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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.

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.


Feb. 19, 2021
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?


Feb. 19, 2021
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.  


Jan. 29, 2021
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.  


Jan. 15, 2021
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.


Jan. 6, 2021
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.