Ep. 89: Mastering the Game of Writing
From State of Ed Podcast by Dr. Marc Isseks & Dr. Nick Simone
May 30, 2026 · 47 min · Episode 89
About this episode
Marc and Nick discuss the innovative writing game We Will Write with its co-founders, exploring its impact on student engagement and classroom culture.
Marc and Nick sit down with Daniel Senn and Erlend Klouman Høiner, co-founders of We Will Write, the fast-paced, anonymous, team-based writing game already used by more than a million students worldwide. This conversation covers how two childhood friends from Oslo built a platform that is making students beg to write instead of avoiding it, and why the most important thing happening in the room might be the silence right after the timer starts. Daniel and Erlend walk through the design decisions behind We Will Write: the timed challenges that level the playing field for every writer in the room, the visual prompts that eliminate the blank-page barrier, and why anonymity unlocks student voice in ways traditional writing instruction never could. The conversation also covers the unexpected classroom culture benefits teachers are reporting, what the teacher dashboard reveals about individual student confidence, and the surprising finding that students who use the platform start calling themselves writers. If you are still trying to get students to care about writing, this one is for you. Guest Links: wewillwrite.com Daniel Senn on LinkedIn @dansenn on X (Twitter) Erlend Klouman…
People in this episode
Hosts: Marc Isseks, Nick Simone
Guests: Daniel Senn, Erlend Klouman Høiner
Topics covered
- writing
- education
- student engagement
- classroom culture
- game-based learning
Keywords
- writing game
- student engagement
- We Will Write
- classroom culture
- anonymous writing
- timed challenges
- visual prompts
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: We Will Write, LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, stateofedpodcast.com
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