Trending In Education

Sans Forgetica is a new font/typset out of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia that was designed specifically to aid in memory and retention. The font is designed to be slightly challenging to read and that "desirable difficulty" makes it a surprisingly effective memory aid. On this episode, Dan and Mike catch up with Dr. Joanne Perryman and Dr. Janneke Blijlevens, two-thirds of the research and design team around the new font. We discuss the thought process behind designing the new font, desired outcomes, research to date, and what might be next. What's the best way to use the sans forgetica? Wait, don't tell us...Hang on, we were just talking about this... Just kidding. Listen in on this fascinating conversation to find out!

Mike and Brandon sit down to explore mnemonic tools like "Memory Palaces" and "the method of loci" which are learning performance hacks that have been shown to aid in memory. We use the book Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foerr as a backdrop to our discussion of memory, retention, and recall. How can memory techniques that have been around since ancient times help modern learners capture and retain more knowledge? What does it mean to be a "mental athlete" and what lessons can be learned from their training techniques and performative practices?  Mike and Brandon conclude by digging into their own favorite mnemonics and cognitive aids as we aim to help our listeners remember better by leveraging techniques that unlock untapped cognitive potential.

On this week's episode, Mike, Brandon, and Dan take on the latest internet sensation, Gritty the new mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers introduced Gritty as their new mascot late in September and since then, he(?)'s been feagured across multiple news channels and media outlets. As Mike might say, Gritty is "Zeitgeist-y!" Our trio of hosts explore whether it's merely a coincidence that Gritty hails from the same city as Angela Duckworth, the author of the landmark positive psychology book, Grit. We also look at the cross-section of learning and mascots. Do mascots enhance memory? Why are they so prevalent in programming (and advertising) for children? How does this all tie to recent books like Sapiens by Yuval Harari, and Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer? Be sure to save room in your memory palace for Gritty. Listen in for a fun and surprisingly informative conversation.

Mike sits down with Katie Nielson, the Chief Education Officer for Voxy.com. Katie talks about what it's like to be the other kind of CEO. We talk about Voxy's approach to teaching English to non-native speakers and the challenges for both individual learners and larger groups of students. We reminisce a bit about the early days of e-learning and explore some common missteps taken in developing instruction for online learning. What trends in language learning and online education is Katie tracking? How applicable are lessons learned from her experiences teaching english to non-native speakers at Voxy to the broader space of online learning end education? Tune in to find out.

This week, Mike and Brandon are joined by David Niemi, Kaplan's VP of Measurement and Larry Rudman, Kaplan's VP of Instruction to discuss David's recently published book, Learning Analytics in Education. David explains what went into creating the book, which he Edited and Co-Authored, as the group takes a critical look at how to think about measurement and learning analytics our rapidly changing digital world. How should we think about learning analytics in a burgeoning sea of Big Data? What can be gleaned from new troves of clickstream data? We talk about how this new field has the potential to increase learner success through a deeper understanding of the academic, social-emotional, motivational, and meta-cognitive context each learner uniquely brings. In particular, we dig into the problem of persistence to explore how data and learning analytics can help inform motivational interventions and other tactics to reach learners at risk of dropping out of high school or college. Listen in to get a taste of the

Mike, Brandon, and Dan welcome in Dan Gonzalez, co-founder of District C, to the show. Distric C is a non-profit focused on workforce training and real-life learning for high schoolers through partnerships with local businesses. We discuss what employers and managers say most new hires are missing and how students can get a head start on workforce preparedness. Dan Gonzalez discusses how important using real world businesses problems and teaming with diverse teammates is to the learning experience of District C scholars. What can students learn from these encounters? How can intergenerational connections help grow the students’ and their corporate partners’ perspectives? All that and more on this week's Trending in Education. 

On this extra, Mike and Dan dig into a few recent articles on GenZ and their preferred learning modes and platforms. Spoiler alert: research is showing GenZ prefers visual, video content and Youtube. How does this differ from Millennials and older generations?  Along similar lines, we explore the decision by the New York Times Magazine to go audio and visual (text free) for this weekend's Sunday Magazine. Are new media trends unique to the younger generations or are they part of broader trends? How can we build towards approaches and platforms that facilitate cross-generational diversity and engagement so we can better learn from and listen to each other? Listen in to hear all about it.

The squad sits down with Jean Ellen Cowgill, the GM of Tic Toc Media, the social arm of Bloomberg Media, to explore how media consumption patterns are changing and how media (and learning) companies are evolving to meet the change. Jean Ellen explains how Tic Toc was formed and how they think about creating "nutirent-rich" short-form videos to share on Twitter and the inherent challenges therein. The group explores the complexities around fake news and problems of trust which apply to both news context but also to learning and media more broadly. Whether you're an educator, a media professional, or someone curious about how news and media are evolving, there's a lot to gain by listening in to this week's show. Enjoy!

Mike and Brandon sit down with Professor Nicholas Tampio of Fordham University to discuss his recent Aeon article on "looking up from your screens." Professor Tampio argues in favor of limiting screen time amongst school age children and getting out in nature more. The conversation covers the drawbacks to too much screen time, how parents can manage devices and more, and how schools are utilizing computers and tablets. Can screen time be limited, or all together restricted or do instructors and parents need to integrate the emerging technologies in more thoughtful ways? Tune in to find out.

On this week's episode, we discuss a recent article from Dr. Maryanne Wolf, Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. The article breaks down the changes Dr. Wolf has seen in how technology has lead to further skimming from readers. She discusses the changes happening to our brains as well as the differences in comprehension and retention of information. How does skimming compare to audio books and podcasts? What could the future of reading be as skimming becomes more and more of a reality? Tune in to find out.

Mike, Brandon, and Dan welcome Scott Jaschik, Co-Founder and Editor of Insidehighered.com, to the show. The group walks through a wide variety of topics concerning colleges and universities, from discuss dwindling enrollments and population changes in the Northeast to challenges emerging around international students. What are some of the biggest issues emerging on campuses today? Listen in to find out.

It's that time of year again! Mike, Brandon, and Dan take a look at the newly released Gartner Hype Cycle. Our trio of hosts breaks down how the cycle works, some of their favorite technologies featured this year, and some of the year over year changes. They also discuss what an education and EdTech hype cycle might look like. What do you think should make it on? Get hyped!

Mike sits down with Larry Rudman, VP of Learning Science and Instructional Design at Kaplan, to engage in a free-flowing discussion about the problems inherent in applying learning science findings in real life contexts in the modern world. Larry shares his personal experiences from a long and varied career in the field while summoning up fascinating examples of researchers, educators, and learning engineers  grappling with the thorny problems we're all wrestling with in learning and education today.

Mike, Brandon and Dan dive into a recent article by Eli Sheldon of Edsurge titled "How Data Science Adds Computational Thinking - and Fun - To Gym Class." The trio walks through the use of statistical analysis and data science to expand gym class beyond the physical and explore the concept of SABRLearning, one of Mike's predictions for 2018. Can sports bridge into math through real life applications of next level computational analytics? There's reminiscences of middle school sports careers, discussions about Data Captains, and some interesting thoughts for educators and learning professionals curious about designing lesson plans that resonate with the future of work.  

Mike Palmer sits down with Matt Cooper, CEO of Skillshare, to talk about subscription-based education, curating learning content, the need for creative skills, and how Skillshare stays on top of new education trends. The discussion covers the Netflix model and things to learn from other subscription models, as well as how often their best students often turn into their best teachers. Matt also discusses what he calls "forced serependity.” Tune in to find out what he means and so much more.

In Part 2 of our Learning from Netflix series, Brandon, Dan, and Mike take a look at subscription-based educational platforms. Skillshare, for example, just received 28 million dollars in funding and provides an "all you can eat" approach to education with a monthly or yearly subscription fee. What challenges might subscription-based educational platforms face? What benefits will learners gain from having access to curated collections of learning content? And how does all of this relate to the evolving expectations of learners in the golden age of top-notch on-demand media in which we're all living today? Listen in to get our hosts takes on the topic. Also, catch a sneak listen to Friday's extra, where Mike sits down to discuss this topic with Matt Cooper, CEO of Skillshare.

On this extra, we welcome back Tarlin Ray, co-founder of Kaplan Labs, to discuss what lessons we might learn from how the NBA engages their millennial workforce. What can we learn from the Golden State Warriors structure and engagement? How did a simple moment of listening by Steve Kerr work to his advantage? All that and more on the latest extra from Trending In Education

On this week's episode of Trending In Education, Brandon, Mike, and Dan take a look at the recent announcement from LeBron James about the creation of the I Promise school within the city of Akron. What life experiences of the former Cleveland Cavalier influenced the school? How will students and families alike benefit from availability of training, food pantries, bicycles, and technology? How do our trio of hosts see this influencing other school districts? Can any of the hosts find anything bad to say about LeBron? All that and more on this week's Trending in Education.

Dan and Mike are joined by Kristen Smith, who leads a team of Student Brand Ambassadors at Kaplan Test Prep, to talk about the concept of "ghosting" and how it relates to the hiring lifecycle. We discuss the evolution of the term and how hiring managers are encountering it as a growing trend. Along similar generational lines, the trio takes a look at a recent New York Times article on how higher education is shifting to meet the changing needs of Generation Z (or iGen).

In the first of a two-part episode, Mike, Brandon, and Dan discuss a recent Harvard Business Review article by Bill Taylor focused on the Netflix business model. They discuss the power of data and big ideas, the need to continually disrupt yourself, and how important culture is to a successful business model.