Purpose + Vision + Values

Who We Are

ShapingEDU is a global community of 4K+ passionate and insightful educators, students, researchers, storytellers, edtech creators and education futurists, all of whom are dedicated to creating change so that lifelong learners may thrive in the digital age.

What We Do

ShapingEDU creates unique and inspiring events, programs and content. Our 5 Calls to Action are the framework upon which we build teams, projects and sharable resources.

Serious Play is near and dear to us: we take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously, so expect a healthy dose of shenanigans in everything we produce.


Our Guiding Tenets describe the nature of our community:

  • Individuals over affiliations. In a sense, you represent your professional affiliation 24/7. Here, above all else, we value the person you are, and what you uniquely contribute to make education an affordable, ubiquitous, high-quality, rewarding, lifelong adventure. This community learns and grows together.

  • Dreaming, doing, and driving. The ShapingEDU community was founded in 2018 on those three intertwined words of action. Separately, they’re strong. In combination, they’re unstoppable. We must dream big, collaborate to bring our visions to life, and nurture every seedling of success.

  • People first. First and foremost, we strive to serve people. Technology is a tool. Tools don’t build and fix – the empowered people using them do. We must never lose sight of our responsibility to help learners achieve their dreams and communities thrive.

  • Engaging with Learning Futures. Our community shares a passion for envisioning learning futures and engaging with next-generation learning and digital-enabled learning.


Our Values inform everything we do:

  • Learner-Centered Everything
  • Inclusivity, Access + Equity
  • Leadership
  • Community Collaboration
  • Innovation/Changemaking


Our Code of Conduct builds on our Values and Guiding Tenets and sets expectations for behavior in ShapingEDU events, activities and spaces. 

If you exhibit behavior that is derogatory or inappropriate, you will be asked to leave.

  • Be respectful. The field of education is a fantastic lightning rod for discourse and debate. Even if you disagree with fellow changemakers, please be respectful and tactful. Listen with the goal of openness and compassionate understanding.
  • Be empathetic. In social settings, humans are icebergs. It's not readily apparent everything that's going on under the surface. ShapingEDU is intended to be a safe space where we connect with each other by sharing our ideas, and sometimes those ideas were born from deeply personal experiences.
  • Be free. If you have selected a working session or activity and find that it's not resonating with you, you are free to respectfully acknowledge that you may have more to contribute/get out of joining a different activity. This is your right.

Apply to join our online community via Slack to connect with fellow dreamers, doers, and drivers, and sign up to receive official ShapingEDU communications.

Have questions? Contact Stephanie Pierotti at stephanie.pierotti@asu.edu