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.
Unlocking Minds: The Power of Creative Reasoning in Math Education
Nigel Nisbet, VP of Content Creation at MIND Education joins LeiLani to discuss creative reasoning in the process of learning math. Imagine a mind being able to internally visualize math in a similar way to any other language – such as the mental image picture one gets of a tall tree in all it’s dimension on a landscape and its color and movement in the wind. Such a mind exploring math would have achieved much more than memorizing addition and subtraction tables, for example. This evolution of math learning is particularly important for educators to understand and for learners to have facilitated to arrive at the type of learning that uses curiosity over anxiety, and imagination over arduous mechanics. Nigel and LeiLani elaborate on what’s changed about the world that makes this podcast a must view or listen.
Dawning of Schools as Hubs of Tutoring Sourcing
What does it mean to school leaders and teachers to intersect students with what they need to achieve when the existing schedule already overwhelms teachers? When there is no time to catch students up or challenge ones far ahead, something must be done or the likelihood of losing those students to alternatives or dropping out is high. The dawning of change in the structure of schooling includes novel approaches to sourcing tutoring to overcome learning loss, absenteeism, behavioral issues, and expectations of full personalization for every learner. It used to be that easy scheduling was a difficult proposition – but no longer so with AI. In this discussion with Anthony Salcito, Chief Institution Business Officer with Varsity Tutors, Leilani learns about Varsity Tutors and their mission to help schools gain, without compromise, on their objectives by becoming a sourcing hub leveraging some 40,000+ tutors.
Building Problem Solvers with Exploratory Learning
Listen in as LeiLani discusses with guest Ki Karou of MIND Education what it means to use game-based learning, visual learning, in helping learners build mental schema and problem-solve. This is a complex topic that Karou is an expert in, being the Lead Mathematician and Product Director at MIND Education. Karou’s application of game theory and rich background in cognitive sciences makes for an excellent conversation on what edtech is doing today to drive true personalization with exploratory learning.
The Big Conundrum: Logistics and Tailored Learning
A conundrum of schools wanting to personalize and customize learning, to tailor it around individuals is juxtaposed against a lack of logistics and strategy in this discussion with Matt Yeager, Assistant Superintendent of Technology from Garland Independent School District in the Dallas, Texas area with 52,000 students. Yeager introduces his theory of leadership and answers questions about what he means by tailored learning, missing logistics and his work in connectivity for schools and students. He provides additional valuable insights in strategic planning and how schools need to understand how technology will help them change structure and gain long-held desires to provide what learners and parents really want. (Audio only and video versions)
The Education Intelligent Network Matrix is Already Here
LeiLani discusses how the future is already here – education is irretrievably already in an intelligent network matrix but still has much to do to fit comfortably in it. Mike Witzman, Senior Director of Solutions Engineering of Cisco’s U.S. Public Sector team talks about the trend of “form following function”: with LeiLani and the three levels of schooling being part of a new matrix of learning. Witzman includes many comments about the technical side of advancing schools up from devices in the hands of all students, though campus and classroom readiness, and up to the network mesh matrix that intelligently provides access and interchange of teaching, learning and resources across the internet.
AI Futures in Education
What could happen when all the artificial intelligences converge? That’s just part of this conversation between Serena Saks-Mandel, the Global CTO for Education at Microsoft, and LeiLani Cauthen. Starting of with introducing her not-associated-with-Microsoft new book, “Empowered: Frame your Narrative, Own your Power” available now on Amazon. Like in all things from Serena, the stories have high energy and resonance for anyone – a powerful light and lesson is shown in this book to take away from its many mini-stories. In this podcast, after LeiLani brings up Serena’s new book, the conversation naturally turns to the need for educators to see the future is first and foremost going to be a balancing act of becoming more resolutely human, a time of perfecting our human-ness. Four other future leaning predictions are made in a jumble you need to listen closely to discern – plus seven types of AI including machine learning, generative, recommendations engine, voice, vision, embedded (IOT) and spatial-temporal. Hear what Serena and LeiLani have to say happens when it all comes together. (Audio only and video versions)
Changing the Culture of Math Learning
Maybe math learning could be better if it was in sync with the current generation’s culture – that of Generation Alpha. LeiLani interviews Brandon Smith, the Lead Mathematician and Product Director at MIND Education about how learning-by-doing is a key part of a new cultural address for math learning. While Brandon gives specific examples of what can be done, the discussion also turns to equity in learning and development. Brandon also gives key specific points of what the math learning itself needs to involve – an education in math education!
Building the Culture of Security in Schools
Culture of security? Listen in on this unique conversation with Helen Patton, the Cyber Security Strategic Advisor from Cisco. The discussion of security in schools is not just about digital citizenship, passwords, and the like, but about leadership. Cyber security in schools is not just a “job for the IT people,” but a sense of morality in individual behavior of all parties because schools are intermingled in many ways with the digital world and not just brick and mortar buildings at every level of their operations. Lots of information about the types of threats and interesting stories relating to the human side of security.
Gen Alpha and Being the School of Choice
Listen in on this rousing conversation about the Alpha Generation which is defined as people born 2010-2024 – the current crop of students in K12 schools. Research has shown they prefer the screen to humans, and although older generations find that terrible, it’s a fact that still has a profound impact on how they can be effectively taught and what they expect. Ramifications for technology and teaching are discussed between the host, LeiLani Cauthen and Mary Schlegelmilch, Education Advocate from Cisco who has been an early childhood educator, a middle school science teacher, a district curriculum facilitator, an elementary school principal, and has served as the eLearning Supervisor in charge of online, blended, and distance education for Omaha Public Schools. Multiple aspects of the Alpha Gen are enumerated with comments and observations made by both speakers.
What is the Science of Learning Math?
Listen in to our interview with Nigel Nisbet, a rock musician, AP Physics and AP Computer Science teacher who did a tour of duty in an all-girls school, plus a specialist who devotes his time to reaching into the structure and beauty of mathematics and discussing the “science of learning math” from many angles. Nisbet who is currently the VP of Content Creation at MIND Education mentions how teaching modalities have changed and how learning has had to delve into facts of how people learn and the neuroscience of it all. He mentions a lot of the important mechanisms within the subject of math that are being addressed with advanced technology and what it means. LeiLani points out these important things that the software can do that human teachers find difficult such as true personalization for each point of potential student struggle, followed by Nisbet discussing how the “science of” is developed to manage this positively while still involving the teacher for certain particular human interactions to leverage expertise and emotional connection which causes better learning.