Episodes

  • How AI Is Reinventing the College Admissions Essay

    How AI Is Reinventing the College Admissions Essay
    Jun 29 2026
    Lucas and Luna explore how AI tools are transforming the college admissions essay process — from AI-powered brainstorming apps that help students overcome writer's block to automated feedback systems that flag clichés and weak arguments. They dive into a specific case: a startup called Kira Learning that uses natural language processing to give high school students instant, personalized feedback on their drafts, helping them refine their voice without crossing ethical lines. The hosts discuss how universities are reacting — some banning AI assistance outright, others embedding it in their own platforms — and what this means for equity and the authenticity of the application. No hype, just a grounded look at one corner of edtech that's quietly reshaping a high-stakes ritual. #CollegeAdmissions #AIinEducation #Edtech #KiraLearning #CollegeEssays #NLP #StudentWriting #AdmissionsTech #HigherEd #Equity #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EdtechPodcast #OnlineLearning #AIEthics #WritingTools Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • How Khan Academy Is Using AI to Personalize Homework

    How Khan Academy Is Using AI to Personalize Homework
    Jun 28 2026
    Khan Academy's new AI tutor, Khanmigo, is changing how students do homework. Instead of giving answers, it guides students through problems with Socratic questioning. Lucas and Luna explore how this tool works, its impact on learning outcomes, and the challenges of integrating AI into classrooms. They discuss early data from pilot schools, teacher feedback, and what this means for the future of personalized education. Specific examples include a middle school in Arizona where math scores improved 14% after adopting Khanmigo for nightly assignments. #KhanAcademy #Khanmigo #AIEducation #Edtech #PersonalizedLearning #HomeworkHelp #SocraticMethod #ArtificialIntelligence #EdtechPodcast #BusinessAndTechnology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EducationTechnology #OnlineLearning #Tutoring #MathEducation #Edchat #ClassroomTech Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    10 mins
  • How One Company Is Making College Textbooks Free Through OpenStax

    How One Company Is Making College Textbooks Free Through OpenStax
    Jun 28 2026
    Episode 77 of Edtech Conversations with Fexingo dives into OpenStax, the nonprofit that has saved students over $2 billion on textbooks. Lucas and Luna explore how OpenStax started at Rice University, why it gives away peer-reviewed college texts for free, and how it now reaches over 60% of U.S. higher education institutions. They also discuss the economics behind the model — sustained by foundations, not advertising — and the tension between free access and traditional publishing. A look at a quiet revolution in education affordability that is reshaping the $3 billion textbook market. Plus a listener-supported moment on how small contributions keep the podcast ad-free. #OpenStax #CollegeTextbooks #FreeEducation #RiceUniversity #TextbookAffordability #OER #OpenEducationalResources #HigherEd #Edtech #Nonprofit #PublishingDisruption #StudentDebt #EducationPodcast #BusinessAndTechnology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EdtechConversations #LearningInnovation Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • How Microcredentials Are Reshaping Teacher Professional Development

    How Microcredentials Are Reshaping Teacher Professional Development
    Jun 27 2026
    In this episode of Edtech Conversations with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore the quiet revolution in teacher professional development: microcredentials. Instead of the traditional one-day workshop or master's degree, teachers can now earn stackable digital badges for specific skills like trauma-informed instruction or using data to differentiate math lessons. The hosts dig into one specific case — the nonprofit Digital Promise and its microcredential platform, which has issued over 100,000 badges to educators across 49 states. They discuss why 74 percent of teachers who completed a microcredential reported changing their classroom practice, how school districts are starting to recognize these credentials for salary advancement, and the tension between flexibility and rigor. Lucas and Luna also consider what happens when for-profit players enter the space and whether microcredentials risk becoming a checkbox exercise. This is a focused look at a trend that is quietly changing how teachers learn on the job. #Microcredentials #TeacherProfessionalDevelopment #DigitalPromise #Edtech #DigitalBadges #K12Education #TeacherTraining #SkillsBasedLearning #CompetencyBasedEducation #EdtechStartups #ClassroomImpact #TeacherSalary #OnlineLearning #EducationPolicy #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    12 mins
  • How Schools Are Fighting Cellphone Distraction With Tech

    How Schools Are Fighting Cellphone Distraction With Tech
    Jun 27 2026
    In episode 75 of Edtech Conversations, Lucas and Luna explore how schools are turning to technology to solve the problem of cellphone distraction in classrooms. They focus on Yondr, a company that produces lockable pouches for phones, and examine the data from schools that have adopted the system. Lucas shares that some schools report a 30 percent drop in disciplinary incidents after implementing the pouches, while Luna questions whether banning phones is the right long-term strategy. They also discuss alternative approaches, such as classroom management software that limits phone usage during class time, and consider the broader implications for student engagement and digital literacy. The conversation is grounded in real examples from middle schools in Oregon and high schools in New York. This episode offers a balanced look at a contentious issue facing educators today: how to manage technology in a world where students are never without their devices. #Yondr #CellphoneBan #ClassroomTech #StudentEngagement #DigitalDistraction #SchoolDiscipline #PhonePouches #Edtech #K12 #EducationPolicy #ClassroomManagement #OregonSchools #NYCSchools #ScreenTime #StudentWellness #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EdtechConversations Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • How AI Chatbots Are Replacing School Counselors

    How AI Chatbots Are Replacing School Counselors
    Jun 26 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how AI chatbots are being deployed in US high schools to handle routine mental health check-ins and college application questions, freeing up human counselors for deeper work. They focus on a specific case: the partnership between Roseville Union High School in Ohio and the chatbot platform 'EdNavigator AI' (a composite case based on real trends). The conversation covers the implementation numbers—Roseville's four counselors previously managed 1,200 students each—and early outcomes: a 22% drop in missed check-ins and a 14% increase in FAFSA completion rates. Luna challenges the ethical boundaries, asking where triage ends and genuine care begins. Lucas walks through the school's escalation protocol, which includes a mandatory human handoff for any distress flagged above a certain confidence threshold. They also touch on the broader market: according to a June 2026 report from the EdTech Action Network, 1 in 8 US high schools now uses some form of AI for non-academic student support. The episode ends with a question about whether this model could widen the gap between well-funded and underfunded districts. #AI #Chatbots #SchoolCounselors #EdTech #MentalHealth #CollegeAdmissions #FAFSA #RosevilleUnion #Ohio #EdNavigatorAI #HumanHandoff #Ethics #StudentSupport #K12 #EdTechActionNetwork #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    10 mins
  • How Corporate Microschools Are Disrupting Workplace Education

    How Corporate Microschools Are Disrupting Workplace Education
    Jun 26 2026
    Today, Lucas and Luna dive into the rise of corporate microschools — a trend where companies are creating their own small, employer-run learning pods for employees' children. They explore how Guild Education, a Denver-based workforce learning platform, is helping employers like Chipotle and Walmart offer tuition benefits for K-12 microschools. The hosts discuss a specific case: how Guild's partnership with Prenda, an Arizona microschool network, has enrolled over 2,000 students from employee families since 2024. Lucas breaks down the economics — companies spend roughly $8,000 per child per year, about half the cost of public school per-pupil funding — and why this model is gaining traction as a retention tool in tight labor markets. Luna challenges whether this risks creating a two-tiered education system, and they explore data from a recent EdChoice survey showing 68% of parents would prefer a microschool if cost were equal. The episode avoids broad edtech overviews and instead focuses on a specific, measurable trend that's reshaping how employers think about benefits. #CorporateMicroschools #GuildEducation #Prenda #WorkplaceEducation #EmployeeBenefits #WorkforceLearning #K12Education #Microschools #EdtechTrends #Business #Technology #EducationPolicy #HumanResources #TalentRetention #EmployerSponsored #LearningPods #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    14 mins
  • How H5P Is Making Interactive Content the New Textbook

    How H5P Is Making Interactive Content the New Textbook
    Jun 25 2026
    Episode 72 of Edtech Conversations with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how H5P, an open-source content collaboration framework, is quietly replacing static PDFs and slides in thousands of universities and schools. They trace H5P's origins at a Norwegian edtech nonprofit, its integration with major learning management systems like Moodle and Canvas, and how a single interactive tool — the branching scenario — is improving student engagement by an average of 40 percent. Lucas shares data from a 2025 EDUCAUSE survey showing that 63 percent of faculty now prefer H5P over traditional publisher materials. Luna challenges whether open-source tools can survive without commercial backing, and they discuss how Joubel, the company behind H5P, sustains itself through hosting and enterprise support. The episode closes with a look at H5P's new AI-powered content generator, which lets instructors turn a lecture transcript into a drag-and-drop activity in under two minutes. A focused, specific case study on one tool reshaping digital pedagogy. #H5P #InteractiveContent #Edtech #OpenSource #Moodle #Canvas #LMS #DigitalPedagogy #Joubel #EDUCAUSE #ActiveLearning #FacultyAdoption #BranchingScenario #AIinEducation #ContentAuthoring #HigherEd #Business #FexingoBusiness Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins