Plugged In: ACPE Amplified

Send us Fan Mail(recorded April 7, 2026)Episode Sponsor: IncidentIQJoin Marc, Rachel, and our guests:Steve Langford, ACPE Board PresidentCory Horton, ACPE Event CoordinatorandMatthew Emerzian, CEO of Every Monday Matters and ACPE 2026_________________________________We chat this episode about BelieveIT—the ACPE 2026 conference and the theme. Matthew Emerzian joins us to preview the keynote and his journey to this work and the importance of belonging. Note, Steve's audio did not capture for this episode.Cory joins us to talk pop culture and about all of the exciting conference elements this year!*Oh, and Marc's hairline is **still** uneven.

Send us Fan Mail(recorded December 17, 2025)Episode Sponsor: SecurlyJoin Marc, Rachel, and our guests:Ellen Dorr, Chief of Technology and Strategic Initiatives for the Renton School District and ACPE Board MemberandMelissa Lim, Learning Technologies Program Administrator at Portland Public Schools_________________________________We chat this episode about leading change through generations of technology innovations, with a focus more on the people change than the technology change itself. We also remember Rob Reiner and celebrate his most quotable, memorable films.*Oh, and Marc's hairline is uneven post-surgery, or as Nicole says, it adds character.

Send us Fan Mail(recorded December 11, 2025)Episode Sponsor: Insight Financial ServicesJoin Marc, Rachel, and our guests:Kevin Johnson, Director of Technology at Fife School District and ACPE Board MemberandLeigh Anne Scherer, Director of Technology & Information Services in the North Clackamas School District_________________________________We chat this episode about technology purchases, levies, long-range planning, replacement cycles, and paying for it all. We also dither on future tech K-12 shifts to the as-a-service model. What comes next?*Oh, and Kevin and Marci look forward to seeing how many impalements per show there are on Chicago Fire. Noted. 

Send us Fan Mail(recorded December 4, 2025)Episode Sponsor: Magic School AIJoin Marc, Rachel, and our guest Kris Hagel, CIO at Peninsula School District._________________________________We chat this episode about AI. We focus first on the people change that Kris has led in PSD the past four years. And then we settle into a broad-ranging tech and human-focused conversation about AI and its impacts in our lives, schools, and the world.*Oh, and Marc is mean to Claire Danes, but we're so happy about his successful surgery that we're only slightly mean back to him. Defend Claire Danes.

Send us Fan Mail(recorded October 14, 2025)Episode Sponsor: Advanced Classroom TechnologiesJoin Marc and Rachel for this Season Two opener, with guests: Owen Craig, Director of Technology at Nooksack Valley School District and Matthew Ross, Director of Technology at Napavine School District_________________________________We chat this episode about Esports. Owen and Marc both end up tearing up. Owen and Matthew bring us up to speed on the esports domain, WSSEA in Washington, invisible careers, creating spaces and connection for students, and inspiring each of us to dream.*Oh, and Matthew will know when esports has made it when the teams have cheerleaders. Brilliant, visible measure of success.

Send us Fan MailIn this B-Sides track from Plugged In S2 E1, Marc and Rachel chat with Matthew and Owen about the dystopian and utopian themes that showed up in several season one episodes. Marc has special powers. Matthew schools us. And, Owen did the wrong homework assignment, but still gets an A+. 

Send us Fan Mail(recorded October 4, 2025)Episode Sponsor: ClassLinkJoin Marc and Rachel for our twelfth episode, with guests:The ACPE Board_________________________________We chat this episode about ACPE, specifically the planning for BelieveIT, our 2026 annual conference. Steve Langford is this year's president and shares the meaning and his vision for the conference. We also check-in with board members from each of the committees that make the conference a success each year, discussing the importance of community engagement via session proposals and anticipation for this year's giveaways and store catalog. We also highlight our annual student scholarships and the thematic elements of the conference that will deliver us to Ted Lasso's London neighborhood each evening.*Oh, and if you're watching this episode, we do a lot of musical chairs.

Send us Fan Mail(recorded September 29, 2025)Episode Sponsor: BumpArmorJoin Marc and Rachel for our eleventh episode, with guests:Emilie Nangle, Systems Analyst at Northshore SDand Jeff Gibbs, Executive Director of Technology Services at Gresham-Barlow SD_________________________________We chat this episode about ACPE Mentoring. Emilie and Jeff catch us up on the genesis of this collaboration, their hopes, plans, and how to get involved. It's an invitation for ACPE folks young and old, from early career techs to engineers who started back when Ethernet topped out at 10 Mbit/s. Marc honors his former coach who observed "If you're green you're growing, if you're ripe you're rotting." And Rachel (discovered in post production) used the word 'trope' twice. *Oh, and DJ Diesel (also known as Shaquille O'Neal) commands the mosh pit.

Send us Fan Mail(recorded September 24, 2025)Episode Sponsor: Motorola SolutionsJoin Marc and Rachel for our tenth episode, with guests:Josh Kesecker, Technology Coordinator at Wallowa County ESDand Dr. Joe Morelock, Superintendent at Willamette ESD_________________________________We chat this episode about amateur (ham) radio with our two favorite ham radio aficionados and fellow ACPE board members. Joe and Josh tell stories, teach us the basics, and talk about the importance of ham radio in emergency preparedness. We also chat about the growing fox hunt tradition at ACPE!*Oh, and the gray/grey line is the magical, liminal transition between darkness and light, dusk and dawn—the twilight zone—and used to describe distinct the related conditions.

Send us Fan Mail(recorded September 11, 2025)Episode Sponsor: Comcast Business, Join Marc and Rachel for our ninth episode, with guests:Chris Bailey, Director Of Technology at Edmonds School Districtand Kevin Meckler, Partner, Cipriani & Werner Attorneys at Law_________________________________We chat this episode about navigating cyber incidents. Chris provides a first-person K-12 perspective and Kevin shares his decade plus observations as an incident response attorney. And a big catch-up on pop culture, especially that Tony #1 is the very worst of the Hulu Four Weddings and a Funeral series. (That's for my kids! xoxo —rwc)*Oh, and it's Florida versus all, y'all. Despite the episode title, which was Rachel's best accidental trash talking in years....

Send us Fan Mail(recorded July 7, 2025)Episode Sponsor: GaggleJoin Marc and Rachel for our eighth episode, with guests:Dr. Susan Enfield, Executive Director at the Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) at the University of Washingtonand Dr. Patrick Murphy, Superintendent of the Olympia School District_________________________________We chat this episode about the serious domains of student safety, health, and privacy as they continue to intersect via emerging tools and approaches in this connected generation.*Oh, and we all agree. Kids are smart. Like we were, as the the video-game playing MTV generation of know-nothings. ;)

Send us Fan MailAlt title: Keep The Blast Radius Small (recorded June 26, 2025)Join Marc and Rachel for our seventh episode, with guest April Mardock, our security role model and an ACPE cyber whisperer.We chat about video games, sci-fi, what Marc is watching, what April is reading, and Rachel's love for Parker Posey (enough to overcome White Lotus).And then we get serious about K-12 cybersecurity, tools, threats, lessons learned, people processes, and the importance of incident response planning. *Oh, and some cheese, Swiss cheese, cheeziness (sorry Chris Rowbotham!), string cheese as high motivation for April's dog, and a visit from Marc's dog Guppy Nine Toes, who likes cheese and approves of this episode.

Send us Fan MailJoin Marc and Rachel for our sixth episode, the halfway point of our pilot season.We are navel-gazing in this week's short episode, reflecting on our first couple months of learning how to podcast. The people, conversations, the tech, the spirit of Plugged In, cold opens, how to choose a title, and a clumsy sign-off that may or may not stick.We also do a high-level review of this year's CoSN State of EdTech Leadership Report, including conversation on the shifting demographics in this year's survey respondents. *Oh, and the dogs in both houses playing cameo roles.

Send us Fan MailJoin Marc and Rachel for our fifth episode and a very special guest, recently retired ACPE Board Member, Allen Miedema.We chat about music, Allen's long tenure and the meaningful changes in edtech during it, leadership, what snuck up on us in tech, what's coming next, differentiated learning, streaming media, server shower stalls, and Tacoma's renaissance. *Oh, and some future-casting that started with MOOCs.

Send us Fan MailJoin Marc and Rachel for our fourth episode that recaps this year's IncludeIT conference and also chatter about music tech and edtech.We chat with guests (ACPE DJ) Joe Yamada and (ACPE Board Member) Steve Langford about music, Wordle, love shoves (h/t Amy Poehler on Smartless podcast), mobile computing in K-12, device refresh cycles, and women in tech via Sylvia Acevedo's powerful closing keynote at this year's conference.*Oh, and a serious talk about Joe Yamada's beautiful music, including Rachel's favorite A Silent Tear.

Send us Fan MailIn this first B-Sides track from Plugged In S1 E1, Marc and Rachel chat with Shelby and Derek about student cell phone policies and approaches in their school districts, and the larger national debate.

Send us Fan MailJoin Marc and Rachel for our third episode that focuses on the lodge, schedule, and activities of this year's IncludeIT conference.Guest Cory Horton, ACPE Conference Coordinator, joins to chat about movies, music, Marc's jackets, and all the things to know about ACPE's Annual Conference.*Oh, and several weird, plus lovely, intersections with Newberg, Oregon.

Send us Fan MailJoin Marc and Rachel for our second episode that focuses on IncludeIT, this year's conference theme.Guest Jennifer Clouser, current ACPE Board President, joins to chat about inclusion in the work we do as technicians and leaders, and the development of the theme for this year's conference.*Oh, and several hungry dogs.

Send us Fan MailJoin Marc and Rachel for this inaugural episode that focuses on the people and love for ACPE, our professional community that is now 50+ years in the making.Guests Shelby Reynolds and Derek Stewart join to chat about the excellent 2025 CoSN conference, School Library Month <3, continued classroom cell phone debate and conversations, the ACPE conference—past, future, fun, food, learning, community. *Oh, and one farting dog.