Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer

Inspired by Robert Smith's announcement that his family would help pay off the debt of the 2019 Morehouse College graduating class, we dive into commencement season. We look at what makes a great speech to graduates. Looking at speeches from this year and hearkening back to the best from the past few years, what common themes tie them together? Do the best speeches combine compassion and humor? Mike muses about working on his own commencement speech and what that might entail. Brandon shares a story of his own brush with commencement greatness. Dust off your cap and gown and have a listen!

On our latest episode of the Citadel, Brandon, Mike, and Dan break down the final episode of Game of Thrones. We talk through the all the major plot points, discuss what's next for those characters that are still with us, and share what we think could have been better. SPOILER ALERT!!! We talk about the conclusion of GoT in the show and in the rest of the description!Was Jon and Dany's final scene on par with the death of the Night King? Did the show runners deliver on story lines that have been building since season one? What should we think of the future of the monarchy in Westeros? Which future stories are the most compelling?We discuss all that and discuss the potential for spinoffs along with the prequels already in production. Tune in and join the conversation on Twitter using @TrendingInEd.

Why did the engineer teach the robot to tell a joke? To see if they could be funny, clearly.On our latest episode, we dive into a recent article on teaching artificial intelligence to tell jokes and puns. The Wired article we dig into describes the work of He He, a postdoc candidate at Stanford, who is attempting to teach robots how to construct and tell puns and jokes. How might a world where robots can tell good jokes change what we find funny? How does a shared human experience inform how we understand enjoying humor? How might AI work in conjunction with humans to write better jokes and comedies? We also share some of our favorite jokes and puns about robots, as well as a tease out another topic on chat bots. Tune in and enjoy!

Our fifth episode of the final season of The Citadel breaks down The Bells, Episode 5 of Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Be forewarned, we discuss numerous details of the show so if you're not a GoT fan or if you haven't seen the third episode of Season 8, steer clear for fear of spoilage. Brandon, Mike, and Dan try to find bright spots in a season that's been headed in the wrong direction. We check in on the downward trend on Rotten Tomatoes and hope the final episode can correct the fall before the end of the series. How should we interpret Dany's actions? We see the prophecy of Varys' demise come true as he is put to death by the Dragon Queen and then she attacks King's Landing. Is she now, truly, the 'Mad Queen' or were these actions a necessary step to take Westeros and make it her own? Why didn't she lay waste to the Red Keep first, sparing the city? Will Jon's loyalty be put to the test with her actions? Jaime and Cersei are reunited and we get a brutal fight between the Hound and his brother the Mountain. Were these ends truly satisfying or rushed for the final run?We discuss all of these things and what the significance of Arya and the white horse may be on our latest episode of the Citadel. Tune in and let us know what you think!

This week, we welcome Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, to the show to discuss school choice, innovation, and more. We dive into CER's history and goals on a national, state, and local level. Jeanne shares her views on what's wrong with our education system and how CER believes these problems can be fixed. She discusses where her organization spends its resources and time, as well as how they may find common ground they with folks on the other side of complex issues in educational policy and reform. We talk through what school choice means as CER sees it and what could help to provide all students with high quality education. As CER celebrates its 25th anniversary, how might the next 25 years play forward for this organization and for learning and education as a whole? Tune in to find out!

Our fourth episode of the final season of The Citadel breaks down, The Last of the Starks, Episode 4 of Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Be forewarned, we discuss numerous details of the show so if you're not a GoT fan or if you haven't seen the third episode of Season 8, steer clear for fear of spoilage. Brandon, Mike, and Dan make their way through what's been seen as a disappointing episode four of season eight. We begin in Winterfell for the victory toasts and celebrations, make our way through an uneven meeting betwen Bronn, Jaime, and Tyrion and a 'surprise' attack from Euron, and a meeting of the queens. Will Danaerys continue to be the chosen leader of those opposing Cersei or has Jon's revelation and popularity started to show cracks in her support? Have the show-runners lost their way? Rotten Tomatoes reviews continuing trend downward might answer that question for us. We talk through the coffee cup on set, Jaime and Brienne's time together, and much, much more. 

First, we say thank you to all the teachers out there as we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day! Then, we dive into the latest wearable technology, hearables. As Fitbits and Apple Watches continue to flood the market, what is the latest technology available for our ears? Apple's Air pods are a popular example of the growing product area of smart, wearable audio devices known as hearables which are changing media consumption and have broad implications to learning. How can hearables be used for learning and personalization? How can clarity controls and amplification created for those suffering from hearing loss make audio lectures and learning in crowded spaces more engaging for everyone? Are our ears a pathway to tracking our brain functionality and health more closely and dynamically? Find out how a Stanford Neuroscientist describes the possibilities. How long until cochlear implants combine with hearables to further blend humans with smart tech? In sum, we get futurist with our learnholes this week. What more could you ask for? Tune in and enjoy!

Our third episode of the final season of The Citadel breaks down, The Long Night, Episode 3 of Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Be forewarned, we discuss numerous details of the show so if you're not a GoT fan or if you haven't seen the third episode of Season 8, steer clear for fear of spoilage. We begin by checking in with Mike and Dan to set the stage for the podcast now that everyone has had time to digest and process this epic episode. Then we share highlights from our Sunday night live stream that included Brandon, Frank Jones, and Ken Florence, in addition to Mike and Dan. Ken is the composer of all the great music you here in our theme music and on each Citadel episode. We close out the show by getting more perspective now that the dust is settling with friend of the show, Kristen Smith. We talk through the Battle of Winterfell and those who were lost, and those we did not lose, in the battle versus the Army of the Dead. Where did the over/under come in on the number of major characters who died in this episode? How did the darkness at the top of the show influence people's viewing experience? What comes next for Daenerys, Jon, Cersei, and everyone else vying for the throne? We discuss all those things along with a whole lot more on this week's episode. Listen in and enjoy! 

This week we dive into the topic of Summit Learning and some of the backlash it's seen in school districts across America. We react to a recent New York Times article that explores a spate of recents cases of community opposition to this program at high schools in Kansas. How is local activism intersecting with broad educational initiatives like Summit Learning which is back by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)? How much of the reaction is in part driven by the perceived foreignness of Silicon Valley edtech and how much is tied to a mistrust of screen-based education? What's the role of the educator and how important is buy-in at all levels to the success of advancing ed tech and personalized learning in the classroom? We engage in a spirited discussion of a topic that we're expecting to remain an important part of the broader conversation about evolving our learning and educational models. Listen in and enjoy! 

Our second Episode of The Citadel breaks down Episode 2 of Season 8 of Game of Thrones, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Be forewarned, we discuss numerous details of the show so if you're not a GoT fan or if you haven't seen the second episode of Season 8, steer clear for fear of spoilage. This week we dive into the details of the episode that sets us up for the big battle of Winterfell that seems to be imminent heading into Episode 3. What was the significance of Jenny's Song? What happens now that Jon Snow revealed his news to Daenerys? Which characters are most likely to leave us next episode and what's the "over/under" on major character deaths in Episode 3? How did Episode 2 and the season overall thus far deliver against expectations? What's coming next in what is purported to be the most legendary battle sequence in television history? Have a listen to this show to find out all this and much more on this week's installment of The Citadel.