Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer

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 middle-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 its 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!

Mike and Dan welcome Brandon Jones back to Trending in Education to get his quick takes on trends to be on the lookout for in 2020. Mike and Dan gear up for prediction season which will cover both 2020 Vision and 2030 Farsight!Welcome to the conversation. Here’s to an amazing year and an even better decade! Let the prognostication commence!!

Dan and Mike dig into an Edutopia article by Youki Terada outlining the key findings in educational research in 2019. What sorts of findings jump out and which stories did we cover on Trending in Education?We take some time to look back as we gear up to peer forward into 2020 and the decade to come on this week’s episode. We hope you enjoy!

Dan and Mike welcome Brandon Jones back to the show to talk through the best gifts for kids and lifelong learners this holiday season. What toys and games make sense for kids and what sorts of gifts might work for adults who want to stay sharp and fresh in this modern day and age?We also take some time to step back from the commercialism of the shopping season to explore how to model generosity and empathy as we engage with those we love this holiday season.We hope you have a wonderful season and we’re very grateful that you are listening.

Mike, Dan, and Melissa discuss the work of Dr Douglas Belshaw on “digital literacies” based on a recent talk Mike attended at the Ithaka The Next Wave Conference on the future of Higher Education in New YorkIs “digital literacy” a monolithic, binary thing or is it a set of mindsets and skillsets that are best understood on continua? How does this relate to “surveillance capitalism” and the pervasive revenue models of many of the dominant digital platforms of the 21st Century?How much of this is learnable and teachable and who is best-positioned to provide education about all of this?We dig all of this on this week’s show and look forward to diving back in more in the future.

For this week’s extra, Mike is joined by Design Anthropologist and Podcaster, Dr Adam Gamwell, to explore how robots, science fiction, and anthropology are interrelated. In a free flowing and imaginative conversation, we explore how the narratives and secular myths of pop culture and our collective consciousness provide insights into how we understand what it means to be human, how we engage with the Other, and how we grapple to understand how new technologies are driving profound changes to the world around us.Listen in for an illuminating conversation. We hope you enjoy!