The Reinvention Lab at Teach For America

Did you catch us this weekend at THE AI SHOW @ ASU+GSV? We hosted two hackathons with the homies Wyman Khuu from Playlab AI and Christyna S. from University of California, Berkeley. Folks engaged in design challenges both IRL and in AI apps. They played built both silly and serious tools in Playlab as a way to grow comfort levels with what can be daunting tech. The goal, as always with our AI hackathons and makerspaces, was to get more educators comfortable playing and building with AI tools. Wyman Khuu said it better than we ever could have in this clip from one of this weekend’s hackathons—we’ve gotta grow the middle of the Venn diagram of AI engineers and educators. Interested in us bringing an experience like this to your team, school, or community? Here in San Diego and want to grab time with someone from our team? Hit us up in the comments or DMs!

We often talk about FutureShock as a place where students lead, explore, and stretch into the future of learning. But there’s another story worth telling: FutureShock transforms educators, too. Every summer, FutureShock facilitators step into a bold learning space where traditional roles fall away, and something new takes shape. They become co-creators, coaches, and innovators. So as we gear up for summer, we’re launching #FutureShockFridays, a series where we open the doors to FutureShock and invite you behind the scenes. You’ll hear about the facilitators who reinvent the idea of teaching, the young folks empowered to own their own learning, and the designers who bring this bold vision to life. Because the future of learning depends on all of us: educators who are willing to unlearn, experiment, and reinvent, right alongside young people. #FutureShock #TeacherLeadership #FutureOfLearning #FutureShockFridays

🔥 Hot take: working towards the future of learning should start with listening to young people who’ve walked their own path. 🔥 We're excited to share a conversation between two of our team members, Izzy Fitzgerald and Sydney Tweedley, who chose to forge their own learning journeys outside traditional pathways. Their chat brings fresh light to a key finding from our chronic absenteeism research: so many young people aren't disengaged from learning, they're seeking more relevant connections to their futures. Izzy and Sydney remind us that engagement isn't about physical presence alone. It's about creating learning experiences that honor young folks' need for relevance, relationships, and agency. Listen to their full conversation here and keep rocking with us as we work towards a future of learning that truly engages all learners. https://lnkd.in/g3mex6Gw #FutureOfLearning #LearnerAgency #RelevantLearning #YouthVoices

We hope to see as many folks as we can while we're IRL in San Diego for THE AI SHOW @ ASU+GSV and the ASU+GSV Summit. Here are all the places we'll be facilitating learning while on the ground. If you'll be at the AI show and/or summit, come through! We can't wait to see so many of you next week, Reinvention Fam. ☀️

If you’re heading to the ASU+GSV Summit, you already know AI will be a HUGE part of the conversation this year. If you're looking for a space to experience AI in a whole new way, come find us at AI on Tap. We’re bringing matcha, music, and real talk to an AI space that will feel more like an arcade than a lecture. What to expect: 👉🏾 A playful, hands-on space to explore AI, whether you’re all-in, AI-curious, or a little skeptical. 👉🏾 Conversations that go beyond the usual talking points. 👉🏾 A chance to reinvent the future of learning with us. We’ve got 14 spots left! Tuesday, April 8th | 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Tiger Cafe | 345 Market St RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gbdiuUVP See you there? 👀 #AI #FutureOfLearning #AIInEducation #EdTech #EducationInnovation #FutureOfWork #HumanCenteredAI Mike Yates, Jasmine Maze, M.S.Ed., Izzy Fitzgerald, Sunanna Tara Chand, Elisabeth Booze, Colleen Keating-Crawford

If you’ll be in San Diego for the ASU+GSV Summit, you're gonna want to join us for AI on Tap. We're hosting an interactive, arcade-style experience where you can play your way into AI: connecting, exploring, and learning by doing. No slides, no jargon, just hands-on AI, real talk, and a space to figure it out together. Join us for a coffee, a deep dive into AI, and a conversation that actually makes sense. When? April 8 2025, 2-5pm PT Where? Tiger Cafe, 345 Market St, San Diego, CA RSVP at https://lnkd.in/gGKiQMbC

Is measuring attendance really the best way to measure student engagement? Y'all know we have been questioning this for awhile now. Because just being present doesn't mean a student is engaged in meaningful learning. And counting absences doesn't tell us *why* young people are missing school in the first place. Colleen Keating-Crawford's most recent piece with FutureEd at Georgetown digs deeper into these ideas. In The New Absenteeism: What Measuring Attendance Misses, Colleen unpacks the limitations of traditional attendance metrics and what it would take to build systems that actually reflect students' lived realities. We believe the future of learning isn't just about counting who's in the room. It's about creating learning environments where young people are seen, valued, and connected. And this is whether they're in the classroom, out in their communities, or learning in ways we haven't even imagined yet. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gthDXM6w

The 100-Year EdTech Project Design Summit wasn’t just about imagining the future, it was about building it. Conversations stretched far beyond school, diving into AI, 3D printing (you can print a HOUSE now?!), and the systems shaping how we learn, create, and connect. Every part of the experience pushed us to DO innovation, not just talk about it--from co-creating a mural to designing solutions for food systems, land density, and AI’s role in learning. In a breakout session led by Mike Yates and Christa Krohn, we explored AI’s impact on education. It was one of those rare spaces where people felt comfortable saying, “We don’t know… yet.” How do we design for a future we can’t fully predict? How do we prepare learners not just for what’s next, but for what’s possible? So where do we go from here? What does real, human-centered innovation in learning look like to you? Thank you to Arizona State University and The University of Texas at San Antonio for holding this space 🙏🏾 Izzy Fitzgerald, Sydney Tweedley, Technology at Arizona State University, UTSA Academic Innovation #FutureOfLearning #EdTech #AI #Innovation #LearningReinvention

We shared this last week, but it’s too important to miss: What if being absent from school doesn't always mean that young people are disengaged from learning, but that they may be seeking something they aren’t getting in the classroom? In this conversation with Colleen Keating-Crawford, Izzy Fitzgerald and Sydney Tweedley--two Gen Z Lab teammates who navigated school on their own terms--share what attendance data doesn’t tell us. Their stories challenge us to rethink not just why students miss school, but what they’re learning beyond school walls. Read the interview here: https://lnkd.in/gpAZ5UyA Let us know what resonates!

Earlier this month at SXSW EDU, Reinvention Lab senior designer Mike Yates joined Mike Palmer, Jennifer Stredler and Julia Shatilo for a live podcast recording of Trending In Ed. The panel took part in a March Madness-style bracket showdown of the hottest trends shaping the future of learning. They got into: 📈 The real potential (and limitations) of AI to transform learning 📈 Why learner agency and youth voice should be at the center of innovation 📈 The rise of alternative credentials and how they're reshaping access to opportunity So give the podcast episode a listen, and let us know: what trends from SXSW EDU (or elsewhere in the work!) are you still thinking about? Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/gDugjcNX