Let’s talk about ACE credit and Perkins funding with Vanessa Buffry
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Release Date: 01/15/2025
Students today, leaders tomorrow: Skills you should be teaching in your classroom with Noam Bonkowski and Vladimir Noda
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
You know that preparing students for the contemporary workforce looks dramatically different than it did even a few years ago. Today’s students need to be prepared to succeed in an even more demanding environment. We sat down with two educators (Noam Bonkowski and Vladimir Noda) to talk about today’s workforce demands and how you can make sure your students are prepared. Noam is a CTE teacher, work-based learning (WBL) coordinator, and Project Management Professional in Queens, NY. In his role, he creates a classroom that models a professional PMO work environment, all while...
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Securing your students’ futures with cybersecurity skills with Jessie Kalloo, Jereme Monette, and Robbie Perdue
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Security threats and nefarious tactics from hackers are on the rise, demanding more awareness and vigilance online. According to an of over 150 billion daily security events in more than 130 countries, there was a 71% year-over-year increase in cyberattacks that used stolen or compromised data. This rise in attacks has increased the demand for cybersecurity professionals in various industries. In this episode, we learn all about cybersecurity and IT education from three incredible educators: Jessie Kalloo, Jereme Monette, and Robbie Perdue. We sat down with these pros to discuss how...
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Help your students find a career they’re passionate about with Karen Coulumbe, Matt Fritzius, and Amanda Augustine
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
You want your students to find a career that is fulfilling. Interesting. Challenging. But not every student knows how to find a job that aligns with their interests. How can you help them find a career they’re passionate about? In this episode, we get advice from three experts: Karen Coulumbe, CTE educator in Washington; Matt Fritzius, Director of Research, Development, and Special Projects at Florida Atlantic University; and Amanda Augustine, Career Expert and Spokesperson at Career.io. Karen, Matt, and Amanda discuss the career journey, from classroom to the boardroom and...
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Creating a simulated workplace in your classroom with Robbie Perdue
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
You’re teaching skills that students need in their future careers. But what about giving them a chance to practice those skills in a workplace environment? Enter: the simulated workplace. In this week’s episode, we dive into the simulated workplace with CERTIFIED Educator Conference presenter, Robbie Perdue. Charles "Robbie" Perdue is an experienced IT educator with over 25 years in the field and 16 years of teaching. He specializes in preparing students for Certiport’s industry-recognized certifications, using a hands-on, simulated workplace model to enhance learning. As a...
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Teaching ideas for the AI-hesitant educator with Amy Waters and Stefano Piano
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI) for learning purposes continues to grow, but many educators lack training on effective use of AI in the classroom. According to a , only 43% of educators surveyed had received any training on AI. Those left without training or district support may be wondering how to demystify AI and embrace this transformative technology. We’re here to help. In this episode, we learn from both education and industry experts, Amy Waters and Stefano Piano. Amy Waters is a 37-year veteran teacher at Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana, with no...
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New ways to teach finance and accounting with Ashley Faulkner and David Waite
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
The projects higher than average growth in accounting and finance positions in the coming decade. In fact, over 715,000 openings are predicted in the business and finance sphere between now and 2031. With such strong growth (and earning potential), it’s no wonder educators want to prepare students for jobs in accounting and finance. In this episode, we sat down with two accounting educators: Ashley Faulkner and David Waite. Ashley is a teacher at Triton High School in North Carolina, where she is a strong certification advocate. Over the past 11 years, Ashley has earned more than...
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Gamification in the classroom with Merrell Stewart
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
If you’re looking for a fun and engaging way to teach your curriculum, gamification may be the answer. Merrell Stewart has been using gamification with his students for years and is sharing his advice with you. Merrell is an 11-year veteran educator of animation, computer science, and game design in Houston, Texas. He has served more than a thousand students, specializing in the fundamentals of digital animation. His students learn composition, 2D and 3D animation, programming, game design, effective project management, and business creation. Merrell has a master’s in education...
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Preparing students for careers in the healthcare industry with Priya Mukundan
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
The health sciences sector employs approximately in the U.S. alone and is expected to grow by 13% from 2022 to 2032. But what skills do students need? What roles can they pursue? We sat down with Priya Mukundan to talk all about healthcare careers. Priya is an innovative and strategic healthcare leader with over 15 years of experience in post-acute care and clinical operations. She currently serves as the Post Acute Care Network Administrator at Navvis/Allina Health in Minneapolis, Minnesota, working with hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to optimize care transitions, reduce...
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Teaching soil and plant science with Jacob Falwell
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
The Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career ClusterTM is critical for addressing global necessities, such as food security and sustainability. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about. So many opportunities for your students to succeed. Are you looking to prepare students for careers in agriscience? Jacob Falwell joins us in this episode to discuss all things soil and plant science. Dr. Jacob Falwell holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture science and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in agriculture education. He’s been teaching all things...
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Meet the 2025 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year: Kim Kayser
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Each year, we are so excited to recognize one of our customers as our CERTIFIED Educator of the Year during our annual CERTIFIED Educator Conference. We work with so many incredible educators, all of whom deserve recognition for their dedication and efforts. We're pleased to announce that Kim Kayser is our 2025 CERTIFIED Educator of the Year! Kim has been teaching as well as learning technology with her students for fourteen years in Santa Rosa County, Florida. For the last ten of those years, she’s been a career and technical educator, helping Woodlawn Beach Middle School students...
info_outlineIt’s a new year and we’re so happy to be back with a new episode of the CERTIFIED podcast. In this week’s episode, we wanted to talk about money, both for you and your students. We’re diving into ACE credit and Perkins funding with Certiport’s Vanessa Buffry, Senior Manager of Strategic Funding.
Vanessa Buffry and her team identify funding sources to support educators and workforce initiatives, track policy that governs and enhances certification quality, and ensure certifications meet workforce, industry, and customer needs. Her previous work experience included teaching high school, serving as a school board director, and directing non-profit education initiatives that merited her recognition as a 30 Under 30 (Pittsburgh, 2021). Vanessa holds an MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon. Vanessa is based in Denver, CO with her family. She is certified in Professional Communication, Pearson Gen AI Foundations, Intuit Personal Finance, and next plans to conquer MOS Excel Associate and Expert.
Vanessa walks us through the details of ACE credit, and how this can be a huge money and time saver for students looking to pursue higher education. She also shares details about Perkins funding, and how states, districts, and educators can be leveraging this funding in their classrooms. Looking for details on how to access more funding in 2025? This episode is for you.
Learn more about ACE credit: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Learner-resources/College-Credit.aspx.
Interested in connecting with your Certiport Territory Manager to talk about Perkins funding? Contact them here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Buy/School.
Connect with your fellow educators to talk about funding and other topics in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/.
Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here: https://certified.certiport.com/.