Technology Essentials in Education Episode 25:
How Educators Can Take Collective Action Against the Climate Crisis

Hello there, and welcome to Technology Essentials in Education. My name is Monica Burns, and I'm excited to welcome you to today's episode.

It is a very fun conversation with Dr. Jennifer Williams. I have known her for more than a decade and always admired the way that she connects technology, education, and global impact.

That's exactly what we talk about today. Jennifer is the executive director and co-founder of Take Action Global. I've had a chance to do some work with their organization in the past, and I knew that Jennifer would be the perfect person to talk to today about this topic.

So, we talk about what it looks like to bring climate education to a large global audience, and you'll hear about her past experiences too. She's a former school principal and the author of the book Teach Boldly.

We go through some strategies and big ideas from the book, and you'll hear about some of the projects that they're working on at Take Action Global in today's conversation, including some ways to bring the UN Sustainable Development Goals into lessons, activities, or just more generally about the work that you're doing.

Let's get into today's conversation.

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Welcome to the podcast. I am so excited to chat with you today about global uses of technology and education. But before we get into all of that, can you share with listeners a bit about your role in education? What is your day-to-day look like?

Hi Monica. Thanks for having me. My name is Jennifer Williams and I am working with a mission of climate education for all. I get to support global educators all around the world in my role as executive director and co-founder of Take Action Global.

We're a non-profit organization working with a purpose of supporting educators to take action for the planet. My job is really to make climate education feel possible for anyone anywhere.

You and I have known each other for probably more than a decade at this point. You worked in education and technology spaces for a long time including as a school principal too. What was the moment for you that really shifted your view of EdTech from a classroom or instructional tool to something that could really spark change around the world?

It's been such an interesting journey. I think your and my experiences went in parallel, but your background is in science and mine in literacy. I didn't start in educational technology but became curious about it about 15 years ago when it was really new.

We had some new tools in the classroom. Our school devices had landed and we were one-to-one. I started to see where EdTech was coming out of the IT room so individual classroom teachers could be tech enthusiasts and bring it into instructional practices.

In the early days, it was really tool-centric because that was what was new and available to learn about. Then there was a quick shift to less about the tool and more about what we could do together.

For me, it was finding ways to use technology to connect people. Having students work with people who may live and look differently from them through virtual exchange or collaborative technologies.

Using technology for a purpose and having students create and collaborate was exciting. Then when we added in things like the Sustainable Development Goals and road maps to guide students and teachers, that’s where things started to really show power.

I love that you started there with your journey. For me too, it was about what the tool could do or curiosity around tools and resources. Then the shift into identifying purpose and intention and connecting that to a mission.

When you work with educators in different parts of the world, what are some things they tend to have in common?

I've been observing something called role by assignment. Teachers are starting to see they are not locked into the role they were given. They might be hired as a second grade teacher or librarian, but they understand they can expand their role.

They might be interested in ed tech, global education, or climate and take on leadership roles within their school. Bringing in new professional development and opportunities for students to collaborate globally amplifies their work.

Teachers are curious and using technology in new ways has evolved in the past 5 to 6 years. Possibilities are open and endless for teachers.

I imagine conversations happening in different parts of the world about roles being expansive and bouncing off ideas even if people are in different spots but resonate with each other.

As you facilitate moments of collaboration and sharing, what are some of the biggest challenges supporting educators in different countries?

For us at Take Action Global and in education, it really goes back to access. Climate education has uneven access globally, just like climate change impacts us unevenly.

Access to resources is uneven, so we work with what we have to make sure everyone—teachers, students, community members—have access to ideas, information, and opportunity.

In my role focused on instructional design, I use asset-based community development to find ways for classrooms to use the resources they have and create from there.

For example, we have a program with the LEGO Group called LEGO Build the Change. Students use playful learning experiences to build solutions to challenges like cleaning the ocean.

Not everyone has LEGO bricks, so we encourage using whatever is in front of them—recycled materials, arts and crafts, sticks—and position those items to tell their story.

Our instructional design process ensures anyone anywhere can participate. Starting with access is the critical challenge we've been addressing recently.

When working with groups with different needs and levels of access, logistics become a big piece of this. You mentioned some projects bringing people together, so tell us more about Take Action Global and current projects.

We have teachers joining us from 190 countries across every content area and grade level. That itself is a design challenge—how to build a lesson or project for the world.

One project we just launched is Coding for Climate. It empowers any teacher to bring computer science into their classroom through a three-phase learning approach.

Phase one starts with an environmental topic where teachers and students pick a focus like land, water, energy, or ocean and associate with other classrooms globally caring about that topic.

Phase two introduces coding solutions, loosely defined to include programming, AI, web design, or unplugged analog environments so classrooms can make it their own.

Phase three is collaboration, where classrooms share their learning and solutions in a virtual library for other students to learn from. The project runs all year and wraps up on Earth Day.

We also have the Climate Action Project which kicks off every fall and comes back annually. Teachers can learn about and join these projects if interested.

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I love how accessible your projects are for different groups. Even when someone hears 'coding' and thinks it's not for them, you provide many entry points for educators to participate.

AI is a big topic in education now. Beyond productivity, is there a way to use AI as a tool for equity and to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals? Are there connections listeners might appreciate?

Many teachers are curious about incorporating AI and their role. Some are hearing about AI for the first time this year. It's our responsibility to ask questions about equity and keep that central.

We have been incorporating AI into instructional practices, projects, and technology like our homegrown platforms and app to support our global community.

For example, language access is important with teachers from 190 countries. We're working to provide accessible communication and languages at the core of our work.

Professional development is another area; many educators were trained without AI. In the past two years, we've run programs through the US State Department bringing cohorts of educators together virtually to explore technologies with an emphasis on equity and AI.

We help teachers see AI's real power is perspective taking—for research, feedback, and collaboration. As society globalizes, AI will help us think through processes better.

Those examples of language access, productivity as an entry point, and going deeper are important for educators to understand what's possible for them and their students.

You have a book called Teach Boldly. What does it mean for a teacher to teach boldly, especially in connection to social good and global experiences?

The title Teach Boldly was powerful. Teaching boldly means learning alongside students and being willing to pose questions without having all the answers.

For so long, teachers were encouraged to get out of the front of the classroom and pose questions they might not have answers to, which can feel artificial if teachers know the answers.

With topics like social good, climate change, and AI, we don't have all the answers and need to be vulnerable. Co-constructing knowledge with students is a powerful approach.

Bringing that perspective into big conversations about AI and the work with Take Action Global offers a lot for educators to take from.

If the global education community wants to make a collective bold move in the next five to ten years, especially with AI moving quickly, what do you hope that move is?

I love questions like this. I was asked recently what a newspaper headline about this work would read. Instantly, I thought 'Teachers solve the climate crisis.'

I love the idea of teachers united as a powerful collective force. If we come together globally to solve big issues like climate change, education equity, and AI, this is a special moment.

I have faith teachers can create positive change and help others think about big equity topics since they serve students who will make future decisions.

Teachers can start by asking questions without feeling they need all the answers and find others to share and build knowledge with. Much research is needed, and this can be our role.

I love the idea of coming together as a collective movement under a shared mission. What a wonderful way to wrap up our conversation today with a push for people to ask questions, come together, and build community around this work.

As listeners look for more info or want to jump into resources, where can they connect with you and learn more about your work?

We'd love to hear from anyone interested in social good work. We have a global community of teachers, so if you want your classroom to connect safely with students in different parts of the world, join us.

Go to takeactionglobal.org to get to the right place. You can also email me or message me on social media. I'd love to connect. Thanks for hosting this call, Monica. It's been a fun conversation.

Thank you so much for joining.

It was so much fun chatting with Dr. Jennifer Williams today. I want to finish this episode with a few highlights and key points from our conversation.

The most powerful shift in EdTech has been moving from tool-centric thinking to using technology to connect people and solve real problems.

Access is a critical challenge in global education, and designing with an asset-based approach helps meet educators where they are.

AI can be a tool for equity and perspective-taking, not just productivity and efficiency.

Teaching boldly means being willing to pose questions you don't have answers to and learning alongside students and colleagues.

Don't forget to follow Jennifer's work. She shared about Take Action Global and ways to connect. Make sure to like and subscribe to find new updates in the Technology Essentials in Education feed.

A big thank you to Jform, the presenter of today's episode. To learn more about Jform and how educational institutions can get a 30% discount on Jform Enterprise, head to jotform.com/enterprise/education.