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. 2026 Can Be A Portal

    4D AGO

    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
  2. De-Mystifying AI with Eric Hudson

    JAN 20

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

    10/05/2025

    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
  4. Jennifer Berkshire on "The Education Wars"

    08/24/2025

    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
  5. Teaching Truth with Jesse Hagopian

    05/21/2025

    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
  6. 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

    1h 8m
  7. A Golden Hour with Anya Kamenetz

    02/21/2025

    A Golden Hour with Anya Kamenetz

    In which Dan chats with Anya Kamenetz, an author, speaker, and reporter who's done lots of big thinking on the most important issues facing our world. Anya writes The Golden Hour Substack; she covered education for many years for NPR; and her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Dan and Anya talk discuss capitalism, measurement in education, climate change as school curriculum, Wikipedia, AI, and more.  As always, I welcome comments and feedback on Bluesky (@dankearney) and Instagram (@BigIdeaEd). Mentioned in the episode: The Golden Hour on Substack The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now by Anya Kamenetz The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing–But You Don't Have to Be by Anya Kamenetz The U.S. Economy Is Racing Ahead. Almost Everything Else Is Falling Behind by David Leonhardt, NY Times How to Raise Kids to Identify Misinformation by Anya Kamentez, The Integrity Project NJ Climate Change Education Resources An Educator's Guide to Climate Emotions Tech Won't Save Us, a podcast from Paris Marx The Generative AI Con by Ed Zitron

    52 min
  8. Talking Curriculum, Learning Transfer, and AI with Cindy Blackburn

    01/16/2025

    Talking Curriculum, Learning Transfer, and AI with Cindy Blackburn

    In which Dan chats with Cindy Blackburn, Director of Learning and Engagement at Toddle, about curriculum, that "dirty word" at many progressive schools. Cindy is also the host of the School Leaders Project podcast, where she interviews leading minds in progressive education. Dan and Cindy talk about why curriculum design and mapping can be so so sticky in schools, lessons from the International Baccalaureate, and the future of artificial intelligence in schools. Mentioned in the show: Toddle, a leading learning management system for IB and progressive schools School Leaders Project, a podcast from Toddle and hosted by Cindy Blackburn Streamlining the Curriculum: Using the Storyboard Approach to Frame Compelling Learning Journeys, by Heidi Jacobs Hayes and Allison Zmuda 11th Grader Takes An AI Tutoring Deep Dive, from Education Next Two-Sigma Tutoring: Separating Science Fiction from Science Fact from Education Next Connect with Dan on Instagram @BigIdeaEd and Blue Sky @dankearney Music: Sunflower by Soyb (Youtube Audio Library)

    1h 5m
See All (81)

4.7
out of 5
14 Ratings

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
    81
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 What's the Big Idea?
  • Show Website
    What's the Big Idea?