Trending In Education

Dr. Daniel Harrison joins Mike to talk about his latest book, Live at Jackson Station. We hear how Dan became a Sociology Professor at Lander University in South Carolina before we dive into the importance of storytelling as Dan tells the story of Jackson Station, a legendary blues bar in Greenwood, South Carolina in the 1980s and early nineties. We learn about the tolerance and diversity of the music scene at the bar before things take a “True Crime” turn with a bush ax attack in the parking lot at 3am. Along the way Dan and Mike muse about the relevance of sociology and the future of higher education. Then we touch on Dan’s first book, Making Sense of Marshall Ledbetter, which tells the story of a university student who broke into the Florida State Capitol in 1991 and holed up in the Sergeant-At-Arms office resulting in a standoff with police replete with a surprising list of demands and a climactic conclusion. We conclude by discussing Dan’s recent article titled “Sociology at the End of History”. In all,

Dr. John Giordano joins Mike to explain how he founded Semester For Change to help students and families navigate the transition from High School to the right career path for them. John shares the story of his career in Fine Arts Education that bridges from high school into colleges with strong ties to the community throughout. John describes his own experiences over the past year which led to him forming an alternative to a year of traditional higher education in these chaotic times. Semester For Change builds on John and team's experiences helping a diverse cross-section of students make choices and build projects that help them find their passion and apply design thinking principles to build their post-secondary pathway to steer towards productive and meaningful careers. How would you design a program to help students and families who are choosing to hit pause to reflect before leaning into what makes sense for them next? Listen in to find out. You can learn more about what John and team are doing at https

Mike welcomes Jeff Gothelf, author of Forever Employable: How to Stop looking for Work and Let Your Next Job Find You. Jeff starts by talking about his early days in rock’n’roll and Web 1.0. Leading a design team in the early days, he and his team had to find a way to match their processes to the then ascendent agile software development process. Jeff was then able to leverage this new approach into a book, Lean UX, and from there into teaching.   More recently, he has responded to his audience by expounding on a “continuous pull” model of letting clients come to you. You need to establish credibility with your audience, and then frequently and consistently provide them with what they want, adapting to the signals they send you. Jeff elaborates on finding the right focus, and how you can deal with “imposter syndrome” by just “shipping it”. Jeff also notes how you can learn from thought leaders both within your field and beyond. Mike asks about the future, and Jeff says he plans to continue deeper into the “

Miles Iton joins Mike Palmer to talk about how he's incorporated Hip Hop into his EFL (English as a Foreign Language) training programs. Miles is the Founder and Program Director at Lo-Fi Language Learning. Lo-Fi Language Learning is a version of n.e.Bodied Entertainment’s Freestyle + Floetry tutorial fitted to an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) curriculum. Founded in 2019 after winning Distinguished Honors (1st Prize) at the National University of Science & Technology’s Be Young Beyond Startup Competition in Taipei, Taiwan, Lo-Fi looks to shake up the landscapes of both classroom English learning and the hip-hop scene out East. We learn what brought Miles to this point in his career and explore how Hip Hop and relevance can really make a difference when trying to get students engaged and motivated in their language learning activities. We also explore the broader cultural impact of Hip Hop and how it can make a difference in the classroom before concluding with Miles' take on where things are heading in

Ryan Craig joins Mike to discuss his work at Achieve Partners and as a Senior Education Contributor to Forbes and other publications. He's the author of College Disrupted and A New U and is a forward-thinking voice on the future of post-secondary education. We discuss his articles about IUP and Quibi and the recent kerfuffle about Dr. Jill Biden, among other topics, as we zero in on the challenges higher education faces and how we can evolve both within and perhaps more importantly outside of it in a wide-ranging and informative conversation. Ryan and the team at Achieve Partners are focused on new and emerging models and ventures that focus on connecting high school students to their first good job. He explains how he was originally looking to find these pathways through traditional higher education but has since shifted his focus to models like apprenticeships and income share agreements that he sees as more efficient at achieving the critical outcome of landing a good first job. It's an insightful and tho

Mike is joined by Bryanne Leeming, CEO of Unruly Studios, and creator of Unruly Splats.   Bryanne begins by explaining the origins of Unruly Splats. Her early exposure to programming was key, as was the entrepreneurialism of her parents and her childhood involvement in sports. After graduating from college, she worked in product development. Seeing the interesting but often passive experiences offered by many Edtech products, Bryanne founded Unruly Studios. Bryanne describes Splats as “programmable floor buttons”. They’re stomped on by kids to cause interactions, and kids can program them to create new games. Originally prototyped while she was still in business school, Spats are now in hundreds of schools across the U.S. and Canada. Kids have stomped them more than 1 million times Mike asks about the impact of Covid on Splats, and Bryanne explains that even before the pandemic she and her team have been interviewing hundreds of teachers about their needs. As a result, they offer special challenges between sc

Michelle Weise is the author of Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs That Don't Even Exist Yet. Michelle is also a Senior Advisor at the philanthropic investment group, Imaginable Futures. On this episode, she joins Mike Palmer to discuss her new book and how we can reimagine our learning ecosystem in response to longer lifespans, automation, and rapid transformation of the 21st Century. We begin with Michelle’s origin story, how she moved from being an English professor into educational technology including stints at Clayton Christensen’s Institute for Disruptive Innovation, Southern New Hampshire University, and Strada Education Network. Michelle notes the difficulty of predicting actual future careers, and how her book focuses on the type of worker and the type of problem solver we all need to become. We need to offload much of the current tasks that AI can do better while developing both our “human-plus” skills as well as the technical expertise required to exercise judgment. Mike and Michelle discuss “

Dr. Mordecai Brownlee proudly serves as the Vice President for Student Success at St. Philip’s College. St. Phillips holds the distinction of being the only institution granted both HBCU and HSI status. He also serves as adjunct faculty at Morgan State University School of Education & Urban Studies and the University of Charleston School of Business & Leadership. In addition, Mordecai is an education columnist with EdSurge and has authored recent articles on Financial Literacy and Co-Requisite Developmental Education that form the foundation of his conversation with Mike Palmer in this episode. We begin by hearing what got Mordecai to this point in his career journey and use that as the jumping off point to diving developmental education and the importance of teaching financial literacy. We explore the challenges students battling poverty face to achieve success and social mobility and warn of the challenges of taking on student debt. It's an in-depth view of the work Dr. Brownlee and team are doing in urban

In this episode, we're excited to welcome Dr. Bridget Burns to Trending in Education to talk about innovation in higher education. Named one of the “Most Innovative People in Higher Education” by Washington Monthly, Bridget is the founding Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance (UIA). The UIA is the groundbreaking national consortium of public research universities working together to test and scale innovations that close achievement gaps and improve outcomes for all students. Since its founding in 2014, the UIA campuses have increased their low-income degrees awarded by 37% (producing over 30,000 additional low-income graduates to date) and increased graduates of color by 73%. The Alliance has been featured in national outlets like 60 Minutes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fast Company, and in the documentary "Unlikely". The UIA has inspired and supported the formation of more than 15 other university networks working to improve postsecondary success for low-income students. We b

Abby Schneiderman and Gene Newman from Everplans join Mike to talk about their new book In Case You Get Hit By A Bus: How to Organize Your Life Now for When You're Not Around Later. We begin by getting the origin story of Everplans based on Abby's experiences as a tech entrepreneur and as someone who faced unexpected challenges when her brother suddenly died at age 51. We learn how Abby and Adam Seifer, her Co-founder, created Everplans and how they brought in Gene to help write the book and begin to educate folks on how to navigate the difficult and complex challenges that emerge with the loss of a loved one. We touch on emerging trends around digital estate planning, scenario-based thinking, and capturing the "softer side" of one's legacy for families and friends to hold onto after your gone. With the massive shifts of thinking due to the pandemic, we also think through how planning mindsets are shifting and how much of the work the folks at Everplans are doing was ahead of trend and is now incredibly zeitg

Dr. April Willis joins Mike to talk about the work she and team are doing at the National Virtual Teachers Association (NVTA) to help teachers manage the difficult transition to teaching online. April recounts her experiences beginning in the classroom and then moving across various roles in education before joining the NVTA to help establish best practices for virtual instruction. What began prior to the pandemic accelerated quickly in response to the tremendous spike in demand. April shares her perspective on how virtual instruction will continue to play a critical role in the learning ecosystem long beyond the pandemic and how we can ensure we can get better at teaching online in new ways. If you like what you're hearing, follow us at TrendinginEducation.com and wherever you get your podcasts.

After graduating from college, Mike Marriner travelled across America with two college friends in an old, green RV. Along the way, they interviewed leaders across a wide array of fields and occupations to learn how folks got to where they were. That first trip resulted in the book Roadtrip Nation: A Guide to Discovering Your Road in Life and soon led to the founding of Road Trip Nation where Mike and team now provide that same experiential learning experience to other students. They've been regularly featured on PBS and across major media outlets over the past 20 years. In a wide-ranging conversation, we touch on how the lowering of barriers to entry is making it easier than ever to chart new career paths like Mike's. He reflects on recent work they've done to launch Roadtrip Nation's first Online Course allowing their tools and insights to reach a broader audience who might not be able to take to the road. Mike recounts stories from recent trips with community college students, and students with learning dis

In this special edition of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer shares the 21 Trends he's seeing on the horizon for 2021. Based on over 100 shows in 2020 talking to 75 different guests, we've been able to glean insights that help us get out ahead of what's emerging in the future of learning in 2021 and beyond. And this is the episode where we share that all with you! You want to discover what's emerging in learning in these transformative times? Then listen to this episode and join us in the conversation as we head into the rest of the 2020s. And be sure to follow us at https://trendingineducation.com and wherever you get your podcasts. To the Future!

Melissa Griffith and Dan Strafford join Mike Palmer for this special 2021 Kickoff show. What trends are top of mind for us as we lean into 2021? How will we turn the page from 2020 into the New Year? What have we learned? We talk Biotech, EdTech, Data Privacy, and the enormous opportunities emerging in Learning due to the forcing function of rapid digital adoption in 2020 due to the pandemic. Thanks so much for listening and here's to an incredible 2021 for all of our listeners both new and longtime! If you like what you're hearing, follow us at https://trendingineducation.com and wherever you listen to podcasts. And remember to spread the word as we continue to explore the future of learning in the New Year of 2021 and beyond!

To bring 2020 to a close, we've compiled highlights from the 10 most downloaded episodes of Trending in Education this year. We begin with Angela Siefer talking about Digital Inclusion before hearing Adi Hanash's perspective on how to be a great live online instructor. Then we listen to Dr. Rich Milner talk about the importance of grace in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and the challenges of teaching in 2020. From there, we hear from Helen Lee Bouygues, Zachary Davis, Frank Britt, Bryan Alexander, and David Meerman Scott and reflect back on our March Madness Tournament, the Gartner Hype Cycle, and much more. It was a profound and transformational year and we appreciate everyone who was with us for the ride. Be on the lookout for more cutting edge content covering the world of learning trends as we dive into 2021 and beyond in the coming weeks and years. If you like what you're hearing, write us a review and spread the word. Follow us at https://trendingineducation.com and subscribe wherever you list

Melissa Griffith and Dan Strafford rejoin Mike to look back on an amazing year in learning trends. We take a cautiously optimistic stance looking back on the year and peering ahead into the future as we review highlights from some of the top episodes of Trending in Education from 2020. We talk about the pandemic response, the promise of the vaccines, and the transformational thinking about race that has emerged in response to George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement. We also touch on the emerging renaissance in online learning as we look forward to turning the page to 2021 to lean into disruption and reinvention with renewed grace, empathy, and hope. Thanks to everyone who contributed to an amazing year of trendspotting in learning. If you like what you're hearing, follow us at https://trendingineducation.com and wherever you get your podcasts.,

Dustin Ramsdell is a higher ed tech professional who works to support student success. For the past few years, he’s also been the host of The Higher Ed Geek Podcast exploring trends in higher ed and educational technology. Dustin joins Mike for this episode of Trending in Education to share his perspective on three trends to be on the lookout for heading into 2021. It’s a fun conversation to kick off our looks ahead into 2021 and beyond. If you like what you’re hearing, follow us at TrendinginEducation.com and wherever you get your podcasts.

Sean D’Arcy, VP of Kahoot! at School and Home, joins Mike to talk about what’s new and emerging from the interactive, gamified EdTech platform. We begin by getting Sean’s backstory as a technology, product, and marketing executive as we learn how he landed at Kahoot. Then we shift to the challenges and opportunities he’s seeing in this tumultuous year. We conclude with a conversation about Kahoot!’s recent integration with Bitmoji as we brainstorm better words for edutainment. In all, it’s a fun and imaginative conversation that you won’t want to miss. If you like what you’re hearing, follow us at TrendinginEducation.com and wherever you get your podcasts!

Lindsey Dixon and Julissa Baez from The Urban Assembly join Mike to talk about Postsecondary Readiness, Workforce Pathways, and the Future of Work. We hear Julissa and Lindsey’s origin stories and learn what drives their passion to make a positive impact on students and families overcoming poverty and striving for social mobility. We explore how to move work readiness programs further upstream into high school and K12 to ensure graduates are making smart decisions planning for the careers of the future. If you enjoy what you’re hearing, follow us at TrendinginEducation.com and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts!

Noah Teitelbaum is the Executive Director of Empowering Education. That means he does a bit of everything, from chatting with the principals and teachers using the program to managing program updates to writing SEL children's stories about bunnies (https://empoweringeducation.org/book/). Empowering Education is a non-profit that enables learning by contributing to the social and emotional wellness of students, families, and educators through a mindfulness-based bilingual SEL curriculum. They offer an accessible, trauma-informed, affordable, and easy-to-use curriculum for K-8 teachers and SEL specialists to use in the classroom. Noah joins Mike on this episode of Trending in Education to tell his origin story as an education professional with all the twists and turns that have happened since. We dive into the mission and approach he's undertaken leading Empowering Education through this transformative year. We conclude with Noah's perspective on what's emerging on the horizon. If you like what you're hearing,