In this conversation, Tricia Friedman and LeeAnne Lavendar discuss the evolving landscape of service learning and education. They explore the importance of experiential learning, community engagement, and the need for transformative teaching practices that resonate with students. LeeAnne shares practical examples and insights on how educators can adapt their approaches to foster curiosity, joy, and meaningful connections in the classroom. The discussion also touches on the significance of future-proofing education by equipping students with essential skills for the complexities of the modern world.

Chapters

00:00 The Future of Service Learning
05:52 Transformative Learning Experiences
11:33 Future-Proofing Education
14:30 Community Engagement in Education
19:16 Practical Approaches to Curriculum Design
22:39 Embracing Change in Education

Thank you to our amazing show sponsor: Alongside

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

In this episode, Jeff Utecht interviews Jack Brewster, CEO of Newsreel, discussing the importance of news literacy, the impact of misinformation, and how Newsreel aims to engage students with high-quality news. They explore the role of social media and AI in journalism, the skills needed for future journalists, and how educators can utilize Newsreel to enhance students’ critical thinking and media consumption habits.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Newsreel and Its Mission
02:29 The Role of News Literacy in Education
05:09 Engaging Students with Newsreel
09:00 Misinformation on Social Media
09:49 Skills for Future Journalists
14:04 AI’s Role in Journalism
17:32 Data Insights for Educators
21:49 Ensuring Accurate News Reporting

Jack has written for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Time Magazine, Vice, Fortune, Newsweek, and The New York Daily News. 

His reporting has been covered by The New York Times, Bloomberg, CNN The Washington Post, and other news outlets. 

In September 2024, Jack and his then-colleague Sam Howard broke the story uncovering the source of the viral claim that Haitian migrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. In 2022, he led the team that conducted a landmark study on TikTok’s algorithm, which revealed its propensity to feed misinformation to young users.

Jack was previously a Fulbright scholar in Germany conducting research on news avoidance and young people’s changing media habits.

Get started exploring NewsReel today:

https://newsreel.co/about

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

Tricia Friedman and Dr. Joshua Scacco explore the evolving landscape of political communication, emphasizing the impact of technology and attention fatigue on democracy. They discuss the dual nature of change in political engagement, the importance of understanding human behavior, and the challenges posed by the entertainmentification of politics. Scacco highlights the need for future researchers to adapt to new communication styles and the role of regulation in shaping political messaging. The conversation concludes with a focus on building community and preparing individuals for meaningful democratic engagement.

Joshua M. Scacco (PhD, University of Texas at Austin) is the founding Director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy at the University of South Florida. He also is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication. Dr. Scacco specializes in political communication, media content and effects, and quantitative research methods. He is the co-author, with Kevin Coe, of “The Ubiquitous Presidency: Presidential Communication and Digital Democracy in Tumultuous Times” (Oxford, 2021). Dr. Scacco also serves as a Faculty Researcher with the award-winning Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin.

Chapters

00:00 The Evolution of Political Communication
03:02 Navigating Attention in Modern Politics
06:54 Emerging Technologies and Political Engagement
12:30 Understanding Human Behavior in Politics
17:15 The Entertainmentification of Politics
21:28 Preparing Future Researchers
27:12 Regulating Information in Democracy
32:58 Building Community for Democratic Resilience

Connect with our guest

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jscacco/

Learn more about our show sponsor

https://www.alongside.care/shifting?utm_campaign=Shifting

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff Utecht interviews Dr. Annalies Corbin, author of ‘Hacking School: Five Strategies to Link Learning to Life.’ They discuss the origins of the PAST Foundation, the importance of STEM identity, and the five key strategies for educational reform. Annalies emphasizes the need for cultural relevance, student agency, and problem-based learning in education. They also explore the challenges educators face in implementing these changes, the impact of standardized testing, and the concept of wicked problems in education. The conversation highlights the importance of community involvement and the future of education in preparing students for their roles as engaged citizens.

Dr. Annalies Corbin is the Chief Goddess, Founder & CEO the PAST Foundation. In 2000, Dr. Corbin founded the PAST Foundation, an organization she envisioned could lead the way to connecting scientific research with classrooms, schools and communities. From 2000-2006, Annalies concurrently led the PAST Foundation and taught at East Carolina University’s Program in Maritime Studies. In 2005, when PAST opened its headquarters in Columbus, Annalies turned all efforts to building the PAST Foundation, assembling a team that could grow the reach and mission of linking learning to life. 

From a single school partnership in 2006, Annalies has grown PAST’s supporters across the nation, building a reputation for both transforming teaching and learning by understanding tomorrow’s education needs. In 2015, Annalies’ commitment to transforming schools led to the development of PAST Innovation Lab. Connecting directly with teachers through online professional development courses, MAEd program and on- site workshops, PAST Innovation Lab impacts more classrooms and expands learning opportunities for teachers and students everywhere. In 25 years, PAST has impacted more than 3,000,000 students, over 25,000 teachers across 42 states, hosting nearly 20,000 visitors and building hundreds of partnerships.

Chapters

00:00 The Genesis of Hacking School
02:54 Understanding STEM Identity
05:47 The Five Key Strategies for Education
08:28 Challenges in Implementing Change
11:24 The Impact of Standardized Testing
14:09 Wicked Problems in Education
18:55 Understanding Wicked Problems
21:21 The Role of Educators in Navigating Complexity
23:39 Shifting Mindsets in Education
27:25 Building Community Support for Change
31:18 Preparing Future Citizens and Thinkers
34:22 The Importance of Educator Authenticity

Learn more about our sponsors and opportunities to connect with Jeff and Tricia this academic year:

https://pod.shiftingschools.com/

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

What if AI could help schools not just support educators as they work to manage student mental health needs, but prevent crises before they start? In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Elsa Friis, licensed clinical psychologist from Alongside, returns to discuss how her team is using clinician-built AI tools to support students, educators, and families. From building trust through anonymity to boosting classroom attendance, Elsa shares research, real stories, and the myths she’s constantly debunking.

???? You’ll hear about:

• Why mental health support doesn’t need to be 55 minutes long to make an impact

• The surprising issue most students anonymously seek support for (hint: it’s not test anxiety)

• The difference between ChatGPT and what Alongside is actually doing with AI

Learn more about our guest:

Dr. Elsa Friis, Ph.D., Msc-GH, is a licensed psychologist, researcher, and behavioral health advocate who specializes in utilizing technology to expand access to youth mental health support.

She received her MS in Global Health and PhD in Clinical psychology from Duke University where she leveraged human-centered design to develop an app to support the implementation of a family therapy intervention in Kenya.

Dr. Elsa Friis has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles on the co-development, adaptation, and implementation of culturally salient youth interventions in the US and globally.

Clinically, Elsa has worked and trained in a variety of settings in NC and GA including schools, primary-care clinics, academic medical centers, and hospitals. She is trained in a variety of third-wave cognitive behavioral treatments for youth including DBT-A, ACT, and TF-CBT. She specializes in family-based approaches to treating anxiety, severe behavior concerns, and suicidal ideation.

Elsa firmly believes in co-creating products in partnership with the youth and stakeholders who will utilize them.

Learn more about the ground-breaking resarch they are doing:

https://www.alongside.care/shifting?utm_campaign=Shifting

[02:15] – What Alongside Does
How Alongside supports students through tier one mental health interventions.

[05:30] – AI and Mental Health: What Makes Alongside Different
Why this isn’t just another ChatGPT wrapper—and how clinician-built tools matter.

[10:45] – The Power of Single Session Interventions
How 5-minute check-ins can drive lasting change in student well-being.

[15:20] – What the Research Says About the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Surprising findings about stress, social pressure, and how even fourth graders are feeling overwhelmed.

[20:00] – How Alongside Supports Educators Too
Reducing burnout, building staff confidence, and offering private coaching tools for teachers.

[25:30] – What’s Next for Alongside
New research, upcoming findings, and how to bring Alongside into your school or district.

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

How do we prepare students—and ourselves—for a world where AI grief companions and “deadbots” are a reality?

In this eye-opening episode, Jeff Utecht sits down with Dr. Tomasz Hollanek, a critical design and AI ethics researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, to discuss:

• The rise of AI companions like Character.AI and Replika

• Emotional manipulation risks and the ethics of human-AI relationships

• What educators need to know about the EU AI Act and digital consent

• How to teach AI literacy beyond skill-building—focusing on ethics, emotional health, and the environmental impact of generative AI

• Promising examples: preserving Indigenous languages and Holocaust survivor testimonies through AI

From griefbots to regulation loopholes, Tomasz explains why educators are essential voices in shaping how AI unfolds in schools and society—and how we can avoid repeating the harms of the social media era.

Dr Tomasz Hollanek is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (LCFI) and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge, working at the intersection of AI ethics and critical design. His current research focuses on the ethics of human-AI interaction design and the challenges of developing critical AI literacy among diverse stakeholder groups; related to the latter research stream is the work on AI, media, and communications that he is leading at LCFI.

Connect with him:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-024-00744-w

https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/d3229fe5-db87-42ff-869b-11e0538014d8

https://www.desirableai.com/journalism-toolkit

???? Key Takeaways

• Teenagers are vulnerable AI users. Many systems simulate empathy while bypassing meaningful regulation or safeguards.

• Consent needs a redesign. Hollanek proposes recurring consent mechanisms—a shift from passive pop-ups to informed, adaptive engagement.

• AI literacy ? prompt engineering. We must move from tool proficiency to critical awareness of data footprints, systemic manipulation, and long-term impact.

• Social AI is the new social media. Without thoughtful intervention, the pitfalls of social media could repeat—and intensify—with AI companions.

• AI for cultural preservation. Ethical use of AI offers promise for sustaining languages and stories that might otherwise disappear.

???? For Educators: Use This Episode To

• Spark classroom discussions on ethics, digital legacy, and emotional AI

• Reflect on policy decisions around edtech adoption and student data consent

• Explore speculative design as a student project to imagine future AI uses and risks

• Guide students in analyzing AI’s impact on mental health and community memory

Thank you to our show sponsor, Alongside.

Learn more about their critical research:

Inside the report:
> Teens are struggling with sleep more than ever
> School-life balance feels out of reach at every age
> Boys are looking for new ways to ask for help
> Confidential, self-guided tools are resonating deeply with students.

https://www.alongside.care/shifting?utm_campaign=Shifting

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

In this conversation, Tricia Friedman speaks with Tania Tasopoulou, a business psychologist and organizational development expert with more than 25 years of experience in Europe and the GCC. Tania has led executive roles at global organizations including Coca-Cola HBC and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and began her career at Korn Ferry (formerly Hay Group S.A.), where she served as Expertise Leader for Talent Management and Leadership Development across Southeast Europe.

Now the founder of OrgDesignWays, Tania is pioneering conversations about the future of work, the transformative power of Generative AI, and how leaders can evolve alongside technology—not behind it. Together, Tricia and Tania explore how AI reveals patterns in human behavior, why psychology and philosophy are more relevant than ever, and how families and educators can help shape mindsets that are adaptive, creative, and future-ready.

Whether you’re an HR professional, educator, or executive navigating emerging technologies, this episode will challenge you to rethink leadership, learning, and the real future of human-centered work.

Meet our guest:

Tania is a business psychologist and organizational development expert with over 25 years of experience in Europe and the the GCC region, holding diverse executive roles in both Organizational Development and Business Operations.

Tania started her career as a consultant at Korn-Ferry (formerly Hay Group S.A.) where she was the Expertise Leader for Talent Management & Leadership Development for South East  Europe, before moving to corporate roles in Coca-Cola HBC and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). 

Tania is deeply interested in the future of work and the transformative impact of technology, particularly Generative AI, on the work landscape. For this reason, Tania established OrgDesignWays, a pioneering company with the vision to lead the future of organizational development through People & AI.

Tania holds two BAs in Psychology, an MSc in Organisational Assessment and an Executive MBA.

Connect with our guest:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-tasopoulou/ 

 https://orgdesignways.com/

 https://www.taniatasopoulou.com/

Learn more about our show sponsors for our summer series:

https://pod.shiftingschools.com/

?? Chapters & Timestamps

00:01 – Origins of a Futurist Mindset
Tania shares what sparked her lifelong interest in organizational strategy and the future of work.

03:22 – Generative AI & Redefining Job Value
What large language models reveal about how we value human contribution in the workplace.

05:23 – Why Humanities are More Important Than Ever
A compelling case for blending psychology, philosophy, and technology in future-focused education.

07:31 – Chatbots, Comfort, and Asking Big Questions
A study reveals students prefer asking questions to AI—what does that mean for learning?

09:22 – Fear vs. Opportunity in the Future of Work
Why we need to shift our mindset to prepare for jobs that don’t exist yet.

12:32 – Raising Curious, Adaptive Humans
Tania offers parenting insights on how to build confidence, resilience, and readiness for change.

17:32 – How Psychology Explains Generative AI
From hallucinations to biases: Tania explains how psychology helps decode AI behavior.

21:44 – Interdisciplinary Leadership in the Age of AI
Why leadership today means managing both people and intelligent systems.

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

In this conversation, Tricia Friedman and Rachael Mann explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on education, the workforce, and various industries. They discuss the importance of preparing educators and students for the changes brought about by AI, emphasizing that it’s not too late to start engaging with these technologies. The conversation also touches on the intersection of AI with creative fields, the potential for AI to enhance career and technical education (CTE), and the need for a balanced perspective on the benefits and challenges of AI. Mann shares insights from her experiences and encourages a mindset of curiosity and experimentation with AI tools.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating the Shifts in Education and Work
06:28 AI’s Impact on Medicine and Education
12:49 Art, AI, and the Concept of Self
18:53 AI in CTE: Expanding Opportunities
22:30 Preparing for an AI-Driven Future

Connect with Rachael Mann:

https://www.instagram.com/rachaeledu/

https://rachaelmann.co/

We are so thankful for our show sponsor!

Explore Alongside’s brand new research report

Be among the first to dive into Alongside’s Pulling Back the Curtain on Youth Mental Health report — packed with insights from over 250,000 teen chats and activities during the 2024–25 school year. 

Inside the report:
> Teens are struggling with sleep more than ever
> School-life balance feels out of reach at every age
> Boys are looking for new ways to ask for help
> Confidential, self-guided tools are resonating deeply with students.

receive the full report.

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools

In this conversation, Tricia Friedman speaks with Jerome James about the evolving landscape of engineering, the importance of curiosity and problem-solving skills, and how AI is changing the profession. They discuss the intersection of engineering and mental health, the significance of effective communication in energy management, and the qualities employers seek in engineers. Jerome shares insights on finding one’s niche in engineering and the unexpected joys of making a positive impact through one’s work.

Chapters

00:00 Engineering the Future: An Introduction
03:05 Curiosity and Problem Solving in Engineering
05:57 The Impact of AI on Engineering Mindsets
08:50 Engineering Meets Mental Health
12:00 Communicating Change in Energy Management
15:07 Experimenting with Change: A Personal Approach
18:52 What Employers Seek in Engineers
21:46 The Role of Hobbies in Building Confidence
24:55 Finding Your Niche in Engineering
27:57 Unexpected Delights of Being an Engineer

Learn more about our guest:

An active volunteer, Jerome donates time and energy to Global Shapers – a global forum dedicated to creating social change within local communities around the world – and the World Partnership Walk in Calgary – a non-profit organization dedicated to making significant and positive steps towards ending global poverty in the developing world. He also cares deeply about international and sustainable development and has spent time overseas volunteering in India with a micro-finance non-profit focused on supporting women to become economic engines in their own communities.

As a mechanical engineer who has worked in the power industry, Jerome believes in a balanced approach when it comes to developing our resources. He also believes that economic prosperity goes hand-in-hand with diligent stewardship of our precious environmental resources.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesjerome/

We are so thankful for our show sponsor!

Join Alongside for a free webinar this June 26th

Be among the first to dive into Alongside’s Pulling Back the Curtain on Youth Mental Health report — packed with insights from over 250,000 teen chats and activities during the 2024–25 school year. This free webinar breaks down what today’s teens are really facing—and how schools can respond.

Join Dr. Elsa Friis, Ph.D., Head of Product and Clinical at Alongside, veteran educator Jess Bell, M.Ed., and teen advisor Priya Antony for a candid conversation on the year’s biggest mental health trends.Inside the report

Inside the report:
> Teens are struggling with sleep more than ever
> School-life balance feels out of reach at every age
> Boys are looking for new ways to ask for help
> Confidential, self-guided tools are resonating deeply with students.

Save your seat now and be among the first to receive the full report.

Check out this episode of Shifting Our Schools