How can schools take advantage of powerful technology without adding more noise to an already crowded instructional landscape?

In this episode of Integrate This!, Jeremy and David sit down with Dr. Gene Kerns, Chief Academic Officer at Renaissance, to explore what effective educational technology should really accomplish.

Gene shares his journey from the classroom to more than 20 years with Renaissance and explains a principle that continues to shape his thinking about EdTech: technology should support teachers, not supplant them.

The conversation dives into instructional coherence—making sure assessments, curriculum, intervention, instructional resources, and technology actually work together rather than becoming disconnected pieces teachers have to assemble themselves. Gene also discusses personalized learning, using assessment data to determine “what’s next,” the growing role of AI behind the scenes, and why teachers must remain the ones making the final instructional decisions.

They also tackle the ongoing debate around student screen time and why the conversation should focus not simply on the amount of technology students use, but on the quality and purpose of that use.

And, of course, Gene faces the Integrate This! lightning round, where things wander from school leadership to television, becoming an ordained minister, 80s music, and whether he’d rather head to the mountains or the beach.

In this episode: • Keeping teachers at the center of educational technology • “Supporting, not supplanting” teachers • Personalized learning vs. learning that is more personalized • Instructional coherence across curriculum, assessment, and intervention • Turning assessment data into meaningful next steps • Connecting supplemental resources to what teachers are actually teaching • AI as a “24/7 digital teaching assistant” • Quality vs. quantity when thinking about student screen time • The future of Renaissance Intelligence

Resources & Links

🔗 Renaissance: https://www.renaissance.com/ 🔗 Renaissance Intelligence: https://www.renaissance.com/renaissance-intelligence/ 🔗 Renaissance Webinars: https://www.renaissance.com/resources/webinars/ 🔗 Renaissance Blog: https://www.renaissance.com/resources/blog/ 🔗 Dr. Gene Kerns on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gene-kerns-8bbb8014/

🎧 Integrate This! is a podcast exploring educational technology, effective instruction, and the ideas shaping teaching and learning.