No Such Thing: Education in the Digital Age

Reel Works matches teens 1:1 with professional filmmaker mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard. It’s a powerful combination that changes young lives and creates films that have been seen by tens of millions of viewers worldwide. Head to REELWORKS.org, that's R E E L W O R K S . O R G and learn more about how you can support a program that not only helps young people prepare for a life and career off in the future, but might also ensure - through the process of storytelling - that those of us needed to solve the future's greatest challenges, have the tools we need to survive and thrive what is.John Williams (he/him)Founder & Executive Director, is an award-winning film and television writer, producer and director whose credits include independent shorts, features, documentaries, television programming and corporate communications. Prior to founding Reel Works, John created original television for WNET/Thirteen, Oxygen, WE: Women’s Television and Metro Channels. John has produced numerous major market television commercials and independent films. John holds an MFA in Film & Television from New York University and a BA in English from Boston University. Keisha Katz (she/her)Keisha Katz, Director of Workforce and External Partnerships, is a Queens native and a graduate of the Spring 2007 lab class at Reel Works. Keisha leads their citywide workforce program, MediaMKRS, which aims to bring together industry leaders, educators, unions, and local government to provide access to careers in the media industry to individuals from marginalized communities. Keisha is particularly passionate about and uniquely qualified in her efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive in the media and entertainment industry, because of her background producing documentary film and television. Her work has aired on leading networks including NBC, Lifetime, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and BET. Keisha holds B.A. from Temple University and is a member of Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc.Charles Reynoso (he/him)Charles Reynoso, Manager of Education and Curriculum, has been an educator, musician, and multimedia artist for over two decades. As a teacher with the Department of Education, he and his history students created short films with historical narratives in order to connect modern day injustices and inequalities to American history. As a media producer, he collaborated with several non-profit organizations to bring awareness to social issues surrounding the AfroLatino community. He has a Bachelors of Science in Multimedia Journalism from CUNY Lehman College, and a Masters of Science in Education with a concentration in Special Education within Urban Settings from Long Island University. He strives to be a vegetarian, but is often caught eating salmon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the questions that's come up over and over in my conversations about what our country is learning from a year in quarantine is "what's being done in places where connectivity is keeping families from connecting at all?" According a 2019 report from Pew Research Center, 58% of Black adults and 57% of Hispanic adults have a laptop or desktop computer, compared with 82% of white adults, and 66% of Black adults and 61% of Hispanic adults have broadband access at home compared with 79% of white adults.The 2019 U.S. Census, showed 36 million households that do not subscribe to a wireline broadband service. 26 million of these households are in urban areas. 10 million are in rural areas. The lower a household’s income, the less likely they are to consistently subscribe to a wireline broadband service.Like many of you I've wondered all year about what's being done, what more we can do to address this issue - one that's been around long before the pandemic - and I was lucky for the chance to sit with a group fighting hard to offer balance and equity in the city of Philadelphia.Juliet Fink Yates (she/her)Digital Inclusion Fellow, Office of Innovation and Technology, City of PhiladelphiaJuliet Fink Yates has been working on addressing digital equity since 2001 when she was managing a small ISP for 10,000 low-income Philadelphians without Internet access for the Critical Path Internet Project. For many years, she worked as the Chief Learning Officer at Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers at the intersection of adult education, technology and healthcare. In 2010, she wrote, in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia, the broadband stimulus grant that brought $5.4 million to low-income communities to set up computer labs (which became known as KEYSPOTS) in 77 locations, reached out to cultivate the key partners involved in that grant, and helped to design the structure of that program, overseeing a team that managed 28 of those KEYSPOTS. She was a founder of the Technology Learning Collaborative, Philadelphia’s first professional development organization dedicated to digital literacy providers and advocates and was a member of the City of Philadelphia’s Digital Literacy Alliance until she joined the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation and Technology this past March as the first Digital Inclusion Fellow. In this role she is charged to build the community of those in Philadelphia interested in addressing digital inclusion and help support innovative digital equity practices in Philadelphia. She has a Master’s in Education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education with a focus on technology in education. Paolo Balboa (he/him)Programs and Data Manager, National Digital Inclusion Alliance Paolo began his career in public library education and outreach in 2013, first in Cleveland and most recently at the New York Public Library. He has worked with the Mozilla Foundation and a cohort of practitioners and advocates to develop a Web Literacy toolkit, and he has served as a panelist at the American Library Association Annual Conference to discuss digital literacy. He received his Masters in Library and Information Science with an emphasis on Data Visualization and User Experience from the Pratt Institute. He is an advocate for access equity in a variety of spheres, including transportation, housing, and of course, broadband. He lives in Brooklyn with his houseplants.  Andy Stutzman (he/him)Project Director for Civic Technology, Drexel UniversityWith an MS in Computer Information Science, Andy Stutzman has over 20 years of technology experience within higher education. Through his leadership and innovation skills, Andy has strived to create programs and technologies that reach beyond traditional boundaries. Since coming to Drexel University, Andy has been involved in civic engagement and workforce development initiatives across Philadelphia. As the Program Director for Digital On-Ramps, he led a city wide digital badging initiative that included managing the MacArthur Foundation backed LRNG Philly program. Andy now works as the Project Director for Civic Technology at Drexel University’s ExCITe Center where he leads community based initiatives focused on digital equity and inclusion. He is also the chair for the Technology Learning Collaborative which has supported digital inclusion initiatives throughout Philadelphia for over eight years.Thumbnail for the episode is art by @theeastlondonphotographer, Ehimetalor Akhere UnuabonaLinks from this episode:https://www.digitalinclusion.org/https://www.digitalequityact.org/Audio included from 3rd parties:What are the benefits of digital inclusion?Digital Inclusion in the Promise Zone Workshop Series: Access to Connectivityby CSDCAhttps://archive.org/details/Digital_Inclusion_in_the_Promise_Zone_Workshop_Series_-_Access_to_ConnectivityClosing the Divides: A Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion by The Aspen Institute https://archive.org/details/theaspen-Closing_the_Divides_-_A_Plan_for_Digital_Equity_and_InclusionUnderstanding Digital Inclusion National Skills Coalition https://youtu.be/-E0kVgH1sLkUnderstanding Digital Equity, Inclusion & Literacy https://otan.us/resources/past-webinars/understanding-digital-equity-inclusion-literacy/  OTAN (Outreach and Technical Assistance Network) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Upperline Code has a mission to train the next generation of computer science leaders and empower students to change their world with code. We aim to transform education by making computer science accessible to all students regardless of race, gender, or income. Above all, we value inclusiveness, curiosity, rigor, collaboration, and quality.  "I think you created a culture of mutual learning and respect and demonstrated your commitment to the process over the end goal and that was very empowering. I think that it was the best PD I've engaged in so far." - Maha HasenMaha HasenMaha has an undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics and Philosophy from The George Washington University. When she graduated in 2016, she was placed as a High School Math Teacher in her hometown, Bronx, NY, and earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. After consistently being made aware of the lack of female representation in STEM, Maha joined Upperline Code to gain the tools she needed to bring Computer Science to her school, which has a student body makeup of 71% female. She believes that all students should have access to computer science and that it is particularly imperative to empower female students to pursue a coding education!Jorge TorresJorge Torres is in the middle of his third year teaching high school Chemistry and Physics in the South Bronx. He earned his undergraduate degree at CUNY Hunter College in Biochemistry, and continued there for his Master’s Degree in Chemistry Education. Jorge’s interest in Computer Science teaching came from both the interest his students seemed to have in the subject, as well as his own early experiences taking AP Computer Science in high school. He aimed to make the material more accessible for students like himself, and began to seek out institutions with the same goals as him. Jorge is excited to continue building his Computer Science skills, and at the same time bring all the knowledge acquired back to his classroom and continue to encourage students to pursue STEM careers. Daniel FenjvesCEO Upperline CodeDanny Fenjves has spent almost 10 years living and teaching computer science. He is an alumnus of Teach for America, worked at Google, and was head of K-12 computer science instruction at Flatiron School before founding Upperline Code. In his career, he's trained over 200 teachers to lead immersive coding courses in schools across the country, built extensive coding curriculum, and taught software development to hundreds of high school students. As a former middle school science teacher, he's deeply committed to the art of instruction and discovering the best methods to recruit, train, and retain top teaching talent in the field of K-12 computer science education.Mentioned in this episode:Upperline FellowshipThe Six Flaws of “Traditional” Professional Development from Katya Rucker, Getting SmartEducation Week, Teacher PD Gets a Bad Rap. But Two Approaches Do Work, by Heather C. Hill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers immense promise to solve some of the world's biggest problems at scale. But advances come with significant challenges that perpetuate and amplify society's underlying structural inequities. To address this challenge directly, the NYU Center for Responsible AI (R/AI) is designed to be a comprehensive applied research and tool production laboratory for accelerating responsible AI practices that arise from real world collaborations.Julia StoyanovichCo-Founder & Director of R/AIJulia Stoyanovich is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Tandon School of Engineering, and the Center for Data Science at NYU.  She is a recipient of an NSF CAREER award and of an NSF/CRA CI Fellowship.  Julia's research focuses on responsible data management and analysis practices: on operationalizing fairness, diversity, transparency, and data protection in all stages of the data  acquisition and processing lifecycle. She established the Data, Responsibly consortium, and serveds on the New York City Automated Decision Systems Task Force (by appointment by Mayor de Blasio).  In addition to data ethics, Julia works on management and analysis of preference data, and on querying large evolving graphs.  She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Columbia University, and a B.S. in Computer Science and in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.Steven KuyanCo-Founder & Director of R/AI Managing Director, at  Future LabsSteven Kuyan is the director of entrepreneurship at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, co-founder/managing director of the NYU Tandon Future Labs, and co-founder/director of the NYU Center for Responsible AI. The Future Labs support entrepreneurs in technology-specific fields, such as: artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented/virtual reality, video and virtual machines and has graduated more than 145 companies – 31 as acquisitions totaling more than $600 million – for a combined portfolio valuation of graduates exceeding $2B billion. The NYU Center for Responsible AI is a first of its kind lab designed to be a comprehensive applied research and tool production laboratory for accelerating responsible AI practices that arise from real world collaborations. Steve also oversees entrepreneurship across the campus, including programs commercializing university IP into companies, which includes dozens of success stories that have raised over $100M in venture funding, university wide curricula development, and IP collaborations amongst NYU schools.Resources from this episode:Center for Responsible AI at NYUData Responsibly, Comics: "Mirror, Mirror"Is AI Effective If It Isn't Equitable and Responsible? from Chronicle of Higher EducationNYU Future Labs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I’ll be speaking to three experts on youth development and screen time who also happen to be parents. First, we’ll hear, Sascha Brodsky. He’s a science and technology journalist, who recently wrote an article for Lifewire called, “Parents Say ‘Yes’ To Screen Time During the Pandemic,” where he talked to several parents and experts - letting them vent their concerns, but also justify their decisions. Two experts featured in the article are also with us for this episode. Lynette Owens, Founder & Global Director of Internet Safety for Kids and Families at Trend Micro. She dedicates a majority of her time leading workshops that educate parents and caregivers on all topics relating to children and internet use. And Dr. Mimi Ito, a cultural Anthropologist and Learning Scientist at University of California Irvine, joining us once again. Her work makes her an expert on children and youth’s changing relationships to media and technology. Cover Photo by ExpectGrain under Creative Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/spedster/Links from this episode:Parents Say ‘Yes’ To Screen Time During the Pandemic, by Sascha BrodskyTrend Micro's Internet Safety for Kids and FamiliesAbout Mimi Ito: https://clrn.dmlhub.net/people/mimi-ito.htmlNY Times Article: Children’s Screen Time Has Soared in the Pandemic, Alarming Parents and Researchers by Matt RichtelDistance Learning and Parental Mental Health During COVID-19Two related studies:https://corp.roblox.com/2020/06/62-teens-roblox-say-online-conversations-real-life-friends-top-pandemic-priority/https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.202049 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Mimi Ito is a cultural anthropologist, learning scientist, entrepreneur, and an advocate for connected learning—learning that is equity-oriented, centered on youth interest, and socially connected. Her work decodes digital youth culture for parents and educators, offering ways to tap interests and digital media to fuel learning that is engaging, relevant, and socially connected. She is the director of the Connected Learning Lab and Professor in Residence and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning at the University of California, Irvine. She is also co-founder of Connected Camps, a non-profit providing online learning experiences for kids in all walks of life. Her co-authored books include Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media and Affinity Online: How Connection and Shared Interest Fuel Learning and the reports, From Good Intentions to Real Outcomes: Equity by Design in Learning Technologies, and The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship.Links from this episode:Find links to all of Dr. Ito's publications on her Wikipedia page.Follow her on Twitter @mizukoAbout Research-Practice Partnership by Cynthia E. Coburn, Northwestern UniversityWilliam R. Penuel, University of Colorado, BoulderKimberly E. Geil, Independent ResearcherAbout Dr. Michael WeschPhoto by Joi Ito at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is something a little different. Like many of you, one of the ways I've been keeping sane over the past months has been nesting, both in my physical world and with respect to my work. I recently have been organizing previous episodes' audio, and in so doing, I have some ideas for ways I want to use the process to rekindle ideas that are part of my experience because of this show, and continue to motivate and encourage me as I look forward to new hope and exploration and learning that lies ahead. These three segments all come from live episodes. As I've been organizing, I've been thinking about all of the ways that I'd like to use my audio to produce what I'm thinking of as a kind of mix tapes. Mix tapes were awesome in part because it was always the authors discretion about what went together. Sometimes that liberty helped build new associations, new ways of thinking because, even if you've heard the song a thousand times, it's the first you've heard it sandwiched between two others in a new way. Links from this episode:A live interview with Cathy N. DavidsonChris Emdin at May 2019's NYC CS4All Teachers SummitLive with Data & Society at Techno Cultures in the 21st Century Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My conversation today is with Jussie Kajala and Mitch Weisburgh of an AR/VR platform for education called, 3D Bear. I'm also joined by Susan Sclafani, a Library Media Specialist from Long Island, NY, who grounds our conversation in the aspects of her own practice that incorporate AR. Be sure to stick around until after Jussie and MItch, to hear my full conversation with her. Jussi Kajala has a Ph.D. in material physics and a degree from University of Cambridge, UK. Jussi was responsible for developing the immersive technologies industry in Finland in Tekes – the Finnish funding agency of Innovation for three years. Jussi is a visionary and spectacular project designer and manager. Jussi is responsible for 3DBear’s operations in the US. Mitch Weisburgh is a world-class advisor for top-end edtech startups in the US. He is the former chairman of the Education Industry association SIIA ETIN, and founder of Edchat Interactive and Academic Business Advisors. He founded and grew two companies in the education and training field. Mitch is now making a mark on education by helping and investing into companies and non-profits to become sustainable through helping students.Susan Sclafani has been a Library Media Specialist with the Patchogue-Medford School Distric for 20 years. She worked with K-5 students for her first 10 years and has spent 10 years working with students in grades 6-8. She strives to bring new and innovative ideas to her students and schools. As the Lead Librarian for her district, she has tried to make sure that libraries continue to be an integral part of the educational system. She also seeks to make sure her library is not quiet.Links from this episode:3D Bear:https://www.3dbear.io/Susan Sclafani on Twitter: https://twitter.com/suesclafani Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You all met Theron Cosgrave and Principal Ally Rocco in episodes 67, and 77. Since October of 2019, I’ve been following this group of educators in California’s central valley as they work to build one of the most innovative middle school models I’ve heard anything about in recent decades. MAD Tech characterizes some of the most important questions in education for me. Here’s just one example in my mind: What does it mean to intersect great learning design with great design for physical spaces in this age where we've learned so much about how the two can complement one another?In this episode we’re joined by Laura Quiroz, Dean of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, to hear more about how the instructional model for MadTech has been forced to flex, and more about what they're learning in relation to the core principles of their design that they've been able to carry over in spite of COVID. One of a few bright spots that the school is leveraging and that came up in our conversation is their use of VDI. We didn't get to come back to this in the conversation, though Allyson and Laura messaged me moments after it came up in our conversation to answer my question about the acronym. VDI stands for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. I bring it up again here to ask that if you or someone you know are an expert with VDI, I'd love to hear from them on social media. Share resources you may have about case studies that have worked using VDI to extend access to software that may not run easily on a chromebook. I'll share those resources in an upcoming episode. Links:Madera Unified Schools: https://www.madera.k12.ca.us/Desktop Virtualization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_virtualization Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kevin Miklasz has worked in and around the fields of game design and education for the last 10 years. As a trained scientist, he has a PhD in Biology from Stanford University, but has spent his time gaining a smattering of diverse experiences in education: designing science curriculum, teaching after-school science programs, designing science games, running a science and cooking blog, running game jams for kids, and running professional development for teachers and professional engineers. He is currently the VP, Data and Prototyping at BrainPOP, where he leads the data team and coordinates prototyping work on new products.Join Kevin for his upcoming talk, or access a recording at: https://www.edchatinteractive.org/upcoming-seminars/how-digital-learning-can-use-game-like-rewards-to-improve-engagementLinks:The world ends with you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Ends_with_YouKevin's upcoming book: Intrinsic Rewards in Games and LearningScot Osterweil's Four Freedoms of Play: http://playfullearning.com/4freedoms/Self determination theory: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/Lee Sheldon's Multi-player Classroom: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B085RJ81QN&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_CT7DFb2TFHZ30Paul Darvasi's blog: http://www.ludiclearning.org/Scott Nicholson on meaningful gamification: http://scottnicholson.com/pubs/recipepreprint.pdfGo ranks and ratings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_ranks_and_ratings Justin Reich, Failure to Disrupt: https://www.amazon.com/Failure-Disrupt-Technology-Transform-Education/dp/0674089049 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.