Trending In Ed Palmer Media

Mike Palmer and Dr. Siva Kumari, CEO of College Possible, delve into the challenges of making college accessible and attainable for underserved students. We learn about Dr. Kumari's inspiring journey from defying societal norms in India to pursue higher education, to her roles at prestigious institutions like Rice University and the International Baccalaureate.
Together, they explore College Possible's innovative model, which pairs AmeriCorps members as near-peer mentors with high school and college students from low-income backgrounds. We gain insights into the organization's data-driven, people-oriented approach, fostering personal connections and providing crucial guidance through the complex college application and transition processes.
Key takeaways include:

The importance of unlocking "stranded brilliance" by expanding educational opportunities for underrepresented communities.

The power of near-peer mentoring in creating a sense of belonging and navigating unfamiliar academic and bureaucratic landscapes.

The exciting potential of AI and predictive analytics in streamlining routine tasks, freeing up human coaches to focus on personalized support.

Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation that sheds light on the barriers and pathways to social mobility through education.
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Mike Palmer explores the profound impact of AI on education and the urgency to rethink our approaches with Dwayne Matthews the Founder of TomorrowNow Learning Labs, who offers an "eagle's eye" view of the converging technologies disrupting the learning landscape.
We dive into unlocking "stranded brilliance" – how we might leverage AI to democratize access to quality education globally. Dwayne compels us to plan for the "cognitive surplus" emerging from these innovations and strategize ways to harness it for societal good by rejecting the mental model of scarcity and instead embracing the potential of newfound abundance.
Key takeaways:

We must develop AI literacy and cultivate mindsets resilient to rapid technological shifts

Equitable redistribution of devices and connectivity can bridge digital divides

Shifting to an "abundance mindset" unlocks creative solutions for inclusive and disruptive economic models

Dwayne's vision provokes us to collectively reimagine education beyond traditional constraints. We grapple with potential dark patterns inherent in advertising and social media while spotlighting beacons of hope. Don't miss this future-focused dialogue – it's a catalyst for shaping the positive transformations we want to see in future AI-powered learning ecosystems.
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Mike Palmer picks the brain of Erica Halverson, a theater artist turned education professor at the top-ranked University of Wisconsin-Madison. She's also the host of the Arts Educators Save the World Podcast. Halverson passionately makes the case that the arts should transform how we approach teaching and learning across all disciplines.
Drawing from her background running an arts education non-profit and her current artist residency program called Whoopensocker, Erica stresses the need to uplift and center arts practices in education. She argues this will better prepare students for an uncertain future where skills like innovation, creativity, and comfort with failure will be paramount.
Halverson advocates moving away from the model of arts as a separate "specials" class and toward fully integrating an artistic, maker mindset throughout the curriculum. The process of creating and revising creative works can be applied to enhance learning in subjects like math, science and beyond.
Key Takeaways:

The experiences of art-making should be centered as core to what it means to be human and to care about education. Arts are not just "nice-to-have" but fundamental to teaching and learning.

The arts allow a learner asset-focused approach rather than just skills-focused. Making and creating artifacts surfaces expertise and misunderstandings - the essence of learning.

Practices like improvisation, collaboration, and embracing failure are vital for good teaching and preparing students for an unsettled future of work.

Don't miss this insightful discussion on integrating the arts into education at all levels and advocating for transformative, arts-based learning experiences.
Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on what’s emerging in the learning universe.

In this engaging episode, Mike Palmer sits down with Matt Wilkerson, the founder and CEO of Extern, to discuss his innovative approach to bridging the gap between education and the workforce. Wilkerson shares his fascinating journey, from his early career aspirations to the pivotal experiences that inspired him to create Extern, a platform that offers remote "Externships" – short-term, structured work experiences designed to equip students with real-world skills and hands-on experience.
Through Extern, Matt aims to disrupt the traditional internship model by providing a scalable and accessible solution for students to gain valuable work experience, regardless of their location or background. With a rapidly growing network of corporate partners and a mission to democratize professional opportunities, Extern is poised to revolutionize the way we think about career preparation and the transition from education to employment.
Key Takeaways:

Extern's "Externships" offer remote, short-term work experiences integrated with structured learning, preparing students for the modern workforce.

The platform addresses the supply-demand imbalance in the internship market, providing equitable access to professional opportunities.

By leveraging AI and modular learning components, Extern aims to scale its offerings and support a broader range of students.

Extern envisions a future where verified work experience through Externships becomes a trusted credential for hiring and career transitions.

The company is partnering with higher education institutions and corporations to integrate Externships into curricula and recruitment processes.

Tune in to this insightful episode and discover how Extern is reimagining work experience, empowering students, and shaping the future of career preparation.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more insight into where the future of learning is headed.

Host Mike Palmer goes in-depth on the "some college, no degree" crisis with Terah Crews, CEO of ReUp Education. A startling 41 million American adults - roughly 1 in 6 - have some college credits but no degree. Crews powerfully argues that ignoring this population exacerbates enrollment, workforce, and wage gaps across society.
ReUp takes an innovative approach, partnering with universities and state governments to re-engage stopout students and support degree completion. Their statewide "marketplaces" centralize these efforts, removing disincentives for student transfers between schools. Crews discusses ReUp's groundbreaking work in New Jersey, having already re-enrolled thousands of students in just the first two terms.
The conversation explores AI's impending impact on the workforce, creating urgency to upskill this population. Crews emphasizes higher education must evolve to better serve adult learners through improved user experiences, drawing lessons from intuitive consumer platforms like Amazon.
Key Takeaways:

41 million Americans (1 in 6 adults) have some college credits but no degree - a massive crisis

ReUp pioneers statewide "marketplaces" to centralize re-engaging and supporting stopout students

Urgent need to reskill this population given workforce shifts from AI/automation

Higher ed must modernize to provide adult learner-friendly experiences akin to consumer tech

Don't miss this insightful discussion tackling one of society's most overlooked yet impactful challenges.
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In this lively conversation, host Mike Palmer catches up with Dr. C. Edward Watson, Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Eddie shares insights from his new book, Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning, exploring the practical implications of generative AI tools like ChatGPT on higher education.
We dive into the pressing challenges AI presents, from academic integrity concerns to the need for developing AI literacies in students. Eddie offers pragmatic strategies for educators, such as allowing assignment extensions to reduce cheating temptations and designing assessments that emphasize human evaluation and discernment over rote outputs.
Throughout, we delve into AI's creative potential as a collaborative partner, generating ideas and metaphors to enhance learning experiences. Eddie paints a vision of personalized AI assistants tailored to individual learning styles and disciplines, raising the bar for quality education.
Key Takeaways:

Embrace AI as a collaborative tool, not a substitute for human effort

Prioritize developing students' evaluative and critical thinking skills

Advocate for institutional access to premium AI tools for educators


Don't miss this insightful discussion on navigating AI's disruption in academia. Subscribe now for more cutting-edge conversations on the future of learning.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more sharp takes on the future of education.