Technology Essentials in Education Episode 21:
What's New in STEAM Education for 2026

Hello there. My name is Monica Burns and welcome to Technology Essentials and Education.

I'm so excited to chat with Dr. Jacie Maslyk today. We're going to get into all things STEAM together in this conversation.

I recently saw Dr. Jacie Maslyk at an event we were both speaking at in San Francisco. It had probably been a few years since we bumped into each other, so it was really nice to chat with her in person earlier this year.

I wanted to bring her onto the podcast so that you could hear her perspective on where STEAM education is headed right now. It's something that I know listeners are going to appreciate.

Jacie is an educational consultant with a background in many different places within a school community, teaching in the classroom, working as a literacy and reading specialist, a principal at the elementary level, and assistant superintendent.

She's had a long, wonderful career that really brings a great lens to a big conversation like STEAM integration.

She's also the author of STEAM Makers, which was recently updated to reflect some of the big shifts happening in STEAM right now, which is what we talk about together today.

So everything from changes with tools to things we think about around design thinking, she talks about creating for social good and what that looks like in a larger STEAM conversation, really focusing on some great connections to literacy and career readiness.

If you teach in a core content area, if you work in a more interdisciplinary role, or if you're looking for ideas related to robotics or AI in the classroom, this is the conversation for you.

So let's get into it. Here's my conversation with Dr. Jacie Maslyk.

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Welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to chat with you today about STEAM tips for this year.

But before we get into all of that, can you share with listeners a bit about your role in education? What is your day-to-day look like?

Well, my current day-to-day is traveling across the country and supporting schools and leaders in things like STEAM education.

I also have a really strong background in literacy. Some of my work is around literacy coaching and amplifying the role of effective literacy instruction within a lot of struggling schools.

I love it when both of those worlds get to intermix. I'm very passionate about how literacy and STEM, STEAM learning can be interwoven in really creative ways.

The role that I'm in now kind of speaks to my past. I was a classroom teacher, a reading specialist, a principal, and now I'm able to pull the skills from all of those different roles into what I do right now.

Yeah, and I think that perspective is really important when we talk about all the things that you could do under the STEAM umbrella, which is a big topic to tackle together.

You and I saw each other not too long ago in San Francisco for a big conference where I know you were presenting on topics related to what we're talking about today.

When you think about STEAM in 2026, what feels different than even two or three years ago?

Well, that's a great question. I think that is what led me to my most recent publication.

I wrote my first book, STEAM Makers, back in 2015. The publisher reached out and said it's time to do a little upgrade.

Think of how much has changed with technology, access, programs, and curriculum, including robotics.

So much really has changed, but particularly in the last couple years, the change I see in STEAM education is away from the stuff.

When we started STEM programs in my school as a principal in 2015, a lot of the focus was on what stuff you were buying or what kids were working with.

Like, do you have the coolest, hottest new thing?

Thankfully, it has changed lately into the thinking that goes behind that kind of work, which is so much more powerful than just the acronym.

Getting kids to think deeply about design and collaboration in meaningful ways will carry them much farther than just S-T-E-A-M.

It will carry them into careers and support them in language arts, history, and the workforce.

We've laid a solid foundation for what design thinking means and coming up with different iterations of ideas and prototypes.

Those things are so much more beneficial in the long run for young people as they head into high school, college, and career choices.

That's been a big shift in some of the work I've seen.

As those conversations change around what you have or have tried, that foundation being stronger leads to conversations that feel more robust in some schools.

When visiting schools, leading workshops, and supporting STEAM integration, what are you seeing that tells you STEAM is evolving?

My favorite thing is what I call creating for social good.

We used to do bridge building and paper towers to build teamwork and get folks thinking differently about design work.

Now, kids are designing real solutions for real-world problems. They are problem seekers and designers of solutions for problems they find in their school, community, or globally.

I'll share a teacher I talk about in my book, Kristen Delatorre from Florida.

She and her students took a field trip to the beach, collected plastic bags, broken toys, and garbage, and brought it back to class.

She said this is a problem not just in Florida but across the globe. The kids wondered how to solve a global problem.

They brainstormed local solutions and noticed storm drains on their campus clogged with plastic bags and bottles.

Fourth to sixth graders decided they could solve that problem right on their campus.

They cleaned the storm drains and created murals on the ground with PSAs like 'Don't pollute our waters' in bright colors on 14 storm drains.

This public awareness project impacts waterways, animals, and plant life. I love how her kids think beyond themselves and how their choices impact much more.

That ownership from ideation to execution is huge given the layers and levels of thinking and academic connections happening throughout their day.

When talking with educators, some might misunderstand STEAM or not know where the acronym fits with other things they do.

Where do educators sometimes misunderstand STEAM, especially as technology and AI become more common?

Early in my career, I did a talk in Toronto focused on science, technology, and math, but the school was starting a STEAM initiative.

Afterwards, two teachers said that was great but they teach language arts, so STEAM isn't their thing.

That was a dagger to my reading heart because I don't want teachers of English to feel disenfranchised.

Teachers need to find how STEAM makes sense to them regardless of their subject.

I met with librarians dabbling in makerspace activities who felt on the fringe of this learning.

We talked about how book choices can lift topics like creating for social good or highlight inventors, designers, and artists.

I'm a fan of Adobe Express, which uses generative AI creatively for kids to make public service announcements, infographics, and imagery about STEM and STEAM learning.

Some educators haven't found their way into this learning yet, but my message is it doesn't matter what the acronym says.

It's about meaningful, connected opportunities. Whether you connect engineering and math or the artistic and humanity side of STEAM, there's a place for every educator to find value and deliver that to students.

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As you describe those connections, identifying pieces makes the entry point more doable for educators who might feel they have to do all the things or address all the letters.

Starting by making connections is a wonderful way to enter this work.

You also do work with robotics and mentioned the literacy connection to STEAM experiences generally.

Can you tell us how robotics can support literacy and math goals? Sometimes it's just thought of as coding.

There are many cool robotics tools kids can try.

I led the robotics summit at FETC this past year and saw amazing educators and vendors sharing ways to pull all subject areas in.

I love Kai's Education, which has cool tabletop robotics, some no-device needed, including Literacy Kitchen.

It's amazing for young learners working on reading comprehension and vocabulary through coding games.

I also like Ozobots, where kids use robots with stickers or markers to draw patterns.

I saw a classroom where kids drew robot patterns overlaying a story they had to retell in language arts.

Teachers integrate robotics not as standalone but connected to content.

Sphero builds science and social studies content into their programs.

Teachers have aha moments seeing how to use robotics in social studies and other subjects.

Everyone is finding the robotics tool that fits them and making meaningful connections to content and standards.

These tools offer new hands-on opportunities for kids to engage and find passion.

Those examples give educators a great starting place to connect curriculum or student interests and investigate deeper.

For school or district leaders listening, how can they design schedules to make room for interdisciplinary STEAM work and support teachers?

That's individualized. I've worked with schools pursuing STEM magnet designation, which is a process.

As a principal and assistant superintendent, I built programs and think teacher voice is key in planning.

I brainstorm with schools to find what makes sense and where opportunities exist.

Leaders should create time and space for teachers to explore what might work. There's no one right answer.

A local high school near me has 'what I need' periods around lunch where kids pursue passions like robotics, knitting, yoga, or physical activities.

Leadership carved out these opportunities and allowed teachers to offer activities even if they aren't experts.

Being open to possibilities is most important.

Time is tight with core curriculum and assessments, but when students do something they're deeply interested in, you see joy.

STEAM can happen in makerspaces, libraries, or outside in community gardens promoting environmental literacy.

Any way leaders can create these opportunities, you'll see the difference in students' smiles.

Flexibility to identify existing capabilities and listen to stakeholders' interests helps fit STEAM into busy school weeks and days.

You mentioned tools and trends in the field. As we move through 2026, are there emerging tools or trends educators should keep on their radar?

Obviously, we must mention AI.

Many teachers are exploring what AI means for them and their spaces.

I've been leading talks encouraging putting AI tools in students' hands to be creative.

There are concerns about plagiarism, but tools like Adobe Express or Canva let kids explore generative AI creatively.

Have you tried animated drawings? It's a meta tool where kids draw humanoid figures on paper, upload pictures, and get animations in 60 seconds.

I used it with third graders who created characters, then wrote stories about them, excited to write because they created the characters.

I encourage teachers to find AI tools that work for them and put them in kids' hands for creativity.

Another trend to watch is career focus.

There's a lot happening in STEM careers, and entrepreneurship is a growing area.

STEM can be a springboard to entrepreneurship, whether creating inventions or starting businesses.

Students find problems and design products or services, then consider profit and marketing.

I want to mention Yippee Exchange, a privately funded platform where educators create accounts and earn points to buy products, lessons, resources, field trips, and guest speakers around entrepreneurship.

It's a cool platform helping kids explore innovation and ideation leading to career paths they might not have considered.

Where can people connect with you and learn more about your work and books?

They can find me on social media at Dr. Jacie Maslyk on most platforms, check out my website steam-makers.com named after my book, find my books on Amazon, or email me at JacieMaslyk@gmail.com for coaching or PD.

Thank you so much for your time, resources, and actionable information today.

It was so much fun chatting with you.

If you are interested in STEAM education, Dr. Jacie Maslyk is a go-to resource and must follow.

Make sure to get in touch with her and learn more about her books and publications.

Let's finish up with a few key points and takeaways from the conversation.

First, STEAM education has shifted from focusing on tools and stuff to deeper design thinking and collaboration skills.

Every educator can find an entry point into STEAM regardless of subject area or the letters in the acronym.

Entrepreneurship is a growing trend in STEAM that helps students build transferable skills for future careers.

Connecting STEAM to social good helps students think beyond themselves and understand how their choices impact communities.

Remember to check the description where you're listening to follow along and check out Dr. Jacie Maslyk's work around STEAM and education.

Thanks for tuning in to today's conversation and a big thank you to Jotform, the presenter of today's episode.

To learn more about Jotform and how educational institutions can get a 30% discount on Jotform Enterprise, head to Jotform.com slash enterprise slash education.