Episode 306: Eirik Berre & Frikk Fossan

Episode 306: Unlocking Engagement in Education with Curipod

[00:00:30] Fonz: Hello everybody, and welcome to another great episode of My EdTech Life. Thank you so much for joining us on this wonderful day, wherever in the world you may be. Thank you, as always, for all of your support. We appreciate all the likes, shares, and follows, and thank you so much for engaging with our content.

We really appreciate it because we do what we do for you—to bring you amazing conversations and amazing guests, as you'll see in just a moment. Today, I get to introduce two wonderful gentlemen I had the pleasure of meeting about two years ago. I remember hearing about them, having them reach out to me, and then magically seeing them pop up at TCEA one year. I remember thinking, "Who are these guys with orange pants and blue shirts?" It was great getting to know them and telling them, "Hey, go talk to this person, and go talk to that person."

So it's been wonderful, and I'm excited to welcome to the show Eirik and Frikk from Curipod. How are you gentlemen doing today?

[00:01:42] Eirik: Great! Thank you so much for having us.

[00:01:45] Fonz: Yes, I'm excited to have a great conversation today. There's definitely a lot to talk about. I’ve seen so much success posted on socials about this amazing platform over the past year, and I want to dive into that. But before we get into the details, let’s start with brief introductions. Eirik, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself for our audience members who may not be familiar with you yet?

[00:02:20] Eirik: Sure! My name is Eirik, and I’m one of the co-founders of Curipod. I currently serve as the COO. For those who haven’t met me before, I usually introduce myself as having a “Hermione reflex” because I loved school. It was such a positive experience for me growing up in Norway. I even founded a Harry Potter club in high school that had over 600 members!

After high school, I got a scholarship to teach in Mozambique. When I returned to Norway, I met Jens, one of the smartest people I know and now a co-founder of Curipod. Jens had dropped out of high school, and I became curious about his experience. This curiosity eventually inspired the idea for Curipod: creating a tool to lower participation barriers for everyone in the classroom. Later, Jens introduced me to Frikk, and the three of us have been working together on Curipod ever since.

[00:04:01] Fonz: That’s amazing! Thank you, Eirik. Now, Frikk, tell us a little about yourself.

[00:04:15] Frikk: Sure! At Curipod, I lead the team responsible for designing and programming the platform. I’ve been a longtime friend of Jens, and I was there when he dropped out of high school. That experience stuck with me and sparked my passion for solving complex problems in education.

Personally, I did well in school, though I wouldn’t say I excelled. It wasn’t until university, while studying computer science and design, that I realized many of my professors didn’t explain why we were learning certain concepts. For instance, I took a difficult math class without understanding its relevance. Later, I discovered that it was foundational to machine learning and AI—tools we now use every day. This realization fueled my drive to help students understand the "why" behind their learning and follow their passions.

[00:07:08] Fonz: I love that both of your stories emphasize curiosity and the importance of lowering barriers to participation. Let’s shift gears a bit and dive into Curipod itself. Eirik, can you give us a brief overview of what Curipod is and how it enhances the learning environment?

[00:08:08] Eirik: Absolutely! In one sentence, Curipod lets you "feel the buzz of 100% participation with lessons and activities powered by AI." It’s a tool that covers the entire teaching journey—from creating lessons to delivering them in the classroom.

What sets Curipod apart is its focus on engagement. Many AI tools excel at creating content, but Curipod goes a step further by fostering classroom discussions. Activities are designed to lower the threshold for participation, making it easier for all students to contribute. The real magic happens during delivery: students engage in meaningful conversations, creating that buzz of on-task discussion that teachers love.

[00:10:06] Fonz: And that's something that's very powerful because you've hit on a couple of things. I know recently in a couple of episodes, we talked about amplifying student voice and lowering that threshold. Many times, and I speak from my experience, even having students that are emergent bilinguals, they may not feel very comfortable speaking or sharing.

And it's not that they don’t know the content; they just feel self-conscious about their pronunciation or other aspects. Having a platform or being able to give them a tool, like I did back when I was in the classroom—providing a Chromebook, letting them create a Google Slide or a graphic, and explaining that graphic—allows them to engage deeply. You still see that the student has mastered the content, and you can get insights into their thought processes. This also gives teachers the ability to adapt lessons and fix misconceptions as they observe participation.

I like how the platform delivers lessons. As you mentioned, the teacher can create a lesson or adapt an existing one. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Instead, you deliver it differently, continually checking for student engagement and allowing them to share in ways they’re comfortable with—whether verbalizing or typing in responses. This feedback loop is amazing, and I’ve seen it in action in classrooms in our district. It’s powerful to see students share with their peers and teachers, and it creates that buzz you mentioned.

Unlike some other applications that isolate students to work individually, Curipod emphasizes collaboration. Frikk, do you have any thoughts to add on this?

[00:12:26] Eirik: Just to bring up something we’ve noticed that’s very close to our hearts: during COVID, we saw an increase in student-paced solutions, which made sense at the time. But now, those solutions have been brought into classrooms, and I understand why. They help with differentiation. For example, bilingual students or students who struggle in other ways can benefit from these solutions. However, they often take away the concept of a classroom being a space where students learn together.

Curipod is designed to solve for differentiation while maintaining the essence of group learning. It allows content to be translated into different languages, gives students more time to write, and provides the thinking time they need. But everyone is still working on the same activity. When the activity ends, the class comes together to discuss. That’s something missing in many student-paced solutions.

At its core, Curipod is about "think, pair, share." Every activity is built on this principle: students think independently, pair with others to discuss, and share their ideas. This structure encourages meaningful participation and collaboration.

[00:14:18] Fonz: That’s so important. As a former classroom teacher, I understand the challenges of differentiation. With many platforms, students work on separate lessons that don’t align, making it difficult to facilitate whole-class discussions. For example, if some students study the Great Depression while others focus on the Industrial Revolution, it’s hard to have a cohesive discussion.

What I love about Curipod is that students start and end activities together. As a teacher, you only need to monitor one platform for responses, which saves time and helps you identify misconceptions on the go. Frikk, what feedback do you typically receive from educators about Curipod, especially regarding this aspect? How does it compare to other platforms?

[00:16:12] Frikk: The most common feedback we get is that students love the voting feature in Curipod. With this feature, students answer open-ended questions during individual thinking time, and then vote on their peers’ responses. They might vote for the best argument or the most creative use of figurative language.

Surprisingly—or maybe not so surprising to us anymore—the shyest student often gets the most votes and wins the mini-competition. Hearing this from educators warms our hearts every time.

[00:17:06] Eirik: It’s the best feeling. I recently visited a school east of Dallas to conduct subject-based PD sessions in social studies, science, and math. During one session, I showed science teachers how to create a lesson on Newton’s Laws of Motion with a Christmas theme. The activities were about Santa’s sleigh, Rudolph stopping suddenly, and other fun scenarios.

While I was conducting a math session, someone fetched me because the science teachers had already brought the lesson into their classroom. They were emotional because a typically quiet student’s answer was voted to the top using the voting mechanism. It was incredible to see her classmates supporting her answer.

This is something we consistently hear from educators: Curipod gives a voice to students who usually remain quiet, and it fosters a sense of togetherness in the classroom.

[00:18:22] Fonz: That’s so powerful. Beyond lesson delivery, Curipod also fosters social-emotional learning (SEL) by creating an environment where all students feel valued. For a student who doesn’t usually participate, being recognized for their ideas can be life-changing. It reinforces their confidence and shows them their contributions matter.

This collaborative approach is why I struggle with individualized platforms that isolate students. The discussions and group learning experiences in Curipod build skills that are transferable to state testing and beyond. Speaking of state testing, we’re entering STAAR season in Texas. How is Curipod supporting teachers with state assessments? What’s new in that area?

[00:20:48] Eirik: Great question. I’ll set aside my Norwegian humility for a moment and say: I think Curipod offers the best STAAR test prep material out there! Over the past year, Frikk has led efforts to align our materials closely with the TEA rubric. We allow students to read material, write SCR (short constructive response) or ECR (extended constructive response) answers, and get instant AI feedback.

This is a game-changer. Instead of writing something, submitting it, and waiting for feedback, students can now practice multiple times within a single lesson. Teachers can also upload their own reading material, and Curipod generates AI feedback. Alternatively, we can create engaging texts based on popular topics like Pokémon or Taylor Swift—yes, those are among the most searched terms for STAAR lessons!

Let me know if you’d like me to continue, or if there’s a specific section you’d like me to focus on. This approach ensures that only grammatical errors are corrected while maintaining the original tone and content.

[00:22:57] Fonz: Excellent. Now, Frikk, tell us a little more.

[00:23:00] Frikk: If I can add to what Eirik has been saying, we’ve spent a lot of time ensuring that the rubric is super aligned with the TEA rubric. While we don’t know exactly what the TEA rubric is, we’ve used many past student responses and grades to make sure the feedback students receive is as close as possible. I just wanted to highlight that.

Additionally, most of our test prep lessons provide scaffolding. One of the things we’ve consistently heard from teachers and administrators in Texas is how testing creates anxiety. On test day, everything in the classroom changes—the walls are stripped bare, and the environment becomes very different. Having quick SCR writing practices integrated into lessons helps reduce anxiety.

We’ve seen incredible results from schools, particularly in South Texas. Eirik, was it a 22% increase in writing scores?

[00:24:34] Eirik: Yes, a 22% increase in Meets and Mastery levels on the STAAR writing test. It’s because they can iterate so much more. Instant AI feedback allows students to practice repeatedly, which leads to mastery.

[00:24:55] Frikk: Another great thing about using AI is how it keeps students engaged. Educators often see fatigue when students run through the same material repeatedly. With AI, you can create engaging activities around topics students care about, like Pokémon, Taylor Swift, Fortnite, or Minecraft. Even while practicing difficult skills, students remain engaged because the lessons are tailored to their interests. This creates more powerful learning experiences.

[00:25:55] Fonz: That’s so true. Constructed response questions often create a lot of anxiety, not just for students but for teachers as well. Many districts do data-point assessments that include short constructive responses. Teachers are left grading stacks of papers—sometimes 90 or more in a single day if they teach multiple classes.

With Curipod, the instant feedback alleviates this burden. Students can receive feedback, revise their responses, and try again within the same class period. This helps both students and teachers. Students learn to use feedback constructively, and teachers aren’t overwhelmed with grading. It’s a win-win.

Beyond the instant feedback, the delivery aspect is a game-changer. Curipod aligns with STAAR while presenting content in an engaging, collaborative way. Students participate as a group rather than working in isolation. This encourages discussion, reinforces learning, and allows teachers to address misconceptions on the spot.

[00:28:31] Fonz: So, you’re going to be in Texas a lot in the coming months, especially with TCEA coming up. What are your plans for TCEA? Can you share any hints about what’s coming next for Curipod?

[00:29:26] Eirik: Absolutely! We’re bringing most of our team to TCEA, and we’ll also be attending regional conferences. If anyone wants to host a Curipod PD, they can email us, and I’ll personally train them in 30 minutes. We’ll even send a gift card so they can buy snacks for their teachers.

As for what’s next, we have some incredibly exciting updates launching in January. Right now, you can log into Curipod, click "Get Lesson," and type what you want to teach—like "water cycle in science"—and Curipod builds the lesson for you. That’s already great, but the upcoming update will take it to the next level.

[00:30:39] Fonz: Can you elaborate on the improvements?

[00:30:42] Eirik: Without giving too much away, I’ll say this: the quality of the lessons will improve dramatically. If you’ve been impressed by Curipod before, get ready to be blown away after January 15th. If you haven’t tried Curipod yet, January is the perfect time to give it a shot.

[00:31:19] Fonz: That’s exciting! Frikk, since you’re working closely with the product development team, I have to ask: will the updates be ready to roll out in January? What are you most excited about?

[00:32:10] Frikk: Absolutely! We’ve seen rapid improvements in underlying AI capabilities over the past year. Every time a major AI company releases a new model, it unlocks new possibilities for us in education. Lessons created by AI today are magnitudes more powerful than they were just a year ago.

[00:33:00] Eirik: Maybe mention the cool features you’re working on, like paragraph reading and translation.

[00:33:12] Frikk: Of course! By early 2025, we’ll deliver even more powerful lesson experiences. Whether you want to create inquiry-based lessons, gradual-release templates, or more content-driven lessons, it’ll all be there.

We’re also working on significant improvements for ELA teachers. For example, passages will be much more dynamic, allowing students to practice citing evidence, crafting arguments, and writing informational texts. Additionally, for classrooms with English language learners, we’re launching a feature that lets you translate lessons on the fly, ensuring everyone can participate.

[00:35:35] Eirik: We’re improving all our emergent bilingual support features. The updates will be a huge upgrade.

[00:35:43] Fonz: That’s huge! Teachers everywhere are going to be thrilled. I also want to commend you for how well you incorporate educator feedback. Instead of assuming what teachers need, you listen and refine your platform based on their input. That makes a big difference.

Before we wrap up, I have a few fun questions for you both. Let’s start with you, Frikk. Every superhero has a weakness. In the current state of education, what would you say is your "edu kryptonite"?

[00:37:34] Frikk: For me, it’s the absence of movement. Sitting still for hours is mentally draining. Movement is essential for blood flow and brain function, and it’s something we need more of in education—and in my own life.

[00:38:02] Fonz: That’s such a unique answer. Thank you! Eirik, how about you?

[00:38:14] Eirik: For me, it’s the amount of testing we force on students. Testing often stifles curiosity and exploration, which are key to learning. I’d love to see classrooms prioritize those elements instead.

[00:38:50] Fonz: Great answers. Next question: if you could have a billboard with anything on it, what would it say?

[00:39:02] Eirik: It would simply say, "Smile!" Smiling brings positivity and makes every day better.

[00:39:15] Fonz: Love it! Frikk, what about you?

[00:39:22] Frikk: My billboard would show a massive, structured classroom with 100 students sitting in rows, and the text would say, "Got curiosity?" with Curipod’s logo at the bottom.

[00:40:23] Fonz: Final question: if you could switch places with anyone for a day, who would it be?

[00:40:45] Frikk: I’d trade places with an amazing educator like Renee Bernard in Willis or Claudia Garcia in Brownsville. Spending a day as a teacher would help me better understand their challenges and successes.

[00:43:00] Eirik: I’d switch with anyone on a long hike. I love working on Curipod, but I miss being out in nature.

[00:43:29] Fonz: Those are great answers. One last bonus question: what’s your favorite Texas dish?

[00:43:55] Eirik: Any tacos from the Rio Grande Valley. They’re unbeatable.

[00:44:15] Frikk: Gluten-free tacos from Austin—best tacos I’ve ever had!

[00:44:32] Fonz: Thank you both so much for joining me today and sharing all the exciting updates about Curipod. For our audience, thank you for tuning in. Don’t forget to visit My EdTech Life at myedtech.life to catch this episode and all the others. Until next time—stay techie!