InspirED: LIVE at MasterMinds 2025

Episode Details

We close out 2025 with a very special episode, InspirED: LIVE from MasterMinds 2025! MasterMinds is an exclusive PLTW event designed to bring PLTW Master Teachers together for 3 days of relationship building, professional learning, and fun.

MasterMinds was truly an amazing event this year, and we wanted to capitalize on having so many exceptional educators in one place. So, President and CEO, Dr. David Dimmett, sat down with some Master Teachers to talk about everything from the experience of being a PLTW teacher, to the experiences teachers have had that have shaped their lives, their students’ lives, and their community.

Resources:

This free activity from PLTW Launch gets students out of their seats and thinking like a computer scientist. Try it in any PreK–5 classroom.

Check-out Katie Cunningham’s podcast, “Locking Down Cyber” on Spotify!

Featured educator spotlights:

Darnaby Elementary School piloted PLTW Launch in 2013, and educators Kristin Robinson and Suzanne Martin have been there from the start.

When Torry Spanier wanted to expand project-based learning and engineering into middle school, he chose PLTW Gateway. Here’s the newest unit from the curriculum.

Hands-on experiences in Corey Duzan’s PLTW Engineering courses helped this student build confidence and competence for a future career.

Using industry-standard software, learning technical skills, and preparing for certifications is par for the course in Katie Cunningham’s PLTW Computer Science students—see what students learn.

PLTW students build solutions that capture attention—here’s one from a former student of Susan Jones.

PiHi Samurai isn’t just a fun name, it’s an award-winning robotics team that Bill Van Loo mentors and cheers for through their first-place wins.

Elkhorn Middle School students turned an idea into an award-winning community impact—learn about their project in Eryca Card’s class.

Kristin Robinson

PLTW Launch at Darnaby Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Suzanne Martin

PLTW Launch at Darnaby Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tory Spanier

Gateway: Design & Modeling, Automation & Robotics, and Algebra 1 Advantage at Delano High School in Delano, Minnesota.

Corey Duzan

Introduction to Engineering Design at Lockport Township High School, in Lockport, Illinois.

Katie Cunningham

Computer Science Pathway, Computer Science Essentials, Computer Science Principles, and Cybersecurity at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton, Massachusetts.

Susan Jones

Computer Science Essentials, Computer Science Principles, Computer Science A, Cybersecurity, Computer Science Foundations, Algebra 1 Advantage, and PLTW Capstone at Midway High School in Waco, Texas.

Eryca Card