Empowering Civic Engagement in K12 Classrooms: A Conversation with Vienna Mott (Poliquicks)

Vienna Mott, CEO of Poliquicks, discusses the importance of civic education and the role of technology in engaging students in politics. She highlights the need for accessible and transparent political information and the lack of funding for civic education. Mott emphasizes the importance of personalized and engaging approaches to teaching civics, using technology to make political topics more relatable and understandable for students. She also discusses the launch of Poliquicks, a non-partisan political education app, and its potential to support civic education in schools. If you are a new listener to TeacherCast, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Conversation Takeaways

• Civic education is often underfunded and lacks engaging content, making it important to find interesting ways to implement it in schools.
• Technology, such as apps like Poliquicks, can make political information more accessible and transparent for students.
• Personalized and relatable approaches to teaching civics can help students understand the impact of politics and how they can make a difference.
• AI and technology are rapidly evolving fields, and it is important for educators to stay updated and teach students about responsible AI use.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background of Vienna Mott
• 02:09 Introducing Poliquicks: A Non-Partisan Political Education App
• 03:47 The Importance of Civic Education and Funding
• 06:14 The Need for Comprehensive Civics Education
• 07:42 Launching Poliquicks and Supporting School Districts
• 10:03 Lessons Learned as an Entrepreneur
• 12:15 Advice for Educators in the New School Year
• 13:53 Recognizing and Nurturing Different Student Interests
• 18:16 Vienna's Interest in Car Racing
• 21:23 Making STEM Education Accessible for All Students
• 26:16 Teaching Artificial Intelligence and Preparing Students for the Future
• 30:09 Using AI Responsibly and Staying Updated
• 32:20 Final Thoughts and Advice for Teachers

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About our Guest: Vienna Mott

Vienna Mott holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering, an MS in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA. As CEO of Poliquicks, she is passionate about increasing political engagement and social impact through education. She has published several scientific journal articles and holds technical patents. She was highlighted in Time Magazine's Top 100 Inventions of the Year, won the Young Research Scientist Award, and has been an invited speaker at multiple conferences. She has dedicated much of her free time to tutoring and mentorship. Outside of this, she enjoys traveling, racing cars, and spending time with her partner and family.

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