PMP460: Digital for Good with Richard Culatta

A quick note to listeners: 

Before this week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker take a few minutes to discuss the following listener question:

What other practical ways (like your student handbook) can you rethink for sending positive messaging to your students and school community?

Listen in to hear their response!

Meet Richard Culatta:

​​As the CEO of ISTE+ASCD, Richard Culatta is focused on creating the next generation of innovative learning leaders. Richard has served as the Chief Innovation Officer of the state of Rhode Island and was appointed by President Barack Obama to lead the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. His book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World (Harvard Business Publishing) aims to help create conditions for healthy tech use at home and school.

Join Jen Schwanke as she sits down with Richard Culatta, the visionary CEO of the newly merged ISTE and ASCD. This insightful conversation delves into the powerful synergy created by bringing together these two leading education organizations, exploring how their combined strengths are poised to better support administrators, technology experts, and educational innovators. Richard shares the compelling rationale and exciting opportunities arising from the merger, emphasizing the unified focus on enhancing the learner experience. Tune in as they discuss collaborative initiatives addressing critical contemporary issues, from navigating disruptive social media through their partnership with META to providing educators with robust resources for evaluating educational technology. Finally, Richard offers valuable insights from his book, Digital for Good, advocating for a nuanced approach to student technology use centered on screen value. 

A Unified Force for Education:

Richard Culatta discusses the strategic merger of ISTE and ASCD, highlighting how this unification of curriculum and technology leadership will create a more comprehensive support system for educators, ultimately prioritizing the learner experience. He also provides insights into the initial plans for their annual conferences, which will be held concurrently but remain distinct events.  

Addressing Social Media Challenges:

Richard discusses the impactful collaboration between ISTE, ASCD, and META, which resulted in the launch of “school mode” on Instagram. This innovative feature equips verified school administrators with crucial tools for the expedited review and removal of disruptive content and facilitates direct communication with the platform.

Navigating the EdTech Landscape:

Similarly, ISTE and ASCD have a forward-thinking approach to the ever-evolving world of educational technology. Under Culatta’s leadership, they focus on fundamental principles of effectiveness – curiosity, engagement, safety, accessibility, and research-based practices – helps educators discern valuable tools from fleeting trends. Additionally, they are raising standards for edtech vendors at their events and have launched edtechindex.org as a resource for reviewed educational applications. 

Empowering Educators and Leaders:

Culatta offers insights into key initiatives such as Generation AI, a program aiming to train 200,000 teachers in the effective integration of artificial intelligence for learning. The conversation also highlights the new instructional leader certification and the upcoming “Instructional Leader of the Year” award, designed to recognize and support district-level learning leaders.

Rethinking Screen Time:

Richard Culatta shares the core message of his book, Digital for Good, advocating for a shift in focus from mere “screen time” to “screen value.” He emphasizes the importance of modeling healthy digital behavior and encouraging parents and educators to consider what children are doing online rather than solely the duration. Using the analogy of food, he illustrates how different online activities hold varying levels of value.

Now It’s Your Turn:

What are ways your school would benefit from the ideas offered in Digital for Good?

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