Authors: Sophie Youngs and Steve Martinez
March Madness brought its trademark energy to the EdTech world, and Under the Hat Podcast channeled that excitement into the ultimate EduProtocol Showdown. Educators stepped into a fast-paced bracket-style competition to share game-changing EduProtocol and EdTech pairings, each delivered in creative, rapid-fire pitches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1xxoF5Mm3I
https://www.youtube.com/live/UyETTsJcS0M?si=9mUVisfxKONhPXeM
More than a contest, the showdown was a celebration of innovation: practical strategies, joyful learning, and tools that make classroom thinking more visible, feedback more immediate, and engagement more authentic.
Round I kicked off with sixteen educators taking on the challenge: introduce a favorite EduProtocol, pair it with an EdTech tool, and make the case in a two-minute pitch. The result was a lively launch to the second annual competition, full of momentum and ideas teachers can bring back to their classrooms right away.
Matchup 1: Lisa Nowakowski vs. Jessica Campos
Lisa Nowakowski (MathReps + Snorkl): A strong case for making thinking visible. Students record their screen and voice to explain mathematical reasoning, giving teachers a clear window into student thinking.
Jessica Compos (Number Mania + Adobe Express): A celebration of turning research into something students can be proud of. The “Number Mania” process becomes a polished infographic experience, complete with multimedia elements.
Matchup 2: Drew Skeeler vs. Justin Unruh
Drew Skeeler (Reading Reps + Slides): A structured literacy workflow using Google Slides as a consistent dashboard for genre, author’s purpose, and key reading skills.
Drew Entire Screen - Screencastify - March 1, 2026 7_09 PM - James Skeeler.mp4
Justin Unruh (Random Emoji Power Paragraph + Short Answer): A high-speed writing challenge where random emojis trigger quick drafting, followed by peer evaluation inside the platform.
Justin Entire Screen - Screencastify - February 27, 2026 11_02 AM - Justin Unruh.webm
Matchup 3: Kat Crawford vs. Christie Cloud
Kat Crawford (BookaKucha + FigJam): A pitch focused on brevity and synthesis. FigJam’s collaborative sticky-note style helps students capture core ideas without the “fluff.”
Kat Round 1 Kat Crawford BookaKucha and FigJam - Kat Crawford.mp4
Christie Cloud (Frayer + Brisk): A “time-back” approach that reduces teacher prep and cognitive load by generating Frayer models quickly, so students spend more time on concept-building.
Matchup 4: Stephanie Howell vs. Megan Kuhn
Stephanie Howell (Thick Slides + SchoolAI): A futuristic inquiry model that embeds a custom AI tutor into Thick Slides to coach research and fact-checking.
Megan Kuhn (Cyber Sandwich + Kami): Collaboration over compliance, using shared annotation and collective note-building to create a unified summary.
Matchup 5: Robert Mayfield vs. Steve Martinez
Robert Mayfield (Thin Slides + Curipod): AI-supported engagement where students quickly find “one image and one word” to represent a concept for an energetic check for understanding.
Steve Martinez (Fast & Curious + Wayground): A gamified retrieval practice that turns the Fast & Curious protocol into a competitive, data-rich experience students want to repeat.
Matchup 6: Adam Moler vs. Josie Wozniak
Adam Moler (MiniReport + Class Companion): A focused feedback loop with rubric-based support on individual paragraphs to drive revision and mastery.
Adam Entire Screen - Screencastify - February 28, 2026 10_36 AM - Adam Moler.mp4
Josie Wozniak (3x Genre + WeWillWrite): Quick genre shifts that build flexible writing skills across narrative, informational, and opinion modes.