Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer

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.

Mike, Dan, and Brandon take a look back at the Starbucks nationwide implicit bias training that took place across over 8000 stores and reached more than 175-thousand employees in last week. We explore the approach Starbucks took to design their trainings and provide feedback and insight into what was included. We dig into the policy changes that are taking effect and explore how this ties to a long history of limiting access to public space and Starbucks' mission of providing a Third Place.

Mike and Dan sit down with Melissa Griffith, Vice President of Analytics and Strategy at Kaplan Test Prep, to discuss the newly released 2018 Meeker Report on Internet Trends. We dive into the growth of the internet, expansion of mobile access, the importance of data privacy, and more. How does China's population view the sharing of their data in comparison to that of the United States? What does the report have to say about life-long learning and the future workforce? How do Fortnite and Slack relate to all of this? Tune in to find out.

This week, Mike, Dan, and Brandon welcome Tarlin Ray, co-founder of Kaplan Labs and former president of Dev Bootcamp. We talk generational learning and the future of work. What's the biggest issue facing managers and new workers? What does GenZ need to succeed in the work place? How important is open communication and feedback? Listen in to find out. 

This week we explore the Laurel v Yanni phenomenon before diving into the psychology of spoiling and how it relates to the Zeigarnik effect, a pyschological phenomenon describing a tendency to remember interrupted or incomplete tasks more easily than tasks that have been completed. We talk about the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster The Avengers: Infinity War. Mike and Brandon gradually expose some spoilage potential for the movie for Dan. The first part of the show is spoiler-free. By the end of the show, however, let the listener beware. Caveat audiens, lest ye be spoilt!

Have you ever had a student say "I can't learn by reading?" Have you ever opined "This would be a lot easier if I could listen to it?" Do you consider yourself a kinesthetic or visual learner? This week on the show we explore the myths of learning styles, teaching styles, VARKO the AARPVARK, and much much more.

We close out our celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and National Teacher Day (on Tuesday) by interviewing Kaplan's Teacher of the Year, Craig Harman. Mike and Dan talk with Craig about his path to teaching, engaging with students in an online classroom, the diversity of an online classroom, and more.

We continue our celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and National Teacher Day by talking to a friend of the podcast. Mark Sanders is a professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. Mike and Dan sit down to chat with Mark about a wide range of topics in higher education and the larger learning field. Mark discusses some of the challenges of teaching philosophy, digital and anaolog citzenship, the generation/class of students, difficulties with reaching certain students, and the future of higher ed.

We continue our Teacher Appreciation Week celebration by talking to Allison McDonald, an early childhood educator. We dive into the early education space, her focus on thematic lesson planning, and how to handle screen time with the pre-k population.