In this episode of Why Distance Learning, Seth and Allyson speak with Bobbie Sandberg — an educational researcher who recently completed her PhD in instructional psychology and technology at BYU — about what's actually happening in the household when a K-12 student learns online, and why most programs aren't designed for the answer. Bobbie's research, grounded in Jered Borup's Academic Communities of Engagement framework, reframes engagement as a three-dimensional challenge — cognitive, behavioral, and affective — that K-12 students can't sustain alone. When the school is online, the support system shifts to whoever is home. And most programs haven't reckoned with what that means.Together, Seth, Allyson, and Bobbie explore how parents naturally divide the labor of support, why more involvement isn't the same as better involvement, and what happens when families arrive at virtual school not by choice but because nothing else worked. Bobbie also shares what she's learned about the critical first weeks of enrollment, why explicit role invitations from programs make a surprisingly big difference, and the underrated power of affective engagement — including a story about refugee mothers whose aspirational storytelling did what tutoring couldn't.Key topics discussed: - the three dimensions of student engagement and who owns each one- why cognitive support from parents can actually backfire- mooring factors and why families don't always "choose" online school- the fire hose problem in onboarding; designing for autonomy instead of dependence- why affective engagement might be the most underestimated variable in online learning.Links & Resources:Bobbie's parent guide website: https://www.supportonlinelearning.com/parentguide.htmlBobbie's parent assessment - HOPE survey: https://byu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7WdzYJPDpXve16K "Behind the Screen: Exploring Parental Roles in K-12 Online Education" (Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 2024) - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15391523.2024.2447729"Parental Support Challenges for K-12 Student Online Engagement" (Distance Education, 2024) - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01587919.2024.2397481 "Choosing Virtual: Understanding the Forces that Drive Parents Toward Online K-12 Education" (Journal of School Choice, 2025) - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15582159.2025.2534005Guest Bio: Bobbie Sandberg is an educational researcher who recently completed her PhD in instructional psychology and technology at Brigham Young University. Her work focuses on parental roles in K-12 online education, with published research on how families navigate school choice, how parents construct their support roles, and where programs most commonly fail to design for the home environment. She holds a BA in linguistics and a TESOL master's certification from BYU.About the Hosts: Seth Fleischauer is the founder of Banyan Global Learning and host of Why Distance Learning. Through Banyan, he designs live virtual programs that connect K-12 classrooms to global peers and expert facilitators — building the kind of structured, human-centered distance learning the podcast explores. See https://banyangloballearning.com/global-learning-live/Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell work with CILC, the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, to help educators implement high-quality live virtual learning experiences across grade levels. Discover more at CILC.org.

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Dr. Marina Aminy, Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the California Virtual Campus, to explore how AI and system-level thinking can expand access and improve outcomes for millions of students.At the heart of the conversation is a simple but powerful idea: keep the student as the “north star.” Marina shares how the California Virtual Campus enables course sharing across 116 colleges, helping students stay on track and graduate faster. From there, the discussion moves into how AI can reduce the friction points that often slow students down—streamlining processes like transcript evaluation, prerequisite verification, and administrative workflows.The episode also highlights a broader shift in education—from static assignments to dynamic, higher-order thinking. As AI changes what students can produce, Marina emphasizes the need to focus on authentic voice, critical evaluation, and real decision-making. For institutional leaders, this conversation offers a clear lens on how to design systems that are more collaborative, more efficient, and ultimately more centered on student success.

In this episode of the Transformative Leadership Summit, Jethro sits down with Kyle Palmer, principal of Lewis and Clark Elementary, to explore how school leaders can develop teacher leaders and build a culture of trust and innovation. Kyle shares the story of how his school evolved from a single maker space initiative—sparked by library teacher Angela Rosheim's genius hour instruction—into a school-wide culture of student-centered learning, STEM integration through Project Lead The Way (PLTW), and maker spaces throughout the building. Central to the conversation is Kyle's philosophy of tight/loose leadership: being firm on learning outcomes and collaborative team expectations while giving teachers genuine autonomy in how they get there. He discusses the power of highly functioning PLCs, the importance of developing leaders (not just followers—a concept drawn from John Maxwell), and why trust, listening, and consistent feedback are the keys to empowering staff. Kyle leaves principals with a simple but powerful action step: go ask your best teachers what they think.

EP 29 - In-Person Networking GuideDate: 2026-05-07Co-hosts: Aaron Makelky, Dan Yu, John LovigAaron, Dan, and John make the case that in-person networking is back, and that the people who prepare for it are going to separate themselves from everyone still treating networking like a cold LinkedIn chore. They talk about why companies are trying to scale live events again, why people are hungry for real rooms after years of digital-first connection, and how to pick events where the conversation starts naturally. Aaron lays out his before, during, and after playbook for turning a conference into real relationships, Dan shares why hosting the side event can beat working the main room, and John explains how casual conversations with the people around you can become future career openings.TIMESTAMPS00:00:19 - Why in-person networking is back00:01:07 - Companies are trying to scale live events again00:03:24 - Aaron's networking playbook: before, during, and after00:04:54 - John on choosing events where the conversation starts naturally00:06:19 - Why transactional networking feels like asking strangers to marry you00:08:38 - Networking can happen anywhere: bars, flights, and casual conversations00:10:27 - Dan's move: host the room you wish existed00:13:14 - Dot cards, social prep, and follow-up DMs that actually work00:19:12 - During the event: vendors, security guards, AV teams, and hidden gemsCO-HOSTSAaron Makelky - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-makelky-m-a-ed-038b852a3/Dan Yu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danoyu/John Lovig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlovig/LINKSWatch this episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/IMQCaDccPdEFutureProof You Website - https://futureproof-you.comFutureProof You on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/futureproof-you

In this episode, Priten speaks with Laura Schroeder, an 18-year-old student in Germany who spent a year at an American high school and now participates in the Knowledge Society, a global innovation program for ambitious teens. Laura's dual experience across two education systems reveals a critical tension: while schools provide foundation and structure, ambitious students increasingly find their most meaningful learning happening outside formal classrooms, driven by curiosity and real-world project work rather than standardized curricula.Key Takeaways:American schools excel at fostering belonging and passion; German schools prioritize academic depth. The US system's emphasis on extracurriculars, personalized classrooms, and elective variety created a strong sense of community and identity, while Germany's more rigorous curriculum moved students through material years ahead—showing that schools can optimize for different values but rarely achieve both simultaneously.Technology in classrooms creates distraction rather than learning gains. Whether Chromebooks or iPads, digital devices enable both research efficiency and constant off-task engagement; Laura's choice to prioritize TKS work over classroom attention reveals that access to devices lets ambitious students opt out, while less motivated students simply drift.Project-based learning and standardized structures cannot coexist. Rigid schedules, subject silos, and grades as numbers fundamentally conflict with the flexible, exploration-driven learning Laura values—and attempting to layer PBL onto existing structures, or adding AI without rethinking foundations, misses the deeper architectural problem.School provides maturity and awareness that independent learning cannot. Laura credits high school with giving her the lived experience of education's shortcomings, which then motivated her own solutions; skipping formal education earlier wouldn't have accelerated her impact because she lacked the contextual understanding to see the problems that mattered.The students most prepared for the future are building it themselves alongside school, not through it. TKS, her project Passion Fruit, and her conference attendance are where Laura develops judgment, iteration, and genuine stakes—school becomes optional context rather than the primary engine of growth for students who have found their direction.Laura Schroeder is a high school student driven by curiosity and a desire to create meaningful impact. As an Innovator at The Knowledge Society, she builds projects at the intersection of AI, project-based learning, and student agency. Laura is on a mission to reimagine secondary education by returning to first principles and the 'why' behind education - advocating for personalized, interdisciplinary, and foundational education that equips students to thrive in today’s world and the one ahead.