Starting a business at your school with Danya Peters
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Release Date: 05/21/2025
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...
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Becoming a Spreadsheet Champion with Carmina Solares
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
What does it take to compete in the MOS World Championship? Now you can find out. Our team was privileged to work with the Australian production company, , on their new documentary, Spreadsheet Champions. During filming, they followed six students on their journey to becoming Microsoft Office Specialist Excel Champions. The documentary has now premiered at the SXSW and Hot Docs Film Festivals, and we could hardly wait to chat with one of the documentary’s stars, Carmina Solares. Carmina is a bubbly 17-year-old from Guatemala who finds comfort in math. During this episode, Carmina tells us...
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Starting a business at your school with Danya Peters
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
Ready to get a peek into CERTIFIED 2025? We’re continuing our series of CERTIFIED Educator Conference breakout session previews, and this is for all our business and entrepreneurship educators. Are you looking for ways to teach your students business skills that they’ll take with them after graduating? There’s no better place to learn real-world business skills than in an actual business. So why not start one at your school? Danya Peters did just that. Danya is a passionate business and marketing teacher, DECA Advisor, and mentor to two school-based enterprises. With degrees...
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Teaching learners about upskilling and achieving their career goals with Jessica Lindl
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
The days of linear career paths are over. People are switching jobs more often, making their career journeys more complex than ever. In fact, the found that people only stay in their jobs for an average of four years. That much change and complexity can be intimidating for students and professionals to navigate. How, as an educator, do you get your students ready to enter their own careers, when it may feel like a quest without a map? Enter: Jessica Lindl. Jessica Lindl is the author of and VP of Ecosystem Growth at Unity Technologies. She has over 20 years of experience running...
info_outlineReady to get a peek into CERTIFIED 2025? We’re continuing our series of CERTIFIED Educator Conference breakout session previews, and this is for all our business and entrepreneurship educators.
Are you looking for ways to teach your students business skills that they’ll take with them after graduating? There’s no better place to learn real-world business skills than in an actual business. So why not start one at your school? Danya Peters did just that.
Danya is a passionate business and marketing teacher, DECA Advisor, and mentor to two school-based enterprises. With degrees and certifications in marketing, secondary education, and entrepreneurship, Danya blends academic expertise with practical business skills. In her first two years of teaching, she secured a $70,000 grant to launch two student-run businesses. Recognized as the Emerging Business Teacher and Regional New Career and Technical Teacher for Idaho, Danya’s innovative approach engages students through competitions, hands-on projects, and business management, preparing them for future success. She is committed to fostering student growth, creativity, and a lifelong passion for business.
In this episode, we talk with Danya about how she decided to launch a business, the Bruin Pop Shop, in her school. She shares how she structures her businesses and classes to give students real business experience. Covering everything from funding to community support, Danya’s advice will help you succeed in preparing tomorrow’s business leaders.
Check out the Bruin Pop Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebruinpopshop/.
Interested in learning more about entrepreneurship? Get ideas from fellow business teachers here.
Connect with educators like Danya 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.