Zach Silverzweig is the CEO and Founder of TinyIvy , a startup that is focused on helping children and families learn to read English. Zach joins Mike in an exploration of why learning how to read English presents unique challenges and how the TIPS system developed by Zach and team helps make things better. We begin with Zach's origin story before diving into the complexities of English language learning. By adding unique diacritical symbols to letters to clarify pronunciation rules, the team at...
Nov 09, 2020•29 min•Season 5Ep. 329
Nicolle Merrill joins Mike to talk about acquiring skills, shifting careers, and overcoming fear and self-doubt. Nicolle is the author of the book Punch Doubt in the Face: How to Upskill, Change Careers, and Beat the Robots. She tells her story of career growth and lessons learned along the way. Nicolle is also the host of a podcast called 50 Conversations in which she explores career shifts, skill development, and the challenges of automation and disruptions in the workplace. Of course, there i...
Nov 05, 2020•24 min•Season 5Ep. 328
Dr. Mark Sanders, a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at UNC Charlotte, returns to the show to talk to Mike and Melissa about student voter engagement, the relevance of philosophy, and the importance of supporting faculty and the broader community. Mark describes the work that is being done by FacNet , the Faculty Voting Rights Engagement Network where he is on the Steering Committee. We explore how to drive student engagement in a way that is non-partisan but doesn't shy away from politically-charg...
Nov 02, 2020•32 min•Season 5Ep. 327
In a Special Fall 2020 K12 Education episode, Mike is joined by Sarah Darville, Matt Barnum, and Kalyn Belsha from Chalkbeat to talk through trends they've been seeing while reporting on K12 throughout the challenging year that is 2020. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America's most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. Sarah is the Managing Editor for...
Oct 31, 2020•31 min•Season 5Ep. 326
For this episode, Dr. Eric T. Weber joins Mike to talk about the importance of educational philosophy, especially in schools of education. Eric is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. He's also one of the hosts of the radio show and podcast, Philosophy Bakes Bread , where he regularly raises relevant issues to explore with the help of a critical, philosophical mindset. Eric recently authored a 1-sheeter raising relevant philosophical questions about edu...
Oct 29, 2020•37 min•Season 5Ep. 325
Dr. Lorne Buchman, the President of ArtCenter College of Design and host of the Change Lab Podcast , joins Mike this week to share his experiences as a maker and the leader of an esteemed College of Art and Design. Lorne shares his origin story that is deeply steeped in the practical application of his education in the theater at Stanford University where he earned his doctorate. We touch on the power of humanistic psychology and the importance of building a culture where creatives can truly thr...
Oct 26, 2020•27 min•Season 5Ep. 324
Dr. Jonathan Cohen joins Mike this week to explore the global trend of social emotional learning (SEL) and violence prevention in schools. Jonathan recently co-edited the book Feeling Safe in School through Harvard Education Press where he and team studied school climate and violence prevention programs in schools across 11 cultures spanning the globe. In our conversation, we explore Jonathan's origin story before digging into what can be learned by understanding how different cultures conceptua...
Oct 22, 2020•46 min•Season 5Ep. 323
Maria Andersen, the Founder and CEO of Coursetune , joins Mike to talk about the importance of good instructional design and curriculum development to effective online learning. Maria walks us through her extensive and varied experiences ranging from teaching math at a community college, to working at Canvas, the large LMS company, to leading instructional design at Western Governors University (WGU) before founding Coursetune three years ago. We dig into the benefit of having a central place wh...
Oct 19, 2020•38 min•Season 5Ep. 322
Dr. Chad Goldberg, Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joins Mike to delve into the history and relevance of The Wisconsin Idea in understanding the role of a public university. Chad's written a book called Education for Democracy Renewing the Wisconsin Idea that is due out this Fall and we explore many of the relevant and timely themes covered in the book. Chad catches us up on the history of The Wisconsin Idea which dates back over 100 years and envisions the univers...
Oct 15, 2020•37 min•Season 5Ep. 321
Dr. Neil Heffernan, the William Smith Dean Chair Professor at Worcestor Polytechnic Institute (WPI), joins Mike to talk about how his career interweaves great teaching, computer science, and "ASSISTments" - a set of digital tools designed to make homework assignment and evaluation more efficient. Neil tells us his origin story which includes meeting his wife Cristina while teaching and doing research in K12 Education right through their creation of the ASSISTments Foundation for which Neil serve...
Oct 12, 2020•19 min•Season 5Ep. 320
Kelly Ryan Bailey, the host of Let's Talk About Skills Baby and the Director of Open Skills at EMSI , joins Mike to talk about the journey that brought her to where she is today as a mother, a podcaster, and a global skills evangelist. After exploring Kelly's personal journey, we dig into the three parts of the job skills marketplace: the employee, the employer, and the educator. How do they relate? And how can we as individuals learn to continue to acquire relevant skills, be grateful for small...
Oct 08, 2020•42 min•Season 5Ep. 319
This week, Mike is joined by Prakash Nair, the Founder of Education Design International (EDI) and author of Blueprint for Tomorrow from Harvard Education Press. Prakash describes how the design of K12 schools can and should be completely rethought. School buildings and their institutional designs contribute to a "cells and bells" culture that stifles learning, creativity, and joy. Prakash provides alternative approaches to conceiving of school architecture that are less tied up in the expensive...
Oct 05, 2020•38 min•Season 5Ep. 318
This week Mike is joined by Bryan Alexander, Senior Scholar at Georgetown University and author of Academia Next , to talk about what happens when a Futurist gets a prediction right. In Bryan's recent book, he explores a possible future where a widespread pandemic akin to the 1918 Spanish flu hits and majorly disrupts higher education. Bryan's book was released prior to Covid-19 and it's received a lot of attention since. Although it's tragic and we empathize deeply with those impacted most seve...
Oct 01, 2020•47 min•Season 4Ep. 317
David Adams, the Senior Director of Strategy at The Urban Assembly, joins Mike to explore the many facets of Social Emotional Learning or SEL. David shares his career journey which charts a path through many of the key centers of research in the field along with practical experience in schools in New York City and around the world. He recently co-authored a book titled The Educator's Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence. David expands on how he's established a cutting-edge SEL program at Th...
Sep 28, 2020•30 min•Season 5Ep. 316
Mike Tringe and Sean Graham from CreatorUp, a Digital Media Studio and Training Company, join Mike Palmer to discuss the critical role of visual storytelling and video for brands, universities, and individuals. We explore how CreatorUp leaned into Live Online delivery and educational use cases as the pandemic response required agility and resilience. We conclude with advice for educators from media professionals with a keen understanding of the learning ecosystem. We hope you enjoy.
Sep 23, 2020•30 min•Season 5Ep. 315
Evan Gappelberg, the Founder and CEO of NexTech AR Solutions , joins us this week to dive into the emerging megatrend of augmented reality (or AR). Evan describes how NexTech AR Solutions was formed and how it went public as the first publicly traded pure AR play. We then explore how the pandemic response has led to unprecedented growth both in AR and specifically in its educational applications. Evan outlines the recent work NexTech has done with Ryerson University as activities like lab sessio...
Sep 21, 2020•27 min•Season 5Ep. 314
Warren Kennard, the Founder of ConnectED, returns to the show to describe his recent experience designing and building a crowdsourced 8-week course in EdTech and Strategy for Higher Ed . What problems was he trying to address when conceiving of this course? What elements of design thinking powered the approach? Who is it designed for and how has the COVID-19 pandemic increased the relevance and interest in online learning and innovative leadership in higher education? We answer all of these ques...
Sep 17, 2020•24 min•Season 5Ep. 313
Kate Dalton and Dr. Eliot Chayt join Mike to talk about the critical importance of media literacy in today's world. Eliot and Kate are the founders of an EdTech startup called Mucktracker, which provides a platform for students and educators to co-create a critical understanding of news and media drawn from various sources. We discuss the origins of the concept of Muctracker and its ties to the storied history of investigative journalism and the muckrakers as we muse on the notion that all liter...
Sep 14, 2020•23 min•Season 5Ep. 312
Are you ready to get HYPE? We sure are. For the fourth year in a row, the team at Trending in Education digests and breaks down the Gartner Hype Cycle For Emerging Technologies which was recently released for 2020 . Mike welcomes Melissa Griffith and Dan Strafford back to the show for the beginning of our fifth season to break down our favorite hype curve. What trends are emerging according to Gartner? How have they been impacted by COVID-19? What are the learning implications to the new and eme...
Sep 10, 2020•30 min•Season 5Ep. 311
Dr. Jon Shelton, Associate Professor of Democracy and Justice at UW-Green Bay, joins Mike for a special Labor Day edition where we dive into the history of Labor and Education in the US on today's show. Jon walks us through the history of the Labor Day holiday, expanding beyond barbecues and rules about when it's okay to wear white. From there, we delve into the long history of collective action among educators and other workers over the years. We draw parallels to the recent actions in the NBA ...
Sep 07, 2020•43 min•Season 4Ep. 310
Dr. Terri Givens, CEO of the Center for Higher Education Leadership, returns to join Melissa and Mike in a wide-ranging conversation about what we see on the near-term horizon for Higher Education in the Fall of 2020. We touch on the "Corona Gap Year" phenomenon, put ourselves in the shoes of University Administrators and faculty navigating these uncertain times, and get advice based on Terri's experience as a Professor, an Administrator, and now as the Founder of a company focused on helping Hi...
Sep 03, 2020•37 min•Season 4Ep. 309
Youki Terada, Research and Standards Editor at Edutopia , returns to the show to revisit trends in K-12 Educational research in light of the tumultuous year in which we're living. The response to the pandemic has re-emphasized the critical role of social emotional learning along with issues of digital divides and Youki and team have been shifting Eduopia's focus in that direction. As Edutopia continues to provide tools and supports for teachers diving into remote teaching, Youki highlights some ...
Aug 31, 2020•42 min•Season 4Ep. 308
In this emergency bonus episode of Running It Back , Tarlin and Mike dive into the transformative events of the past week beginning with the shooting of Jacob Blake and culminating in the walkout of NBA players led by the Milwaukee Bucks. As these actions set off a cascade of similar actions in Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and elsewhere, how can we put this into a broader historical context? We run through the long history of athletes as activists who have asserted their po...
Aug 30, 2020•34 min•Season 4Ep. 307
We open with a quick note on the Jacob Blake incident in Wisconsin and the ripple effects across our culture. It's something we'll continue to cover. Then, in this bonus episode from the soon-to-launch podcast, Running It Back , we transport ourselves back to November 7th, 1991 when Magic Johnson first announced that he had HIV. How do Tarlin and Mike remember this flashbulb event? What lessons can we learn from Magic's approach to sharing the news and leaning into his fight against the virus? H...
Aug 28, 2020•26 min•Season 4Ep. 306
Kristin Kearns-Jordan, the CEO of The Urban Assembly, joins Mike this week to describe the career-themed approach to public education that is driving social mobility in 23 schools in New York City. We begin by hearing Kristin's origin story and career arc which has led to her current role with The Urban Assembly. From there, we dive into the mission and educational philosophy of the organization and its schools, which is all about career relevance and social mobility. Kristin describes how The U...
Aug 24, 2020•35 min•Season 4Ep. 305
As a bonus gift, we're bringing you an episode of the upcoming podcast Running It Back. Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer look to moments in sports history to give insights for our lives today. On this episode, Mike and Tarlin run it back to the 1999 NBA season and the historic run for the 8th-seeded New York Knicks all the way to the NBA Finals. They ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals marking the beginning of the Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich dynasty. As we head into the 2020 NBA P...
Aug 21, 2020•32 min•Season 4Ep. 304
Angela Siefer, Executive Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, returns to the show to join Mike in a conversation about how to open up access to the digital tools many of us take for granted. Last time we had Angela on the show in March, we were still in the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Now as we approach the Fall, there remains plenty of work to do and the focus is shifting. Digital inclusion is important work. You can learn more about what Angela and team a...
Aug 17, 2020•43 min•Season 4Ep. 303
This week Dr. H. Richard Milner IV, Professor of Education at Vanderbilt University, joins Mike to explore how he is thinking about issues of diversity, opportunity gaps, and the mindsets that must be overcome to effectively engage diverse students and classrooms. Rich’s book, Start From Where You Are, But Don’t Stay There was just reprinted by Harvard Education Press to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of its initial printing in 2010. While many of the themes are enormously relevant to thi...
Aug 10, 2020•41 min•Season 4Ep. 302
Dr. Shannon Clute joins Mike to share his broad and varied experiences in education, innovation, marketing, and digital media. He begins by telling the story of his early experiments with podcasting and other new media to innovate in higher education where Shannon was a Professor of French Literature. In the early 2000s, he launched an enormously successful podcast called Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir that began as an innovative project for his students but rapidly grew in broader app...
Aug 03, 2020•40 min•Season 4Ep. 301
Howard Lurie, Principal Analyst, Online and Continuing Education at Eduventures, joins Mike this week to discuss recent research findings from the firm that dives into the mindset and sentiment of adult learners. Eduventures has published findings from two surveys of adult learners--one fielded before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and then a second survey fielded in June 2020. Howard shares his perspective on changes in demand, desired credentials, and delivery mode pre- and post-pandemic. ...
Jul 27, 2020•35 min•Season 4Ep. 300
