Listen: The Kids are Reading the News with JJ Janikis & Tami Flood of Newsela

 

While I was at ISTE in June, the big talking point on everyone’s minds was digital citizenship. How can we prepare our students, in a world surrounded by technology and connectivity, with access to more information than is imaginable, to support safe and responsible technology use? For some, that means getting students knowledgeable about how to discern fact from fiction, or fact from exaggeration, online, especially in hard news.

But how do you create a platform for students to read about current events, whether troubling or exciting, that is both age-appropriate and matches each students reading level? It’s a daunting task, but not one that’s being ignored. JJ Janikis (Newsela Team Lead of Educator Communities) and Tami Flood (Teacher and Newsela Certified Educator) came on the podcast to give their in-the-classroom and EdTech-provider points of view on digital citizenship, empowering teachers to take command of personalized technology, the importance of current events for a young audience, and how to “unlock the written word for everyone.” In the spirit of Newsela’s mission, the two also duke it out in 5 Word Summaries over a Starbucks Gift Card. Tami’s skilled with her appositives.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Education Technology Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!
Twitter – @EducationTechMS
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

team
When Your Team Becomes the Bottleneck
February 25, 2026

In a candid take on organizational blind spots, Mollie Gaby, Principal at CG Infinity, highlights a hard truth many leaders avoid: sometimes your biggest pain point isn’t your technology or your strategy — it’s your staff. A common red flag is resistance to change. When team members are unwilling to explore new tools, automate…

Read More
asset visibility
Diagnosing Your Capital Asset Health: Why Asset Visibility Is the New Financial Imperative in Healthcare
February 25, 2026

Hospitals and surgery centers own millions of dollars in equipment — but owning assets and having actionable visibility into them are two different things. Most systems maintain inventories, yet many struggle with outdated records, fragmented tracking, and limited insight into useful life or service contracts. With nearly half of U.S. hospitals reporting negative operating…

Read More
CFO
From Public Accounting to CFO: The Leadership Wake-Up Call
February 25, 2026

The CFO seat is being rewritten in real time. Today’s finance leaders are expected to drive growth, lead enterprise-wide systems transformations, and shape AI strategy—while still keeping the close, controls, and capital story airtight. Gartner reports that 59% of finance leaders are already using AI in the finance function, underscoring how rapidly the role is…

Read More
restorative practices
Building Safer Schools Through Restorative Practices
February 24, 2026

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In this episode of Principals of Change, host Dr. Amy Grosso sits down with D’Jon Pitchford, Assistant Principal at Kelly Lane Middle School in Pflugerville ISD, to explore what school safety really means. Pitchford reframes safety as more than physical security—emphasizing trust, restorative practices, campus culture,…

Read More