April 10, 2025 • 22 mins
Worried about too much screen time for your kids or students? Discover how the Who Smarted podcast is helping parents and teachers bring back curiosity, focus, and fun — without a screen in sight.
In this episode, Jerry Kolber, co-founder of Atomic Entertainment and creator of Who Smarted, shares how his wildly popular educational podcast (with over 3 million downloads!) is changing the game. Learn how short, engaging, screen-free episodes are being used in classrooms and homes to spark learning, boost retention, and cut down on screen addiction.
🎧 Why kids engage more with audio than reading
📚 How teachers use podcasts as screen-free learning tools
🧠 The science behind audio comprehension & learning
🎉 Why Who Smarted feels like entertainment but delivers real education
✅ Whether you're a parent looking for healthier habits or an educator searching for creative teaching tools, this is your go-to solution.
📌 Learn more about ad-free classroom use: whosmarted.com
💡 This episode is CPD accredited!
Educators can now earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) minutes by listening. To claim your certificate:
- Listen to the full episode
- Visit https://thecpd.group/podcast
- Enter code 800059 to check in and download your certificate
Continue your professional growth—one episode at a time.
Great News! The Brighter Side of Education is now CPD Accredited!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
Head to the show notes to find if this episode is CPD eligible and details on how to claim your CPD certification!
Sponsored by Dr. Gregg Hassler Jr., DMD
Trusted dental care for healthy smiles and stronger communities—building brighter futures daily.
If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, email me at lisa@drlisahassler.com or visit www.drlisahassler.com. Subscribe, tell a friend, and consider becoming a supporter by clicking the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2048018/support.
The music in this podcast was written and performed by Brandon Picciolini of the Lonesome Family Band. Visit and follow him on Instagram.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (00:00):
In today's digital age, screen time is an
increasingly prevalent concernfor parents and educators alike.
But could podcasts offer asolution to the detrimental
effects of too much screen usage?
Welcome to the brighter side ofeducation, research, innovation
(00:25):
and resources.
I'm your host, dr Lisa Hassler,here to enlighten and brighten
the classrooms in Americathrough focused conversation on
important topics in education.
In each episode, I discussproblems we as teachers and
parents are facing and whatpeople are doing in their
communities to fix it.
What are the variables and howcan we duplicate it to maximize
(00:45):
student outcomes?
In today's episode, we exploreaudio-based educational podcasts
as an engaging, screen-freelearning alternative.
According to the AmericanAcademy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, children ages 8 to12 in the United States spend an
average of 4 to 6 hours per dayusing screens, while teens
(01:07):
spend up to 9 hours.
This excessive screen time hasbeen linked to a range of issues
, including sleep problems,lower academic performance, less
time spent with family andfriends, reduced physical
activity and even mood andself-image concerns.
Activity and even mood andself-image concerns.
A recent study published inScientific Reports by Dr John
(01:29):
Hutton and colleagues atCincinnati Children's Hospital
sheds new light on the impact ofdigital media use on young
children's brain development.
The research, which involvedMRI scans of 52 healthy children
aged 3 to 5, found that higheramounts of screen time were
associated with lower measuresof brain structure and areas
responsible for skills such aslanguage development, literacy
(01:52):
and social abilities.
As Dr Hutton notes, thesefindings of differences in brain
structure related to higherdigital media use are especially
important because the brain isgrowing so rapidly before age
five and is exquisitelysensitive to experiences.
He advises parents to limitscreen time, especially at young
(02:12):
ages, and encourages analogactivities like reading, talking
and creative play.
So how can we balance therealities of a digital age with
the developmental needs ofchildren?
One promising solution is theuse of audio-based podcasts as
an educational tool.
Unlike video-based media,audio-based podcasts remove the
visual stimuli that can be socaptivating and potentially
(02:35):
detrimental to young minds.
At the same time, well-craftededucational podcasts can provide
engaging, informative contentthat stimulates children's
imagination and curiosity.
Now, on that note, I'm thrilledto introduce our guest for
today's episode, jerry Kolber.
Jerry is the co-founder ofAtomic Entertainment and the
creative force behind the hugelypopular children's podcast who
(02:58):
Smarted.
Now with a career spanningtelevision and streaming content
for networks like Disney, hbo,national Geographic and more.
Jerry has brought his passionfor storytelling and education
to the world of podcasting.
Now, in just one year, whoSmarted has already hit an
impressive 3 million downloads,a testament to Jerry's ability
to make learning fun andaccessible for kids and parents
(03:21):
alike.
Hi, jerry, welcome to the show.
We are so excited to have youhere to share your insights on
how to use podcasts as aneducational tool and an
alternative to screen time.
Jerry Kolber (03:33):
Awesome.
Thank you so much for having mehere.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (03:36):
So tell us about who Smarted, what inspired
you to create this type of apodcast and what makes it unique
in the world of children'seducational media.
Jerry Kolber (03:45):
Sure, yeah.
So who's Smarted is the onlythree times weekly 15 minute
podcast for families.
It comes out three times a weekand every episode is 15 minutes
or less and it uses a trustynarrator character who takes the
kids and the parents on anadventure through a single topic
.
It's a science topic, historytopic, cultural topic, and then
(04:07):
gives like little facts andexciting little journeys along
the way.
Everything in the world of whoSmarted can talk.
So we have lots of charactervoices and it's a lot like
watching a cartoon, but withoutthe screen.
And that's kind of the key towhy we created it was.
We've been making a lot of TVshows for families educational
shows for National Geographicand Netflix but they were all
(04:29):
you know TV and video.
And during the pandemic, when werealized kids were on their
screens all day, from waking up,playing games, watching TV on
Zoom, doing homework online,watching TV at night, we just as
because of the work we do withkids and families, we know that
excessive screen time isnegative, it's harmful for kids,
and so we saw an opportunity.
(04:51):
Since we weren't able to shootany TV shows, we were like well,
this is a great time to make apodcast for families and just
help create something fun andexciting that was as fun as the
stuff online and on screens, butthat was audio only to give
kids a break from the screensthat parents and teachers could
feel good about and maybe evenparticipate in.
And so that's how who Smartedwas born, and it became so
(05:14):
popular that even as things wentback to normal, you know, and
as the pandemic ended, it hadtaken on a life of its own and
it just became this giantpodcast that's used now in
thousands of classrooms aroundthe country and we have almost
700,000 listeners a month.
So, yeah, it's become thiswonderfully impactful project.
(05:36):
That's become a core of what wedo here.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (05:38):
I love the topics.
I listened to why Do you Yawn?
And I thought, well, I want toknow about this too, and so it's
fascinating and fun as an adultto even listen to it.
I love how they're bite-sizedand you just make it amusing and
engaging with the sound effectsand the quizzes.
It's fun for an adult and achild.
Jerry Kolber (05:59):
That makes me so happy to hear you say that
because, look, there's a lot ofgreat kids'.
To hear you say that because,look, there's a lot of great
kids video and audio out there,but a lot of it is really just
for kids.
You know where, like as aparent, you just don't want to
listen to it because it's notfun for adults.
And that's such a core ofeverything we do.
When we make stuff for kids, wereally think of it as making it
for the families, becausethere's nothing really cooler
(06:20):
than a parent listening in a carwith their kid to an episode of
one of our shows and thenhaving a conversation afterwards
, and for the parents people ourage and younger parents to feel
like they can enjoy the showtoo and get excited to listen
with their kids.
I love that, and so when I hearthat firsthand from somebody,
it makes me really, really happy, because we really wanted who's
(06:41):
Smarted to be fun for adultsand kids.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (06:44):
So how can parents and teachers use who's
Smarted to be fun for adults andkids?
So how can parents and teachersuse who's Smarted to be able to
support learning at home and inthe classroom?
Jerry Kolber (06:50):
Sure, a lot of parents will use who Smarted for
bedtime and car rides, as atreat during breaks, road trips.
You know it's an opportunity tohave something that's fun and
educational and really sparksthe kid's curiosity.
More formally, we know that ahuge percentage of our audience
are homeschool parents.
You know running the gamut fromfaith-based homeschool to
(07:13):
parents who just want to teachtheir kids at home, who don't
have a faith aspect.
But all of them tell us theyuse who's Smarted as a way to
introduce topics into theirhomeschool curriculum or as a
way to help settle the kids downafter lunch or taking a break,
because it's 15 minutes.
It just primes their minds tostart thinking, even if it's not
the topic they're necessarilystudying.
(07:33):
It just gets them excited tolearn.
And you know we're in thousandsand thousands of classrooms now
and the teachers tell us kindof the same thing.
Some of them use will use a whoSmarted episode as an
introduction to a topic, kind oftable set to get the kids
excited.
We have over five or 600episodes now, so there's pretty
much any topic you can imagine.
(07:54):
But often we hear fromclassroom teachers that they're
using it for transitional time,as a way to reset after recess
or between periods or you know,if there's been some sort of
assembly and you're trying toget the kids to settle back down
, that it's been accepted intoclassrooms because we have an ad
free version of it that weoffer to all educators for free.
So there's no concern aboutplaying ads in the classroom.
(08:16):
There's no politics or takingsides in our show, so it's just
a very easy, classroom safe wayto get kids to settle in and
listen.
So it's funny.
That was not necessarily ourintention when we made the show,
but when we started hearingfrom teachers that they were
using it that way, we're like,okay, that's really cool, that's
really cool.
We love that it that way.
We're like, okay, that's reallycool.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (08:35):
That's really cool.
We love that.
I could definitely see you havesuch a wide array of topics
that you could choose from.
That would be a wonderful wayto just get kids interested into
a topic, like you were saying,or even fun breaks like a treat
or a reward.
We'll listen to it if we canquiet down fast enough and we
have a few minutes.
I could see where they'd bereally excited about that In
your experience.
What kind of benefits canchildren gain from engaging in
(08:59):
educational podcasts like whoSmarted, and how do you think
that those differ or complementother learning resources?
Jerry Kolber (09:07):
We are a research-based company.
I mean, obviously we makeentertainment it's fun and
educational but behind all of itwe do research, and one of the
things that we found when wewere looking into making
podcasts is there is a lot ofresearch out there that shows
that kids are able to comprehendaudio at usually two to three
grade levels higher than theycan comprehend reading,
especially kids in this seven to10 age range that we're really
(09:29):
focused on.
So right away.
That's interesting because thatmeans that we can be delivering
material that is significantlymore complex in audio than they
would have if they're reading,and so that helps raise their
comprehension levels a lot.
The other two things that werereally interesting about audio
is number one.
The research also shows thatkids are much more likely to
engage in a conversation witheach other and with adults if
(09:52):
they learn something fromlistening than from reading.
Conversation with each otherand with adults if they learn
something from listening thanfrom reading.
So because they've experiencedthe material in more of a
conversational way, they're morelikely to then jump into a
conversation around it.
And then the other thing that'sreally interesting about audio
is it's so accessible, and thisis an issue we have with video.
We've made tons of educationalvideo.
We've made TV shows, you know,online videos, all that stuff.
(10:13):
The problem with all of that isyou need to be sitting
somewhere with a screen.
It's typically more like aone-on-one or two people
watching something, and then,especially in the classroom.
A lot of schools don't evenallow a lot of the websites that
have educational materials tobe played in classrooms.
You know, we've read into thatwhere teachers have asked why
can't we show brainchild in ourclassroom, like it's on Netflix,
and so that's the school thatblocks it.
(10:34):
And so one of the things we loveabout audio, besides the
comprehension levels, is, likeany kid, any family anywhere can
listen to it at any time.
It can be used in any classroom, anywhere.
It's very easy to access.
We have the ad free versionthat we offer to educators, but
the free version is anywhere youknow.
You can put it on your car,it's just easy.
It doesn't matter whatsocioeconomic level you're at or
(10:56):
where you are, so we love thefact that it's super accessible
for kids.
So that was a big part of it aswell.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (11:03):
When you were talking about the listening
component, I had not consideredthe conversation style and how
children would engage in aconversation more.
I think that's reallyinteresting.
When I did teach first andsecond grade, I would always
advise parents, as a way toincrease their comprehension
levels, to listen to audio booksat least one or two levels
(11:25):
above their reading level, andso when I hear that the podcast
can do the same thing, it makessense that children would be
able to listen to audio at ahigher level and comprehend that
.
And also what I had noticed isin the classrooms, many children
were having a difficult timewith listening skills, and I
(11:45):
think that by listening topodcasts and audio books it
heightens your listening, helpsyou focus, maybe, so that's
another advantage.
Jerry Kolber (11:54):
Yeah, for sure.
I mean that ties in so muchwith also just developing
critical thinking skills, whichis often challenging for kids.
I mean, kids are bombarded withso much information and content
and media that they sometimesdon't even have the time to stop
and process and assess whatthey're taking in.
And so, whether it's our showor any other podcast or anything
(12:15):
else that does create in, andso whether it's our show or any
other podcast or anything elsethat does create that kind of
focus, it's like you said, likeit's an amazing ability to focus
and then actually think andprocess.
It's very important that wecontinue making sure that that's
happening for kids.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (12:30):
Many parents struggle to turn everyday
moments into learningopportunities.
What advice do you have formaking learning a natural,
enjoyable part of family life?
Jerry Kolber (12:41):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean, one of the things thatwe know we hear a lot from
parents is their kids ask somany questions and that's
natural.
I mean, kids are just naturallycurious.
But a lot of parents don'tnecessarily have the bandwidth
for that, like you know.
They get frustrated oroverwhelmed, like you know
enough with the questions kindof thing, and so we advise
people.
(13:01):
You know, if your kid's asking alot of questions, it's actually
a great thing, and if you don'tknow the answers, that's also
great, because maybe you get alittle notebook for your kids
and say tell you what, writedown your questions or put it in
their phone or whatever, ifthey have a phone and then find
some time to sit with them 30minutes, 45 minutes and actually
explore those questionstogether.
Right, so go into Google orwhatever your search engine of
(13:24):
choice is, and start to explorethe answers to those questions.
So you're honoring the question, saying let's, let's actually
take the time to exploretogether.
And they might have 15questions on the list.
You might only get through oneand go down 17 rabbit holes, but
it also gives you theopportunity to make memories
with them and teach them how tothink critically about sources
(13:45):
as well, which is important,right?
So, obviously, like, somesources are going to be weighed
more heavily than others, sothat's a very simple thing.
We suggest is just, you know,find time to let your kids drive
like an online research sessionon a topic of their choice,
with you there to assist andmonitor.
Let them drive it.
It's such a great way to honortheir curiosity and then also
(14:07):
start to build their ownconfidence in their abilities to
do research.
That's my number one tip Keepit simple, Keep it fun.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (14:13):
And it's helping with their writing
skills.
It's also teaching them somepatience.
How do I write this down?
How do I word this?
Really thinking about it, andwho knows, they could end up
writing stories about it ordrawing pictures about it.
So that ends up being kind ofmore valuable than the parent
being able to answer itsometimes.
Jerry Kolber (14:31):
I agree.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (14:32):
Gamification has become really busy in the
world of education.
We hear it around a lot.
People are trying to makegamification lessons.
We've got things like Kahoot,you know, for gamification in
the classroom as a way to helpkids engage with even studying,
and so how do you incorporatethose game-like elements into
who's Smarted, and why do youthink the approach has become so
(14:54):
effective?
Jerry Kolber (14:55):
Well, I think, look, we're obsessed with games.
I like playing games.
I like reading about games.
I'm the nerd who will like reada book that settled.
You know theories and practicesof game design.
I'm really into games and howthey work.
The simplest way to put it isthat games are an opportunity to
see how we're doing right.
It's a way to see how wemeasure up, and the best kind of
(15:17):
games for kids, in our opinion,are the ones that have no
stakes.
We have games in who's Smartedthat you play when you're
listening to the show.
You play along with it, butthere's no stakes.
We don't tell you you're doinggood or bad.
It's just an opportunity totest yourself and test your
listening skills.
It's just a self kind ofassessment sort of thing.
And so the thing that we loveabout incorporating those little
(15:41):
games is, once a kid listens toone episode of who's Smarter,
they know those are coming andso it actually makes them listen
better because they want to dowell, they want to be able to
answer those quizzes.
It's a little bit of a buriedpiece of psychology in there,
but the anticipation, we knowthat kids will.
You know this is part of theresearch we do.
You know, like once kids knowthat's coming, they're going to
listen and pay more attentionbecause they want to make sure
(16:04):
they know the answer when thequizzes come.
But if they don't, we don'tmake them feel bad, it's just
like no problem, let's just keepgoing.
So we, we love building gameslike that in, and you know,
almost in every project we dohere at Atomic, whether it's
that show or like we do anothershow for kids a little bit older
, like nine to 11, calledMysteries About True Histories.
That is a scripted show aboutthese two kids who explore the
(16:27):
world and help solve problems,and problem solving is baked
right into the narrative of thatshow.
So in that case the games arepart of the actual thing that
the characters in the show aredoing.
But we give enough time for thekids who are listening to.
If they want to play along andsolve the problems, they can,
and if they don't want to, theycan just listen and enjoy it.
So that's how we think.
(16:48):
We think of games as just adriver of interest and a way to
keep kids really focused andlistening and developing their
own critical thinking skills.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (16:57):
Kids really focused and listening and
developing their own criticalthinking skills.
One of the great things aboutyour podcast is that it does
spark all of those meaningfulconversations, whether it's
about something interestingthat's going on in their body,
like yawning, or something thatwould be maybe historical, and,
of course, the mysteries is partof the fun and the challenge
that can kind of go intomotivating that engagement.
(17:19):
So how can families use whoSmarted as a springboard for
those deeper discussions aboutscience, history and culture?
Jerry Kolber (17:26):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean we just encouragefamilies to listen to the show
together in a car or taking abreak in the afternoon, or, you
know, if you listen with yourkids, then you are going to have
an opportunity to not only hearwhat's most interesting to them
, but then to have thatconversation afterwards, and
that's just the simplest way todo it.
We, you know, honestly, wedon't make it any more complex
(17:49):
than that.
Like parents, teachers, haveenough on their plate.
We don't build a whole likeframework of things, just like
listen to the show, have funlistening, and if you want to
explore afterwards and see wherethose little rabbit holes lead
you and your kids, that'sfantastic, that's a win for us.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (18:06):
It's always fun when kids get to walk away
with something that they can asksomebody else and feel like
they've gained a little nuggetof knowledge, like the yawning.
It's like, hey, do you know whyyou yawn?
Well, I do.
And they love to feel like theyknow something and then they
can share that and become likelittle masters of it and impress
all the adults in their livesLike, did you know?
(18:27):
My five-year-old knows how theyyawn.
You know all wonderful thingsthat we want our kids to do.
Jerry Kolber (18:33):
Yes.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (18:33):
Yeah Well, thank you so much for joining us
today and sharing yourremarkable work with who Smarted
, and your passion for creatingengaging educational content
that sparks children's curiosityis very inspiring.
I know our listeners are goingto be very excited to explore
your resources with thoseeducational podcasts like who
(18:53):
Smarted and what is the next one?
That's Mysteries AboutHistories, and then you've got
another one with puzzles.
You were saying something aboutthe ant in this story.
Jerry Kolber (19:01):
Yep yeah, mysteries About True Histories.
Aunt Murgatroyd has her ownlittle spinoff logic show.
But the one thing I willmention is for your educators
listening, because we know a lotof educators do like to use who
Smarted in the classroom astransitional or to help with
lessons.
We do offer totally free forlife subscription to our who
Smarted Plus ad-free version ofthe show.
(19:22):
Usually there's an annualcharge for it.
We have worked with some of ourbackers to offer that
completely free to educators sothey can use it free in the
classroom with no ads and getall the bonus material.
And it's really simple.
You just go to whosmartedcom,okay, click on educators and you
just enter your email and youget the immediate link and
(19:44):
you're good to go.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (19:45):
Wonderful.
What kind of resources.
Jerry Kolber (19:47):
So we have, besides the ad-free version, we
actually have additionalepisodes on that feed that
aren't available on the freefeed.
And then we also have aSmartyQs, which is every month.
We take questions from theaudience, and sometimes those
come from classrooms, sometimesthey come from parents and kids
at home, and we actually answertheir questions in a special
episode called SmartyQs.
That only exists in thatad-free version.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:10):
Oh my gosh.
Well, I want to sign up rightaway, and this sounds amazing.
Jerry Kolber (20:14):
So fun.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:15):
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all
that you're doing and for makingeducational podcasts like this
so engaging and what a wonderfulresource.
So thank you.
Jerry Kolber (20:23):
Thanks, thanks for having me on Appreciate it.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:31):
Inspired by today's discussion, start
exploring screen-free learningresources and educational
podcasts to enhance listeningskills and spark their
imaginations.
If you have a story aboutwhat's working in your schools
that you'd like to share, youcan email me at lisa at
drlisahasslercom, or visit mywebsite at wwwdrlisahasslercom
and send me a message.
If you like this podcast,subscribe and tell a friend.
(20:51):
The more people that know, thebigger impact it will have.
And if you find value to thecontent in this podcast,
consider becoming a supporter byclicking on the supporter link
in the show notes.
It is the mission of thispodcast to shine light on the
good in education so that itspreads, affecting positive
change.
So let's keep working togetherto find solutions that focus on
(21:11):
our children's success.
In today's digital age, screen time is an
increasingly prevalent concernfor parents and educators alike.
But could podcasts offer asolution to the detrimental
effects of too much screen usage?
Welcome to the brighter side ofeducation, research, innovation
(00:25):
and resources.
I'm your host, dr Lisa Hassler,here to enlighten and brighten
the classrooms in Americathrough focused conversation on
important topics in education.
In each episode, I discussproblems we as teachers and
parents are facing and whatpeople are doing in their
communities to fix it.
What are the variables and howcan we duplicate it to maximize
(00:45):
student outcomes?
In today's episode, we exploreaudio-based educational podcasts
as an engaging, screen-freelearning alternative.
According to the AmericanAcademy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, children ages 8 to12 in the United States spend an
average of 4 to 6 hours per dayusing screens, while teens
(01:07):
spend up to 9 hours.
This excessive screen time hasbeen linked to a range of issues
, including sleep problems,lower academic performance, less
time spent with family andfriends, reduced physical
activity and even mood andself-image concerns.
Activity and even mood andself-image concerns.
A recent study published inScientific Reports by Dr John
(01:29):
Hutton and colleagues atCincinnati Children's Hospital
sheds new light on the impact ofdigital media use on young
children's brain development.
The research, which involvedMRI scans of 52 healthy children
aged 3 to 5, found that higheramounts of screen time were
associated with lower measuresof brain structure and areas
responsible for skills such aslanguage development, literacy
(01:52):
and social abilities.
As Dr Hutton notes, thesefindings of differences in brain
structure related to higherdigital media use are especially
important because the brain isgrowing so rapidly before age
five and is exquisitelysensitive to experiences.
He advises parents to limitscreen time, especially at young
(02:12):
ages, and encourages analogactivities like reading, talking
and creative play.
So how can we balance therealities of a digital age with
the developmental needs ofchildren?
One promising solution is theuse of audio-based podcasts as
an educational tool.
Unlike video-based media,audio-based podcasts remove the
visual stimuli that can be socaptivating and potentially
(02:35):
detrimental to young minds.
At the same time, well-craftededucational podcasts can provide
engaging, informative contentthat stimulates children's
imagination and curiosity.
Now, on that note, I'm thrilledto introduce our guest for
today's episode, jerry Kolber.
Jerry is the co-founder ofAtomic Entertainment and the
creative force behind the hugelypopular children's podcast who
(02:58):
Smarted.
Now with a career spanningtelevision and streaming content
for networks like Disney, hbo,national Geographic and more.
Jerry has brought his passionfor storytelling and education
to the world of podcasting.
Now, in just one year, whoSmarted has already hit an
impressive 3 million downloads,a testament to Jerry's ability
to make learning fun andaccessible for kids and parents
(03:21):
alike.
Hi, jerry, welcome to the show.
We are so excited to have youhere to share your insights on
how to use podcasts as aneducational tool and an
alternative to screen time.
Jerry Kolber (03:33):
Awesome.
Thank you so much for having mehere.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (03:36):
So tell us about who Smarted, what inspired
you to create this type of apodcast and what makes it unique
in the world of children'seducational media.
Jerry Kolber (03:45):
Sure, yeah.
So who's Smarted is the onlythree times weekly 15 minute
podcast for families.
It comes out three times a weekand every episode is 15 minutes
or less and it uses a trustynarrator character who takes the
kids and the parents on anadventure through a single topic
.
It's a science topic, historytopic, cultural topic, and then
(04:07):
gives like little facts andexciting little journeys along
the way.
Everything in the world of whoSmarted can talk.
So we have lots of charactervoices and it's a lot like
watching a cartoon, but withoutthe screen.
And that's kind of the key towhy we created it was.
We've been making a lot of TVshows for families educational
shows for National Geographicand Netflix but they were all
(04:29):
you know TV and video.
And during the pandemic, when werealized kids were on their
screens all day, from waking up,playing games, watching TV on
Zoom, doing homework online,watching TV at night, we just as
because of the work we do withkids and families, we know that
excessive screen time isnegative, it's harmful for kids,
and so we saw an opportunity.
(04:51):
Since we weren't able to shootany TV shows, we were like well,
this is a great time to make apodcast for families and just
help create something fun andexciting that was as fun as the
stuff online and on screens, butthat was audio only to give
kids a break from the screensthat parents and teachers could
feel good about and maybe evenparticipate in.
And so that's how who Smartedwas born, and it became so
(05:14):
popular that even as things wentback to normal, you know, and
as the pandemic ended, it hadtaken on a life of its own and
it just became this giantpodcast that's used now in
thousands of classrooms aroundthe country and we have almost
700,000 listeners a month.
So, yeah, it's become thiswonderfully impactful project.
(05:36):
That's become a core of what wedo here.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (05:38):
I love the topics.
I listened to why Do you Yawn?
And I thought, well, I want toknow about this too, and so it's
fascinating and fun as an adultto even listen to it.
I love how they're bite-sizedand you just make it amusing and
engaging with the sound effectsand the quizzes.
It's fun for an adult and achild.
Jerry Kolber (05:59):
That makes me so happy to hear you say that
because, look, there's a lot ofgreat kids'.
To hear you say that because,look, there's a lot of great
kids video and audio out there,but a lot of it is really just
for kids.
You know where, like as aparent, you just don't want to
listen to it because it's notfun for adults.
And that's such a core ofeverything we do.
When we make stuff for kids, wereally think of it as making it
for the families, becausethere's nothing really cooler
(06:20):
than a parent listening in a carwith their kid to an episode of
one of our shows and thenhaving a conversation afterwards
, and for the parents people ourage and younger parents to feel
like they can enjoy the showtoo and get excited to listen
with their kids.
I love that, and so when I hearthat firsthand from somebody,
it makes me really, really happy, because we really wanted who's
(06:41):
Smarted to be fun for adultsand kids.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (06:44):
So how can parents and teachers use who's
Smarted to be fun for adults andkids?
So how can parents and teachersuse who's Smarted to be able to
support learning at home and inthe classroom?
Jerry Kolber (06:50):
Sure, a lot of parents will use who Smarted for
bedtime and car rides, as atreat during breaks, road trips.
You know it's an opportunity tohave something that's fun and
educational and really sparksthe kid's curiosity.
More formally, we know that ahuge percentage of our audience
are homeschool parents.
You know running the gamut fromfaith-based homeschool to
(07:13):
parents who just want to teachtheir kids at home, who don't
have a faith aspect.
But all of them tell us theyuse who's Smarted as a way to
introduce topics into theirhomeschool curriculum or as a
way to help settle the kids downafter lunch or taking a break,
because it's 15 minutes.
It just primes their minds tostart thinking, even if it's not
the topic they're necessarilystudying.
(07:33):
It just gets them excited tolearn.
And you know we're in thousandsand thousands of classrooms now
and the teachers tell us kindof the same thing.
Some of them use will use a whoSmarted episode as an
introduction to a topic, kind oftable set to get the kids
excited.
We have over five or 600episodes now, so there's pretty
much any topic you can imagine.
(07:54):
But often we hear fromclassroom teachers that they're
using it for transitional time,as a way to reset after recess
or between periods or you know,if there's been some sort of
assembly and you're trying toget the kids to settle back down
, that it's been accepted intoclassrooms because we have an ad
free version of it that weoffer to all educators for free.
So there's no concern aboutplaying ads in the classroom.
(08:16):
There's no politics or takingsides in our show, so it's just
a very easy, classroom safe wayto get kids to settle in and
listen.
So it's funny.
That was not necessarily ourintention when we made the show,
but when we started hearingfrom teachers that they were
using it that way, we're like,okay, that's really cool, that's
really cool.
We love that it that way.
We're like, okay, that's reallycool.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (08:35):
That's really cool.
We love that.
I could definitely see you havesuch a wide array of topics
that you could choose from.
That would be a wonderful wayto just get kids interested into
a topic, like you were saying,or even fun breaks like a treat
or a reward.
We'll listen to it if we canquiet down fast enough and we
have a few minutes.
I could see where they'd bereally excited about that In
your experience.
What kind of benefits canchildren gain from engaging in
(08:59):
educational podcasts like whoSmarted, and how do you think
that those differ or complementother learning resources?
Jerry Kolber (09:07):
We are a research-based company.
I mean, obviously we makeentertainment it's fun and
educational but behind all of itwe do research, and one of the
things that we found when wewere looking into making
podcasts is there is a lot ofresearch out there that shows
that kids are able to comprehendaudio at usually two to three
grade levels higher than theycan comprehend reading,
especially kids in this seven to10 age range that we're really
(09:29):
focused on.
So right away.
That's interesting because thatmeans that we can be delivering
material that is significantlymore complex in audio than they
would have if they're reading,and so that helps raise their
comprehension levels a lot.
The other two things that werereally interesting about audio
is number one.
The research also shows thatkids are much more likely to
engage in a conversation witheach other and with adults if
(09:52):
they learn something fromlistening than from reading.
Conversation with each otherand with adults if they learn
something from listening thanfrom reading.
So because they've experiencedthe material in more of a
conversational way, they're morelikely to then jump into a
conversation around it.
And then the other thing that'sreally interesting about audio
is it's so accessible, and thisis an issue we have with video.
We've made tons of educationalvideo.
We've made TV shows, you know,online videos, all that stuff.
(10:13):
The problem with all of that isyou need to be sitting
somewhere with a screen.
It's typically more like aone-on-one or two people
watching something, and then,especially in the classroom.
A lot of schools don't evenallow a lot of the websites that
have educational materials tobe played in classrooms.
You know, we've read into thatwhere teachers have asked why
can't we show brainchild in ourclassroom, like it's on Netflix,
and so that's the school thatblocks it.
(10:34):
And so one of the things we loveabout audio, besides the
comprehension levels, is, likeany kid, any family anywhere can
listen to it at any time.
It can be used in any classroom, anywhere.
It's very easy to access.
We have the ad free versionthat we offer to educators, but
the free version is anywhere youknow.
You can put it on your car,it's just easy.
It doesn't matter whatsocioeconomic level you're at or
(10:56):
where you are, so we love thefact that it's super accessible
for kids.
So that was a big part of it aswell.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (11:03):
When you were talking about the listening
component, I had not consideredthe conversation style and how
children would engage in aconversation more.
I think that's reallyinteresting.
When I did teach first andsecond grade, I would always
advise parents, as a way toincrease their comprehension
levels, to listen to audio booksat least one or two levels
(11:25):
above their reading level, andso when I hear that the podcast
can do the same thing, it makessense that children would be
able to listen to audio at ahigher level and comprehend that
.
And also what I had noticed isin the classrooms, many children
were having a difficult timewith listening skills, and I
(11:45):
think that by listening topodcasts and audio books it
heightens your listening, helpsyou focus, maybe, so that's
another advantage.
Jerry Kolber (11:54):
Yeah, for sure.
I mean that ties in so muchwith also just developing
critical thinking skills, whichis often challenging for kids.
I mean, kids are bombarded withso much information and content
and media that they sometimesdon't even have the time to stop
and process and assess whatthey're taking in.
And so, whether it's our showor any other podcast or anything
(12:15):
else that does create in, andso whether it's our show or any
other podcast or anything elsethat does create that kind of
focus, it's like you said, likeit's an amazing ability to focus
and then actually think andprocess.
It's very important that wecontinue making sure that that's
happening for kids.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (12:30):
Many parents struggle to turn everyday
moments into learningopportunities.
What advice do you have formaking learning a natural,
enjoyable part of family life?
Jerry Kolber (12:41):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean, one of the things thatwe know we hear a lot from
parents is their kids ask somany questions and that's
natural.
I mean, kids are just naturallycurious.
But a lot of parents don'tnecessarily have the bandwidth
for that, like you know.
They get frustrated oroverwhelmed, like you know
enough with the questions kindof thing, and so we advise
people.
(13:01):
You know, if your kid's asking alot of questions, it's actually
a great thing, and if you don'tknow the answers, that's also
great, because maybe you get alittle notebook for your kids
and say tell you what, writedown your questions or put it in
their phone or whatever, ifthey have a phone and then find
some time to sit with them 30minutes, 45 minutes and actually
explore those questionstogether.
Right, so go into Google orwhatever your search engine of
(13:24):
choice is, and start to explorethe answers to those questions.
So you're honoring the question, saying let's, let's actually
take the time to exploretogether.
And they might have 15questions on the list.
You might only get through oneand go down 17 rabbit holes, but
it also gives you theopportunity to make memories
with them and teach them how tothink critically about sources
(13:45):
as well, which is important,right?
So, obviously, like, somesources are going to be weighed
more heavily than others, sothat's a very simple thing.
We suggest is just, you know,find time to let your kids drive
like an online research sessionon a topic of their choice,
with you there to assist andmonitor.
Let them drive it.
It's such a great way to honortheir curiosity and then also
(14:07):
start to build their ownconfidence in their abilities to
do research.
That's my number one tip Keepit simple, Keep it fun.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (14:13):
And it's helping with their writing
skills.
It's also teaching them somepatience.
How do I write this down?
How do I word this?
Really thinking about it, andwho knows, they could end up
writing stories about it ordrawing pictures about it.
So that ends up being kind ofmore valuable than the parent
being able to answer itsometimes.
Jerry Kolber (14:31):
I agree.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (14:32):
Gamification has become really busy in the
world of education.
We hear it around a lot.
People are trying to makegamification lessons.
We've got things like Kahoot,you know, for gamification in
the classroom as a way to helpkids engage with even studying,
and so how do you incorporatethose game-like elements into
who's Smarted, and why do youthink the approach has become so
(14:54):
effective?
Jerry Kolber (14:55):
Well, I think, look, we're obsessed with games.
I like playing games.
I like reading about games.
I'm the nerd who will like reada book that settled.
You know theories and practicesof game design.
I'm really into games and howthey work.
The simplest way to put it isthat games are an opportunity to
see how we're doing right.
It's a way to see how wemeasure up, and the best kind of
(15:17):
games for kids, in our opinion,are the ones that have no
stakes.
We have games in who's Smartedthat you play when you're
listening to the show.
You play along with it, butthere's no stakes.
We don't tell you you're doinggood or bad.
It's just an opportunity totest yourself and test your
listening skills.
It's just a self kind ofassessment sort of thing.
And so the thing that we loveabout incorporating those little
(15:41):
games is, once a kid listens toone episode of who's Smarter,
they know those are coming andso it actually makes them listen
better because they want to dowell, they want to be able to
answer those quizzes.
It's a little bit of a buriedpiece of psychology in there,
but the anticipation, we knowthat kids will.
You know this is part of theresearch we do.
You know, like once kids knowthat's coming, they're going to
listen and pay more attentionbecause they want to make sure
(16:04):
they know the answer when thequizzes come.
But if they don't, we don'tmake them feel bad, it's just
like no problem, let's just keepgoing.
So we, we love building gameslike that in, and you know,
almost in every project we dohere at Atomic, whether it's
that show or like we do anothershow for kids a little bit older
, like nine to 11, calledMysteries About True Histories.
That is a scripted show aboutthese two kids who explore the
(16:27):
world and help solve problems,and problem solving is baked
right into the narrative of thatshow.
So in that case the games arepart of the actual thing that
the characters in the show aredoing.
But we give enough time for thekids who are listening to.
If they want to play along andsolve the problems, they can,
and if they don't want to, theycan just listen and enjoy it.
So that's how we think.
(16:48):
We think of games as just adriver of interest and a way to
keep kids really focused andlistening and developing their
own critical thinking skills.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (16:57):
Kids really focused and listening and
developing their own criticalthinking skills.
One of the great things aboutyour podcast is that it does
spark all of those meaningfulconversations, whether it's
about something interestingthat's going on in their body,
like yawning, or something thatwould be maybe historical, and,
of course, the mysteries is partof the fun and the challenge
that can kind of go intomotivating that engagement.
(17:19):
So how can families use whoSmarted as a springboard for
those deeper discussions aboutscience, history and culture?
Jerry Kolber (17:26):
Yeah, that's a great question.
I mean we just encouragefamilies to listen to the show
together in a car or taking abreak in the afternoon, or, you
know, if you listen with yourkids, then you are going to have
an opportunity to not only hearwhat's most interesting to them
, but then to have thatconversation afterwards, and
that's just the simplest way todo it.
We, you know, honestly, wedon't make it any more complex
(17:49):
than that.
Like parents, teachers, haveenough on their plate.
We don't build a whole likeframework of things, just like
listen to the show, have funlistening, and if you want to
explore afterwards and see wherethose little rabbit holes lead
you and your kids, that'sfantastic, that's a win for us.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (18:06):
It's always fun when kids get to walk away
with something that they can asksomebody else and feel like
they've gained a little nuggetof knowledge, like the yawning.
It's like, hey, do you know whyyou yawn?
Well, I do.
And they love to feel like theyknow something and then they
can share that and become likelittle masters of it and impress
all the adults in their livesLike, did you know?
(18:27):
My five-year-old knows how theyyawn.
You know all wonderful thingsthat we want our kids to do.
Jerry Kolber (18:33):
Yes.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (18:33):
Yeah Well, thank you so much for joining us
today and sharing yourremarkable work with who Smarted
, and your passion for creatingengaging educational content
that sparks children's curiosityis very inspiring.
I know our listeners are goingto be very excited to explore
your resources with thoseeducational podcasts like who
(18:53):
Smarted and what is the next one?
That's Mysteries AboutHistories, and then you've got
another one with puzzles.
You were saying something aboutthe ant in this story.
Jerry Kolber (19:01):
Yep yeah, mysteries About True Histories.
Aunt Murgatroyd has her ownlittle spinoff logic show.
But the one thing I willmention is for your educators
listening, because we know a lotof educators do like to use who
Smarted in the classroom astransitional or to help with
lessons.
We do offer totally free forlife subscription to our who
Smarted Plus ad-free version ofthe show.
(19:22):
Usually there's an annualcharge for it.
We have worked with some of ourbackers to offer that
completely free to educators sothey can use it free in the
classroom with no ads and getall the bonus material.
And it's really simple.
You just go to whosmartedcom,okay, click on educators and you
just enter your email and youget the immediate link and
(19:44):
you're good to go.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (19:45):
Wonderful.
What kind of resources.
Jerry Kolber (19:47):
So we have, besides the ad-free version, we
actually have additionalepisodes on that feed that
aren't available on the freefeed.
And then we also have aSmartyQs, which is every month.
We take questions from theaudience, and sometimes those
come from classrooms, sometimesthey come from parents and kids
at home, and we actually answertheir questions in a special
episode called SmartyQs.
That only exists in thatad-free version.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:10):
Oh my gosh.
Well, I want to sign up rightaway, and this sounds amazing.
Jerry Kolber (20:14):
So fun.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:15):
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all
that you're doing and for makingeducational podcasts like this
so engaging and what a wonderfulresource.
So thank you.
Jerry Kolber (20:23):
Thanks, thanks for having me on Appreciate it.
Dr. Lisa Hassler (20:31):
Inspired by today's discussion, start
exploring screen-free learningresources and educational
podcasts to enhance listeningskills and spark their
imaginations.
If you have a story aboutwhat's working in your schools
that you'd like to share, youcan email me at lisa at
drlisahasslercom, or visit mywebsite at wwwdrlisahasslercom
and send me a message.
If you like this podcast,subscribe and tell a friend.
(20:51):
The more people that know, thebigger impact it will have.
And if you find value to thecontent in this podcast,
consider becoming a supporter byclicking on the supporter link
in the show notes.
It is the mission of thispodcast to shine light on the
good in education so that itspreads, affecting positive
change.
So let's keep working togetherto find solutions that focus on
(21:11):
our children's success.
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