Ora D. Tanner
“Wherever I’m at, I try to transform the space, because that's also a misconception that people think, ‘Oh, if you put technology in a classroom, the kids are just going to learn better.’ No, they're not. It's about using the technology to design an experience. That's when students learn.” —Ora D. Tanner
Ora D. Tanner (@odtanner) is the co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at The AI Education Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit centering equity and accessibility in AI education. The AI Education Project educates students, especially those disproportionately impacted by AI and automation, with the conceptual knowledge and skills they need to thrive as future workers, creators, consumers, citizens, and leaders of emerging technologies.
At the AI Education Project, Ora oversees learning experience design and development, conducts pedagogical and design research, and performs advocacy work around K-12 AI literacy.
Ora holds both a B.S. and M.S. in physics and has 12+ years classroom experience as a science educator and ed tech practitioner. She is completing her Ph.D. in Instructional Technology and Educational Measurement at the University of South Florida where she studies the social, cultural, and political aspects of education and technology.
Ora has completed several fellowships including with the Aspen Tech Policy Hub in Silicon Valley where she researched data-driven school safety systems in Florida schools; the Alliance of Democracies and the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity in Denmark where she created a game-based media literacy tool to teach political candidates and their staff how disinformation interferes with democratic elections; and currently is working as a Visiting Senior Fellow with The German Marshall Fund based in Washington D.C. on a research project that examines the implications of dark patterns, deceptive user interface designs, on everyday citizens.
Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Ora D. Tanner (@odtanner) and Founded By Women host, Margie Chuang (@margiechuang)!
Subscribe to the show & listen to Episode #005 on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the transcript for Episode #005 here (coming soon!). Transcripts for all episodes can be found here.
Show Notes
Why physics? [2:47]
Setting the standard of what is means to be a woman, particularly a black woman, studying and working in the field of hard sciences [3:49]
Turning adversity into optimism and opportunities for growth [5:50]
Water Gauge Warrior and game-based learning [6:47]
The game design process & how research shows that students persist more when they're learning content within a game vs. traditional settings [9:07]
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? [13:37]
Origin story of The AI Education Project & Ora’s experience working with marginalized students [14:29]
Using technology to design experiences for students to learn and thrive [16:50]
Why is it important for every student to learn about AI? [22:38]
The AI Education Project curriculum [24:30]
Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace [35:08]
Thoughtful hiring; advertising job descriptions in specific geographical locations [35:37]
How Ora met her co-founders and the urgency of AI education [36:53]
Ora’s experience being a female founder and leader[43:06]
Ora’s journey through the Fast Forward Startup Accelerator & Demo Day [43:45]
Making a difference, loving what you do, evening the playing field [48:01]
Building a non-profit organization [48:47]
What worked and what didn’t work? [50:38]
Work-life optimization [51:48]
Ora’s personal mission statement [54:45]
What’s next for The AI Education Project? [55:10]
Rapid Fire Questions [55:57]
What have other women said or done to empower you? [57:12]
Parting thoughts and encouraging words [57:35]
What was your favorite takeaway or quote from this episode? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Ora D. Tanner:
The AI Education Project:
MIT | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
HBCU | Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Meet The AI Entrepreneur Preparing Underserved Students For The Future Of Work | by Shannon Farley
Aspen Tech Policy Hub | Ora D. Tanner
World Economic Forum | The Future of Jobs and Skills
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Notable Quotes— with Ora D. Tanner
“I always saw it as an opportunity to break any misconceptions that they might have.”
“I’m setting the standard, whatever you thought black women were about, this is what they really are.”
“I tried to be very forward looking. This is an opportunity to do something different. I try to make no excuses, regardless of what the situation is.”
“Wherever I’m at, I try to transform the space, because that’s also a misconception that people think, ‘Oh, if you put technology in a classroom, the kids are just going to learn better.’ No, they’re not. It’s about using the technology to design an experience. That’s when students learn.”
“Everyone wants to help prepare our youth for the future.”
“Before I have any big thing, like I’m speaking in a conference or giving a talk, I just try to sit down and visualize what would the ultimate look like of me doing that thing.”
“It’s not within me to withdraw. Quit is not within me.”
“I’m going to own this— my voice does matter.”
“Embrace your dopeness!”
“Whatever I can do to help people make things better through my gifts, talents, and abilities, then that’s what I’m going to do. I look for opportunities to do good.”
“In our curriculum, we actually show [students], this is how AI is going to impact the area you’re interested in. If you’re interested in fashion design, we literally show them AI is actually taking in all this data about fashion trends from the last 20 years. And it’s being able to predict what the next trends will be. You want to be in culinary arts? AI is already being used in kitchen to flip burgers; it’s using sensors to get at the perfect temperature and know exactly when to flip it over. But, it’s also being used to create recipes we could have never thought of. You want to be in urban planning? This is how AI is being used.”