⏱️ June 13, 2025 🗓️ 12pm-1pm ET / 9am-10am PT
Co-design has become a buzzword in edtech—but what does it really take to make it work in practice? Join us for a candid conversation with leading experts who have successfully embedded co-design into their product development cycles. We’ll explore how to move beyond surface-level engagement to authentic collaboration with educators and learners—without breaking the bank or slowing down innovation.
Whether you’re a startup founder, product manager, or researcher, this session will leave you with actionable strategies to make co-design a core part of your process—and build better products as a result.
In this webinar, you’ll learn:
Michael Preston, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, a pioneering thought leader at the intersection of technology, media, and children’s learning.
He leads the Center’s efforts to explore new frontiers and new literacies, support and translate research into action, and guide the field toward better opportunities and outcomes for kids.
Michael Preston brings more than 20 years of experience leading innovation in educational technology at both local and national levels. His work has focused on using technology to improve teaching and learning, drive student agency and interest, and create models for systemic change in both K-12 and university contexts. Most recently, he co-founded CSforALL, the hub for the national Computer Science for All movement. CSforALL began as an initiative of CSNYC, where Preston launched a 10-year partnership with New York City to provide high-quality computer science to every student in the nation’s largest public school system. CSforALL now helps other cities and regions across the country replicate the progress made in New York.
Prior to his work with CSNYC and CSforALL, Preston designed and led digital learning initiatives at the New York City Department of Education, including programs in middle and high school computer science, personalized learning, and digital literacy. At Columbia University’s Center for Teaching and Learning, he led software development projects and research studies on multimedia analysis tools. Preston has taught courses in psychology and research methods at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he earned a PhD in Cognitive Science in Education. He also holds a BA in East Asian Studies from Harvard University.
Medha Tare is an experienced researcher in the learning sciences and technology area. Her work centers on addressing the needs of the whole child, including considering individual differences among learners, their environments, and the media through which they learn. Prior to the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, she was the Director of Research for the Learner Variability Project at Digital Promise, where she developed public resources on the cognitive, socio-emotional, and background factors that impact children and adults’ learning. This work involved research translation, science communication, and studies of educational efficacy with school districts and edtech product developers. She has also served as a Learning Sciences Exchange Fellow through New America, working across sectors to promote early learning and help young children and their families thrive. Medha earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan and her BA in Cognitive Science and English at Rutgers University. She has served as an advisor on national and international educational initiatives and has numerous peer-reviewed publications including in the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Language Learning and Technology, and Journal of Cognition and Development.
A native of Kansas City and the daughter of two community organizers, Katie Boody Adorno has worked in public education since 2008. Seemingly always involved in the "startup" phase of organizations, Katie was a charter corps member of Teach For America Kansas City, a founding member of C.A. Franklin's middle school team in Kansas City Public Schools, a founding teacher at Alta Vista Charter Middle School, and eventually, founded Leanlab Education in 2013.
Leanlab is a leader in codesign research and has conducted more than 90 research studies with clients ranging from small startups to incumbents such as Newsela, Logitech, and McGraw Hill. Leanlab’s research community, AGILE (American Group of Innovative Learning Environments), is a national network of pilot sites prepared to engage in rapid edtech R&D.
Most recently, Katie co-founded the Global Edtech Testbed Network in partnership with University College-London and OpenDevEd.
Katie holds a B.A. in English Literature with an emphasis in dance, an M.Ed. in Middle School Education, and an Ed.S. in Education Leadership. She is a yoga practitioner and enjoys writing about the intersection of community and edtech innovation.
Alicia Quan is the Founder and Designer at UX of EdTech, a design studio that cultivates learning, creativity, and play. Beyond helping EdTech companies with their product design and UX research, the studio is an engine for broader impact in these industries through its growing community, podcast, and newsletter dedicated to advancing design in education.
Alicia is a former middle school teacher, mom of three, and endlessly art-curious.
Wyman is the Head of Learning Engineering for Playlab and focuses on creating equitable and meaningful access to AI tools working in collaboration with educators, schools, and non profit organizations. He is passionate about democratizing who gets to shape emerging technologies like AI and is dedicated to making sure these tools are accessible and impactful for all communities in safe and responsible ways. Prior to Playlab, Wyman spent 10 years in education as the Senior Director of STEM for KIPP NYC and as a nationally award winning teacher science teacher. He built and scaled integrated computational thinking curriculum for diverse learners in addition to building systems to provide high quality phenomena based STEM instruction to all students. He also spent time as a volleyball coach at the University of Michigan, Google, and Burson-Marsteller before getting into education. Out of work, Wyman runs a nonprofit youth volleyball organization, loves trying new restaurants and visiting different parts of the world, and is an aspiring amateur photographer and cyclist.