Getting Smart Podcast

Today, Tom has a discussion with Rie Nøorgaard. Growing up in Denmark, Rie found design integrated into her life. After completing a design degree at the Danish School of Media and Journalism, she spent a decade as a Creative Director for several agencies. Three years ago, she joined San Francisco-based SYPartners, a consulting firm that behaves like a design firm. Clients of SYPartners include AT&T, eBay, Facebook, IBM, Google, and non-profits such as PBS and Planned Parenthood. What led her to SYPartners was her passion for design as an active service — from designing more inclusive organizations to reimagining how an ordinary product could become extraordinary for its users.   This episode, Tom talks to Rie about design thinking and her new podcast, Designing for Humanity. They discuss a typical day at work with SYPartners, the kinds of transformations she is helping the organizations she works with to achieve, all about the complexity of transformation, what “design being an active service” means, where and how design could be incorporated into schools, and her recommendations for further learning on the topic.   Key Takeaways: [:18] About today’s episode with Rie Nøorgaard. [1:20] Tom welcomes Rie to the podcast. [1:33] The origin story of Rie’s interest in design. [2:38] Rie’s experience at the Danish School of Media and Journalism. [3:17] About Rie’s role at SYPartners. [4:13] Is it more of a structured process or a set of tools that SYPartners brings into every engagement with each client or partner? [5:45] What SYPartners’ tools look like in terms of structuring a conversation or designing an experience. [6:37] What it’s like to work at SYPartners; a typical day for Rie at work. [9:39] Does SYPartners have a number of clients and partners at one time? [10:17] The kinds of organizations that Rie works for and the kinds of transformations she’s helping them to achieve. [13:02] Rie explains the complexity of transformation. [14:54] Are design and design thinking becoming more important? [17:13] Rie’s thoughts on how and where design could be incorporated into schools (particularly secondary schools.) [20:58] What does “design being an active service” mean to Rie? [22:37] The purpose and goal of Rie’s Designing for Humanity podcast. [25:56] Online resources Rie recommends for learning more about design and design thinking. [27:26] Where to learn more about Rie and SYPartners online.   Mentioned in This Episode: Danish School of Media and Journalism SYPartners Designing for Humanity Podcast Stanford D.School IDEO U Hello Design Thinking by IDEO U “Designing for Humanity: Do we need a new design frame?” by Rie Nøorgaard   Want More Episode on Design? Check Out: “What’s Up With All the Design-Focused Schools?” and “Design Thinking and Its Impact on Education Innovation”. Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

In this episode, Tom interviews David Conley, a professor at the College of Education at the University of Oregon.   For more than 20 years, Conley has been a leading authority in American education policy. His seminal book, College Knowledge, outlined what students need to know and be able to do to succeed in college and careers. His famous Think, Know, Act, Go outcome framework was foundational for Summit Learning and My Ways from NGLC. Conley’s new book, The Promise and Practice of Next Generation Assessment, offers 10 principles for better assessment — and a vision for how assessment can be integrated into learning and be a positive experience for learners.   In this conversation with Tom, David discusses his new book in-depth, explaining the 10 principles of next-generation assessment — five of which are student-centered and the last five which are school-centered. David also outlines a good week in a dream middle school that uses next-generation assessments and explains how students becoming good help-seekers is critical to being successful in post-secondary or careers.   Key Takeaways: [:15] About today’s episode with David Conley. [1:10] Tom welcomes David to the podcast. [1:58] About David’s education in Bilingual Education and Curriculum Studies. [3:07] How David’s Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies helped inspire his new book, The Promise and Practice of Next Generation Assessment. [4:34] About the start of David’s book; from blog to fully-fledged book. [5:05] David talks about the 10 principles of next-generation assessment he outlines in his book, starting with the first one on how “next-generation assessment is focused on learners’ needs first and foremost.” [8:37] David describes the 2nd principle: “next-generation assessments view development from a novice to expert continuum.” [9:58] David elaborates on the 3rd principle: “learners understand the structure of knowledge, not just the facts. Online assessment interrogates the structure of knowledge.” [12:24] David expands on his 4th principle: “good assessments would promote ownership of learning and help develop self-knowledge.” [14:23] Tom asks about the second half of David’s principles, which are more school-centered. He starts with the 6th, which focuses on how good assessment can make information actionable for teachers in schools. [17:04] David talks about making assessment information more useful for learners and describes the two ways that schools generally aggregate information now. [19:34] How becoming good help-seekers is important to be successful in post-secondary or careers. [22:04] About the iNACOL Book Party for Tom’s new book, Better Together. [22:45] David’s sense of what actionable information for teachers in schools would look like. [25:06] Why David and Tom are so excited about David’s 7th principle on how next-generation assessments will have high cumulative validity. [29:01] David explains the 8th principle on how assessment should acknowledge once you pass the basics understanding of something, learning becomes more context-specific. [31:35] How David views the 9th principle on “harmonizing instructional improvement and accountability.” [33:34] David answers his 10th principle: “How do good assessments take equity into account?” [36:57] David talks Tom through a good week in a dream middle school that uses next-generation assessments.   Mentioned in This Episode: College of Education — University of Oregon College Knowledge: What It Really Takes for Students to Succeed and What We Can Do to Get Them Ready, by David T. Conley Think, Know, Act, Go outcome framework Summit Learning My Ways from NGLC The Promise and Practice of Next Generation Assessment, by David T. Conley Berkeley University of California JFF Blog The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness, by Todd Rose International Baccalaureate Better Together: How to Leverage School Networks For Smarter Personalized and Project Based Learning, by Tom Vander Ark and Lydia Dobyns Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through the Pursuit of Fulfillment, by Todd Rose and Ogi Ogas “How I Know” Series   Want to Attend the iNACOL Book Party? Send a message to editor@gettingsmart.com and let them know you want on the guest list!   Want to Learn More About Formative Assessment? Check out the “How I Know” series of blogs and podcasts about the great work being done in Austin, Dallas, and Tulsa.   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

This episode, Tom interviews Julia Freeland Fisher, the Director of Education at the Clayton Christensen Institute. For a decade, since Clay Christensen and Michael Horn published Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, the team at the Clayton Christensen Institute has been known as a leader in blended and personalized learning — as well as the idea of disruptive innovation.   In Julia’s new book, Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks, she explores the importance of social capital. She emphasizes the idea that who you know matters greatly in terms of a child’s success in the future.   In this podcast, Julia shares information about her new book and describes innovative approaches to helping young people develop social networks. She also speaks about the process of writing the book as well as her journey that got her to this point.   “Children's networks — their reservoir of social capital and ability to bank on that capital for support, advice, or opportunities down the line — remains largely determined by random luck: the luck of where children are born, whom their parents know, and whom they happen to end up sitting next to in class.” — Julia Freeland Fisher (Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks)   Key Takeaways: [:19] About today’s topic and guest. [1:19] Tom welcomes Julia to the podcast. [1:40] About Julia’s early education. [3:49] Where Julia’s interest in Latin studies came from. [5:07] Why Julia went to law school. [6:12] Where Julia’s interest in education came from. [7:55] What led Julia to the Clayton Christensen Institute. [9:07] Julia gives a brief explanation on what disruptive innovation is. [10:32] How did the leading voice for personalized and blended learning decide to study social capital? [13:03] What Tom was surprised to learn from Julia’s book, Who You Know. [14:54] Tom reads a quote from Who You Know that sums up the equity issue and Julia explains it more thoroughly. [16:02] Innovations Julia has seen that have helped to expand students’ networks. [18:02] Julia’s thoughts on virtual mentoring networks. [20:10] About the iNACOL Book Party with Lydia, Tom, and Julia. [20:35] Does Julia think virtual reality is going to play a role in introducing young people to career opportunities? [21:56] Julia explains online connecting offline. [23:10] Julia explains integrated student services. [25:19] How do we make social capital more important? How do we create time in busy, secondary schedules for things like mentorships and work-based learning? [27:26] Julia describes key differences between a traditional high school and one that is aiming toward building social capital. [33:54] About Julia’s experience co-authoring with her husband. [35:19] How, when and where did Julia write? [36:15] What is Julia’s next book on? [37:29] What has been humbling for Julia while she has been giving talks on the book?   Mentioned in This Episode: Julia Freeland Fisher’s LinkedIn Clayton Christensen Institute Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, by Clayton Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson, and Michael B. Horn Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks, by Julia Freeland Fisher and Daniel Fisher Better Together: How to Leverage School Networks For Smarter Personalized and Project Based Learning, by Tom Vander Ark and Lydia Dobyns NewSchools Venture Fund Community Share ImBlaze LRNG.org Del Lago Academy One Stone   Want to Attend the iNACOL Book Party? Send a message to editor@gettingsmart.com and let them know you want on the guest list!   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

Today, Tom interviews thought leader, author, and Apple Executive, John Couch. For 16 years, John served as Apple’s Vice President of Education. He launched some great programs and saw a lot of cool stuff but was left a bit disappointed by the reductive and ineffective uses of technology. In his new book, Rewiring Education, he urges a full rewiring of education. It is a call-to-action to parents and teachers to help them realize that the technology that’s now in place can empower both teachers and the students if deployed correctly. He believes the classroom needs to be completely rewired to become more relevant, creative, collaborative, and challenging. In this conversation with Tom, John explains what makes him enthusiastic about project-based learning and the future of learning technology, why design is such an important concept, what challenge-based learning is and why it is also important, and his take on technology today and how it can best be used in schools. John also talks about some of the key points from his book, Rewiring Education, how teaching is all about helping students recognize their natural talents, and moving from being a conveyor of information to a facilitator of information.   Key Takeaways: [:20] About some upcoming changes to the Getting Smart podcast in the next couple of weeks. [1:05] About this week’s guest, John Couch. [1:41] How John originally got interested in computers. [4:07] What was the impetus behind John’s most recent book, Rewiring Education? [6:03] John explains the title of his book, Rewiring Education. [7:04] Why design is an important concept. [9:58] About the chart in chapter 5 that illustrates the difference between education and learning, and where to find John’s other charts and slides for Rewiring Education. [11:34] John describes what challenge-based learning is, gives some examples, and explains why it’s so important. [16:50] About the great team of people John has worked with. [17:47] John’s take on coding. [19:55] What’s the new role of the teacher John described in his book. [21:57] John talks about how teaching is helping students recognize their natural talents and moving from being a conveyor of information to a facilitator of information. [23:50] John’s current take on technology and how it can best be used in schools today. [26:18] John answers Tom’s lightning round questions about new technology! [32:57] Where to find John and his work online.   Mentioned in This Episode: Rewiring Education: How Technology Can Unlock Every Student’s Potential, by John Couch and Jason Towne Compiler Construction: Theory and Practice, by John Couch and William A. Barrett RewiringEducation.com DigitalPromise.org CBL.DigitalPromise.org   For More on Design Thinking: Listen to Getting Smart’s episode: What’s Up With All the Designed-Focused Schools?   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

Today, Tom talks with Pam Moran, who just wrapped up 32 years with Albemarle County Public Schools as she transitions into a leadership role at the Virginia School Consortium for Learning.   Starting as a science teacher and concluding with a dozen years as superintendent, Pam has quietly become one of America’s leading educators because the work she leads is so compelling. With two of her Albemarle colleagues, Moran just published a book of lessons learned called, Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-based Thinking Change Schools.   In this interview, Tom talks to Pam about the process of writing her book with her co-authors Ira and Chad, their collective philosophy on education, and the contents of the book. Pam also talks about why she originally wanted to become a teacher, some of her key focuses in education, and her thoughts on multi-age spaces and the ways in which schools can help ready students for adulthood.   Key Takeaways: [:15] About the guest today, Pam Moran. [:52] Tom welcomes Pam to the podcast and she describes her passion for her career. [3:40] When did Pam decide she wanted to be a teacher? [5:55] When and why Pam decided to write her book, Timeless Learning with co-authors. [15:00] Pam talks about one of her key focuses: seeing children more clearly. [17:28] About Pam’s and her co-authors’ collective philosophy. [25:20] Pam talks about multi-age spaces and the benefits of children learning in these spaces. [31:10] About an initiative Pam is working on, and one of the major ways schools can help ready students for college and career. [36:06] If Pam were going to write a headline for each of her co-authors, what would they be? [38:23] How did Pam and her co-authors write the book? [41:59] Why Pam and co-authors decided to include the “take action” section at the end of each chapter. [45:03] Pam reflects on and gives her thoughts on Better Together.   Mentioned in This Episode: Albemarle County Public Schools Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-based Thinking Change Schools, by Ira David Socol, Pam Moran, and Chad Ratliff Virginia School Consortium for Learning MakerEd.org Better Together: How to Leverage School Networks For Smarter Personalized and Project Based Learning, by Tom Vander Ark and Lydia Dobyns Wiley Publications   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

Today, Tom speaks with Tim Stuart. Tim is an international educator who has lived in France and has taught in Turkey and Switzerland. After being the principal of a New Mexico school serving Native Americans, Tim was one of the first to earn a Ph.D. as a Gates Millenium Scholar. As Head of School in Jakarta, he was introduced to professional learning communities by Rick Dufour. Since then, Tim has used professional learning communities to create exemplary schools in Singapore and Ethiopia. And in Tim’s first book for Solution Tree, Global Perspectives, he outlines the use of PLCs in International Schools.   In this podcast, Tim talks to Tom about his journey, why he thinks professional learning communities (PLC) 2.0 is a big deal, the three shifts in personalized learning schools must make, the vision he has for schools around the world, and the main takeaways from his books on personalized learning and PLCs. Tim also gives his insight on turning the four critical PLC questions around and inviting students to become active agents of their own learning.   Key Takeaways: [:16] About the guest for today, Tim Stuart. [1:28] Tom welcomes Tim to the podcast. [2:40] About Tim’s experience as one of the first to earn a Ph.D. as a Gates Millenium Scholar. [3:08] What kicked off Tim’s leadership career as an international educator? [4:00] Tim’s experience as an international educator before working in Jakarta. [4:26] About Tim’s introduction to the professional learning community concept. [5:46] Why Tim decided to visit schools around the world. [8:00] How visiting schools supercharged Tim’s PLCs. [8:34] The thesis of Tim’s (and colleagues’) book, Global Perspectives. [9:56] Tom summarizes the four professional learning communities (PLC) questions. [10:28] Tim’s thoughts on the four PLC questions. [11:15] The origin of Tim’s idea to rework the PLC framework to include students. [15:10] About Tim’s other recently published book: Personalized Learning in a PLC at Work, and how he connected with the other authors of the book. [18:10] Tim explains how PLC and RTI come together as critical allies in student learning. [20:54] Tim speaks about the three shifts in personalized learning schools must make. [27:42] How highly effective learning progressive schools are schools that are highly collaborative. [29:20] Tom reads the thesis summary from Personalized Learning in a PLC at Work. [29:48] About Tim’s first year at the school in Ethiopia and the work he’s doing there. [33:44] Is it still the vision of the International Community School of Addis Ababa to be the best in (and for) Africa?   Mentioned in This Episode: Global Perspectives: Professional Learning Communities at WorkTM in International Schools (Fully Institutionalize Behaviors Consistent with PLC Expectations), by Tim Stuart and colleagues Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Jakarta International School Singapore American School The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need — and What We Can Do About It, by Tony Wagner The MET School High Tech High Personalized Learning in a PLC at Work™: Student Agency Through the Four Critical Questions (Develop Innovative PLC- and RTI-Based Personalized Learning), by Tim Stuart, Sascha Heckmann, Mike Mattos, and Austin Buffum USAID Peace Corps Save the Children Food for the Hungry International Community School of Addis Ababa   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

Today, Tom has a conversation with David Michael Slater. David is a teacher at Pine Middle School in Reno — he’s also an author of dozens of children’s books and has been writing and teaching for over 20 years.   David believes that having another passion beyond the classroom is helpful for a teacher. In his first nonfiction work, Slater enumerates many of the bad, obsolete, and corrupted ideas that have become part of the basic operating system in American elementary and secondary education. The book is called, We’re Doing It Wrong: 25 Ideas in Education That Just Don’t Work—And How to Fix Them. In pithy, short chapters Slater exposes some bad assumptions and makes the case for how good ideas have gone bad.   Join David and Tom today as they go through several chapters of his book and discuss issues such as age-based education, why teachers are leaving the field, regarding the student as the client, helicopter parents and absent parents, the guidance gap, the writing crisis, and more.   Key Takeaways: [:16] About today’s episode with David Slater. [1:11] David’s educational background. [4:35] When did David start his writing career? And why? [5:40] How and when David writes. [6:14] Does David write by-hand or on the computer? [6:26] The background on his latest nonfiction book, We’re Doing It Wrong. [8:05] Why is age-based education a problem? [9:13] One of the reasons why David wrote this book, and one of the main reasons why teachers are leaving the field. [10:41] David’s take on chapter 6 of his book around student-centered learning. [12:19] What’s wrong with the metaphor: the student is the client. [13:44] David’s take on “helicopter parents”. [15:05] David’s thoughts on absent parents. [16:25] David and Tom discuss the guidance gap. [17:40] David talks about the immense issue that is the writing crisis, and how David combats this within the school where he teaches. [23:43] David’s concerns about automated writing feedback systems. [25:29] David shares some of the other topics and issues in his book, We’re Doing It Wrong. [27:30] What David’s next book is on. [28:35] What David is currently teaching at Pine Middle School and his other endeavor: We’re Doing It Wrong website and podcast.   Mentioned in This Episode: Pine Middle School We’re Doing It Wrong: 25 Ideas in Education That Just Don’t Work—And How to Fix Them, by David Michael Slater David Michael Slater’s Amazon Book Page Health and Science School Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning, by Tom Vander Ark, Bonnie Lathram, and Carri Schneider We’re Doing It Wrong Website & Podcast   For More on Reimagining K-12: Listen to: Season 3, Episode 18 “What School Could Be: Ted Dintersmith on Powerful Learning”.   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

In today’s episode, Tom interviews Ryan Craig. Ryan is an attorney, an entrepreneur, and a venture investor — he’s also a leading critic of higher education. When he sees half of the people attending post-secondary failing to earn degrees (and many of them leaving with piles of debt) he sees an emergency. As he would say, “the patient is bleeding out on the table.”   Ryan is the co-founder of University Ventures, an organization that is reimagining the future of higher education and creating new pathways from education to employment. They’re working to make higher education more affordable, helping employers think differently about how and where they discover talent, and pioneering entirely new approaches to learning. His new book, A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College, also outlines a radically different post-secondary landscape — one where everyone has access to free, or at least debt-free, training for a high-paying first job.   Tom and Ryan dive into discussions about his book, A New U; his organization, University Ventures; and why he has set his focus on post-secondary affordability and employability. Ryan also describes the last-mile training programs from UV and how they differ from higher ed courses; gives his 60-second solutions to several big problems in education today; and lets us know if he thinks online learning, microcredentials, and artificial intelligence in education are overrated or underrated.

Recently, Tom went to Europe to visit the founders of MyMachine. MyMachine is a 10-year-old nonprofit in Belgium that helps brings dreams to life by recruiting college design students and high school prototypers to help bring to life the dreams of elementary students.   While visiting MyMachine, Tom asked the three co-founders — Jan Despiegelaere, Piet Grymonprez, and Filip Meuris — about the origin story of MyMachine and how they’ve scaled up to help over half a million students worldwide gain creativity, entrepreneurship, and agency. Tom and the founders also discuss some of their favorite, standout answers to, “If we can build a dream machine for you, what would that machine do?”; the steps and educational levels involved in the process; the growth they hope to see for MyMachine in the educational system; and all about the skill benefits students gain from MyMachine.   Key Takeaways: [:14] About today’s podcast and guest. [1:20] The MyMachine founders introduce themselves. [1:44] Co-founder Jan describes the location of MyMachine. [3:21] Do the co-founders feel that the education system is not keeping up with the thriving economy in Europe? [4:25] Filip tells the story of the origin of MyMachine. [6:30] When did Piet hear about this idea and come to think about it as an organization? [8:25] What is the prompt MyMachine gives to elementary students in the classroom? [9:30] Some of the answers from elementary students and the values and agency it builds for them. [12:10] One of the MyMachine answers that stood out most for Jan. [13:50] One of Filip’s favorite MyMachine ideas. [15:33] Why are three groups of students (elementary, secondary, and higher ed) involved in the MyMachine process? [18:13] The skill benefits that the students gain from MyMachine. [21:07] What benefits do Jan’s corporate and philanthropic partners see in the program? Why do they support MyMachine? [23:11] What does success look like to the founders? How will the world be better 5-10 years from now with the growth and success of MyMachine? [25:10] Does Jan see MyMachine making schools better and different in the future? [26:48] Filip’s thoughts on what success looks like a few years from now.   Mentioned in This Episode: MyMachine-global.org “Teaching Students How to Bring Their Dreams to Life” (Piet’s blog post on GettingSmart.com)   For More on Design Thinking, Check Out: S3:E35 “What’s Up With All the Design-Focused Schools?” for a review on design-focused schools and S3:E32 “Michael Fullan Sees Global Momentum for Deep Learning” to learn why Michael Fullan is so optimistic that deeper learning is a global trend.   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

This week, Tom Vander Ark speaks with Lydia Dobyns, CEO of New Tech Network, to talk about their new book, Better Together: How to Leverage School Networks for Smarter Personalized and Project-Based Learning. Tom and Lydia are excited about the potential of personalized and project-based learning but worry about the degree of difficulty for teachers. Their book suggests that schools working together in formal (or informal) networks to share models, tools, and professional learning to achieve their goals.   In this episode, Tom and Lydia discuss and share their ideas on a variety of topics from their book, Better Together; talk about some of their favorite school districts that use networks; and how the use of networks is transforming schools.   Listen in to learn more about their work, ideas, and their new book, Better Together!   Key Takeaways: [:14] About today’s podcast and guest. [1:11] About Tom and Lydia’s early careers and changes in the industry from technology. [5:20] When Tom and Lydia started thinking about networks and education. [7:06] How and when Lydia found out about New Tech Network. [9:43] About Tom and Lydia’s book, Better Together. [10:36] Tom and Lydia’s opinions on the Platform Revolution. [18:04] Lydia describes what a typical New Tech looks like it and how it works. [21:50] Lydia’s favorite team-taught courses. [23:13] What it’s like to teach at New Tech, how teachers are connected, and how learning is promoted across the network. [26:45] The networks Lydia has collaborated with over the last several years. [29:25] Mentionable charter management organizations. [30:59] Mentionable school districts that operate like networks. [32:10] Districts that use a portfolio strategy and use multiple networks. [32:49] What makes a good district and the next big learning for district leaders. [36:00] Lydia summarizes how leading in a network is different. [38:38] Tom and Lydia summarize their book, Better Together.   Mentioned in This Episode: New Tech Network Better Together: How to Leverage School Networks For Smarter Personalized and Project Based Learning, by Tom Vander Ark and Lydia Dobyns High Tech High New Tech High New Tech Network Hewlett Big Picture Learning EL Education New Visions for Public Schools Brooklyn Lab School Kettle Moraine School District Denver Public Schools DSST Public Schools STRIVE Preparatory Schools Rocky Mountain Prep Beacon Network Schools League of Innovative Schools Remake Learning Avonworth School District El Paso Independent School District   To Learn More: Check out GettingSmart.com/BetterTogether and NewTechNetwork.org for a ton of great blogs and information about working in a network.   Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!   Over the next year, The Getting Smart team will be pulling together workshops to explore the power of school networks. Email Taylor@GettingSmart.com or click on the Services tab on GettingSmart.com to learn more.