Getting Smart Podcast

Today, the Getting Smart team dives into a conversation about industry-defined student competencies at Del Lago Academy in Escondido, just north of San Diego — with Alec Barron and Brett Goldsmith.   Alec Barron is a Science Coach in the Escondido Union High School District and has taught a variety of science subjects for grades 6-12. He is one of the founding teachers of Del Lago since it first opened in 2013 and was part of the team that helped set up the school. At Del Lago, he developed a program called Competency X that provides the opportunity for students to develop a digital science portfolio to track and reflect evidence of their competency with science and engineering practices. The students earn badges that are validated by industry experts — like Brett Goldsmith, from Nanomedical Diagnostics — who joins Alec on this podcast.   Brett Goldsmith is the co-founder and CTO of Nanomedical Diagnostics — a nanotech company building biosensors that speed up medical research and diagnostics; The first such tool in the world. He’s also one of Del Lago’s business partners that help define what STEM graduates should know and be able to do.   Join Tom, Alec, and Brett as they discuss their backgrounds in the sciences; Del Lago’s genesis and current goals and focus; Brett’s nanotech company, Nanomedical Diagnostics; Alec’s program, Competency X; and all about the use of digital badges and how they help support authentic, competency-based learning and work experiences that help students build rich, digital portfolios to support their college applications and career aspirations.   Key Takeaways: [:17] An introduction to the topic and guests today — Alec Barron and Brett Goldsmith on industry-defined student competencies. [2:15] Tom welcomes Alec and Brett to the podcast. [2:22] How Alec came to study chemistry in college. [3:08] About Brett’s physics background in college. [3:35] How Alec went from hard sciences to student-centered learning. [6:10] Do Alec and Brett see science as a field that lends itself to competency-based progressions rather than a set of linear progressions? [9:50] How did Alec get to Del Lago? About the genesis of Del Lago and their main focus. [10:54] How Brett made the switch-up from working in the Navy to starting up a nanotech company. [12:16] How did Brett make the contacts needed to start and run his new nanotechnology business? What his company currently does and has accomplished. [13:47] What Brett looks for in hiring new talent for his team at nanotech company, Nanomedical Diagnostics. [15:38] Alec explains what his program Competency X sets out to do. [17:47] How Brett got involved at Del Lago. [18:41] Does Brett see the world of science and engineering moving towards more authentic forms of evidence (i.e. digital badges)? [19:35] How Alec has developed badges in terms of grade sizes in comparison to each other. [21:39] Are widespread are the badges use? Are they being used outside of Del Lago? [22:54] Could the badges work with other subjects (such as english or Math)? [23:52] How winning the recent Assessment for Learning Project grant has helped advance the work at Del Lago. [25:37] Brett speaks on how internships are involved in Competency X. [26:52] An example of what a good internship experience would be like. [30:42] Do Brett and Alec see the possibility of more subjects in the future being taught in this way (with digital badges and authentic learning experiences)? [33:55] What’s on Alec’s roadmap for Competency X.   Mentioned in This Episode: Del Lago Academy Brett Goldsmith Alec Barron Nanomedical Diagnostics Competency X LRNG Escondido Union High School District University of Colorado Center for Collaborative Education Assessment for Learning Project   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

Today, the Getting Smart team is discussing the future of transcripts with Matt Pittinsky, CEO of Parchment. In high school, Matt considered himself to be a lousy student — but the experience made him think that education could be different and better. So, after College, he co-founded Blackboard, which became the leading learning management system. Fourteen years later it was acquired for $1.6 billion. Matt then went back to school and earned a Ph.D. in Sociology at Columbia, then later moved down to Phoenix to teach at Arizona State University. While in Arizona, Matt discovered Docufide; a transcript service. He invested in the company, became the CEO, and rebranded the company in 2011 as Parchment — what it is known as today.   Matt is passionate about turning credentials into opportunities. He believes the academic record is not as effective as it could be in admissions, employment, or even in licensing. In this new world where anyone can learn anything, anywhere — how we track, verify, and share capabilities is becoming a big deal.   Listen in as Tom interviews Matt about credentialing and the future of transcripts.   Key Takeaways: [:15] About today’s topic and guest: the future of transcripts with Matt Pittinsky. [1:35] Matt’s early education. [2:26] Why did Matt initially want to become a teacher? [2:56] How Matt ended up at Columbia University. [3:48] How Matt originally got connected to Parchment. [4:29] The mission of Parchment. [5:20] What Parchment does and how it works. [6:09] Parchment’s customer base and where their revenue comes from. [6:34] The focus of Parchment’s upcoming annual conference. [7:45] The current programmatic and technology trends in credentialing that are influencing Parchment. [8:54] The global shift of transcripts becoming more useful but complicated. [9:35] Why Matt feels as though there’s a great opportunity for a credential management platform. [11:11] How does Matt feel about the Mastery Transcript Consortium (a group of independent high schools that are trying to build a new transcript format)? [15:30] Does Matt think more authentic, evidence-based transcripts are making an impact on his business? [18:41] Is Matt optimistic or skeptical on the current tech trends in credentialing? [21:59] Matt’s case for how a distributed ledger — particularly Parchment — verifies and shares credentials more conveniently and less expensively than traditional approaches. [24:55] Does Matt see an extensive learner record belonging on Blockchain in the future? [29:18] The two holy grails: Longitude record and an extensible learning record, pulling from a broader set of educational service providers. [30:20] Does Matt see these extensible learner records as distributed databases?   Mentioned in This Episode: Parchment Blackboard Columbia University Arizona State University Mastery Transcript Consortium Blockchain Coursera Dreambox Scottsdale Unified School District Khan Academy   Want to Learn More About Innovations in Higher Ed? Listen to “S3:E3 Accessible, Affordable, Achievable HigherEd for Working Adults”, which features Paul LeBlanc; President of Southern New Hampshire University.   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

Four years ago Satya Nadella took the helm at Microsoft. Under his leadership, the value of the company has tripled, and some think it could be the first company worth a trillion dollars. The story of the culture and strategy refresh are told in Satya’s new book, Hit Refresh, co-authored by Greg Shaw and Jill Tracie Nichols.   In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, Tom interviews Greg and Jill, who have both have impressive careers beyond co-authoring. Greg and Jill both worked with the last three CEOs at Microsoft and have a great perspective on the ups and downs of the company. Greg also managed public relations at Microsoft in the ’90s after serving as a speechwriter in the Reagan white house. In the 2000s, Jill Tracie Nichols led communications for Steve Ballmer and — after a quick transition — became Satya Nadella’s Chief of Staff. Tracie is also the founder and CEO of Tracie Group — a company that helps kick-start new companies and helps them build their vision, voice, and brand to successfully make an impact in today’s competitive market.   In this conversation, Greg and Jill discuss the importance of the cultural refresh at Microsoft (based on Carol Dweck’s growth mindset), the challenge of meeting the unmet — and often unarticulated — needs of customers, and valuable tips on writing and publishing.   Key Takeaways: [1:26] Tom welcomes Greg and Jill to the podcast, and Greg gives some background about himself. [2:59] What made Greg think of himself as a writer in High School and College? [4:04] How did Greg land his position at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.? [5:26] How Greg came to manage public relations for Microsoft. [6:35] Greg’s move from Microsoft to The Gates Foundation. [7:43] The first project Greg and Tom worked on together at The Gates Foundation. [8:58] About Jill’s schooling background. [10:23] What made Jill think of herself as a communicator and writer? [12:04] The delicate balance between the challenges and passion for writing. [12:55] What Greg has discovered about himself as a writer. [15:57] The challenges of the writing processes and what Jill and Greg enjoyed about working together. [17:42] Jill’s transition from working with Steve Ballmer to Satya Nadella. [19:52] The origin story behind Hit Refresh. [21:26] About the growth mindset culture that Satya shifted Microsoft towards. [22:40] Jill gives some examples of how Satya attempted to incorporate a growth mindset into the culture, signaling that growth mindset was a priority. [25:48] The tech optimist Greg sees in Satya. [27:56] Can technology can boost inclusion and be disruptive? What Greg sees as the future of technology and mankind. [31:47] How writing Hit Refresh has helped Greg think about civic infrastructure and the engagement we need to help communities be successful in the future. [35:30] Jill’s thoughts on the evolution of machine intelligence and companies looking to build technology for the future. [37:40] How did Greg manage the process of writing Hit Refresh with all of his other projects. [39:34] How has Greg’s writing changed since working collaboratively? [41:48] Jill and Tom’s views on working collaboratively. [42:55] Jill’s editing tips for writing. [44:33] Jill and Greg’s advice and tips and secondary school teachers in helping teenagers become better writers and communicators. [49:08] Where to find Jill and Greg online.   Mentioned in This Episode: Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone, by Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw, and Jill Tracie Nichols The Gates Foundation Tracie Group The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck Steve Gleason Greg Shaw’s Linkedin   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

This episode, the Getting Smart team continues on their road trip, heading towards Tulsa, Oklahoma to chat with Dr. Deborah Gist.   Dr. Gist grew up in Tulsa, earning her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Oklahoma. After teaching in Texas and Florida — earning a couple of east coast masters degrees and a Ph.D. from Penn — she ran Serve DC; an extension of the D.C. mayor’s office. She went on to lead the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in DC. Three years later, she became Chief in Rhode Island where she ran, what Tom called, “the most innovative and inclusive state planning process.”   Now back in Tulsa, Dr. Gist is serving as the school’s Superintendent, where — despite some of the lowest funding in the country — she is leading an agenda to Create powerful learning experiences for all students; cultivate safe, supportive, and joyful school cultures; attract, develop, and retain a highly effective and empowered team; and incubate and implement innovative classroom, school, and district designs.   The Tulsa team is serious about dramatically improving the secondary school experience. Listen in to learn more about Dr. Gist’s work at Tulsa Public Schools, the challenges they’re working to overcome from being underfunded, the improvement strategies they’re implementing, and how they are planning to redesign secondary learning entirely.   Key Takeaways: [:14] Some background on Dr. Gist’s career and work with Tulsa. [2:54] Three years in as Tulsa’s Superintendent, what does Dr. Gist see headed in the right direction? [4:33] About Tulsa’s efforts to reimagine secondary learning entirely. [5:55] Overcoming the challenges of being underfunding through incredible resources. [7:03] About the great team they have in place at Tulsa. [8:08] One of Tulsa’s biggest challenges from being underfunded — attracting and developing a teaching core. [10:52] Why schools joined the Summit Learning Network in Tulsa. [12:00] The other improvement strategies they’re using across the city. [13:07] Why receiving support from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation for the formative assessment project is important. [13:50] Collective impact — alive and well in Tulsa. [15:49] Tulsa’s work and focus towards high school redesign.   Mentioned in This Episode: “Inclusive and Iterative Plan Drives Rhode Island Forward,” by Tom Vander Ark Serve DC Chiefs for Change Tulsa Public Schools Impact Tulsa XQ Super School Project Summit Learning Network Tulsa Teacher Corps   Want to Learn More? During the podcast, Dr. Gist mentions the formative assessment project sponsored by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. To learn more about that, check out: “S3:E14 What is Formative Assessment? Voices from the Field”. For another example of a great new school, listen to: “S3:E9 iLead: Student-Centered, Career Focused, Accelerated Learning”. To read more on Impact Tulsa, check out the blog featuring this podcast on GettingSmart.com.   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

Recently, Tom and Adam spent 3 days in Boise, Idaho touring One Stone — an innovative school rooted in Design Thinking. Tom and Adam were joined by the school’s National Advisory team, including; Eduardo Briceño, Julia Freeland, Sasha Barab, Tony Lewis, and Alex Hernandez.   While celebrating and reflecting upon this innovative high school’s growth and development, the team was able to sit down and unpack the ‘why,’ ‘how,’ and ‘what’ of measuring what matters. Listen in as the advisory team shares their thoughts on this topic — taking a look at mindset assessment tools, qualitative vs. quantitative feedback, the challenges of measuring feedback, and much more.   Key Takeaways: [:51] An introduction to One Stone and their desired learning outcomes. [1:34] Eduardo’s thoughts on the extent to which we can and should measure a growth mindset. [3:35] The importance of qualitative feedback vs. quantitative. [5:13] How and when Eduardo believes One Stone’s mindset assessment tools should be used. [6:10] Is that information from those results aggregated? [6:58] Does Alex see any schools that are doing a good job at providing formative feedback around mindset? [8:50] Providing qualitative feedback and the difficulties of measuring it. [11:54] Julia’s thoughts on mindset and how to make it important in education. [14:02] Thoughts on measuring mindsets in a quantitative way. [16:13] Opinions on measuring and quantifying Social Emotional Learning skills and feedback. [19:19] Thoughts on giving and receiving feedback, and the challenge of measuring it. [20:38] How much of the mindset, creativity, and skills category should be part of a competency-based system? [25:29] Does Sasha see gamification as a part of the answer to measuring hard stuff? [26:09] What kinds of feedback can be given to young people about difference-making? [27:56] Ways to help prepare people to make a difference and help them build confidence in their impact-making skills.   Mentioned in This Episode: One Stone “S2:E56 Student-Led One Stone is Transforming Boise” DSST Public Schools Michael Crow, ASU’s President ASU: School for the Future of Innovation in Society   Want to Learn More About One Stone? Check out “S2:E56 Student-Led One Stone is Transforming Boise”.   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

Today Tom Vander Ark is talking with Dr. Carmen Coleman and Dr. John Marshall. Carmen serves as Chief Academic Officer and John as Chief Equity Officer, of Jefferson County Public Schools. The two have worked together to shape powerful, equitable, high-quality learning experiences for the over 100,000 students in Louisville, Kentucky and are united in their thoughts and beliefs on how to address urban school district needs.   Even though they’ve only known each other for seven months, Carmen and John’s partnership is already strong and is deeply rooted in the notion that all students deserve a richer set of challenging experiences that prepare them for the innovation economy — also known as Deeper Learning. Listen in to learn more about the work John and Carmen are doing for the community and students of Louisville.   Key Takeaways: [1:26] About John’s pathway to getting to JCPS, how he became Chief Equity Officer and the history behind the position. [3:42] About the focus on Deeper Learning in Louisville. [6:34] Why Deeper Learning and equity are central to JCPS’s equity agenda. [8:05] The challenge of making Deeper Learning central to a high-challenge community. [9:01] How JCPS finds the middle ground between personalized and rigorous project-based learning. [13:01] What does a Chief Equity Officer do? John’s role at JCPS. [15:05] How Carmen’s role at JCPS intersects with John’s. [17:40] What tasks and challenges would John work on with a Chief Academic Officer? [19:04] Is John a problem-finder or a problem-solver? [20:10] What John and Carmen have learned about leadership and promoting equity and Deeper Learning simultaneously. [22:50] How John describes his leadership approach. [25:03] What Ms. McCormick (one of JCPS’s teachers) is doing, in relation to Deeper Learning. [25:45] The process of funding $800,000 for digital learning proposals. [27:32] John’s progress on reducing suspensions and removing subjective code of conduct rules.   Mentioned in This Episode: Jefferson County Public Schools Deeper Learning Eastern High School New York Performance Standards Consortium Ed Week   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

In today’s episode, Mary Ryerse sits down with Eric Schneider, Assistant Superintendent of Minnetonka Public Schools, which serves over 10,000 students and is located in the greater Minneapolis area. Eric and his team have taken a unique approach to gathering input for strategic planning that drives innovation, including the use of a platform to crowdsource ideas. This process has been used by districts in several states now under the umbrella of the nonprofit, InnovateK12.   If you’d like to learn more about the district’s approach to innovation success, join Mary and Eric as they discuss how Eric and his team helped build Minnetonka’s strong culture of innovation, how other districts are starting to use some of the strategies they’ve developed, what Eric is doing with InnovateK12, and how he’s making a difference in Minnetonka and beyond.   Key Takeaways: [1:03] Eric talks about his background in education and his role currently in Minnetonka. [3:48] The district’s process of planning activities that engage the whole district in innovation challenges and strategic planning. [9:00] How this process has evolved and what it looks like today. [12:55] How this model has migrated to other districts and environments, the difference between traditional strategic planning and innovation strategic planning, and whether or not most districts tend to replace their current strategic planning process or not. [16:23] How their model also doubles as a talent development strategy and helps breed teachers into leaders. [20:29] Indicators and metrics Eric uses to determine success. [24:00] An idea that came out of this process that is directly impacting learning in a classroom today. [29:52] Where to learn more about the model.   Mentioned in This Episode: Minnetonka Public Schools InnovateK12 St. Cloud State University United Health Group’s Optum @TonkaEric (Twitter)   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!

Adam Kulaas and Emily Liebtag from The Getting Smart team sit down to chat about school coaching. As more and more schools work to shift their models of teaching and learning, coaching is becoming the key component to driving that change. When coaching is done right it can be really transformative for educators alike.   Listen in to hear Emily and Adam unpack school coaching and discuss what Adam has learned in both the past and present in the school coaching space — and what he hopes will come in the future. Adam and Emily further discuss what he has seen unfold in schools with good teaching models, how he believes schools can transform to make their learning become more student-centered, what motivated him to get into school coaching, to begin with, and what effective coaching looks like to him.   Key Takeaways: [1:30] What school coaching looked like back when Adam started coaching (two decades ago). [4:47] What motivated Adam to get into school coaching and what the sorts of change he wanted to see were. [5:42] What Adam has seen unfold and evolve in school coaching that has led to good teaching models today. [6:38] The importance of instructional coaches being able to build strong, transparent relationships. [9:14] What effective coaching looks like to Adam and Emily. [13:00] Adam unpacks how schools can transform their learning to become more student-centered. [16:02] One of Emily’s favorite leaders that she finds most inspiring. [17:13] How does Adam customize coaching to each new school or educator. [20:18] Where Adam sees learning and education headed with tech in the coaching space. [24:24] Where Adam sees coaching headed and what he thinks leaders need to know next. [28:26] The four lessons about coaching Emily learned from Adam during the duration of the podcast! [29:30] Where to find out more about the work Adam is currently up to.   Mentioned in This Episode: “S2:E55 Coaching for High-Quality Project-Based Learning” Daniel Pink @AdamKulaas on Twitter The Getting Smart Team Page   Want to Learn More About Coaching and its Effects on Education? Listen in to “S2:E55 Coaching for High-Quality Project-Based Learning” to hear from New Tech Network coach, Andrew Biros on coaching for PBL.   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

On today’s episode, Tom is talking with Tess Posner, Executive Director at Al4ALL — a new Oakland nonprofit that is introducing artificial intelligence to high school students — and, more specifically — girls. The goal is to help high school students learn to use AI for good and to increase diversity and inclusion in computer science.   AI4ALL is really aligned to one of the recommendations from Getting Smart’s December report, “Ask About AI,” which focused on the future of work and learning. In the report, Tom called for connecting experts and high school students to close the guidance gap and help more people use AI for good. AI4ALL is a great example of the solution Tom was envisioning — and as he says, he’s nearly “doing jumping jacks” out of excitement for this conversation!   Listen in to hear more about Tess and the work she’s doing at AI4ALL, how her interest in AI and computer science formed, how she connected with Samasource and AI4ALL, her take on integrating new tech and AI into schools, and her current mission and goals for AI4ALL.   Key Takeaways: [1:47] In 2015, Tom started noticing the rise of AI and made it his personal study topic for 2016. He reads some excerpts from his “Ask About AI” paper and how he discovered AI4ALL. [5:47] Where Tess went to high school and how that helped give her an interest in the education field. [6:43] Why Tess studied math at St. John’s College. [8:27] What sparked Tess’ interest in social entrepreneurship. [10:26] The importance of traveling as a learning experience. [10:52] How Tess came about connecting with Samasource. [12:44] How Tess’ interest in AI formed. [15:32] When and how Tess spotted the guidance gap in STEM careers (including AI). [18:11] The founding story of AI4ALL and what the alumni have gone on to accomplish. [20:55] How Tess sees AI4ALL’s mission today. [22:00] About AI4ALL’s current focus: After-school and summer camp programs. [23:03] What’s on AI4ALL’s roadmap. [24:16] The challenge of educating teachers on AI and integrating new tech into schools. [27:15] Tess’s take on the current ‘coding for all’ trend. [29:25] Where to find out more about Tess and AI4ALL. [29:46] About Tess’s SXSWedu panel and SXSW Interactive panel.   Mentioned in This Episode: If you’ll be at SXSWedu, tweet the team @Getting_Smart and use #SXSWedu, or email Jessica at Jessica@Gettingsmart.com to set up a time to meet!   SXSWedu Events: Join Tom on Tuesday for a meetup on The Rise of AI & What It Means for Education. And join Tess on Wednesday for her panel on AI in Education: Opportunities & Challenges.   AI4ALL “Ask about AI: The Future of Learning and Work,” by Tom Vander Ark Hewlett Foundation Smart Cities That Work for Everyone, by Tom Vander Ark with Mary Ryerse South Shore Charter Public School St. John’s College In Defense of a Liberal Education, by Fareed Zakaria Samasource Samaschool Tech Hire Initiative IBM Watson Stanford University University of California, Berkeley Princeton University Carnegie Mellon University CreAIte Code.org CSforALL   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 Jessica@GettingSmart.com, Tweet @Getting_Smart, or leave a review. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!