On this week's episode we tackle the topics of cryptomnesia and multiple discovery. Cryptomnesia occurs when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original. Multiple discovery is the theory that most scientific discoveries and inventions are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors. What does it mean to be creative if we're really just pulling from our own experiences with...
Apr 23, 2019•20 min•Season 3Ep. 179
We're back! Your friends at Trending in Education are relaunching our Game of Thrones breakdown show, aka The Citadel, to coincide with the final season of the legendary television series. Be forewarned, we discuss numerous details of the show so if you're not a GoT fan or if you haven't seen the premiere of Season 8, steer clear for fear of spoilage. This week, Brandon and Mike are joined by friend of the show, Frank Jones, to discuss the intricacies of Season 8, Episode 1, Winterfell. In addit...
Apr 19, 2019•39 min•Season 3Ep. 178
This week, we dive back into one of our favorite topics, robots. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have created and refined a robot who can sense and respond to human emotion in real time. While "Woody" is still being fine-tuned, his existence opens up questions of how socially and emotionally aware robots might further empower a human-led classroom? While it's easy to wax dystopic on the topic of robots, we find some positive signs in the emergence of this new age robot that senses...
Apr 16, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 177
Were you a student who was frustrated by the amount of homework you had to do? Are you a parent who continually argues with your children about getting their homework done? Is it all worth it? On this week's episode, we dive into the debate on the true importance of homework for younger students. Should homework be banned in elementary school? Is homework truly helping reinforce what's happening in the classroom? Does the National PTA and National Education Association have it right that 10 minu...
Apr 09, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 176
This week, we close out our 2019 Learning March Madness tournament. Over four rounds and 15 games, 16 of our favorite trends and topics were voted on by our listeners and now it’s time to dig into the results. Could JOMO make a Cinderella run from the 16-seed at the bottom of the bracket? Did Mindful Learning earn a coveted spot in the finals? How did Kidsolving fare defending its crown? We take some time to walk through some of the early-round matchups and discuss the tournament overall. How do...
Apr 04, 2019•30 min•Season 3Ep. 175
Dan and Mike chat with Russell Glass, co-author of Voting with a Porpoise. Voting with a Porpoise is a new children's book focused on fostering a discussion around civic engagement and voting with younger kids. The authors describe the purpose of the book as: to help change the culture around elections and voting. To that end, 100 percent of the profits for Voting With a Porpoise will be donated to 501(c)(3) non-partisan voting-related causes focused on getting more people of all backgrounds to ...
Apr 02, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 174
Mike sits down with Rohit Bhargava, author and Founder of the Non-Obvious Company, to discuss the 2019 edition of the Non-Obvious guide. Rohit, as a friend and influencer of our show, always provides surprising and insightful takes on where the world is heading and this year is no exception. Mike and Rohit engage in a free-flowing conversation that covers Non-Obvious 2019 trends like Strategic Spectacle, Muddled Masculinity, and Deliberate Downgrading and attempt to assess the relevance of many ...
Mar 29, 2019•38 min•Season 3Ep. 173
In this episode, we dive into the edutainment value of Game of Thrones as we gear up for the final season of the show which debuts in just a few weeks. We discuss how GoT provides good foundations for political science, leadership and management, language learning, and even epidemiology curricula. What are the advantages of using timely, relevant entertainment content when designing instruction? How has Bruce Craven of Columbia University incorporated the blockbuster HBO show and George RR Marti...
Mar 26, 2019•40 min•Season 3Ep. 172
Mike Palmer is joined by Frank Jones and Kristen Smith to discuss the sprawling college admissions scandal known as Operation Varsity Blues. What does this scandal say about the current state of selective higher ed admissions in the US? How is this scandal and its coverage a reflection of broader trends we’re seeing in our society? Why are Aunt Becky from Full House and Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives the “poster moms” for this scandal and how does it all tie to “bulldozer parenting” ...
Mar 22, 2019•33 min•Season 3Ep. 171
This week, we tackle the topic of "unlearning." We begin by defining what unlearning has meant across psychology, organizational change, and in the classroom and dig into the debate about whether it is truly part of the learning process. Can we truly "unlearn" something or do we build upon or reframe our understanding as new data and insights come to light? How much of a part does our own humility play in being able to learn new things? Which fields could benefit the most from the concept of "un...
Mar 19, 2019•35 min•Season 3Ep. 170
Mike Palmer and Melissa Griffith sit down with Aaron Dignan to talk about his new book, Brave New Work. Aaron walks us his story of writing the book before focusing in on what isn't working in current organizational environments and how anyone within any organization can help bring about the type of change that is so desperately needed. Aaron discusses getting to the heart of organizational, department, or team issues and working on change by focusing on the people. What's the difference between...
Mar 15, 2019•50 min•Season 3Ep. 169
We take you to our live presentation of our podcast at SXSWEdu 2019. Mike and Brandon were joined on stage by Ashley Mannka-Suydam, Director, Learning Products at ACT to talk about the top trends at the conference. We also discussed through our brand new March Madness bracket. After our live show, you'll hear two interviews from the Expo floor. Dan talks to a company called In My Shoes. They are looking to use video and in-person mentors to help at-risk and minority students visualize themselves...
Mar 12, 2019•44 min•Season 3Ep. 168
We had the great pleasure of sitting down with Ron Reed, Founder and Executive Producer, and Greg Rosenbaum, General Manager, of the learning conference SXSW EDU. Ron and Greg share the origin story of SXSWEdu and explore the emerging trends they've seen over the first nine years of the conference. We talk about community building, the power of convergence zones, and the ways in which innovation in learning and education is evolving. We also touch on mindfulness, social and emotional learning, a...
Mar 07, 2019•30 min•Season 3Ep. 167
It's time for our 2019 Learning and Education March Madness! Mike and Brandon draft eight topics each to go head to head in round one of this year's tournament. Which of our best episodes made this year's field? What didn't make the cut? Tune in to find out how we break down the field for this year's tourney! Join in the fun by entering your predictions.
Mar 05, 2019•38 min•Season 3Ep. 166
After much ado, fanfare, and aplomb, it's finally time for our hosts to put forth their own predictions for trends in learning and education for 2019. What important topics do we see on the horizon that will change the way students and lifelong learners acquire knowledge and skills in the year ahead? Brandon shares his thoughts on Education2020 and how politics, the presidential race, and education will all intertwine throughout this year into next. Mike hypes the rising importance of the Whole ...
Feb 26, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 165
In this week's extra, Mike catches up with new author Logan Thompson on his book Beyond the Content: Unlocking the Other Half of Test Prep with a Tailored Mindfulness Approach. Logan talks about his own path to becoming more mindful and self-aware and how good mindfulness practices have helped to shape who he is as a teacher and a person. Logan discusses how performing on a standardized test doesn't just involve understanding the content and the strategies, it also involves managing one's cognit...
Feb 21, 2019•38 min•Season 3Ep. 164
We dive into learning and education trends to watch in 2019. Using two Forbes.com articles as our jumping off point, we talk trends in STEM, K-12, and higher education. How will teacher shortages influence the learning and education landscape? Does STEM help lead the way on the whole child learning experience? Can national and local legislation help change the higher education space in the US? Are income-share agreements a viable solution to ballooning student-debt? We discuss all of these topic...
Feb 19, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 163
Just in time for Valentines Day, we're joined by KS Wiswell, author of Full Frontal Nerdity - Lessons on Loving and Living With Your Brain. In addition to being an author, KS is also a screenwriter, an improv performer, and also a Kaplan instructor. We dive into the thought process behind her launching a blog and how that grew into publishing her first book. How did a background in improv help her connect topics that few others see as common? What is it like to share personal stories about love ...
Feb 14, 2019•36 min•Season 3Ep. 162
We take a look at some of the emerging media trends to watch for in 2019. Mike dives into the Gimlet and Anchor acquisitions by Spotify and how audio will continue to be a focal point for advertisers. We also take a look at how small a portion of advertising podcasts currently garner. Does the in-house content creation Spotify is paying for mirror a Netflix and it's approach to video content? Brandon dives into Super Bowl commercials and #RoboChild. How are robots, or maybe even our fear of robo...
Feb 12, 2019•41 min•Season 3Ep. 161
We tackle a recent article from BuzzFeedNews.com that explores Millennials as the 'Burnout Generation'. Does Anne Helen Peterson's work paint with too broad a brush or do younger generations face a tougher road? How does burnout change the way we might be open to learning? Brandon discusses how every generation faces tough decisions about where their careers might go as they enter college. Mike explores how burnout and pressure around visual identity and online social comparison may be leading t...
Feb 05, 2019•30 min•Season 3Ep. 160
We take a look back at some of the hottest gadgets at CES 2019 and discuss where some potential crossover to learning may exist. Mike points out the lack of education and learning categories / focus at the trade show. Brandon focuses in on wearables and the tracking of individual data that could help shape how we understand personalized learning. We also discuss the explosion in sensors and how growth in that technology could apply to education and learning. Can sensors help track brain waves an...
Jan 29, 2019•33 min•Season 3Ep. 159
The team takes a look at interactive media and interactive video with Netflix's recently released Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch as a backdrop. We talk through how interactive media has grown and developed over the years from Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books and Role Playing Games to interactive video experiences like what Netflix is now offering. We discuss the positive and negative use cases for interactive media. How does an interactive experience change the creative process? Are traditiona...
Jan 22, 2019•43 min•Season 3Ep. 158
The crew dives into a wide range of emerging macrotrends concerning teachers at the start of 2019. We begin by taking a look at a recent Wall Street Journal report on the current 'quit rate' in the teaching profession. What could be behind the all-time high in teachers leaving the field seen in 2018? Could the gig-economy and financial pressures be leading some teachers to leave their profession? We also take a look at upcoming strikes in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Virginia and examine how these ...
Jan 15, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 157
We're back with a brand new episode and this week we talk about parenting. More specifically, we discuss proud new papa Mike's first few days on the job and how we learn to be parents. Are there enough formal education opportunities for expecting parents? Do certain societal norms keep us from studying up before we're responsible for another person? How can a parent who wants to learn seek out verified, high-end instruction and avoid the fads? We discuss that and each of our own experiences thro...
Jan 08, 2019•27 min•Season 3Ep. 156
On our first show of 2019, we look back to some of the great guests we had throughout 2018 with this highlight show. Mike and Dan kick off the conversation with a big announcement from Mike and a discussion around the guests you'll hear from through this episode. We'll hear highlights from our conversations with Wendy Zukerman, Rohit Barghava, Tarlin Ray, Melissa Griffith, Debbie Berebichez, and Katie Nielson. Thank you to everyone who listened in 2018. We look forward to growing in 2019, hearin...
Jan 01, 2019•56 min•Season 3Ep. 155
Mike, Dan, and Brandon kick off our review by discussing our favorite episodes and topics covered throughout the year. We touch on some of the great guests we’ve had on the show and some of the predictions we made that came true (e.g., Kidsolving). We then catch up with friend of the show, Matt Cooper, CEO of Skillshare. We explore what trends might have emerged since last we spoke. Matt talks about the gig economy, his vision for digital learning, and more. Next, we bring back one of the great ...
Dec 25, 2018•53 min•Season 3Ep. 154
Mike and Dan welcome two great guests, Dr. Bror Saxberg and Glenn Whitman, to discuss the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL), neuroscience and learning, and how a holistic approach to education applies to teaching and teacher development. Phew! Bror, Vice President, Learning Science at CZI, discusses the mission of the organization and how it recently invested in CTTL. Glenn describes the work that's been done on a local level at the St. ...
Dec 20, 2018•47 min•Season 3Ep. 153
On this week’s episode, Mike, Brandon and Dan tackle the importance of math! How does learning math benefit a student? Has science isolated the parts of the brain most used when learning and applying math? Math, in all its forms, has long caused anxiety and fear amongst students and life-long learners. Why does math cause so many issues for some learners and how can they learn to adopt a growth mindset when it comes to math rather than a self-defeating one? Tune in for a wide ranging discussion ...
Dec 18, 2018•35 min•Season 3Ep. 152
Mike and Dan sit down with Dr. Susan Sanders, Vice President of Nursing at Kaplan Test Prep, to discuss health and nursing education and what’s new and emerging in the space. Susan brings a wealth of experience in the nursing field and recent work with the healthcare simulations like Kaplan iHuman product to the discussion. How do nurse educators tackle topics like the importance of self-care and burnout / compassion fatigue? Can students get as much out of simulations as they can real life inte...
Dec 11, 2018•35 min•Season 3Ep. 151
You've probably heard that we only use 10% of our brain. And 64% of us believe that's true, at least according to a 2014 study. Where did this myth begin and why are people so likely to believe it? How do pop culture references and science fiction movies help to perpetuate this false statement? Join us as we debunk this myth once and for all.
Dec 04, 2018•22 min•Season 3Ep. 150
