Trending In Ed with Mike Palmer

Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of Mindset Matters, discusses the power of growth mindsets in higher education. He outlines five key mindsets: discovery, creation, collaboration, mentorship, and striving. The conversation highlights the transformative impact of faculty mentorship and supportive campus cultures, particularly for first-generation students. Porterfield shares inspiring stories of resilience and the importance of personal agency in education, reminding listeners that each individual can shape their own learning journey.

We kick off this special "Stepping Up" edition by welcoming back our virtual co-host Nancy to discuss the AI revolution happening in 2024. The episode explores what "stepping up" means in this new era of agentic intelligence and transformative learning technologies.Host Mike Palmer reflects on recent conversations with guests like Brian Rosenberg, Dwayne Matthews, and students from the Marcy Lab School - all highlighting the importance of doing hard things, embracing cognitive surplus, and developing durable "brain-to-brain" skills. We also bring in conversations with Bror Saxberg and Charles Fadel to really round out the perspectives.Nancy emphasizes that while AI tools are rapidly advancing, humans must step up by designing compelling experiences that leverage these technologies to drive motivation, vision and human will. We examine the transition of AI from a scientific phase to an engineering one, where the promise of personalization at scale is an emerging challenge. Mike concludes with a highlight from the Palm Court Podcast featuring Dr. Jonathan White about getting comfortable with the messiness of working on real problems.Three key takeaways: Stepping up means identifying the winners and transformative use cases as agentic AI steps up (or falls short). Developing "brain-to-brain" skills like empathy, collaboration and perspective-taking will be crucial for humans to thrive alongside AI. We must get better at discerning problems and mapping the right AI/human tools to solve the messy, complex challenges ahead. Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts to join us in stepping up to this new AI-enabled future of learning.

Dr. Jennifer Wells, the Director of Writing at New College of Florida, joins Mike Palmer to delve into the significance of writing skills in higher education and beyond. Jennifer shares her professional journey, highlighting the importance of fostering a culture of writing excellence and providing students with the necessary supports they need to learn and to put in meaningful effort into the writing process. You can learn more about Jennifer's writing school and the workshops she offers here.We explore the challenges faced by students transitioning from high school to college, emphasizing the need for a shift in mindset towards writing as a process of thinking and refining ideas rather than having to be perfect right away. Jennifer underscores the value of embracing revisions, project management, and time management skills like Pomodoro, which are transferable to various professional contexts.As AI writing tools continue to evolve, Jennifer provides insights into their potential impact on college admissions essays and academic writing. We discuss the importance of cultivating a human connection through writing and the role of educators in guiding students to develop their unique voices and perspectives.Key Takeaways: Writing is a fundamental skill that transcends academic boundaries, fostering critical thinking, resilience, and effective communication in both professional and personal spheres. Educators should prioritize teaching writing as a process, encompassing revision, project management, and time management, to equip students with transferable skills for lifelong learning and success. While AI writing tools can be useful in certain contexts, such as brainstorming and drafting, they cannot replace the human element of writing, which involves personal expression, nuanced thought processes, and the ability to connect with readers. Concluding the episode, we emphasize the need for ongoing collaboration between secondary and post-secondary educators, as well as employers, to bridge gaps and align curriculum with the skills and dispositions necessary for students to thrive in an ever-evolving world.Subscribe wherever you get your pods. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Bror Saxberg, Founder of LearningForge and an expert in learner-centered AI, joins the conversation with profound insights on the future of education. He discusses how AI can redefine human skills and create personalized learning experiences. Bror draws parallels between education and medicine, emphasizing the need to understand human learning before applying tech solutions. He challenges traditional career paths, advocating for a focus on transferable skills like empathy and collaboration. Get ready to rethink learning in the age of AI!

Mike Palmer welcomes Eric Stano, Vice President of Consulting, Curriculum, and Product Strategy at Magic EdTech. We delve into Eric's fascinating journey in the world of educational publishing and content development, spanning over 30 years. You can check out Magic EdTech's blogs here.Eric shares insights into his role at Magic EdTech, a digital services provider that partners with educational publishers and edtech companies. He explains how the advent of generative AI has disrupted and accelerated the content creation process, leading to the integration of AI architects and engineers into his team.We explore the intricate dance between human expertise and AI-generated drafts, where subject matter experts and writers refine and enhance the AI-produced content. Eric emphasizes the importance of maintaining accuracy, accessibility, and an engaging writing style to ensure every student has an equal opportunity to succeed.Throughout the conversation, we gain valuable insights into the evolving roles within content development, the potential for increased equity and personalization, and the challenges surrounding intellectual property and security in the AI-powered landscape.Key Takeaways: The content development process remains iterative, but AI serves as an accelerator, introducing new roles like AI architects who code pipelines to generate drafts. Human expertise remains crucial for ensuring accuracy, addressing AI hallucinations, and infusing content with a human touch that resonates with learners. As AI continues to reshape the industry, professionals must stay vigilant about intellectual property rights, security concerns, and the ethical implications of leveraging this powerful technology. Don't miss this insightful episode! Subscribe to Trending in Ed and spread the word to stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving world of educational technology and AI integration.

We hear from two recent graduates of the Marcy Lab School - Xhesika Malecaj and Jason Paulino. The Marcy Lab School is an innovative one-year program in Brooklyn that serves as an alternative to traditional college for low-income students interested in coding and tech careers.Xhesika and Jason share their origin stories and what drew them to Marcy Lab School after dissatisfying experiences at traditional 4-year universities. We learn that the program's focus on developing resilient and transferable skills like time management, communication, and interviewing prepares students well for rewarding careers in tech. A key aspect is building a tight-knit community where vulnerability and sharing life stories bring the cohort closer together.The conversation highlights how the free one-year model can be a powerful engine for economic mobility, enabling students from underprivileged backgrounds to land six-figure coding jobs straight out of the program while avoiding crippling debt.Three key takeaways: Marcy Lab School teaches students "how to learn," prioritizing adaptable skills over specific coding languages to future-proof their training. The program bakes in self-reflection, identity affirmation, and community-building to create a supportive environment. The debt-free model provides a vital pathway to lucrative tech careers for low-income students, unlocking economic mobility. As we look ahead, Xhesika and Jason discuss the implications of AI tools like ChatGPT on the developer career track. While these represent powerful assistive technologies, they agree human skills around communication, collaboration and problem-solving will remain indispensable.Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on what’s emerging in the learning universe.

In a captivating discussion, Charles Fadel, Founder of the Center for Curriculum Redesign and author of Education for the Age of AI, explores how AI is transforming education. He emphasizes the urgent need to redesign curriculums to prioritize practical skills like statistics and data science over traditional subjects like trigonometry. Fadel highlights how AI can enhance motivation and drive purpose in students, advocating for a purpose-centered approach in learning that fosters critical thinking, character development, and real-world relevance.

Mike Palmer and Dr. Siva Kumari, CEO of College Possible, delve into the challenges of making college accessible and attainable for underserved students. We learn about Dr. Kumari's inspiring journey from defying societal norms in India to pursue higher education, to her roles at prestigious institutions like Rice University and the International Baccalaureate.Together, they explore College Possible's innovative model, which pairs AmeriCorps members as near-peer mentors with high school and college students from low-income backgrounds. We gain insights into the organization's data-driven, people-oriented approach, fostering personal connections and providing crucial guidance through the complex college application and transition processes.Key takeaways include: The importance of unlocking "stranded brilliance" by expanding educational opportunities for underrepresented communities. The power of near-peer mentoring in creating a sense of belonging and navigating unfamiliar academic and bureaucratic landscapes. The exciting potential of AI and predictive analytics in streamlining routine tasks, freeing up human coaches to focus on personalized support. Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation that sheds light on the barriers and pathways to social mobility through education. Subscribe now to stay tuned for more insightful dialogues on emerging trends, innovative solutions, and the transformative power of learning. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more.

Mike Palmer explores the profound impact of AI on education and the urgency to rethink our approaches with Dwayne Matthews the Founder of TomorrowNow Learning Labs, who offers an "eagle's eye" view of the converging technologies disrupting the learning landscape.We dive into unlocking "stranded brilliance" – how we might leverage AI to democratize access to quality education globally. Dwayne compels us to plan for the "cognitive surplus" emerging from these innovations and strategize ways to harness it for societal good by rejecting the mental model of scarcity and instead embracing the potential of newfound abundance.Key takeaways: We must develop AI literacy and cultivate mindsets resilient to rapid technological shifts Equitable redistribution of devices and connectivity can bridge digital divides Shifting to an "abundance mindset" unlocks creative solutions for inclusive and disruptive economic models Dwayne's vision provokes us to collectively reimagine education beyond traditional constraints. We grapple with potential dark patterns inherent in advertising and social media while spotlighting beacons of hope. Don't miss this future-focused dialogue – it's a catalyst for shaping the positive transformations we want to see in future AI-powered learning ecosystems.Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.

Mike Palmer picks the brain of Erica Halverson, a theater artist turned education professor at the top-ranked University of Wisconsin-Madison. She's also the host of the Arts Educators Save the World Podcast. Halverson passionately makes the case that the arts should transform how we approach teaching and learning across all disciplines.Drawing from her background running an arts education non-profit and her current artist residency program called Whoopensocker, Erica stresses the need to uplift and center arts practices in education. She argues this will better prepare students for an uncertain future where skills like innovation, creativity, and comfort with failure will be paramount.Halverson advocates moving away from the model of arts as a separate "specials" class and toward fully integrating an artistic, maker mindset throughout the curriculum. The process of creating and revising creative works can be applied to enhance learning in subjects like math, science and beyond.Key Takeaways: The experiences of art-making should be centered as core to what it means to be human and to care about education. Arts are not just "nice-to-have" but fundamental to teaching and learning. The arts allow a learner asset-focused approach rather than just skills-focused. Making and creating artifacts surfaces expertise and misunderstandings - the essence of learning. Practices like improvisation, collaboration, and embracing failure are vital for good teaching and preparing students for an unsettled future of work. Don't miss this insightful discussion on integrating the arts into education at all levels and advocating for transformative, arts-based learning experiences.Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on what’s emerging in the learning universe.