Trending In Education

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.

Mike sits down with Michael Fitzpatrick, President and COO of Pullstring to discuss Voice Assistant technology and it's applications in education and in life. They walk through the history of interactive audio and related simulation and explore the balance between data privacy and convenience. HAL 9000 would be so proud!

Mike, Brandon, and Dan discuss the growth of the voice assistant in every day life. How do we interact with Alexa, Siri, and other voice assistants? What amount of privacy are we willing to give up for the ease of use with voice? What are the applications of this emerging technology in learning and education? We dive into all that and discuss the Uncanny Valley, the Turing Test, and much, much more on this week's episode.    

In a special live presentation of the podcast, Brandon, Mike, and Dan explore how companies, managers, and employees alike can help grow a learning culture by fostering inclusion, interaction, and great communication amongst all employees. What's one of the biggest skill gaps that companies see emerging within their workforces? How might a culture of learning address this and other emerging challenges in modern work life? Tune in to find out!

Mike, Brandon, and Dan take a trip to Westworld to discuss the popular HBO show. Is the show must-watch television for developers and coders? How can educators incorporate programming like Westworld into their curricula? What can we learn from the series about artificial intelligence and machine learning? How does the Delos Corporation's focus on data relate to themes from contemporary life in 2018? Our three hosts kick off the discussion with these questions and explore themes we will dig into further in an upcoming pop culture analysis spinoff called The Cradle (CR4-DL).

Mike, Dan, and Brandon celebrate the 100th episode of Trending In Education. We take a little time to reflect on and celebrate the ride thus far. From Bror Saxberg to Tarlin Ray to Early Childhood Education to Torobo-Kun, we've covered a wide range of topics, articles, and ideas across our first 100 shows. This week we thank our guests and listeners and provide updates on some of our favorite topics as we explore what's on the horizon for the next 100 episodes.  Thanks again for listening and here's to building on and expanding the conversation!

This week, Brandon, Mike, and Dan revisit Massive Open Online Courses, or MooCs. Are Blockbuster MooCs the way forward for online courses? How important is having well-known teachers lead these courses? How have universities leveraged their best teachers for long-lasting content? What kinds of roles are emerging for people passionate about teaching? And what sorts of courses are attracting the most learners and why?  Have a listen to learn more.

Mike sits down with Andy Temte, the President of Kaplan Professional, to explore the future of corporate education, the emerging Skills Gap, and the blend of behavioral and technical competencies essential to leaders in the 21st century. Andy provides guidance and insights drawn from a long and successful career in education and management to help lifelong learners and aspiring leaders prepare to navigate the changing dynamics of the workplace of the future. 

On this week's episode, Mike, Brandon, and Dan dive into the recent release from the World Health Organization recognizing Gaming Disorder. Following up on our recent episode on eSports, we look deeper into the disorder and potential now for treatment. We also discuss the educational ramifications of this announcement. How might schools and institutions learn from game design while still ensuring the health and growth of their students? That and much more on this week's show.

Brandon, Dan, and Mike jump onto the pitch with this look at the 2018 World Cup. We talk predictions from mystical animals as well as artifical intillegence. Does Mystic Marcus the Pig have the final four teams locked up or do AI's 100,000 simulations prove Spain and Germany will be the last teams standing? We touch on Random Forest simulations and Poisson distributions as we explore the various ways in which humans make predictions. Ane we wrap it all up with a quick dive into a great set of resources from TheirWorld.Org which breaks down the teams and their respective countries based on relevant educational statistics. All that and more on the latest Trending In Education.

Following up on recent episode on Sleep and Learning, Mike and Dan talk to Dr. Kimberly Fenn, Associate Professor and Lead Researcher for The Sleep and Learning Lab, Michigan State University. Dr. Fenn provides more insight and detail regarding chronotypes, circadian nadirs, napping, and insomnia. We explore her research into the important role sleep plays in memory consolidation as we track the growing awakening (see what we did there) to the importance of sleep to health and cognitive performance. In all, it was an especially impressive team performance considering it was recorded during the siesta hour. Enjoy!

Mike, Dan, and Brandon take a look at how sleep influences our learning. The myth of learning while you sleep (hypnopaedia) may have been debunked long ago, but sleep greatly influences being ready to learn. According to recent studies, sleep is also a time your brain works to consolidate long term memories. Our trio digs into that and much, much more.

Dan and Mike spend some quality time with Sean Swidersky, a former professional Halo (video game) player who has since retired and is now producing gaming content for Microsoft and Halo. Sean shares his story of becoming a professional gamer at age 13 in the early days of eSports . We explore how the world is changing with more and more young folks spending time, generating income, and building careers in the growing gaming industry. We examine the challenges both kids and parents are facing in a rapidly changing world of streamers, gaming, and new media.