John Meehan returns to talk about Playing With Purpose

John Meehan returns to talk about Playing With Purpose

From The Pixel Classroom Podcast by Ryan Read

February 26, 2026 · 51 min · Season 7 · Episode 224

About this episode

John Meehan returns to discuss his work on gamified instruction and student engagement.

John Meehan returns from episode 30. John Meehan is an instructional coach, professional development specialist, and English teacher from just outside Washington, D.C. He is the author of EDrenaline Rush (2019) and co-author of Fully Engaged (2021) and Playing With Purpose (2026). A nationally recognized speaker on student engagement and gamified instruction, John was named an ASCD Emerging Leader, served on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council, and currently sits on the Pulitzer Center’s 2025 Information & AI Teacher Advisory Council. His book EDrenaline Rush was ranked among Book Authority’s “Top 10 Teaching Books of All Time.” Alongside Michael Matera in 2021, John co-founded EMC² Learning, a global platform providing hundreds of gamified classroom resources to educators worldwide. EMC² Learning was named the 2023 FETC Pitchfest winner for Best Online Classes and honored in HundrED’s 2024 Spotlight on Gamified Curricula. Outside the classroom, he’s a CrossFitter and proud new dad. You can connect with John at connect@EMC2Learning.com and www.emc2learning.com

People in this episode

Host: Ryan Read

Guest: John Meehan

Topics covered

  • student engagement
  • gamified instruction
  • professional development
  • instructional coaching
  • education resources

Keywords

  • John Meehan
  • gamification
  • education
  • EMC² Learning
  • student engagement
  • instructional coaching
  • EDrenaline Rush

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: EMC² Learning, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pulitzer Center

Products: EDrenaline Rush, Fully Engaged, Playing With Purpose

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