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. 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:
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