Education Talk Radio

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Welcome back to EDU Talk Radio, part of the BE Podcast Network where we explore the ideas, people, and technologies reshaping the future of learning.

I'm your host, Ellen Allman, longtime ed tech journalist, and today we're looking ahead to one of the biggest events in EdTech, FETC 2026.

I couldn't ask for a better guide than Jennifer Womble if you don't know her and.

You obviously haven't been on social media if you don't, because she is everywhere.

Jennifer is a nationally recognized leader in education and technology, and she's been the driving force behind FETC, the future of education technology conference since 2010.

As conference chair, she curates some of the most impactful professional learning experiences in the field, and her work extends through the FETC webinar series.

District Administration magazine and national speaking engagements.

She's been honored as an EdTech and E-learning top influencer, a leadership award recipient, and even serves as a judge for top in awards across the industry.

Before all that, she spent 17 years as a national board certified teacher bringing innovation from the classroom to the national stage.

we're gonna talk about FETC 2026, the trends that are shaping the agenda, what educators are demanding now, and where innovation in professional development is headed.

jump in.

Alright, Jennifer, FETC 2026 is gonna cover everything from AI to eSports to inclusion when you are curating this lineup, what needs in K 12 shaped your thought process?

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Well, first I wanna say thank you, Ellen, for letting me be here today.

That's the most exciting thing is to talk about what's happening in education.

So I'm honored to be here with you and really have a great conversation today.

So thank you for the work you're doing to spread this message.

And help people actually scale great ideas.

So, you know, really one of the main goals of FETC as we're mission driven is to help people figure out what is the best way to implement technology, to improve student learning and make the future better.

So in that mission, what we really do is cultivate through some really deep conversations with district leaders through surveys year round through our webinar series, having these conversations with superintendents and CIOs.

Really lets me know what is happening and these are some challenging times.

So I actually started planning the agenda differently this year.

I started with a group of 12 challenges and thought about what technology is really helping leverage those challenges and help meet some unprecedented things that are happening both in our daily lives, right?

As far as the implementation of AI and what's happening to our daily lives and how that is.

Looking in the classroom and what is it doing to our school districts, so really leveraging all of our products together.

So some people don't know the community, EDU family.

I includes District Administration magazine, and then we have a series of events there.

We have a series of events with FETC, with webinars year round.

So we are really collecting information and trying to do some predictive analysis.

All year round.

So, then that's what kind of funnels into how we build and shape this agenda.

But the most important thing is that we're providing professional learning that is needed just in time.

We used to call that just in time training, remember back in the day and, so what do people need right now?

Right?

So they need to know about AI and AI fluency.

They need to know how to tackle some attendance issues, some issues of funding and finance, some new ways of thinking about redesigning classrooms.

So hopefully that's the content we're bringing to the show and that people will come and learn and build community around.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Sounds excellent, and it's exciting that you're doing this work all year, which makes sense because then you are hearing.

In the moment what's happening and building.

So speaking of ai which speakers or sessions do you think will spark the most conversations or surprise attendees on the AI front?

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Yeah, so one of the things I'm just excited for is we have added to our summit schedule this year.

So we offer deep dive summits on the first day and the last day.

So those days are really what I would call protected learning time.

So we put our deep dives, two hour workshops, six hour sessions, three hour sessions on the kind.

On both ends, right of the event.

So this year on Sunday, January 11th, we are hosting for the first time ever a six hour AI summit.

And that is being led by Holly Clark and Ken Shelton and Matt Miller.

And they have designed a very special event because they have created some AI literacy and fluency understandings and competencies, and so.

This is exciting.

'cause we can tell principals and superintendents all over the country, Hey, if you have staff that needs to understand ai, not just as a foundational technology, but how to implement that in the best ways was to improve student learning.

They can come to this summit and get that training.

Because right now, all over the country, it's.

Almost the wild West.

There's different things happening in different pockets everywhere, and there's not a lot of consistency.

But as a district and school leader, you can send staff here and really get a deep understanding.

So that is really exciting to me as a kickoff point, like to kinda level the playing field for everyone.

But the thing that I think is most impressive about this foundational technology is we're finally seeing it being embedded into education in ways that are seamless.

And ways that people might not know.

So some of the things they'll be surprised about.

There's a literacy tool called Kai Beam, and we're doing a special mega session on literacy because we know that's a focus of a lot of districts right now based on the NAP scores and what's happening with literacy.

A lot of districts are looking for solutions for how can we help tutor, how can we help assist early learning?

So, one of the people on that panel is from Kai Beam, which is an AI empowered.

Tool that helps students engage with reading and spend more time on books to improve literacy over time.

So as AI tools are getting more sophisticated, it's not just a one on large language model that people are talking to.

It is literally being embedded into tools to improve learning.

So I'm hoping that those are some of the experiences that they can learn about.

Sessions session, but also see on the expo floor as there's 450 companies to explore and see what's out there.

How are they taking this thing called AI and embedding it into tools to improve education.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Okay, small world.

I actually had the.

Kabe founder on my first podcast two days ago.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Also, the founder of Leapfrog.

Yes.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Yes, he was terrific.

And you know, he showed me the Wands.

And

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Yes.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Florida is for students that don't test at reading level, Florida is giving

Wands away and books.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: yes.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: to the

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Yeah.

Through the University of Florida Lassinger Institute.

They're conducting research on that.

I'm on the Florida AI Task Force, and this is one of the tools that we've looked at, but just imagine if every student has their own AI powered tool that's Screenless.

Screenless

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Yep.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: in 80 languages, where will that take students Next?

How exciting.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Exactly, and especially for students with English, a second language and their families.

I mean, it's just the rewards of that tool seem absolutely astounding.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: That's just one of many.

Right?

So how exciting is that?

Yeah.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: And so, so, let me see what eSports and digital learning.

Obviously huge topics in a lot of districts.

What made you feel this was the right moment to elevate eSports leaders like Steve Isaacs and Sophie Mendoza to featured

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Yeah.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: status?

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Absolutely.

So we have actually had an eSports arena and an eSports space at the event that's been really dedicated for about the past five years.

So before COVID, we saw a lot of school districts were starting to take labs of computers and transformed them and say, how can we.

Former computer labs in a way that's engaging to students.

So they started making them into eSports labs and schools and doing some very interesting things in that area.

So we partnered with Nassef and that group started to show us there was curriculum tied to this and there is CT e strands that are tied to this.

So all of those pieces started to really come together.

And it wasn't just the eSports foundation, but it's that academic support.

And so we've had, you know.

Speakers like Julia is from Palm Beach County, who is leading the way in the country with actually teaching AI literacy through eSports and building CTE pathways where students are now out of high
school getting jobs in the streaming market for Netflix and getting jobs in different areas that people didn't realize are tied to, you know, the media, the digital media that is empowered by eSports.

So last year, actually in 2025.

We made eSports its own dedicated track.

Now, this year for the first time, eSports is gonna have its own dedicated summit.

So on Wednesday, January 14th, there'll be a three hour summit where people are gonna actually dig in.

What's really interesting is as much as the, we've brought a lot of the research to our event about how it improves attendance, how it improves graduation rates, there's some really amazing outcomes from having an eSports program in your school.

Besides the hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships these kids are getting in college.

Right.

But the other piece of that is that every year as we're doing it, last year in our eSports orientation session, we had 80% of the people in that room were first time interest in eSports.

So it's not, there's a lot of people who are just now getting.

Space where their school has a space for it.

They have somebody who can coach it.

They have an understanding of the equipment that's needed.

So it's actually really booming as a field.

Yes, it's interesting to students when they get into it, but it's a real team sport with collaboration and teaching durable skills.

So schools are really using this as a leverage point of engagement in times where they're having some attendance struggles, engagement struggles.

So they're seeing eSports as a solution.

And so we really need to offer, you know, more content in that area to meet the needs of the attendees.

So, we're really proud to partner with Na SAF and also the Sunshine State eSports League in Florida.

They host events here, and so we wanna connect those eSports leaders together.

One of, one of our real main missions.

Is building community and network, and you might be the only eSports coach at your school or in your district.

So when they come to FETC, they can find other people to meet with and be connected with all year to support their teaching better throughout the year.

So that's really something that I'm really grateful that we're able to do through the eSports track.

Steve, of course.

Long time founder in New Jersey.

Best, most prominent probably social media coach there was great in forming the leagues in New Jersey and building that out to a statewide and national competition.

And of course, he brings a lot of expertise and his passion for helping people build programs is, you know, unmatched.

And then Sophia's really emphasizing.

What this looks like in school.

So as a school leader and she's now taken a principalship in L-A-U-S-D, what does it look like as a school leader to bring in eSports and what is the value that you see from a, you know, an academic leader in the school district?

So, I love those two voices because they come at eSports from different directions, but they're both showing how that technology is leveraging and impacting learning.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Fantastic.

And it's funny, a good friend of mine is a tech director in Texas and he's excited because he gets recruitment calls for some of his eSports athletes.

And he said, you know, I feel like the football coach,

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Yes, he's

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: I, yeah, and it's, it really is incredible how quickly that has grown.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: absolutely

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: with all.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: it

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: You know, all the curricular tie-ins and stuff it's truly amazing.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: is.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: okay, I think we have time for maybe one or two more questions.

So, inclusion, accessibility often treated as their own category, but here at FETC they stand alongside cybersecurity digital literacy leadership strategy.

How is FATC reframing inclusion as part of the future readiness than a sort of on the side niche topic?

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Absolutely.

Inclusion is its own independent track.

It's been called different things over the years, right?

So we started calling it special ed, but a majority of the innovation in technology and education began as assistive technology.

So that assistive technology that was good for, you know, differentiated learners is good for everybody.

So, you know, those very first, we can all probably think back to when Apple first had, you know, onscreen words and then they had.

Differentiated reading levels.

And then we were able to dissect texts, you know, and those Microsoft tools that are in their immersive reader.

So we see that as those assistive technology tools are getting better and better not only are they impacting, you know, all classrooms of different kinds of learners, but they're impacting the entire school.

So actually a lot of the most popular sessions that we have on inclusion.

Are the most populated, not just by people who are in that field, like special ed directors and teachers and those folks, but also
people in the other classrooms who wanna see how could they be leveraging that, especially with the language tools that are accessible.

Our ess o students now has.

Translation tools especially that are AI enabled, that are changing the way classrooms work and the way that people are communicating with parent communities too.

So there's a lot of interest in how can we use technology in ways that make it more equitable for our parent community and improve that communication.

How can we make sure we're really leveraging technology the best it can?

And also just to learn about.

All of the new assistive technology that's coming to market because it's happening so fast right now.

You can't even keep up with the tech bros on Twitter every day with what's happening.

But a lot of that innovation is really driven by empathy.

And so I think some of the stories one of the stories that was told by the Intel app winner last year was a young girl, high school student won their app challenge last year and she built an app because.

Like many kids every morning she played Wordle with her friends, and so they'd get on their phone and try to, you know, who could win, get the Wordle first, and you know, all that.

But she had a friend who was blind and that friend couldn't play.

And so she's like, we need to figure out a way, well, everybody can play Wordle.

And so she developed through the use of AI and vibe coding she didn't even know computer science, but she learned it through this program and built an app.

So that now students who are blind can play the same games as other students and bring more equity inclusion into the classroom and make everybody a part of it.

So we're better together when we have all voices at the table.

And so I'm really proud of the work that we do.

Our partnership with cast, we host a three hour inclusive summit pre-conference that's really engaging for folks around the country.

And I think that's a really.

Important part of our ecosystem in education.

It's not a guide on the side.

It is definitely embedded into everything that we do and and hopefully we'd like to see more of those folks coming to join us.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: So it sounds like you could spend two and a half weeks at FETC with all the pre-conferences and stuff.

It occurs to me, and this is a little embarrassing, we haven't even said the dates of the

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Oh yeah,

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: so.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: So we actually have a really exciting plan this year.

We have listened to school districts intently about some of their needs and financial challenges, and so we are actually starting our event on a Sunday this year, so we're calling it sub free Sunday.

It takes away shaves off that cost of having to pay for a sub while you get professional learning.

So all of these summits and deep workshops are being held on a Sunday.

So I'm really proud of that 'cause we've listened to schools and it really empowers them to get there.

And then Monday and Tuesday, which are the 12th and 13th, we have an open expo floor full days both days.

So it's really exciting.

And then on the 14th, on Wednesday, we're doing a half day of summit.

And then those summits are gonna go to field trips in the afternoon, so they have a full day of content.

But kind of just half day in the classroom, so to say.

So we have really tried to condense the event to help save on hotels and travel and sub fees.

So we're really listening and being mindful of what district leaders are telling us about these opportunities and really squeezing in there the power and the punch in those days.

And in Orlando.

Course it's always sunny in January.

And nice and warm, and it's a beautiful building at the Orange County Convention Center that just brings in the light and really shines a light on what's happening in education.

And hopefully these really good stories from the sessions that people learn about these great implementations, people will then leave and then it will cause a ripple effect and they can share those.

And that's how we get to scale.

That's how we can take these great ideas and scale 'em in ed tech.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Fantastic.

I once buy clothes toed shoes in January and Orlando but I

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: inside.

We'll keep you warm.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: I come from the north, so no matter what, the weather's better.

Right.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: At least we have blue skies.

We can say blue skies are always helpful.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Yeah.

Oh, so one last question.

Looking at this 2026 roster, what are you most excited about?

And I it, I think it's probably gonna be hard to pick one thing, because

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: I.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: mentioned here, I mean, there's a lot of sounding content, but.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: we actually, it's designed to bring a team.

So when we talk about all these different eight different tracks, it's 'cause really we want there to be something for everybody in your school.

And so, and in the district so that they can come and learn independently on what meets their needs, but then that your team can then build a culture together with better understanding of a lot of those technical needs.

I think what really excites me at the end of the day and.

It might sound kind of interesting in the world of ai, but it's just the human connection year over year.

It's people being able to come to the conference.

We do some really intentional design of the program around giving you an orientation with track members that are your same.

Interests and roles.

Then we have built in lunchtime each day for you to reflect and have meals together.

We build in coffee breaks and receptions where you can have a drink on us.

You have free coffee.

We want you to be a part of this network that grows together, you know, and brings more people in.

And that human connection really in a day of ai, what I found even in this past year.

So many AI and innovations is I've become more close to people with human relationships and it's brought us together to discuss these things
and that really it gives us a space as humans to communicate, to learn from each other, to grow, to have a good time, really to be in.

Fired for the year ahead.

You're right, I worked really hard in building a featured speaker lineup this year.

That is literally, I swear this is the best one.

Like there's people from all over the country who are doing amazing work.

So I feel confident that you could peek inside of any session or workshop room.

Leave with a golden ticket of new information that go back and use in your own districts and schools.

So I hope I'm looking forward to the human connection.

My favorite day, I am always, when the registration opens, I'm always at the front door.

Welcome everybody.

And my favorite part is to see everybody hugging and seeing each other and meeting new people and finding those connections.

Then that's really what education is about.

Education is a relational activity.

We learn as through relationships.

So when we are inspired at the conference, we leave and go back and inspire our students even more.

So I hope the content and actually giving us space for every different role.

I often have IT directors say, I finally have a place I can come and talk to somebody in my IT language, which is a little bit different from.

The teacher pedagogy language, which is a little bit different from the librarian language, right?

So they can come and find their tribe, they can get really great content and ideas, and then when they go back, they have this network to support them year round.

And right now with all these kind of unprecedented challenges that we mentioned, this is the time we need community the most.

And educators need to be able to find their people.

And leaders need that just as much.

So hopefully it's building a support throughout the year.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Hair here.

I mean, that's, someone once said to me, the best thing about an ED conference is all the hugging.

And you know, I think it it's true.

I mean, it's,

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: It is.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: is family.

It's

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Yeah, and it gives you courage and it gives you confidence.

And then it lets you, okay, I'm gonna try this, I'm gonna try to put on a headset and see what immersive learning is like.

I'm gonna try to go over there and try an eSports game.

Like it.

When you have those connections, it builds human confidence and that confidence is what's gonna help people leverage technology more.

So hopefully we're on the same thought train there and hopefully we're bringing people together for good.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: And last question.

Where would you like people to find you if they have, I mean, maybe someone's like, I wish I had pitched a session.

How do I

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Yeah.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: to pitch a session for 2027?

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Absolutely.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: where.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: always looking for great ideas.

So the best place to always go is www.fetc.org.

So that has been our home for 46 years.

So we want people to always find the information there because that's all scheduling, registration details.

We also post the call for paper information there.

The call will open shortly after the event and be open until.

Typically the end of March or April depends on the season, right?

And how it's looking.

So yeah, we do a spring call for paper.

And we also really work hard to curate the schedule year round.

So we're looking for speakers all the time.

So feel free to reach out and through our webpage.

You can find us and connect with us there, but you can also follow us on, in.

You can follow us on LinkedIn, you can be in our, we have a really great community on LinkedIn of attendees who are constantly making conversations in the LinkedIn community group.

So that's a great place to start.

And it's also a great place to find community year round when you have questions or ideas.

You know, a lot of people have changed their social media venues throughout the last couple of years.

So we really try to work hard to share our messaging in places we can find people on Blue Sky and on X and you know, we try to be everywhere,
Facebook, but I will say that LinkedIn Group has been really interesting because as professionals I think the conversation is more.

Collegial on LinkedIn and I definitely love that the exhibitors, a lot of companies are in there listening, administrators in there listening and really trying to give feedback.

So that F fetc LinkedIn group is really great, but our webpage is the number one source, www f fetc.org.

ellen-ullman_1_10-09-2025_110752: Perfect.

Thank you so much for your time.

That wraps up my conversation with Jennifer Womble.

And if 2026 is any indication, FETC is the place to be in January.

If you enjoyed today's episode and know someone who we should feature.

Please reach out and pitch a guest to edu talk at Be podcast.

That's be podcast.network.

Thank you everyone and have a great day.

jennifer-womble_1_10-09-2025_110753: Thank you.

Thank you.