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Monica Brady-Myerov, CEO of Listenwise: Unlock Listening for Better Learning

Apr 16, 2020

Today's guest on The EdTech Startup Show is Monica Brady-Myerov, CEO of Listenwise.

Monica Brady-Myerov is a 25-year veteran public radio journalist and host and the founder of Listenwise. Before founding Listenwise, she was Senior Reporter and Assistant Managing Editor at WBUR in Boston and her reports have been heard on NPR, Marketplace and numerous other outlets nationally and internationally. Monica’s reporting on education won two 2005 Edward R. Murrow Awards for her stories on closing the achievement gap and First Prize from The Education Writers Association in 2009 for her series on the high school dropout crisis. 

Listenwise is an award-winning listening skills platform for students and teachers in middle and high schools. Listenwise, a proud partner of NPR, curates a growing collection of professionally produced podcasts, aligned to state standards in ELA, social studies, and science.

 

During this episode Monica and I discuss: 

  • What her award-winning company Listenwise is all about, and how it can help all students grades 2-12 build academic vocabulary, and develop background knowledge through listening. 

  • How her company is responding to COVID-19 and offering free support for all Listenwise users 

  • What it takes to be an entrepreneur in the EdTech industry 

  • How Monica was able to take her journalism experience into the EdTech industry and start a company 

  •  As a journalist, you are a communicator and an educator and those are the keys to a successful business. 

  • Monica’s podcast, Student Podcast Podcast that highlights student work, and gives students and teachers helpful ideas for lessons.

  • Teachers want their students to have an audience.

  • The process of figuring things out and actually doing the work is where you experience deep learning. 

  • What type of students benefit most from audio listening

  • The Lexile Audio Measure and how it relates to reading comprehension

  • The advantages of working with the Boston-based accelerator Learn Launch 

Time-stamped overview of the discussion

>>> 02:06 : What is Listenwise all about? 

>>>04:25  Tell me more about your podcast and what is your advice to people who want to get started in educational podcasting? 

>>>08:45  How have you been able to transfer your journalism skills & knowledge to running your business?

>>>  12:09 Why did you choose to run an EdTech business publicly?

>>> 14:00 What are things like for you right now amidst this international crisis? (COVID-19)

>>>20:42  Why do you think listening is an important part of a balanced curriculum? Are there specific types of students that have benefitted from structured listening activities?

>>>26:47  Can you explain what is the Lexile Audio Measure and why is it important?

>>>30:00   What are some factors that make a listening piece more easy or difficult? 

>>>32:26   How are students listening to stories on Listenwise? 

 >>>35:24  Can you explain the Language Identification Organizer feature in Listenwise? 

 >>>37:00 Can you talk about your experience with the Boston-based accelerator Learn Launch? 

 >>>40:30 Based on what you know now, what advice would you give your past self when it comes to starting a business? 

 >>>41:36 Any final suggestions?

Important links from this episode:

Connect with Monica on Social Media : 
 Linkedin 

 Twitter 

Student Podcast Podcast

Connect with Gerard Dawson on Social Media: 
Linkedin

Twitter

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