Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer

Ray Belli joins Mike for today's episode exploring the power of language and audio in the evolution of culture and human understanding. Ray hosts a language and etymology podcast called Words for Granted and he's also a founding member of the Lyceum team. We explore the dynamic nature of word meanings using a few examples from the King James Bible. From there, we touch quickly on Shakespeare and t...

Mike welcomes Melissa Griffith and Dan Strafford back to the show to analyze Mary Meeker's new report that explores the new trends that are emerging in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Which trends will remain and which will fade? How will organizations, schools, educators, parents, and learners grapple with the new normal? How might we adapt to thrive amid the widespread, pervasive sense of disrup...

Stephen Kosslyn joins Mike to explore the transformative power of synchronous learning as the world rapidly moves online. Countering the perception that online learning is asynchronous, Stephen outlines his experiences first as Dean at the Minerva Schools startup and most recently at Foundry College. In both cases, the curriculum and the technology that powers it is designed with synchronous and a...

On today's episode, Jenna Spinelle joins Mike to talk about civics, the gig economy, and the sudden shift to remote teaching. Jenna is a writer, instructor, and podcaster in higher education who recently launched a new course focused on teaching undergrads how to engage in the gig economy. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she had to quickly shift from delivering the course face to face to teaching re...

Mike is once again joined by Tarlin Ray to talk about generational zeitgeists in light of the coronavirus pandemic. As two GenXers, we wonder what the global pandemic means to the oft-forgotten, former latchkey kids of the 70s and 80s. Then we explore the challenges faced by Boomers and Millennials before shifting to the rising GenZ and “Alpha” generations. What are the financial implications? Wil...

Mike and Dan break down our 2020 March Madness for Learning Trends tournament. We begin by reflecting on how crazy a month it was and by thanking all the frontline workers who are leading our response to the covid-19 pandemic. Then we talk through the trends that deserved more love while analyzing each successive round in our brackets. We then culminate the festivities with our takes on the Final...

Mike is joined by Helen Lee Bouygues, the Founder of the Reboot Foundation, to discuss the research her foundation has published about critical thinking. We begin by exploring what drove Helen to found Reboot and why critical thinking is so essential to a healthy, relevant, and fulfilling life in these confusing times. Helen shares research into the adverse impact of social media use on understand...

Mike is joined by Zachary Davis, the President and Founder of Lyceum, an educational podcasting platform that is launching now. Zachary is also the organizer of the Sound Education conference and the host of the podcast Ministry of Ideas. He's also the host of a new podcast called Writ Large that is debuting now with the launch of Lyceum.. Zachary tells the story of how he became focused on educat...

In today's episode, Angela Siefer, Executive Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, joins Mike to revisit the topic of digital inclusion in light of the new, stark realities of the Covid-19 pandemic. When we're told to shelter at home and engage in social distancing, what does this mean for those on the other side of the digital divide? Angela and her not-for-profit provide informati...

Mike catches up with Adi Hanash, a virtuoso online instructor with deep experience in teaching, training teachers, and managing online programs for large organizations like General Assembly and Kaplan. In light of the rapid shift to remote learning (and teaching) driven by the covid-19 pandemic, Adi is running a series of webinars to provide teachers and learning leaders with insights from over 12...

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 discus...

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 battl...

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...

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/ T...

We'd like to wish everyone a happy International Women's 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 expand...

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...

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 fu...

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...

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...

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...

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 h...

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...

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...

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. W...