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.
Become a Hybrid Learning Pro: Tips & Resources to Keep Students Engaged Anywhere
The transformation of learning where suddenly students and teachers are not physically together has driven widespread use of video conferencing. Screen fatigue complaints and disengagement were center stage early on, but certain folks like Suzanne Phillips rode in to show how to do it right. LeiLani interviews Suzanne Phillips from Cisco Webex who has focused on creating tips and resources for teachers, by learning from successful educators worldwide. Teaching virtually can still be human with real connection, provided simple workflows and special tricks are used to create a learning ambiance. Who would have predicted that since the pandemic, over one million views of educator video conferencing tips would have happened in just a few months?
New Digital Personalized Approaches to Equity
Schools are bringing on professional grade digital curriculum and aiming at true personalization. LeiLani hosts Liz Brooke and Michele Eaton, Director of Virtual And Blended Learning from the M.S.D. of Wayne Township. This discussion about what software can do in schools reveals how leaders are trying to balance human teaching within a new context of real personalization because of more sophisticated software so that they can rid themselves of systemic inequities.
Esports Driving All Academic Achievement
Esports is the new “hook” to keep students working in other subjects despite being remote or partially physically attending schools in some sort of hybrid schedule. LeiLani discusses the emerging ultra-significance of esports and gaming in K12 education with Dr. Miles Harvey, 8th Grade Video Game-Based Learning and Esports Coach, Albuquerque Public Schools and Luke Stebick, Account Executive at TIG. Hear them talk about the real-life workings of student attendance and engagement because of esports, getting started as a school, and what sort of life-long opportunities are out there for students.
Data Driven Return to Learning
Given the ongoing pandemic, schools, districts and whole States have been grappling with awkward school schedules, hybrid style environments, and mismatched achievement because student online attendance during the later part of Spring was so unpredictable. States have stepped in to measure both academics and social-emotional learning to get achievement back on track. This podcast discusses what that looks like and hosts Anita Qonja Collins-Executive Director of Elementary Instruction/Dr. Christine Russell-MTSS Coordinator/Gary A. van Staveren, Ph.D.-Assessment, Grants and School Improvement Supervisor.
Paying for the Giant Leap in K12
The nation made a giant leap forward into technology for K12 in 2020 and that transition continues, with some new twists. LeiLani hosts Renee Patton, Global Director of Education and Healthcare from Cisco’s Industry Solutions Group. With “so many newbies,” the new schools and districts since the pandemic started, all rolling out massive numbers of computing devices to students, they discuss what that means for networks, achievement and student equity. New address to small schools and districts with innovations in equipment, pricing and help for funding questions have been part of the Cisco pivot to help – detailed by Patton. Interesting new ideas about what’s next up with schools having to be “extra-limital” are also discussed.
Pushed into 1-to-1? What’s next for successful programs.
LeiLani discusses with Justin Reilly, the CEO of Impero, a missing ingredient for managing the sudden mass deployments of devices by K12 schools. Student safety, but more importantly, the well-being of students socially and emotionally, has a new guardian with advanced mobile device management software. Reilly’s comments about what’s imperative now that schools are still mostly hybrid or remote learning are particularly timely. It’s not enough to create a connection to learning, vigilance by schools about student well-being means they retain those students while driving achievement.
Science Learning from Anywhere
Do you want to be thoroughly impressed about cross-curricular STEM learning remotely? Anika Chebrolu, a 14-year-old, won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was named America’s Top Young Scientist of 2020. She found a molecule that can selectively bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in an attempt to find a cure for the pandemic. Programs for schools from Discovery Education combine these sorts of challenges with world-class STEM learning. Hear the discussion with Beth Meyer, VP of Growth and Partner Activation from Discovery Education; Mahfuza B. Ali, Ph.D., Corporate Scientist, 3M Materials Resource Division and 3M Young Scientist Challenge Mentor; and Anika.
Recovery from a Lost Year of Reading Achievement
Tens of thousands of school leaders are realizing they may have lost a year of progress with students. LeiLani discusses with Dr. Liz Brooke, Chief Learning Officer at Lexia and Felecia Evans, Principal at Lander Elementary School, Mayfield Heights, OH, what to do about realigning student learning amidst ongoing alternate schedules including on-campus, remote and hybrid learning. As educators come out of the fog of issuing millions of devices and making sure students have connectivity, they are finding a professional world of digital curriculum to help them play catch-up. This discussion focuses on practical leadership from the front lines by a Principal and new software qualities that result in leaps upward in achievement in shorter time – a critical discussion right now for K12 schools who hope to recover in language literacy.
Now is the Future of Teaching
LeiLani discusses with guest, Marty Reed of RANDA Solutions, the mass attrition of teachers during this historic perfect storm of Covid-19. Educator frustrations with remote teaching, and a lack of elevation of the profession up to the digital universe has magnified the already crisis level issue of teacher retention. Marty’s take on teacher free agentry changes the entire dynamics of teaching. By creating an ecosystem around teacher licensure, intellectual property, professional learning and community, context can be established around credentials and portfolios of work. Teachers can present to the world the complete picture of themselves as a professional educator. When schools can’t get the teachers they need, a turn to the wide world of professionals across the internet could be the only solution for thousands of administrators. The “Lifelong Learning Project, powered by teachers” with a digital identity solution in Teacher Wallet is on the horizon.
Education Tech Chaos
LeiLani Cauthen discusses the general education tech chaos with Tricia Kennedy, Executive Director, Instructional Development and Support, Gwinnett County Public Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. Kennedy has led years' worth of preparedness to have a fully integrated learning ecosystem so that total chaos was never evident for them in America’s March 2020 move to quarantines with all schools shutting down. While other schools went into hyper-drive, Kennedy’s chaos was minimal. With 180,000 students, Gwinnett’s tech vision leans on Amazon Web Services for dependency to watch traffic load and manage downtime in real-time, ensuring equitable access for all students. Listen to find out the how this district kept it together in one of the most sophisticated operations nationally.