Technology and Learning Alchemist Julia Fallon | SETDA
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Julia Fallon. Julia, a self-described technology and learning alchemist, is the Executive Director of the nonprofit State Educational Technology Directors Association, where she works with U.S. state and territorial digital learning leaders to empower the education community to leverage technology for learning, teaching, and school operations.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Julia Fallon. Julia, a self-described technology and learning alchemist, is the Executive Director of the nonprofit State Educational Technology Directors Association, where she works with U.S. state and territorial digital learning leaders to empower the education community to leverage technology for learning, teaching, and school operations. Prior to joining SETDA, Julia worked for Washington state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for 17 years. In her free time, she runs the Crazy Idea Factory™.
Some Questions We Ask:
- What is SETDA? (00:45)
- What have you discovered about state edtech trends? (05:43)
- What is your organization’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Collaborative? (11:11)
- How does SETDA unify and elevate voices and messages? (14:33)
- What are your views on seeing AI and VR pop up everywhere? (18:44)
- What are your hopes for the future? (25:30)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- All about Julia Fallon and SETDA (01:03)
- About cybersecurity and investments in devices and learning management systems (06:22)
- About the Cybersecurity and Privacy Collaborative with the Melinda Gates Foundation (11:18)
- SETDA’s strategies as a learning community (15:07)
- Julia’s perspectives on AI and VR (18:59)
- Her thoughts and hopes for the future (25:41)
Quotes:
“We really believe that states have a role to play. It depends on your state, though, of course—because everybody talks about local control. And that means different things for different regions. But the idea is how can you leverage what other states have already done so you don't have to start from scratch.”
“Technology is here to automate. Had we had the pandemic 10 years ago, think about video conferencing! It used to be like, you had a book a room, and then 14 people got involved, and the thing got plugged in, and you had to show up somewhere. And now I'm in my house talking to people around the world.”
“ [The pandemic] highlighted a lot of the gaps that we had and the reality that there are communities we haven't served and we didn't serve well. And now there are different ways to serve them.”
Connect with Julia:
Resources Mentioned:
"Human Work In the Age of Smart Machines" by Jamie Merisotis
"The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization" by Thomas L. Friedman
Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Stay in touch with Katie Lash:
About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Doug Roberts, who is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Education Innovation. IEI specializes in bridging the gaps between individuals and organizations that are committed to seeing students succeed in school and in life. Doug and his team create safe spaces for problem-solving and innovative thinking, including the IEI Summer Summit where this episode was recorded.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Ken Eisner. Ken is currently a Consulting Advisor with Avathon Capital, a Special Partner at Good Harbor Partners, and a Senior Advisor at New Markets Venture Partners. He is the former Director of Business Development for Amazon Web Services’ Global Learning Systems.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by edtech pioneer Michael Horn. Michael is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute, a nonprofit think tank dedicated to Disruptive Innovation, and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
.png)
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Bart Epstein, a Research Associate Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. The education entrepreneur was named one of the 30 K-12 IT Influencers to Follow by EdTech Magazine in 2022. He is the founder of the EdTech Evidence Exchange, a board member at ISTE+ASCD, and a civil test pilot for NASA.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by AJ Crabill. AJ is a Conservator at DeSoto ISD in DeSoto, Texas, and as a Director of Governance at the Council of the Great City Schools. The education reform advocate and public speaker also served as a Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency and as Board Chair of Kansas City Public Schools. He is the author of the best-selling book “Great on Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Become Effective.”
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Oliver James. Oliver is one of social media’s rising stars and an influencer on TikTok, where he was able to learn how to read through his fans’ support and encouragement.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Lina Eroh, Communications Director for the Overdeck Family Foundation. Lena leads both internal and external communications efforts, working closely with grantees and the Foundation team. She has also provided her specialties in corporate communication for iconic consumer brands such as eBay.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Ben Farrell, the Assistant Head of School and Director of the Upper School at the New England Innovation Academy. Prior to joining NEIA, Ben was the Principal and Head of School at The International Montessori School of Beijing.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Tom Vander Ark, an advocate for innovations in learning. He is the CEO of Getting Smart, a design learning firm that helps education organizations increase their impact with innovations for a better learning experience.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Julia Fallon. Julia, a self-described technology and learning alchemist, is the Executive Director of the nonprofit State Educational Technology Directors Association, where she works with U.S. state and territorial digital learning leaders to empower the education community to leverage technology for learning, teaching, and school operations.
.png)
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Erin Mote. Erin is the co-founder and executive director of InnovateEDU, a nonprofit whose mission is to eliminate the achievement gap by accelerating innovation in Common Core-aligned next-generation learning models and tools that serve, inform, and enhance teaching and learning.
.png)
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Tammy Laughner. Tammy is a retired primary/intermediate school teacher who served for almost 30 years in Indianapolis Public Schools. She is also the co-founder and CEO of Vimme Learning, an online math curriculum made by teachers for teachers to be used by students in grades K-8.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are kicking off this first episode of the year with their predictions for 2023 in the education space along with some influential people across the Industry.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Juliana Finegan and Hayley Spira-Bauer. Juliana is the VP for strategy and learning for the company Vivi. Juliana is a passionate educator and leader with experience inside and outside the classroom. Hayley is the Chief academic officer for iTutor.com, a member of the advisory board at Inspiring Educators, and an Edtech Mentor in StartEd.
In this special episode, Sarah and Katie attend the Institute of Education Innovation Fall Summit 2022. They are joined by 16 superintendents and other leaders who dive into trends and challenges in education and how IEI helps them navigate.
.png)
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Kristina Ishmael. Kristina is an educator, learner, advocate, and agent of change. As the Deputy Director of the Office of Ed Tech, she executes the office mission of developing national edtech policy that enable everywhere, all-the-time learning and support digital equity and opportunity.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by JW Marshall, the director of learning solutions at Market scale, and a fellow podcast host of the Voices of E-learning show. He is also the VP of Marketing at Summit K-12 in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by John Watson. John is the founder and CEO of the Evergreen Education Group, which runs the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) and the Digital Learning Collaborative.
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Carl Hooker and Kevin Hogan. Carl is a speaker and consultant for HookerTech in Austin, Texas. He is also the co-founder of K12Leaders, a social network built for educators by educators, and a seasoned author whose latest work is “Ready, Set, FAIL! Using Failure & Risk-Taking to Unlock Creativity.”
%20(2).png)
In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie will be diving into sending marketing emails and making phone calls to superintendents and district leaders and figuring out what strategies are working and what don't.
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Katie Lash. Katie is the Director of the East Central Education Service Center in Indiana. Katie is a former fourth-grade teacher, a special education teacher, and a former principal. She hass also been an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University East since 2015.
Hello, Build Momentum listeners! We have some exciting news to kick off Season Three. Katie Lash, our good friend, and fellow education leader will be joining me as a co-host this season.
