Blue Ridge ECHO

07/25/2026

We continued to be thrilled to produce these programs. If you know of anyone who would like to financially support their production, please let us know.

When Kyle Wright was selected to be a contestant on the hit show "W...

07/23/2026

Three cheers to the folks in Staunton, Virginia who had the vision to welcome the American Shakespeare Center to town. We visited as part of the new season of the Emmy Award Winning arts series, Virginia Roots. Link to full video in comments.

07/15/2026

One of our favorite (and Emmy winning!) projects of the year is producing Virginia Roots, an Arts series that tackles a different topic each year for use in Middle and High School Art classes. This year we traveled to 5 iconic theaters in the Commonwealth to learn what makes them special while teaching kids theater vocabulary and career possibilities. In the first episode we visit two spots where Shakespeare shows are being presented much as they would have been during the Bard's time. All of them can be seen on the Virginia Roots Playlist on ECHO (link in comments).

06/25/2026

Fit Connection host Stevie Ray Gray and Rich Ingram of Virginia Beach Schools get tubular!On the latest episode of the Fit Connection podcast, we visit Virginia Beach to learn how one PE teacher is making connections and teaching life skills through a surfing club that started at one school and is now spreading throughout coastal Virginia!
Link in comments.

05/27/2026

Schools, businesses and individuals are all in danger of large and small scale cyber attacks, and yet training IT staff to fight them can be difficult. The Virginia Cyber Range offers all kinds of training in a secure environment where strategies can be learned and tested without putting you at risk of infecting an entire network, and it's the subject of the latest episode of our ActiVAtED Learning Podcast. Link in comments!

03/04/2026

What a treat to sit down with the Vanover family from Wise County and learn how committed parents helped their dyslexic son get back on track when it comes to reading. You can watch or listen to the podcast by visiting www.activatedlearningpodcast.com.

02/19/2026

There’s a new ActiVAtED Learning podcast for anyone interested in educational technology! , Virginia Department of Education - VDOE

02/08/2026

We are so happy to share more stories from Hoot and Holler: Our Stories. Out Loud. The "Haunted" show from October features spooky songs, ghost stories, and unexplained phenomena. Thanks to Lee Hunsaker for bringing these stories to the stage. Link to individual stories in comments.

01/22/2026

Are you a teacher looking for a little motivation and inspiration? Then the latest episode of the ActiVAtED Learning Podcast is here for you! Host Tom Landon sat down with the 2026 Virginia Teacher of the Year Matthew Neale to learn why he switched from being a lawyer to teaching at Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke County Public Schools. Link to video in comments! ,

01/08/2026

A new season of our podcast focused on educational technology and amazing educators launches today with a conversation with two Instructional Technology Resource Teachers talking about the 20th anniversary of their presence in Virginia classrooms. New episodes every two weeks, with future topics to include best practices for AI in education, eSports, helping kids with dyslexia and more! Link to more info in the comments!