Today we're thrilled to introduce Class Composer, the newest startup to join the show. We speak with CEO and co-founder Mike Cronley.

Class Composer is a software solution designed to create balanced and equitable classroom assignments. Mike shares his journey from being a third-grade teacher to developing a tool that addresses the challenges of inequitable class assignments. The conversation explores the inception of Class Composer, its functionality, customer feedback, and the future of the product as it aims to expand its impact in education.

About today's guest:

While some big ideas are born in the boardroom, others are born in the lunchroom.

In his 12 years teaching third grade near Denver, Colorado, Mike shared the frustrations of many colleagues enduring inequitable classes – for example, classes having an imbalance of low readers or students with challenging behavior. These imbalances weren’t surprising, given the student placement process was done with pink and blue paper cards.

Over lunch one day in 2007, the school’s music teacher was venting to Mike about some unruly students who mistakenly ended up in her class together, even though they were supposed to have been separated based on their disruptive behavior the year before. Wouldn’t it be great, they mused, if there were some software to create class lists and avoid these basic errors?

As a self-professed technology geek, Mike started dreaming about the possibility of creating his own solution. That dream grew into an obsession, and he found himself spending evenings and weekends consumed by research – driving his wife crazy. The result was Class Composer, software built on Mike’s tech savvy, his teacher’s perspective, and his commitment to creating positive learning environments.

Mike, who received his B.S. in Psychology from the Ohio State University and an elementary teaching certificate from the University of Colorado Denver, is no longer in the classroom, but is an educator at heart who loves making a positive impact on the lives of teachers and students. He lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two poodles, and he loves to ski, bike, and camp with his family, including his college-age son and daughter.

About today's host:
Scott Schuette is a Learning and Development Executive with years of experience driving the creation of innovative, multi-million dollar learning platforms and education programs for major corporate enterprise companies.

He is cohost of The Fabulous Learning Nerds, a podcast sharing new ideas, learning tools, approaches and technology that increase learner engagement and impact — All while having FUN! Listen to the show and subscribe here: https://fabulouslearningnerds.transistor.fm

Priten Shah, the founder and CEO of Pedagogy.Cloud and Pedagog.ai, returns as guest. He gets us caught up on the company's latest work, sets the context for ethics and AI, and discusses some of the key questions educators need to be asking about AI.

Hear about:

• Embracing tech for a meaningful purpose
• Finding new uses for AI and being realistic about some of the persistent challenges
• Priten's updated outlook for what we can expect from educators, students and AI
• Broadening our concept of future success to include more than careers
• Overcoming tech resistance

About Pedegog.ai:

Pedagog.ai is focused on supporting educators in adapting to the age of artificial intelligence in education. The company offers a variety of professional development options, including books, online courses, webinars, and in-person workshops, to help teachers learn about the latest advancements in AI and education. Their suite of tools is designed with educators in mind, aiming to enhance curriculum development and workflow efficiency through AI technology. They also provide tools tailored for student use, enabling them to engage in assignments that leverage AI capabilities in a classroom setting. Learn more:

• http://pedagog.ai/
• https://twitter.com/pedagogycloud
• https://www.instagram.com/pedagogycloud/
• https://facebook.com/pedagogycloud

About today's guest:
Priten Shah, M. ED and B.A, Harvard, is the CEO of Pedagogy.Cloud, which provides innovative technology solutions to help educators navigate global challenges in a rapidly evolving world. He is also the author of the Wiley’s Jossey-Bass publication, “AI & The Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.“ Pedagogy.Cloud has worked with over 200 different educational organizations to adapt and innovate during major world events including the Covid-19 Pandemic. He and his team are currently focused on helping educational organizations adapt to the ever growing capabilities of AI. Priten is also the founder of United 4 Social Change, a civics education nonprofit that focuses on helping teachers integrate interdisciplinary education into their curricula through animated videos, lesson plans, and innovative classroom activities. Connect with Priten:

• http://linkedin.com/in/pritenhshah
• https://twitter.com/pritenhshah

About today's host:
Scott Schuette is a Learning and Development Executive with years of experience driving the creation of innovative, multi-million dollar learning platforms and education programs for major corporate enterprise companies.

He is cohost of The Fabulous Learning Nerds, a podcast sharing new ideas, learning tools, approaches and technology that increase learner engagement and impact — All while having FUN! Listen to the show and subscribe here: https://fabulouslearningnerds.transistor.fm

We're excited to have Christel Reaves, founder and CEO of Connected Class, back on the show. Today she shares some of the big developments with Connected Class over the past six months and a lot more:

Hear about:

• Earned insights on scaling a startup
• Knowing your strengths as a founder and building the right team around yourself
• Providing resources that give parents options to support their child's education
• Literacy, math and social-emotional development
• The resilient mindset required of an edtech entrepreneur in changing times

About Connected Class

We build communication between the classroom and home environment through exciting games, strategies, and activities to help students succeed academically. Learn more:

• www.connectedclass.com
• https://twitter.com/connectedclass_
• https://www.instagram.com/connected_class
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/connected-class

About today’s guest

Christel Reaves, founder and CEO of Connected Class, is an enthusiastic educator dedicated to improving learning and equipping educators to succeed. Her passion for ensuring family engagement throughout the learning process is evident and at the core of every product and service provided by Connected Class. She oversees a team of Instructional Specialists to support schools, focusing on helping educators analyze data, develop action plans, implement instructional strategies, and enhance family engagement for improved student achievement.

Before Christel was the founder of Connected Class, she was a classroom teacher, county resource educator and district administrator. She worked closely with the state to remove low performing Title I schools from Intervene status. Over the past 25 years, she has helped many schools improve their student performance and engage families.

About today’s host

Scott Schuette is a Learning and Development Executive with years of experience driving the creation of innovative, multi-million dollar learning platforms and education programs for major corporate enterprise companies.

He is cohost of The Fabulous Learning Nerds, a podcast sharing new ideas, learning tools, approaches and technology that increase learner engagement and impact — All while having FUN! Listen to the show and subscribe here: https://fabulouslearningnerds.transistor.fm