Revolutionizing Learning through Storytelling with Jenny Buccos
What if education weren’t confined to a classroom but spanned the entire world? Jenny Buccos, award-winning producer and founder of EXPLR, has spent decades using digital storytelling to connect students with global cultures, STEM, and innovation. From working with legends like Desmond Tutu and Anthony Bourdain to pioneering multimedia learning before YouTube, she shares with guest host, Tushar Mehta, how technology can transform education. We explore the impact of initiatives like the Congressional App Challenge and the National STEM Festival in shaping the next generation of problem solvers. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on curiosity, creativity, and the future of learning.
In this episode, guest host Tushar Mehta has the pleasure of chatting with Jenny Buccos! Jenny is the founder and CEO of EXPLR, a multimedia education strategist, and an agent for global citizenship. She has dedicated her career to reshaping education through digital storytelling and experiential learning, ensuring that students worldwide have access to high-quality, engaging content.
Jenny’s journey into education began in a unique way. Having studied Shakespeare, she hoped to become an actor. However, she soon discovered that her passion for sharing stories could be expressed through a different medium. After taking a corporate job that led to her working in Hong Kong and Tokyo, her perspective on education and global exposure was transformed, and she got the inspiration for her first project: ProjectExplorer.
ProjectExplorer was a multimedia website designed to educate K-12 students on global issues, created in 2003—thought of before the existence of YouTube. Through self-taught coding and filmmaking, she built it from the ground up. Her work has since earned her many prestigious awards, including three Gold Parents Choice Awards for excellence in educational programming, and the National Award for Citizen Diplomacy in 2010.
To start off her interview, Jenny shares insights on the growing role of technology in education. She discusses how the tools of today, including AI, can be used to create meaningful learning experiences. She also discusses how non-technical skills, such as collaboration and project management, play an important role in the world of STEM, alongside technical skills.
For students hoping to start their own projects, she emphasizes the importance of starting local: start by solving problems within your own community before you scale up to the entire world. In doing so, she encourages students to pursue ideas that are meaningful to themselves and their communities, as passion and a clear sense of purpose can foster resilience.
Finally, Jenny discusses the value of competitions like the Congressional App Challenge and the National STEM Challenge. She talks about how these competitions offer students critical opportunities to not just innovate, but also to network, and connect with the decision makers of today, as the future problem-solvers and leaders of tomorrow.
Tune in to this week’s episode of Debugged to hear more about Jenny’s fascinating insights on education, digital storytelling, and the intersection of technology and global citizenship!