Talks & Media
Conversations, features, and publications where curiosity stepped into the spotlight — on stage, on screen, and in print
Google Tech Talk: “Learner at the Center: LX Design and Research”
This Google Tech Talk dives into the principles of learner-centered experience (LX) design and the importance of grounding educational tools in research and real-world usability. It explores how involving learners in the design process—through co-design, testing, and feedback—can lead to more effective, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences. Ideal for educators, designers, and technologists rethinking how learning really happens.
ISTE Spotlight Panel – “Reimagining Learning”
Captured at ISTE 2015 on June 30, this panel session — “Reimagining Learning to Prepare Today’s Students for the Jobs of the Future” — featured thought leaders from Pearson, including a designer, educator, and even a fifth-grade student from the Kids CoLab project. It's a powerful snapshot of collaborative innovation, where real voices in education shaped how learning tools are created.
Preview: Continuous Delivery Dojo – From Doing Agile to Being Agile
In this quick preview from Agile + DevOps East 2019, the Continuous Delivery Dojo—an innovative, hands-on learning environment—is introduced. The presentation showcases how State Farm embraced immersive, practical exercises to help teams internalize Agile and continuous delivery principles, bridging the gap between doing the practices and truly being Agile.
PBS Horizon: “Pearson Kids CoLab”
This PBS Horizon segment explores Pearson’s “Kid Co-Lab,” a an initiative that brings children directly into the design process for educational technology. The piece highlights how young learners are not just end users, but active collaborators—testing, critiquing, and shaping the tools they use in classrooms. The segment offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how co-creation with students leads to more intuitive and impactful learning experiences.
Book Chapter: “Learner at the Center: Pearson Kids CoLab”
Published in Participatory Design for Learning: Perspectives from Practice and Research (2017), this chapter explores the Pearson Kids CoLab project. It dives into how co-design methods actively engaged K–12 students as design partners—not just users—to shape educational tools. Through participatory design with kids, the chapter highlights how meaningful learning experiences emerge when learners drive the process of ideation, testing, and iteration.
Ignite Phoenix Talk: In Tango, In Life
This fast-paced Ignite talk for fun explores how the principles of learning tango—presence, connection, improvisation, and trust—offer powerful metaphors for navigating life, leadership, and uncertainty. Drawing on personal experience from the dance floor, moving in sync with a partner requires the same emotional intelligence and adaptability that help us thrive in relationships, work, and change. A 5-minute reflection on rhythm, risk, and the beauty of not always knowing the next step.
Speaker Reel: Team Culture & Strategic Alignment through Play
This speaker reel features footage from a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshop—starting with a simple duck build to spark deeper conversations about team culture, trust, and alignment. Blending hands-on activities with strategic facilitation, these sessions are designed to help leaders and teams surface what matters most, align around shared goals, and move forward with clarity and creativity.
Agile + DevOps East 2019 — Lightning Keynote
This fast-paced keynote from Agile + DevOps East 2019 provides an overview of feedback techniques to support teams in DevOps environments. The lightening format highlights how co-design, rapid iteration, and user-focused learning can transform team performance in high-pressure settings.
Creating a Common Language for Culture
This talk explores how the Competing Values Framework can give teams a shared language to navigate culture with greater clarity and intention. By visualizing where teams fall across dimensions like collaboration, control, innovation, and results, leaders can surface hidden tensions, align around strategic priorities, and build cultures that truly support their goals. Ideal for organizations ready to move beyond vague values statements and into meaningful, actionable dialogue about how work gets done.
Team Building with the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method"
This engaging demonstration introduces the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method—a facilitated, hands-on approach to team-building and problem-solving—using Lego bricks to create three-dimensional metaphors. Participants build models representing ideas or challenges, then share the story behind their constructions. The method fosters deeper dialogue, creativity, and shared understanding within teams.