What's the Big Idea?

What's the Big Idea?

A podcast about big ideas in education. Tune in to listen and think, then respond on Instagram @_dankearney_ and Bluesky @dankearney

  1. Hot Take or Hard Truth with Amy Fast

    6 DAYS AGO

    Hot Take or Hard Truth with Amy Fast

    In which Dan takes the temperature of education in 2026 with Amy Fast, a superintendent in Dayton School District, Oregon. Through the lens of the game, Hot Take or Hard Truth, Dan and Amy talk about AI, phones, testing, books, recess, and more. As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_

    34 min
  2. Ben Riley: We Should Be Skeptical of AI

    7 MAR

    Ben Riley: We Should Be Skeptical of AI

    In which Dan chats with Benjamin Riley, founder of Cognitive Resonance, an organization dedicated to replacing AI hype with an understanding of how generative AI works using cognitive science. Ben's understanding of human cognition has him disturbed to see how some in education are running into the arms of big tech.  As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_ Mentioned in the show: Cognitive Resonance, founded by Ben Riley Gary Marcus on Substack 8 Things To Know About Large Language Models by Sam Bowman Ex Machina, a film by Alex Garland The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Music by Soyb

    1hr 1min
  3. 2026 Can Be A Portal

    24 FEB

    2026 Can Be A Portal

    In which Dan wonders if 2026 could be the year we really take students' interests in the wider world seriously. We’re living with creeping authoritarianism, AI disruption, climate change, social fragmentation, and a youth mental health crisis. Students feel it as much as the adults, but I worry that we’re not doing nearly enough to take on these issues in a way that matters to young people. If 2026 can be anything, maybe it's a portal into schools getting serious about how students get to interact with the world when they’re at school. As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_

    12 min
  4. De-Mystifying AI with Eric Hudson

    20 JAN

    De-Mystifying AI with Eric Hudson

    In which Dan chats with Eric Hudson, an educator and facilitator who's spent a lot time thinking and talking about AI in schools. Dan and Eric talk about why AI is so polarizing, the student-teacher divide on this new technology, and how schools can preserve critical thinking while not running in fear of AI.  As always, I welcome comments and questions on Instagram @_dankearney_ Mentioned in the show: School Leaders Innovation Forum: Los Angeles presented by Toddle Learning on Purpose a Substack by Eric Hudson Nine AI Messages for Students by Eric Hudson The Augmented Educator a Substack by Michael Wagner Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online by Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg What can you do as an educator? A post and graphic by Vera Cubero Music by Pierce Murphy

    52 min
  5. Back to the Future of Learning in the AI Era with Michael Wagner

    05/10/2025

    Back to the Future of Learning in the AI Era with Michael Wagner

    In which Dan chats with Michael Wagner, Professor and Department Head of Digital Media at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University, about the implications for AI in education.  Back in July Michael posted a piece to his Substack with the provocative title, "The End of Cheating as We Know It." He posits that, yes, AI has the power to disrupt everything in education, but, ironically, it has also created the conditions for ancient practices  of teaching and learning to ascend, methods like socratic and oral examination, as well as design cycle iteration. Mentioned in the show: The End of Cheating As We Know It by Michael Wagner Michael Wagner's Substack Alpha School Music: Inspired by Lakey

    46 min
  6. Jennifer Berkshire on "The Education Wars"

    24/08/2025

    Jennifer Berkshire on "The Education Wars"

    In which Dan talks with education thinker and writer Jennifer Berkshire. Jennifer is the co-author of the recent release The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual and co-host of the outstanding podcast Have You Heard? Dan and Jennifer talk about some of the biggest issues facing education in 2025, namely the culture wars, local activism, and the snake oil salesman of educational technology.  As always, I welcome comments and questions on Bluesky (@dankearney) and Instagram (@_dankearney_) Mentioned in the episode: Have You Heard? - a podcast by Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual by Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider Alpha Schools Private school vouchers are now law in Texas from the Texas Tribune The Wire, a television show by David Simon Music by Lakey Inspired

    46 min
  7. Teaching Truth with Jesse Hagopian

    21/05/2025

    Teaching Truth with Jesse Hagopian

    In which Dan chats with Jesse Hagopian about the urgent need to teach truthful history in America's classrooms. Jesse is the author of the excellent book Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education and he's an eloquent speaker on the need to push back against right-wing whitewashing. Jesse and Dan talk about the return of colorblindness, the gentrification of history, and why grassroots action is the only way out.  As always I welcome comments and questions on BlueSky @dankearney and on Instagram @_dankearney_ If you're in or near Los Angeles this summer, check out Learning Adventures Workshop with Dr. Gary Stager on June 30. New podcast alert! Tune into But I Won't Do That, an irreverent look at the music, lyrics, and videos of some favorite pop hits. Mentioned in the episode: Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education by Jesse Hagopian "Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election 'discrepancies'", NPR, May 14, 2025 Zinn Education Project -- lots of incredible resources and lessons for teaching truth Music: "Sunflower" by Soyb (Youtube Audio Library)

    53 min
  8. Constructing Learning with Dr. Gary Stager

    04/04/2025

    Constructing Learning with Dr. Gary Stager

    In which Dan chats with Dr. Gary Stager, teacher, professor, author, and consultant (among other things) and a true constructivist. Gary is the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute for educators and the co-author of Invent To Learn – Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Dan and Gary talk about Gary's dear friend, the late Seymour Papert, and the meaning of a computer in a classroom, phones in schools, Gary's experience teaching in a prison in Maine, and why reading from actual books is so vital. As always I welcome comments and questions on BlueSky @dankearney and on Instagram @BigIdeaEd Mentioned in the episode: Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom by Gary Stager Twenty Things to Do with a Computer Forward 50 by Gary Stager The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer by Seymour Papert Seymour Papert Obituary from MIT News Torture in a Maine Prison from Prison Legal News Mathworlds, the Substack from Dan Meyer From Lunchboxes to Laptops: How Maine Went One-to-One by Audrey Waters The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt The Most Compelling Argument Against Tech in Schools from Haidt's After Babel Substack Music:  SPEAKEASY STRUT royalty free Music by Giorgio Di Campo for @FreeSound Music http://freesoundmusic.eu

    1hr 8min
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About

A podcast about big ideas in education. Tune in to listen and think, then respond on Instagram @_dankearney_ and Bluesky @dankearney

Information

  • Creator
    What's the Big Idea?
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 What's the Big Idea?
  • Show Website
    What's the Big Idea?