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Podcasts with Host LeiLani Cauthen, Author, Researcher and Thought Leader

Topics may include:

Education Legislation Change; Trends Analysis; Balancing AI with Humanities; Schooling Alpha Generation; Future Learning Structures; Any EdTech; UI/UX for Learning; “Science of” Curriculum; Tech Model Architectures; Hybrid Logistics; Networks; Security; Identity and Privacy; Change Management; Strategy Development; Trends; Research; Organizational Planning; Learner Motivation; Experiential or “Expo” Learning; Leadership & Planning

Unique Perspective

“People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s paraphrasing one of Steve Jobs’ famous quotes. Today in education, there are alternatives to traditional public schools that are not necessarily alternative. Yet the mood of society is practically mutiny against traditional schooling in its aspirations for something different, but to what? They don’t know. Certainly, a lot of school leaders think they know, but often the evidence is in their practice that they don’t really see how things should work today in teaching and learning because of tech.

Are we understanding everything we need to about true structural shift away from the industrial age models? Choice is no choice at all if you don’t understand structure and, particularly, the fact that tech changes everything. It’s not the individual devices and bits of software or the teacher’s practice, it’s the sum of the effect, and more interestingly, which technology or logistics or trend reckoning or teaching method is missing and unapplied.

The most important thing is to talk about, to show, the actual future."

Listen in as LeiLani hosts talks with both education and tech company leadership, presenting a unique perspective from her background as a researcher, author, technology developer and strategist.

March 25, 2022
The Educational Epoch Change You Didn’t Know Happened

As we write our new epic and talk about the age of the Age of Knowledge and the Age of Technology, and then into the Age of Experience, we’ll see we used our knowledge in a scaffolded way to aim for the perfect life. In this episode, Host LeiLani Cauthen and Guest Tom Finn, President/CEO & Employee-Owner of AVID Products discuss the tremendous changes in the education market and the positive structural changes that are taking place in skills, preparation for the future, and the transformation of technology and its inherent value. 


Nov. 10, 2021
Heritage Relevant Digital Learning Design

In this episode of the EduJedi Report podcast, Host and Learning Counsel CEO LeiLani Cauthen talks with Kristie Shelley, Senior Director of Emergent Bilingual Curriculum at Lexia Learning about digital learning design that is heritage-relevant.  

Lexia English is a K-6 product that helps promote bilingualism or multilingualism. From day one, they approached the program with an asset model, which makes it unique, seeking to honor learners first and foremost. Studies indicate that teachers talk 80 percent of the time in the classroom. Lexia flipped the model because the only way to learn a language is to actually speak the language. In order to make this happen in an interactive atmosphere, they use a technology of the speech recognition engine. And to make the learner comfortable, Lexia allowed characters to use familiar accents, yet encouraged the learner to use Academic English, which showed in their writing and reading. 

The unique Lexia English program is finding huge success while removing the burden from disappearing numbers of ESL teachers, and the professional grade Ui/UX design is blowing the doors off competitors’ offerings. 


Aug. 27, 2021
New Answers to Systemic Inequity of Language Learning

Age-old instructional methods for language learning have had structures that predispose them to English-language only delivery models.  New digital delivery mechanisms make way for learning scaffolding that is culturally responsive to empower educators to lead bi-lingual learners in systems without built-in prejudices.  Listen in to find out exactly what it means to have learning built digitally to improve outcomes in language learning and empower educators to address individual needs in less time. 


Aug. 17, 2021
Getting Real about What Blended Learning Is and Isn't in the Classroom

The pandemic has taught us many things, one being there is a lot of confusion around what effective blended learning really looks like. What are some actionable strategies for integrating technology in the classroom and supporting blended learning? Listen as LeiLani talks with two pros, Alexis Treat, Sr. Director of Literacy Curriculum and Meg Van Voorhis, Director of Professional Learning from Lexia who share stories and tips.  As definitions of blended learning, simultaneous teaching, synchronous teaching, hybrid learning, flipped learning and more of the latest trends get discussed by schools it all comes down to what’s real and what isn’t for teachers’ workload and workflow.


June 19, 2021
A Conversation about Hybrid Logistics

Longtime friend and great intellect Drew Hinds, Executive Director of Technology Services from Huntington Beach City School District in California, discusses with LeiLani the idea of Hybrid Logistics as an answer to the huge disruption of how schools use time and space now.  The student requirement for significant flexibility is here, and what does that mean for schools?  What does personalization really mean now, since the pandemic?  LeiLani mentions the “real definition” of personalization comes from the consumer world.   Drew goes further and indicates he believes a digital wrap-around of A.I.-driven resources unique to students, while still having a need for human interface, is on the horizon.  “Teachers would say they can differentiate,” says Drew, “it involves trying to shoot towards the middle,” for students.  “But it’s always to the middle…” 


June 4, 2021
Four Surprises Post-Pandemic for Schools

LeiLani Cauthen discusses what EduJedi are seeing for changes in expectations and what schools will need to do to overcome “hidden” frictions. She also brings up “infinity scale logic” versus binary logic and why it is important to be familiar with it to address cultural shifts in schools. Listen to also find out the “two modes” of communications patterns for students today.


May 6, 2021
Becoming Human Using Assessment Data

What if testing was more human centric and not so scary and indiscriminate? Listen to this discussion about bringing back meaning to assessments through new skills in data and logic that work even in distance learning scenarios. EduJedi LeiLani Cauthen interviews CEO Laura Slover and Joey Web, Director of Academic Services, of CenterPoint Education Solutions.


May 6, 2021
Lights, Camera, Action! What about On-Camera Simultaneous Teaching

EduJedi LeiLani Cauthen and Fred King from Cisco discuss the “why” of simultaneous teaching in a live classroom plus via video online feels a lot like going on stage. Behavior tends to change when cameras are panning, tilting, zooming, so a new Cisco solution modifies all that with a stationary “quad-cam” and audio detection that auto-creates a split-screen and software manages everything. Plus comments about how it all mitigates cyberbullying, does auto-translations and closed captioning, plus helps with data privacy and averting data loss. New tech is so cool!


May 6, 2021
Learning Recovery Starts with Seeing and Hearing A.I.

Schools now have a big worry about lack of learning because students just can’t see or hear well, either because of masks and plexiglass everywhere on site or from a distance over video feeds. Guest Daniel Kleman and EduJedi LeiLani Cauthen discuss things like invisible sound bubbles that block background noise, artificial intelligence managing audio beams so the teacher is heard by all and students don’t get left behind.

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Feb. 26, 2021
Secure Your Investment, Manage Risk

Let’s hear from a technical expert on K12 school security about the big picture on information security.  LeiLani interviews Doug Walsten from Cisco who mentions both data-at-rest and data-in-motion with regards to school data, which most school and district leaders know is “everywhere” in their systems, in the cloud, or on some teacher’s desktop.  All of it has encompassing laws that need to be considered by leaders since schools are using thousands of Apps and many major systems that hold personal information of students.  Listen to this podcast for an excellent sketch of concerns accompanied by various stories about what goes on in schools and some trends.