Podcast
Skilz Sessions
Hosted by Kaplan Test Prep · EN
At the intersection of learning, media, and what's happening in pop culture, you'll find Trending in Education.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Creating a Learning Convergence Zone with Ron Reed and Greg Rosenbaum, of SXSW EDU - Trending in Education - Extra
Mar 7, 201900:29:45Tap to summarizeWe had the great pleasure of sitting down with Ron Reed, Founder and Executive Producer, and Greg Rosenbaum, General Manager, of the learning conference SXSW EDU. Ron and Greg share the origin story of SXSWEdu and explore the emerging trends they've seen over the first nine years of the conference. We talk community building, the power of convergence zones and the ways in which innovation in learning and education is evolving. We also touch on mindfulness, social and emotional learning, and the whole teacher movement as core parts of the emergent zeitgeist of festival. If you made it to SXSW EDU this year, this is a wonderful capstone conversation for the experience. If you didn't make it, listening is a fantastic way to get a sense of what Greg and Ron are trying to accomplish and how it feels to be a part of it.
Transcribe →2019 Learning March Madness Selection Show - Trending in Education - Episode 134
Mar 5, 201900:38:22Tap to summarizeIt's time for our 2019 Learning and Education March Madness! Mike and Brandon draft eight topics each to go head to head in round one of this year's tournament. Which of our best episodes made this year's field? What didn't make the cur? Tune in to find out how we break down the field for this year's tourney!
Transcribe →Prediction Show 2019 - Trending in Education - Episode 133
Feb 26, 201900:23:37Tap to summarizeAfter much ado, fanfare, and aplomb, it's finally time for our hosts to put forth their own predictions for trends in learning and education for 2019. What important topics do we see on the horizon that will change the way students and lifelong learners acquire knowledge and skills in the year ahead? Brandon shares his thoughts on Education2020 and how politics, the presidential race, and education will all intertwine throughout this year into next. Mike hypes the rising importance of the Whole Teacher Movement as well as Mindful Learning as the key trends he's tracking this year. And Dan shares his thoughts on the new MA (M&A) in higher education, merger and acquisitions as his key trend to track this year. All this and more on a great look forward to prognosticate what is on the horizon for the upcoming year in learning and education. Tune in to hear where we think things are heading on this week's episode!
Transcribe →Beyond the Content - Mindfulness and Test Prep with Logan Thompson - Trending in Education - Extra
Feb 21, 201900:38:10Tap to summarizeIn this week's extra, Mike catches up with new author Logan Thompson on his book Beyond the Content: Unlocking the Other Half of Test Prep with a Tailored Mindfulness Approach. Logan talks about his own path to becoming more mindful and self-aware and how good mindfulness practices have helped to shape who he is as a teacher and a person. Logan discusses how performing on a standardized test doesn't just involve understanding the content and the strategies, it also involves managing one's cognitive and emotional states. Throughout the conversation, Mike and Logan explore the analogy of consciousness as both a Driver and Passengers. Logan provides techniques to manage the presence of the interruptive, distracting, or self-limiting thoughts, aka Passengers, without giving them too much power or attention, while empowering the Driver to get to where she wants to go. We also discuss how Logan's focus on mindfulness and being present connects to social and emotional learning, cognitive and emotional empathy, and the Whole Child and Whole Teacher movements. Listen in and enjoy!
Transcribe →Learning and Education Trends to Watch in 2019 - Trending in Education - Episode 132
Feb 19, 201900:26:25Tap to summarizeWe dive into learning and education trends to watch in 2019. Using two Forbes.com articles as our jumping off point, we talk trends in STEM, K-12, and higher education. How will teacher shortages influence the learning and education landscape? Does STEM help lead the way on the whole child learning experience? Can national and local legislation help change the higher education space in the US? Are income-share agreements a viable solution to ballooning student-debt? We discuss all of these topics and more. Listen in and enjoy!
Transcribe →Full Frontal Nerdity - Lessons on Loving and Living With Your Brain - Trending In Education - Valentine's Day Extra
Feb 14, 201900:36:01Tap to summarizeJust in time for Valentines Day, we're joined by KS Wiswell, author of Full Frontal Nerdity - Lessons on Loving and Living With Your Brain. In addition to being an author, KS is also a screenwriter, an improv performer, and also a Kaplan instructor. We dive into the thought process behind her launching a blog and how that grew into publishing her first book. How did a background in improv help her connect topics that few others see as common? What is it like to share personal stories about love and life for everyone to see? How is improv like teaching and how can we use surprise, narrative, and relevance to make instruction more entertaining and compelling. KS walks us through all this and much more with plenty of laughs along the way.
Transcribe →Media Trends to Watch in 2019- Podcasts, Bezos, Super Bowl Commercials and more - Trending In Education - Episode 131
Feb 12, 201900:40:52Tap to summarizeWe take a look at some of the emerging media trends to watch for in 2019. Mike dives into the Gimlet and Anchor acquisitions by Spotify and how audio will continue to be a focal point for advertisers. We also take a look at how small a portion of advertising podcasts currently garner. Does the in-house content creation Spotify is paying for mirror a similar content brand we talk about often? Brandon dives into Super Bowl commercials and #RoboChild. How are robots, or maybe even our fear of robots, shaping the commercials and media we are consuming? Mike and Dan also provide some insight into the recent news around Jeff Bezos and the parent company of the National Enquirer. We talk about all this and more media trends to keep your eye out for in the coming year. Enjoy!
Transcribe →Millennial Burnout and Generational Thinking - Trending In Education - Episode 130
Feb 5, 201900:29:38Tap to summarizeWe tackle a recent article from BuzzFeedNews.com that explores Millennials as the 'Burnout Generation'. Does Anne Helen Peterson's work paint with too broad a brush or do younger generations face a tougher road? How does burnout change the way we might be open to learning? Brandon discusses how every generation faces tough decisions about where their careers might go as they enter college. Mike explores how burnout and pressure around visual identity and online social comparison may be leading to new problems for teens and young people as it relates to their mental health and well-being. We close with Dan and Mike digging into the growing prevalence of mindfulness and social emotional learning as a potential way to provide coping mechanisms to counter some of the more negative aspects of these trends. It's an important discussion we hope to continue to explore in future episodes.
Transcribe →Consumer Electronics Show 2019 - Where's the Focus on Education and Learning? - Trending in Education - Episode 129
Jan 29, 201900:32:32Tap to summarizeWe take a look back at some of the hottest gadgets at CES 2019 and discuss where some potential crossover to learning may exist. Mike points out the lack of education and learning categories / focus at the trade show. Brandon focuses in on wearables and the tracking of individual data that could help shape how we understand personalized learning. We also discuss the explosion in sensors and how growth in that technology could apply to education and learning. Can sensor help track brain waves and teach us more on how we learn? What could teachers do with a better understanding of their students' engagement and mental readiness? And of course, if it's our CES show, you know we talk robots as we revisit the Uncanny Valley, robot butlers, and so much more. Join us for a fun listen for the latest and greatest from CES 2019.
Transcribe →The Entertainment and Learning Implications of Interactive Media and Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch on Netflix - Trend...
Jan 22, 201900:42:59Tap to summarizeThe team takes a look at interactive media and interactive video with Netflix's recently released Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch as a backdrop. We talk through how interactive media has grown and developed over the years from Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books and Role Playing Games to interactive video experiences like what Netflix is now offering. We discuss the positive and negative use cases for interactive media. How does an interactive experience change the creative process? Are traditional cinematic auteurs as well-suited for interactive media as say game designers? Regarding Bandersnatch specifically, did Black Mirror and Netflix get the interactive experience right and the content wrong? We touch on our own reactions to the movie and share where we see similar content in the future growing and even recite some of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky - the genesis of the term Bandersnatch - before we’re through. Listen in and enjoy!
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