Advisors as they explore the latest developments in AI, edtech policy, learning outcomes, cybersecurity, and the future of AI-powered education. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:39] Anthropic’s Claude Fable launch sparks discussion about the next generation of AI capabilities [00:09:07] Meta launches a workforce academy initiative focused on data center and skilled trade careers [00:17:47] The growing edtech and AI “tec...

In this special crossover episode, Edtech Insiders host Ben Kornell joins Allison Salisbury, author of The Humanist, for a wide-ranging conversation about AI, education, workforce development, and the future of learning. Together, they explore how AI could reshape assessment, personalized learning, school design, and the skills students will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. 💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode Why AI should be used to redesign education and not just make existin...

Join hosts Alex Sarlin and guest co-host Matt Tower of Whiteboard Advisors as they explore the latest developments in AI, workforce learning, edtech innovation, and literacy instruction. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:24] OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI prepare for potential IPOs [00:07:45] Anthropic surpasses OpenAI in valuation as enterprise AI adoption grows [00:08:59] Byju Raveendran’s legal challenges raise questions about edtech governance [00:11:23] Handshake’s growth contrasts with Chegg’s s...

Lisa Gevelber is the founder and leader of Grow with Google, Google's economic opportunity initiative focused on helping people build skills, careers, and businesses. Through Google Career Certificates and AI training programs, she has helped millions of learners develop workforce-ready skills and navigate an increasingly AI-driven economy. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode Why AI fluency is becoming an essential workforce skill for every profession. How Grow with Googl...