Trending In Education

Mike engages in a fascinating discussion with Dr Paul Reville, a Professor of Educational Policy at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Founder of the Education Redesign Lab, and former Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Paul recently wrote a book titled Broader, Bolder, Better: How Schools and Communities Help Students Overcome the Disadvantages of Poverty. We discuss why we have historically avoided the topic of poverty when establishing educational policy in the US. We also explore how reframing the context for education as something broader and more community-based opens up opportunities to fundamentally change how we think about education. This will help prepare the rising generations for the transformation of work that is on the horizon with the onset of the new industrial revolution we are beginning to see with the advent of automation and machine learning. Paul walks us through several case studies that expand the focus beyond the traditional triangle of Teacher, Student,

As part of our ongoing coverage of the. coronavirus, Mike sits down with Bryan Alexander, a noted futurist who focuses on Higher Education, to talk about the potential directions the outbreak may take. Using a wide-ranging collection of examples from both science fiction and our history, Bryan walks us through where there should be concern and where there may be hope as we brace ourselves to battle Covid-19. Bryan also points out critical resources to find good information on the virus and its impact to higher education which he curates on his blog bryanalexander.org. Which schools have cancelled classes altogether and which ones have moved online? How might this play forward as we head towards the completion of the academic year in the US. As always, Bryan brings a thoughtful and informed perspective to a complex and evolving situation with meaningful impact to our lives and the educational landscape of higher education in the US.

Melissa, Dan, and Mike regroup to discuss the cancellation of SXSW which hit us close to home at Trending in Education. We were planning to head to Austin to record a live podcast episode for SXSW EDU but were thwarted by the cancellation of SXSW by Steve Adler, the Mayor of Austin. How are we holding up in light of the cancellation? What does this signal about the response to the virus? What can conferences, cities, companies, and educational institutions do to maintain public health and safety while retaining what we value in our lives and lifestyles. We work through our grieving process and explore how we can continue to cover the trends and transformations that may be driven by the unprecedented response to Covid-19. And be on the lookout for more on this as we bring in more experts to understand the impact to education as an increasing number of schools are canceling classes and/or moving them offline. The world has changed fast and we'll be here to track it with you. As Mike says in the show, "If we sto

Mike sits down with Ulrich Boser, the Founder and CEO of the Learning Agency and the Learning Agency Lab, to lean into a wide-ranging conversation about the science of learning and how it relates to social emotional learning, AI and Natural Language Processing, Cognitive Load and much more. You can learn more about what the Learning Agency Lab is doing at https://www.the-learning-agency-lab.com/ Thanks again to Ulrich for a fascinating conversation.

We'd like to wish everyone a happy International Womens Day. In honor of the day, Melissa and Mike discuss an article in Forbes by Blake Morgan that spotlights 50 Leading Female Futurists. Do Mike and Melissa consider themselves futurists? How can we break our habits and biases to include a broader range of guests? We have at least one idea to pursue here. Listen in to find out more.

Mike and Dan break down the first round matchups in Trending in Education's 4th Annual March Madness Brackets. Beyond listening, we'd love to get your perspective on these trends. You can vote on these trends by going to the polls you can find in the pinned tweet at our Twitter account @TrendinginEd where we'll be tracking the tourney to its conclusion throughout the month. This year, we've expanded the field and are beginning with 12 first round matchups which we'll describe and analyze on this episode. You gotta be in it to win it and we'd love to get your input as we try to make sense of where the world of learning, media, and education is heading as we enter the 2020s.

It's March and that means it's time for Trending in Education's Fourth Annual Learning Trends March Madness Brackets. And to help kick off the festivities, we spend time with Dan, Melissa, Brandon, and Mike as they remember tourneys past and gear up for an amazing March Madness for 2020. Plus, we hype our upcoming live show at SXSW EDU later this month and give some insider's takes on smart picks to take the prize this year. Be sure to follow us on Twitter at @trendingined throughout March to vote in polls and make predictions in the pursuit of excellence in learning prognostication. Lots of stuff happening and we'd love to hear more from our listeners about where we see the world of learning and education heading in 2020.

Mike welcomes old friend, Brandon Jones, back to the show to talk about Steve Brown's prediction that we'll see more disruptive innovation in the next 10 years than we've seen in the previous forty. Layering in the likelihood that human creativity and lateral thinking will outstrip AI's capabilities in that regard for the next 10 years, how should we take a longer view when making plans for the future everything? Mike and Brandon aim to bring some 2030 Farsight to bear as we peer into possible futures for the 2020s on this week's show. Play with your head up, avoid stagnating danger zones, and have a listen!

Mike and Melissa talk about the idea espoused by futurist, Steve Brown, that the next ten years will see more innovation and disruption than the previous forty. This is driven in part by advances in artificial intelligence and sensors which will allow for a transformation in healthcare that we dig into a bit. The pair also explore a recent Fast Company article by Tim Schwiesfurth and Rene Chester Goduscheit that purports that human intelligence will likely continue to be more creative than AI for the foreseeable future. What are the potential implication of all of this to the future of work, the world, and everything? Listen in to find out how to stay sharp and frisky in the transformative decade that is just beginning.

Mike connects with Andrea Samadi, the host of the Neuroscience Meets Social Emotional Learning podcast and the two talk about the brain, how it connects to social and emotional aspects of human behavior, learning, and cognition. Andrea recounts her background as an educator who formed a consultancy, AchieveIT360.com, and has recently launched a podcast on this fascinating intersection between the latest research in neuroscience and its potential application in the classroom. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Following up on our previous show on Kobe, The Impeachment Trial, and Everything, today we explore the ins and outs of the Coronavirus which is receiving tremendous media attention. Mike works through his version of Michael Jordan's "Flu Game" as we once again explore how to engage and/or turn off the Mass Hysteria Spectacle Machine when things like the new variant of the coronavirus happen. What do we need to know about the new coronavirus? How do we stay engaged enough without falling prey to all the hype? You can start by listening to this episode.

This week Mike engages with noted author, speaker, and futurist, Bryan Alexander to discuss the challenges and potential futures emerging for higher education focusing on the US. Bryan has recently authored a book called Academia Next in which he explores trends and describes multiple possible futures for the higher ed ecosystem. What are the threats that are emerging to the traditional model of higher education in the US? How do adjuncts fit into the picture? Is Clayton Christensen's concept of the Innovator's Dilemma relevant to the future of higher education or are there reasons why it doesn't apply? We explore all of these questions and get Bryan to describe several of his possible futures during a free-flowing and imaginative conversation about where the world of higher education is heading. And we also talk a bit about science fiction for good measure. In all, we got a lot out of the conversation and hope you find value in listening.

Dan and Mike regroup to reflect on the relentless media barrage that is life in 2020. We take time to talk about the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others in a helicopter crash. Despite the tragic nature of the story, was it somehow a wake up call for the importance of family? Our leading #girldad weighs in. At the same time, the Impeachment Trial approaches its conclusion as global fears of the coronavirus pick up, how does one find balance and focus amid all of this? Needless to say, the collective zeitgeist is fraught these days, but we have some recommendations based on learning science that steer us towards quiet time to reflect and consolidate things into long term memory. Yes, we’re living in interesting times in 2020, The key is to control what you tune in and tune out amid the spectacle. Embracing a little JOMO can help. Thanks for listening.

Melissa, Dan, and Mike dive into the complicated topic of implicit bias and the spate of recent training programs based on the concept. Does raising awareness of unconscious biases drive positive change or is it a necessary, but not sufficient, component in a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging program. A lot comes down to how you measure success and how much the program is integrated into the broader organizational culture. So it turns out, it’s complicated. We hope you enjoy joining us as we begin the conversation.

Following up on our recent show covering the educational research highlights of 2019, Mike sits down with Youki Terada from Edutopia who authored the article. Youki is the Research and Standards editor for Edutopia which means he reviews and edits contributions from Edutopia's writing staff to ensure it's evidence-based, well-designed, and relevant to Edutopia's target audience of K12 Educators. We talk about areas of research that Youki has found particularly interesting and explore several examples with an eye towards practical application for educators. We also talk about the importance of curation and the risks of fast or sloppy research when looking for good applications of emerging learning research.

This week, Mike sits down with Frank Britt, CEO of Penn Foster, to talk about the future of work from the perspective of "middle-skilled" employees. Middle skill jobs require a high school degree and some additional training, but do not require a bachelors degree. Middle skill jobs account for roughly half of the jobs in the US, and that figure is not expected to change much in the 2020s. Frank explains the impact of automation on middle skill jobs and the importance of empathizing with this part of the workforce and the social impact of providing training to this workforce to protect their ability earn. We also touch on "outskilling," "first-mile" services, and some forward thinking about how the middile skills educational marketplace will transform in the next decade.

This week, Mike, Dan, and Melissa explore what’s new and noteworthy coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 which recently concluded in Las Vegas. We discuss the highlights from the show itself and also take time to dive into a recent critique by Cindy Gallop of Cosmopolitan magazine that focuses on the patterns of sexism and “bro culture” that have pervaded CES since it’s inception in the late 1960s. CES is trying to respond but is it enough? And of course, we explore the pros and cons of a new wave of cute, therapeutic, SEL-friendly robots. What’s good and what might be the first steps on the road to dystopia? Listen in to catch up on the tech and some varied perspectives. Enjoy!

In this cybersecurity extra, Mike dives into a fascinating conversation about the skills gap and workforce development with Simone Petrella, Jung Lee, and Sam Meisenberg from the cybersecurity training company, CyberVista. How does the field of cybersecurity understand the skills needed to be an effective professional? Are there basic competencies that are foundational to advancing in cybersecurity? How should we think about developing the right mix of technical capabilities combined with the communication skills and domain expertise needed to thrive in cyber in the 2020s? We dig into all of this and begin to brainstorm ideas for a cybersecurity screenplay on this week's extra. Hope you enjoy!

This week, Mike sits down with best-selling author Rohit Bhargava to talk about Rohit's new book Non-Obvious Megatrends which launches this week. We discuss what it's been like to put together a trendspotting book each year for the past ten years and how shifting the focus to Megatrends this year has provided new perspective heading into the 2020s. Then we dig into a few of Rohit's Megatrends from the book to talk about how Instant Knowledge and Attention Wealth, among others, relate to learning and education in 2020. We hope you enjoy the conversation about where the world of learning may be heading in the near and further distant future.

We ring in the new year with a fascinating conversation with world renowned author and speaker David Meermam Scott heading into the release of his new book, Fanocracy, which launches this week. What can we learn from our shared experience of fandom? How do concepts like mirror cells and our understanding of physical space provide clues into become a more effective instructor or presenter? How is being a fan part of what it means to be human? And can all of this help us to be optimistic heading into the new decade? We cover all of this and explore the power of releasing true ownership to the fans in a fascinating conversation to kick off 2020. We hope you enjoy!