Silver Lining for Learning

Hosts reflect with Chris Dede, Lydia Cao & Punya Mishra Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Are you curious with how we might ‘flatten’ the learning landscape to provide student choice, accessibility, and equivalence through multiple global learning opportunities? If so, you are in luck. While humans reemerge in a post-COVID world to begin to learn again with other humans face-to-face as well as online and blended, educators continue to struggle with facilitating effective cross-institutional learning where students learn with their peers, not just about things. Online global collaboration encourages students to learn with others from different cultures; unfortunately, such powerful forms of global education are not typically embedded into formal curricula in higher education. In Episode #216 of Silver Lining for Learning (SLL), we will learn about innovative forms of online collaboration from Dr. Julie Lindsay who is Senior Education Technology Advisor at University of Southern Queensland. As Dr. Lindsay will discuss in this episode, we can do better. In fact, as she describes in an October 2024 article in the Times Higher Education, well-designed online global collaborative learning (OGCL) has been found to transform learning and enhance skills such as effective communication, intercultural awareness, and global perspectives. With that article as a backdrop, she will also explain how we can better prepare educators to collaborate globally. During this podcast, we will discuss the possible impact of AI on learning and teaching in higher education and why alternative approaches to learning and assessment are now vital.More about our guest below the videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h53Y4ARlf1EDr. Julie Lindsay is a highly accomplished and influential figure in the field of education, with over 35 years of experience spanning K-12 schools and higher education. She is a passionate advocate for the integration of educational technologies and innovative pedagogies to drive digital transformation for teaching and learning. Notably, Julie worked in international schools for fifteen years as an educational technology and online learning leader across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She has designed and implemented numerous online global projects for K-12 classrooms utilizing a collaborative "working with" approach to global learning. This rich experience has informed her scholarship, leading to the publication of two influential books: "Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds" and "The Global Educator: Leveraging Technology for Collaborative Learning and Teaching." Julie continues to deliver presentations, workshops, and consultations on global collaboration in education internationally through her consultancy “Learning Confluence.”Julie completed a PhD in 2019 entitled, “Online global collaborative educators and pedagogical change.” This research offered innovative insights into educator beliefs, competencies, and conceptual change as enablers to adopting a Global Collaborator Mindset with attributes of connection, openness, autonomy, and innovation. These findings have helped to shape her current research, which centers on exploring practices and approaches to embedding online global collaborative learning in higher education with a view to establishing an open community of practice and a robust framework to guide effective learning design and implementation.Currently Julie holds the position of Senior Education Technology Advisor in the Learning and Teaching Futures Portfolio at the University of Southern Queensland. In this role, she is a thought leader and change agent seeking to reimagine traditional approaches to education and foster innovation. Artificial Intelligence is firmly on her agenda and in 2023 she established the AI for Learning and Teaching Collective, an internal, open community of practice with links to external partners that meets to share practice and develop better approaches for AI integration in higher education. In 2020, Julie was the recipient of the Research in Educational Leadership and Management Award from the Australian Council for Educational Leaders. In 2023 she was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award for University Educational Leadership "For fostering student reflective learning, employability and professional identity through a university-wide, sustained initiative leading to changed academic practice through integration of online portfolios."She is actively involved in several initiatives that promote the effective integration of technology in education, including leading the global Technology and Innovation Network (TIN) in partnership with the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), further demonstrating her dedication to fostering innovation in education on a global scale. In June 2024 Julie was the recipient of an Erasmus+ Staff Mobility nomination and spent time in Germany with partner university, Justus Liebig University, Giessen. Julie can be reached via email at: julie.lindsay@unisq.edu.au and via LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/julieannelindsayJulie Lindsay’s ORCID #: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6220-8785Curriculum embedded global collaborative learning research website: https://create.usq.edu.au/global/Learning Confluence: https://learningconfluence.com/Video #1: Online Global Collaborative Learning (7:08): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz78Cb-JR44Video #2: Exploring curriculum-based global collaboration in higher education (3:42): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBhuBAxF31URecent Publication:Beyond borders: how to make online global collaborative learning work, by Julie Lindsey, Times Higher Education, October 16, 2024As higher education strives to ‘reset’ in the age of AI to become more flexible, interdisciplinary, open, focused on real-world learning and with authentic assessment, curriculum-embedded online global collaborative learning (OGCL) is a key path to future-ready graduateshttps://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/beyond-borders-how-make-online-global-collaborative-learning-work Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

In this engaging conversation, Jenny Taylor, the Vice President of Career Services at Goodwill of North Georgia, and Nick Espinosa, Branch Chief at USDA-FNS, delve into the evolution of Goodwill’s mission over 120 years. They discuss how the organization adapts to modern challenges like food security and education barriers. The duo highlights innovative partnerships that empower veterans and people with disabilities. They also explore how AI reshapes job landscapes, emphasizing the need for employment-focused education and technology's role in creating self-sufficiency.

Jinjun Xiong, a professor and scientific director, is joined by Sean Redmond, an expert in pediatric language disorders, and Dancheng Liu, a PhD student innovating AI solutions. They tackle the critical shortage of speech-language pathologists affecting 3.4 million children. The conversation highlights AI's role in early screening, personalized interventions, and enhancing educational practices. They discuss the AutoRSR project, aiming to streamline assessments while ensuring a human touch in AI-driven education solutions.

In this engaging discussion, Susan Patrick, a renowned expert in educational technology and former leader at the Aurora Institute, explores the future of learning. She dives into the transformative impact of competency-based education and the importance of integrating technology in learning. The conversation highlights the limitations of traditional K-12 models and emphasizes the need for personalized learning pathways. Susan also discusses the global perspective on education reform, advocating for a holistic approach that addresses equity and student engagement.

In this engaging discussion, Andy Nguyen, an Assistant Professor specializing in Hybrid Intelligence, and Belle Dang, a researcher in Learning & Educational Technology, explore the fascinating interplay between human and AI collaboration. They dive into how AI can foster personalized learning experiences and necessitate a new educational paradigm. The duo discusses the emotional dynamics between humans and AI, raising ethical questions about these relationships. They also emphasize the evolving role of educators and the importance of media literacy in navigating this complex landscape.

Teenagers in Nepal have been learning from massive open online education (MOOCs) for much of the past decade. That use accelerated during the pandemic. Several of these young learners appeared on Silver Lining for Learning for Episode 33 in back October 24, 2020 and will return for this episode to give us an update on the benefits and challenges of MOOCs on their lives during the past four years. Attend this episode of SLL and learn how MOOCs and open educational resources can make a difference at the K-12 level. More about our guests below the video.Richa Suri: Richa completed high school and now preparing for the earning a placement at a US institution. Amazingly, she ran two workshops on taking MOOCs for the teachers and students in her district last year. It had the participation of around 70 participants.Sneha Adhikari: She completed her high school and now is studying Software Engineering at Pokhara University, Nepal. She has been fortunate enough to learn from Massive Open Online Courses since she was in Grade 10 and used them for her studies at her undergraduate level too.Bivushi (Manushi) Timilsina is originally from Pokhara, Nepal. She is now a sophomore at Sweet Briar College, majoring in Engineering Science with a 4.0 GPA. Last year, she was honored with the Emerging Leader Award (2023-2024) during the annual Student Involvement Recognition Ceremony. Over the summer, she became the first-ever counselor from Nepal at Kennolyn Camps, serving as a STEM counselor. Recently, she received the Emilie Watts McVea Scholar Award (2024-2025), given to the highest-ranking member of each class. She is also involved on campus through leadership roles such as Vice President of the Multicultural Communities Council, Resident Advisor, and Communication Lead for the Google Developer Student Club, among others. This semester, she is exploring courses in Cybersecurity and Web Development through CodePath, deepening her passion for tech and community engagement. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Join James Lester, an AI expert and director at North Carolina State University, Kip Glazer, a tech-savvy high school principal, and Gautam Biswas, a Vanderbilt University engineering professor. They dive into the power of AI in education, discussing how storytelling can engage students and enhance motivation. The trio highlights innovative narrative-centered learning technologies and the ethical implications of AI in classrooms. They also tackle the challenges of integrating technology into education and the importance of equity in access to AI tools.

Hosts reflect with Chris Dede, Yong Zhao, Lydia Cao & Punya Mishra  Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org 

Join researchers Thomas Breideband, William R. Penuel, and Mai T. Vu as they envision the future of classrooms through AI collaboration. They discuss the transition from traditional learning to interactive, collaborative environments where students and AI partners tackle real-world challenges together. Insights include how AI can empower students, enhance critical thinking, and promote diverse, engaging educational experiences. The trio also examines innovative assessment methods that align with modern education goals, urging educators to embrace AI as a valuable ally.