In this episode of The Tech Ed Clubhouse Podcast, I sit down with Leena Salah from Canva to explore how this powerful platform is transforming classrooms. From Magic Activities that generate higher-order thinking tasks to Canva Code that lets teachers and students build custom widgets without writing a line of code, Canva is redefining creativity, engagement, and authentic learning.

Here’s what we dig into:

• 🚀 The newest Canva tools for educators, including Magic Write, Magic Media, and Magic Activities

• 💡 How Canva Code empowers teachers and students to design interactive tools with simple prompts

• 🎨 Practical classroom applications that save teachers time and boost student engagement

• 🌎 Why Canva is more than an edtech tool—it’s an industry-ready skill for students’ futures

• 📚 The hidden gems inside Canva Design School that every teacher should know about

Leena also shares insights on Canva’s AI integrations, their growing teacher community, and how Canva is helping educators bridge the gap between creativity, equity, and access.

Whether you’re new to Canva or already using it daily, this conversation is packed with strategies, use cases, and inspiration to take your teaching to the next level.

• Try Canva for Education: canva.com/education

• Explore Canva Design School: canva.com/designschool

• Connect with the Canva EDU community: canva.com/communities

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👉 Follow The Tech Ed Clubhouse Podcast on Spotify (or wherever you listen).
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👉 Share this episode with a fellow educator who needs a fresh dose of creativity in their teaching toolbox.

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Join the conversation with the hashtag #TechEdClubhouse

🔗 Links & Resources📣 Call to Action🔥 Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Episode Overview

In this episode of the TechEd Clubhouse, Dan Thomas sits down with Todd Bloomer, veteran school leader, author of The Blueprint: Survive and Thrive as a School Administrator, and now Director of School Leadership for the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Todd shares his no-nonsense approach to school leadership: why being visible matters more than being stuck in the office, how culture is built in small daily interactions, and why equity—not just equality—matters in schools. From his 29 years in education to his transition into principal coaching, Todd brings passion, practical wisdom, and stories that resonate with anyone in education.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• People Before Paper – Why principals and leaders must be present with students and staff, not buried in emails.

• Culture Is Not a Program – How consistent small interactions shape school culture more than any purchased initiative.

• Equity Over Equality – The importance of treating students fairly by giving them what they need, not necessarily the same thing.

• Leadership in the Gray – Why effective principals live in nuance, not black and white rules.

• Coaching the Next Generation – Todd’s work helping current and future principals find their blueprint for success.

• • Why Kids Really Come to School – The role of social connections, belonging, and recognition in student motivation.

  Key Quotes

• • “Positivity + Visibility + Reliability = Trust.” – Todd Bloomer

  • “You can’t lead from your office. Culture is built in the hallways, classrooms, and cafeterias.”

  • “Fair isn’t always equal—every student needs something different to thrive.”

• Resources and Links

  • 📘 Todd’s Book: The Blueprint: Survive and Thrive as a School Administrator – Amazon Link

• • 🌐 Todd’s Website: toddmbloomer.com

  • 📱 Follow Todd on Instagram & TikTok: @todd_bloomer_author

  • 🔗 Connect with Todd on LinkedIn

  • 🌍 Blog & Resources: coachthomastech.com/blog

  • 🐦 Twitter: @coachthomastech

  • 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

  • 💬 Join the conversation with hashtag #TechEdClubhouse

  
  

  
  

  If you’re a school leader, teacher, or aspiring administrator—this conversation will leave you fired up and ready to lead with heart. After listening, share your biggest takeaway with us on social media using #TechEdClubhouse, and don’t forget to leave a review to help more educators find the show.

  
  

In this episode, I sit down with Jon Laven, co-founder of Snorkl.app, an AI-powered tool designed to capture and analyze student thinking. A former high school math teacher, Jon shares how Snorkl helps students explain their thought processes, gives teachers richer insights, and shifts classrooms toward authentic learning and student agency.

We dig into the balance between AI and the human element, why documenting thought processes matters, and the durable skills that go beyond tests—communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

What you’ll hear about in this episode:

• Jon’s journey from teacher to edtech founder

• How Snorkl went from a “social Khan Academy” to an AI feedback tool

• Why documenting thinking is as valuable as the answer itself

• Timely AI feedback and its impact on learning

• Student voice, choice, and agency in action

• Failure as growth and iteration

• Unexpected uses: reading fluency, world language practice

• Equity, differentiation, and support for multilingual learners

• The future of formative assessment

• Advice for teachers with big edtech ideas

Memorable quotes:
💬 “If Snorkl did nothing else but just got students to explain their thinking, there would be value there.” – Jon Laven
💬 “Math is just another form of storytelling. The numbers tell a story.” – Dan Thomas

Resources:
🌐 Snorkl.app (create a free teacher account)
📧 jon@snorkl.app
🔗 coachthomastech.com | Twitter/X: @coachthomastech

Takeaways:

• Immediate feedback changes the game—students learn in real time.

• Every student voice matters, not just the loudest.

• Formative assessment is evolving with tools like Snorkl.

• The best innovations start in the classroom.

👉 Try Snorkl with your class, share this episode with a colleague, and subscribe to the TechEd Clubhouse for more conversations that bring play, STEM, and common sense back into learning.

Back-to-school season is overwhelming—lesson plans, grading, differentiation, and those endless Sunday night prep sessions. Teachers are stretched to the breaking point. But what if an AI tool actually cut through the chaos and gave you back your time?

In this episode, I sit down with Thomas Thompson and Thomas Hummel, co-founders of EduaideAI—a platform designed to help teachers plan faster, differentiate smarter, and free up time for what really matters: connecting with students.

Here’s what we cover:
✨ The story of how two middle school teachers bootstrapped EduaideAI into reality
✨ Why EduaideAI is different from “just another AI tool”—it’s grounded in real pedagogy, not myths
✨ How it helps teachers with lesson plans, projects, graphic organizers, and even gamified warm-ups
✨ Their take on AI in the classroom—what works, what doesn’t, and where it’s going next
✨ What’s new and upcoming for EduaideAI, and why staying teacher-focused (not venture-funded) is their core mission

If you’ve ever wished you could spend less time buried in lesson planning and more time actually teaching, this episode is for you.

🔗 Learn more: eduaide.ai
💬 Connect with EduaideAI:

• @eduaideai on X
• LinkedIn
• Eduaide.Ai (@eduaide.ai) • Instagram photos and videos

It’s back-to-school season, and AI is everywhere. But how can teachers actually use it to save time and reduce stress right now?

In this episode of The Tech Ed Clubhouse, I chat with Amber Trout, Senior Community Manager at Magic School AI, about practical ways educators can bring AI into their classrooms without the overwhelm.

Whether you’re an AI skeptic or already experimenting, this episode will give you ideas you can use tomorrow.

• Why Magic School is different from ChatGPT & Gemini

• Quick-start tools teachers love: lesson plans, slides, rubrics, emails

• How to differentiate with “Make It Relevant” + spicy/medium/mild scaffolds

• Student Rooms: safe AI spaces for kids with teacher-built guardrails

• How AI can fight teacher burnout by giving you back your time

• 👉 Magic School AI – free teacher & student tools

• Magic School Summer Academy & Back-to-School Guide

• • Connect with Amber: LinkedIn | @Amber_EdTech| community@magicschool.ai
  • Join Pioneers here: https://www.magicschool.ai/magicschool-ai-pioneers
  • Back-to-school guide: https://www.magicschool.ai/back-to-school
  • Summer Webinar series: https://www.magicschool.ai/magicschool-academy3:36
  • All MagicSchool PD resources: https://www.magicschool.ai/professional-development

• Teachers don’t need hype—they need solutions. This conversation is packed with real, classroom-ready ideas to help you start the year smarter, with less stress, and more time to actually connect with students.

  Follow & Subscribe:
  🎧 The Tech Ed Clubhouse Podcast
  📱 Twitter: @coachthomastech
  📌 Hashtag: #TechEdClubhouse

  
  

In this episode of The TechEd Clubhouse Podcast, I sit down with James Myklebust-Hampshire, a global educator, learning designer, and founder of X Focus — a platform built to help students take ownership of their learning, lead projects, and develop real-world skills.

James has taught in wildly different educational settings — from UK pupil referral units to International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programs in Norway — and brings a refreshingly practical perspective on replacing compliance culture with purpose, creativity, and agency. Together, we dive into what real student agency looks like, why it’s not about “do whatever you want,” and how thoughtful structure, skill-building, and authentic ownership create classroom magic.

We also explore the practical guardrails teachers need to make student-led learning work, why durable skills matter as much as content, and how AI can serve as a thought partner — not a shortcut — to deeper learning. This is an unfiltered conversation packed with strategies, examples, and mindset shifts you can apply in your own teaching tomorrow.

If you’ve ever wanted to transform your classroom into a living, breathing ecosystem of collaboration and curiosity — or you’re curious about how technology and play can fuel student independence — this episode is your blueprint.

________________

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

* Student Agency Demystified: Why it’s not a free-for-all and how guardrails actually create freedom.

* Practical Frameworks for Agency: From job boards to morning meetings — systems that grow ownership and collaboration.

* Durable Skills First: Building critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability alongside content knowledge.

* Balancing Explicit Instruction and Inquiry: How “split-screen” teaching builds both knowledge and skills.

* Culture That Breathes: How classroom agency connects to school-wide culture and why it matters.

* AI as a Thought Partner: How to use AI to deepen thinking, spark ideas, and support project-based learning — without replacing the human work that matters.

* Real-World Examples: Stories from IB classrooms, pupil referral units, and schools worldwide using X Focus to streamline student-led projects.

________________

About Our Guest – James Myklebust-Hampshire

James Myklebust-Hampshire is a UK-born, Norway-based educator, learning designer, and founder of X Focus, a project management tool built specifically for students and teachers engaged in student-led learning. With experience spanning challenging pupil referral units to inquiry-driven IB classrooms, James is passionate about creating learning environments where purpose, creativity, and agency thrive. He works with schools globally to replace compliance culture with authentic, skill-driven learning that prepares students for life beyond the classroom.

Connect with James:

* Website: X Focus https://xfocuspyp.softr.app

* LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-myklebust-hampshire-13193847/

* Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thejamesmh?r=64gyap&utm_medium=ios

________________

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

* X Focus – The student project management platform discussed in this episode.

* Guy Claxton’s Split Screen Teaching approach.

* International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP).

* James Clear’s book Atomic Habits – concept of “never miss twice.”

________________

Episode Quote Highlights:

“You need boundaries to have freedom — otherwise, choice can be paralyzing.” – James Myklebust-Hampshire

“Agency isn’t a badge. It’s not just ‘do whatever you want.’ It’s structure, skill, and purpose.” – Dan Thomas

“AI should make us more human, not less. Use it to think deeper, not skip the thinking altogether.” – James Myklebust-Hampshire

Welcome back to the TechEd Clubhouse Podcast, where we smash the status quo of traditional teaching and bring real talk to real classrooms. In this episode, I sit down with Marlena Hebern—former teacher, co-creator of EduProtocols, and all-around EdTech disruptor.

We break down:

• What an EduProtocol is (spoiler: it’s not another worksheet in disguise)

• Why most “tech integration” misses the point

• How lesson frames like Iron Chef, Sketch & Tell, and Number Mania build actual learning and not just point-getting

• Why open-ended routines are essential for building agency, equity, and deeper thinking

• How Smart Start routines set the tone for a year of student engagement

• How EduProtocols support collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication—without eating up your whole prep period

• How to keep learning student-centered without surrendering the reins

We also touch on:

• How to use EduProtocols with fidelity and flexibility

• The biggest mistakes teachers make when trying to use tech

• How to scaffold rigor, support ELLs, and make learning meaningful without losing your sanity

This one is full of hard truths, practical examples, and no-BS advice you can actually use tomorrow.

• Sketch & Tell – Think-pair-share with purpose

• Iron Chef – Fast, focused, and fun research and reteaching

• Number Mania – Crowdsourced data turned into powerful visuals

• 🔗 EduProtocols Website

• 🔗 EduProtocols Templates & Resources

• 
  

• ✔️ Subscribe to the podcast
  ✔️ Rate and review to help spread the word
  ✔️ Share this episode with a teacher who’s still assigning digital worksheets

  
  

  
  

  What’s one boring assignment you can swap with an EduProtocol this week? Tweet it out using #TechEdClubhouse or DM me @coachthomastech.

  
  

Let’s cut the fluff—death-by-slideshow is not the way to start your school year. In this solo episode, Dan breaks down why you should ditch the rules-and-procedures lecture and how to launch your year with a small, high-impact Project-Based Learning (PBL) activity that sets the tone for real engagement.

Forget the “All About Me” coloring sheets. Instead, empower your students to fix a real problem, co-create the classroom culture, and build something that matters.

Dan shares:

• 3 reasons why starting the year with PBL is a game-changer

• 3 easy starter project ideas you can run in any class

• A cheat sheet for making it work with no budget and little prep

• A challenge for you to compare two classes—one with PBL, one with slides—and see the difference

• Culture > Rules: Start with habits, inquiry, and ownership instead of a contract.

• Small Projects, Big Impact: You only need cardboard, curiosity, and a problem worth solving.

• Make It Personal: Projects like “Fix Something at School,” “Redesign the Rules,” and “Solve a Personal Problem” help students feel heard and valued from day one.

• Skip the Grade: The reflection is the assessment. Ask: What did you learn? What would you change?

“Don’t tell them this class is different—prove it. Let them build something. That’s how you earn buy-in.”

• Curipod for anonymous, interactive student input

• CoachThomasTech.com – for blog posts, PBL ideas, and contact info

• LEGO, craft materials, markers, cardboard—whatever you’ve got on hand

Try a mini PBL project this week and tag Dan on social media @coachthomastech. Whether you fix the pencil problem or redesign the rules, share what your students create.

Want help brainstorming a PBL kickoff for your class or school? Reach out to Dan directly at coachthomastech.com or message him on Twitter/X.