Silver Lining for Learning

How does one teach from a boat or an ice shield in the Antarctic? Dr. Cassandra Brooks, an award winning Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and others have used mesmerizing stop-motion videos to showcase their journey through pristine waters and months cutting through the sea ice. Cassandra’s groundbreaking (and ice breaking) adventures on and around that frozen continent have led to her extensive work in environmental education and policy. Today, she discusses how her research and extension work has provided unique educational possibilities for the people of this planet through The Last Ocean project.*This episode contains slides and can be watched here. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

From their outset, MOOCs have been envisioned as engines of change. Whereas early conceptions of MOOCs centered around providing universal access to high quality education, our goal is for MOOCs to be key actors or springboards in spurring local sustainability practices.Guests today include are Marianne Krasny, Professor of Natural Resources at Cornell University, Gail Woon, Founder of EARTHCARE in the Bahamas, Zahra Golshani, research associate at the Institute for Health and Environment University in Albany, USA, and Michael Schrenk the division manager: Environment, Wild Serve NPC in Gauteng, South Africa. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

The SLL guests this week are Dr. Edgar León, who teaches online graduate courses for the Education, Technology and Curriculum Graduate School at the Caribbean University;Carmen Noble, who teaches Physics, Meteorology, Astronomy, and Scientific Research at the Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Specialized School in Sciences and Mathematics in Ponce, Puerto Rico; and Betzabeth Pagán, a poet and educator in Puerto Rico. Together they  discuss the challenges and possible solutions for teaching online after Hurricane Maria in September 2017, various tropical storms, a 6.4 earthquake in January 2020, and the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Fulden Ergen a Teachers Network Communications Expert and Tuğba İnanç, CEO and Co-Founder of Da Vinci Learning Academy in Turkey, discuss education inequalities in Turkey, such as inaccessibility of technology, resource imbalance between private and public schools, gender inequality, and challenges of immigrant and refugee kids. The discussion focuses on how teachers and other stakeholders collaborate to overcome these difficulties through the Teachers Network Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Education innovations do not only happen in schools. Cross-school collaboration is necessary for students and teachers to expand their access to different and more educational experiences. The Global Online Academy (GOA) represents another type of innovation that is much needed in the world, especially during COVID. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Hla Hla Win and Yau Min Aung, co-Founders of 360ed discuss how their partnership with the Myanmar Ministry of Education has accelerated Myanmar education reform and helped to address  the dramatic shortage of teachers, texts and interactive learning aids in Myanmar. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Few SLL listeners know much about Nepal’s education system. Even fewer likely realize the innovative attempts in Nepal to take advantage of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and open education. But can they be replicated in other parts of the world? And should they be? An intriguing look at how MOOCs are being used by high school teachers to spark learner interests and increase the level of educational engagement of young Nepali students. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

The hosts of Silver Lining for Learning will gather together to reflect on the conversations they have had with guests over the past few weeks and look forward to the future.  An engaging and insightful conversation. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

While the immediate and longer-term repercussions of the pandemic should not be minimized, there are also examples emerging of ways in which the pandemic may “leapfrog” and accelerate scaling innovations in education. Rebecca Winthrop, co-director and senior fellow, and Jenny Perlman Robinson, senior fellow, at the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic may provide opportunities for greater experimentation, innovation and scaling in global education, drawing from the experiences of partners in Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, the Philippines, and Tanzania.Rebecca also discusses her recent piece co-authored with Emiliana Vegas titled Beyond Reopening Schools: How education can emerge stronger than before COVID-19. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Guest, Sheila Jagannathan Head of the Open Learning Campus at the World Bank Group discusses her work and lessons from delivering MOOCs for global audiences on development topics such as maternal health and learning to realize education’s promise. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org