No Such Thing: Education in the Digital Age

This is Mark Guzdial: he is a Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.This is his talk from "To Code and Beyond," a conference about education and computer science, hosted by Cornell Technion.Guzdial is a really important piece of this rubik's cube that is contemporary thought on computer science education. This talk is an important appetizer to the forthcoming episode, where Professor Guzdial and I dig into some of the topics he alludes to here. You'll notice that in the audio I intentionally made it sound like a hollow lecture hall to bring you closer to the milieu where such talks typically occur. That's not true. Sometimes a venue has technical hiccups, and this one caught the audio but didn't get a great recording. That's okay though, i'm grateful to have what we could get.If you're fired up about the talk. I'll link to the video in the show notes, where you'll be able to see some of the visuals he was sharing. It was a terrific talk, and if you can't tell from his introduction, Mark is one in a line of thought leaders who have fought hard to help us stay motivated in answering the tough questions around technology in learning. Is coding a critical 21st century literacy? Yes, he says, because it helps us learn everything else better.My tremendous thanks to Diane Levitt of Cornell Tech, who helped make this talk and my interview with Mark a possibility, and for throwing a top notch event where this and much more dialogue like it can take place.Notes from this episode:Video of the talk, "Computing Education as a Foundation for 21 Century Literacy": https://cornell.app.box.com/s/feib38ctri0hpcgylte78zbstvlrneywSeymor Papert, Mindstorms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindstorms_(book)Elliot Solloway: http://www.soe.umich.edu/people/profile/elliot_soloway/K-12 Initiative at Cornell Tech: https://tech.cornell.edu/impact/k-12/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Research Practice Partnerships, otherwise known as RPPs, are important. Just like in any other field, good researchers are constantly thinking about how to bring relevance and purpose to their research. RPPs make strategic partners out of researchers and practitioners to dig into what the field needs to know in the present, and closely study what’s working and what’s not.Guests from Hive Research Lab, New York University, and UC Irvine discuss the recently-published Toolkit for Brokering Youth Pathways, available online at Hiveresearchlab.org. Educators can access a series of what they’re calling “practice briefs” for youth programs to help realize promising (and sometimes less-promising) methods for leveraging youth participation for the purpose of building connections between too-often disparate learning experiences.Rafi Santo, Ph.D., is a learning scientist focused on the intersection of digital culture, education, and institutional change. Centering his work within research-practice partnershipsDr. Dixie Ching is a senior user experience researcher at Google, where she supports education-related products and services through strategic research and partnerships. Previously, Dixie has worked at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Center for Children & Technology/Education Development Center, New York Hall of Science, Discovery Communications, WGBH/NOVA, and Beijing Television.Dr. Chris Hoadley is associate professor in the Educational Communication and Technology Program, the Program in Digital Media Design for Learning, and the Program on Games for Learning at New York University. Dr. Kylie Peppler is an artist by training - Associate Professor of Learning Sciences at UC Irvine and engages in research that focuses on the intersection of arts, computational technologies and interest-driven learning. Links from this episodeThe Brokering Toolkit from Hive Research Lab: https://brokering.hiveresearchlab.org/practice-briefs/Scope of Work: https://www.scopeofwork.co/Beam Center: https://beamcenter.org/Hive Learning NYC: http://hivenyc.org/Emoji-Con NYC: https://emoti-con.org/Bridgid Baron: https://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/barronbj Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vassiliki Khonsari: Producer & director specializing in interactive storytelling across screens (VR, Games, Documentary, Film) Independent Magazine calls her “One of the top ten filmmakers to watch”. Founding partner of iNK Stories, known for creating impact forward, immersive stories for global audiences. With background in Visual Anthropology, a Sundance fellow and member of Women’s Impact Network (PGA), Khonsari mentors and contributes to many organizations on reframing diversity, emerging tech and storytelling.Bio, Nick Dangerfield | Co-Founder | Planeta:Nick has worked with an assortment of artists that includes Jonas Mekas, Park Chan Wook, Moriyama Daido, Nick Waplington, Bruno S., Harmony Korine, and Justin Bieber.Nick has also built tools and platforms in the space of arts and culture for the last fifteen years, like the Playbutton, the Harinezumi camera, and to.be, as well as running Planeta. He’s now working on a live-sound transmission and adapting the David Bowie Archive for AR. Nick, Vassiliki and I are talking about Immersive Media in this episode. You'll hear us refer a couple of times to a previous conversation, which is a live version of the interview that was never recorded due to some technical issues at the venue. What's so exciting about this sequel to that first meeting, in addition to their generosity for coming back to record with me, is that we got to plunge fathoms deeper into the topic. It's a long one: but if you're like me and still deciding how to make sense of immersion and virtual media, spacial computing, and whether this will someday come together to the benefit of learners like us, then you should stick around for the full conversation. It might surprise you. Links for this episode:Donald Norman, Things that Make us Smart: https://www.amazon.com/Things-That-Make-Smart-Attributes/dp/0201626950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547492381&sr=8-1&keywords=things+that+make+us+smartInk Stories, Brooklyn: http://inkstories.com/Fire Escape by Ink Stories: http://inkstories.com/#FE"Hero": http://inkstories.com/#heroNewPlaneta.cc: https://planeta.cc/ David Bowie Virtual Collection: https://davidbowieisreal.com/Anomalisa: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2401878/NIhilism and Technology: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1786607034/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_KXnpCbMZT6CFSMagic Leap: https://www.magicleap.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tasker Smith is a technical instructor at MIT's Pappalardo Lab for Mechanical Engineering. As you'll hear through this interview, his background has a striking resemblance to television's Adam Savage of MythBusters. That is, he's held roles in all sorts of environments: performance, toys, consumer products, and lucky for the young mechanical engineers at MIT he wound up eventually making his way to higher education, cultivating young talent to be as skilled technically and emotionally to enter a world of professional engineering as they can possibly be.We talk about approaches from the lab that I think will be of interest to everyone, but especially those educators who are serious about maker education, and the role that pre-engineering programs play in schools and afterschool all over the country. If you're looking for tips and best practices, just curious what goes on in the Mech E lab at MIT, or excited to learn more about how Tasker went from studying theatre arts to modelling toys, stick around.A special treat from this episode, Tasker offers a set of files for the poster panels that come up toward the end of the interview for listeners to grab and repurpose in their own shops and maker spaces. Do check out the shownotes at NoSuchThingPodcast.org to find that gift from him.Links from this episode:Pappalardo Lab on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pappalardolab?lang=enJapanese drawers links: http://digg.com/video/japanese-joinery-drawersTasker's Make Mag Leather Article: https://makezine.com/2018/07/09/use-3d-printing-shape-leather/Z Corporation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_CorporationContinuum Innovation, Boston: https://www.continuuminnovation.com/en/Caine's Arcade: https://youtu.be/faIFNkdq96UStatasys: https://www.stratasys.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm joined by two special guests and we're talking about a recent merger that may have gone unnoticed by many, but to me could be a tiny rumble before a tremendous shift that could rock education in a lot of ways. Here were some of the headlines:New Merger Wants to Create ‘WeWork for Education’ Via Digital Badges and Mini-CampusesNext for SNHU: Game-Based Learning and Digital Badges for Middle SchoolersSouthern New Hampshire University and LRNG Merge to Deploy Innovative Community-Based Education Strategy in Cities Across the U.S.My guests are two critical players leading education reform, research, and practice in this country. Dr. Kylie Peppler is an artist by training - Associate Professor of Learning Sciences at UC Irvine and engages in research that focuses on the intersection of arts, computational technologies and interest-driven learning. In addition to serving as the Director of the Creativity Labs at Irvine, Dr. Peppler is the Chief Learning Officer at Collective Shift/LRNG, the former lead of the MacArthur Foundation’s Make-to-Learn initiative, and a member of the 2016 and 2017 National Educational Technology Plan Committee, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Peppler was on the original NSF-sponsored Scratch team during the initial design and early study of the Scratch platform. Since this time, she has specialized in studying e-textile design with the LilyPad Arduino.Connie Yowell is the visionary and CEO of Collective Shift, bringing considerable experience from the MacArthur Foundation where she oversaw a $150 million program on Digital Media and Learning.Prior to joining the Foundation, Connie was an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, publishing scholarly work that examines the complex interplay among young people’s emerging identity, their social context and achievement. Connie briefly served as Policy Analyst in the U.S. Department of Education during the Clinton Administration, and has worked closely with teachers and administrators to develop programs for youth development.In 2004, Connie received the Distinguished Fellows Award from the William T. Grant Foundation, an award to support scholars seeking to bridge research and practice, under which she worked with the National Writing Project to develop approaches that integrate web 2.0 technologies into the social practices of teachers. Connie earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale, and her PhD from Stanford University.My thanks to Kylie and Connie for joining. You'll hear a change in audio on Connie's mic mid-way through the interview...we had some technical difficulties with our connection, but persevered. Whether you agree with me that their story could be a taste of new education paradigms to come, I hope you'll join me in cheering them on. We need all of the brains we can get iterating toward a future where learning is accessible, connected, counted for everyone. LRNG / SNHU Merger Press Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-new-hampshire-university-and-lrng-merge-to-deploy-innovative-community-based-education-strategy-in-cities-across-the-us-300734026.htmlMastery Transcript Consortium: http://mastery.org/LRNG: https://www.lrng.org/Souther New Hampshire University: https://www.snhu.edu/Open Badges: https://openbadges.org/Walk Out, Walk On - Book by Margaret J. Wheatley and Deborah Frieze: http://a.co/d/cFUsNUSEdSurge Says: New Merger Wants to Create ‘WeWork for Education’ Via Digital Badges and Mini-Campuses: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-10-23-new-merger-wants-to-create-wework-for-education-via-digital-badges-and-mini-campusesAnd the official press release headline was: Southern New Hampshire University and LRNG Merge to Deploy Innovative Community-Based Education Strategy in Cities Across the U.S.: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-new-hampshire-university-and-lrng-merge-to-deploy-innovative-community-based-education-strategy-in-cities-across-the-us-300734026.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was extremely honored to be invited by friends at CSTA-NYC to help produce a live episode of the show on the topic of Tech and Ethics. We called the event "Code of Ethics" and my thanks in particular to the kind and hardworking folks in the Audio-Visual department at Microsoft, NY, who hosted the event. Anil Dash is the CEO of Glitch, formerly Fogcreek Software, and host of Vox Media's new show on Tech and Society, Function, and long-time advocate for a more socially-minded technology sector, it's engineers, leadership, and the policy that structures (or doesn't) decisions about what gets made.Natasha Singer is a reporter for the NY Times Business Section, who covers Tech and has a special focus on accountability. And Brenda is a NYC Public School student who dreams of becoming a software engineer. She is a 1st generation Dominican-American and passionate about women in tech. This conversation was a journey into some of the most serious issues that all of us should be grappling with during Computer Science Education week. Thousands of events, big and small, are being logged globally tying into CS Education, but what could be more important than a step back to think about what, in the course of the conversation, we refer to as tech's "downstream effects." Links from this episode:Function Podcast: https://www.voxmedia.com/about-vox-media/2018/10/30/18039366/vox-media-podcast-network-function-anil-dashGoogle Is Teaching Children How to Act Online. Is It the Best Role Model?Just Don’t Call It PrivacyWeaponized Ad Technology’: Facebook’s Moneymaker Gets a Critical EyeMicrosoft Urges Congress to Regulate Use of Facial RecognitionTech’s Ethical ‘Dark Side’: Harvard, Stanford and Others Want to Address ItMaryland Schools May Tell Children When It’s Time to Log OffSenators Call for Federal Investigation of Children’s AppsDid you vote? Now your friends may know.Hudson High School of Learning Technologies: https://www.hudsonhs.nyc/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm cramming for my conversation next week about ethics and tech, and as I prepare I thought it would be a fun way to add some transparency to the process. Usually when I prepare for a big episode I reach out to folks in my network, I dig for sources, I spend a lot of time with the topic in my head. When I thought about who I should reach out to as I think about the roots of some of the issues we'll cover next week, I wondered, who might help me with something of a literature review on the ethics and philosophy part. As we know - but sometimes forget - many of the questions that we're asking today about ethics relevant to computer science have been asked before. There are entire schools of thought dedicated, scholars who've spent lifetimes... but I haven't reached back to those texts in forever, maybe you haven't either. So I did what anyone would do...John P. Cleary is my high school philosophy teacher, and the first person who came to mind when I considered who would make time for me as I cram for this interview. He's a busy guy, an Assistant Professor at Raritan Valley Community College, an acclaimed stage actor, and restorer of his cabin in the woods, where I imagine he'll one day sip brandy and read poetry by a wood stove. We caught up for a bit before diving in, but the questions you hear me refer to are ones that I shot him over Facebook Chat, where he and I keep in occasional touch. Enjoy my chat with John, it's a prep call for next weeks episode on Ethics in Tech, but if, like me, you're looking for a lit review to help you think about the scholarly history of some of civilizations' thorniest questions, here it is...Links:Joe Kincheloe, The Sign of the Burger: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2255502.The_Sign_of_the_BurgerNat'l Association of Media Literacy: https://namle.net/Zimyatin's WE, Russian novel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_(novel)Neil Postman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_PostmanMartin Heidegger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_HeideggerJurgen Habermas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BCrgen_HabermasMcLuhan's Mechanical Bride: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mechanical_BrideDonna Haraway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_HarawayKaku, Physics of the Impossible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics_of_the_ImpossibleAlso Mentioned:Mary ShellyOrwellHuxleyKelnerNoam ChomskySartreFriedrich Nietzsche Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of October, the New York Times ran a series of articles on kids, parents, and screentime. It looked at trends among parents, largely around the Silicon Valley in California. When I read Anya Kamenetz's response in the Columbia Journalism Review, titled What the Times Got Wrong About Kids and Phones, I had to reach out and see if she'd be willing to talk. I think her perspective on this issue is extremely important.Anya Kamenetz is NPR's lead education blogger. She joined NPR in 2014, working as part of a new initiative to coordinate on-air and online coverage of learning.Kamenetz is the author of several books. Her latest is The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life (PublicAffairs, 2018).Her previous books were Generation Debt; DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education, and The Test.Kamenetz covered technology, innovation, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship for five years as a staff writer for Fast Company magazine. She's contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Slate, and O, the Oprah Magazine, and appeared in documentaries shown on PBS and CNN.It's worth noting that in addition to the rock stardom above, she's a parent, and someone who, admittedly, is dealing with the stuff in real time. If you take nothing else from this episode, if you don't read her book or the many links that I drop in the show notes for this episode (available on our facebook page facebook/nosuchthingpodcast) pretty please, use your instincts as a parent, consult educators and specialists who know technology on this topic, talk with doctors who really want to dig in about what's fears are real and which are not. Take the time to do your homework, and make plan that fits what you're looking to each achieve at home, in your classroom, or with the young people you serve, wherever that is. And talk to the young people in your life. Preaching tech abstinence comes from a good place - we want children safe and productive - but don't be suckered by the temptation to conflate all that's changing for us culturally, don't trust non-expert voices because they seem elite, and don't miss out on all that's there in the upside.Links from this episode:Columbia Journalism Review - What the Times got wrong about kids and phones: https://www.cjr.org/criticism/times-silicon-valley-kids.phpTHE ART OF SCREEN TIME: HOW YOUR FAMILY CAN BALANCE DIGITAL MEDIA AND REAL LIFE: http://www.anyakamenetz.net/NYTimes, A Dark Consensus Begins to Emerge About Kids and Phones in Silicon Valley: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/style/phones-children-silicon-valley.htmlSilicon Valley Nannies Are Phone Police for Kids: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/style/silicon-valley-nannies.html?module=inlineAnya's Newsletter: https://tinyletter.com/AnyaKamenetz/subscribeAnya on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anya1anya Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buckle up for some real talk about solutions to our Math challenges that might sound simple in a lot of cases, but they certainly aren't obvious. If they were, we would've figured out a long time ago that, for example, "school math and real math" as Marvin puts it during this interview, should not and cannot be such very different things.In this episode, Marc interviews researchers from Education Development Center's Center for Children and Technology and Bank Street College of Education, who are collaborating on an effort funded by the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Dept. of Department of Education, to help better equip educators supporting the wide variety of learners who populate the classrooms of American schools. Their program, Math For All, is developing digital resources to show general and special education teachers how to provide high-quality, standards-based math education to all students, including those with disabilities.Links from this episode:Math For All: http://mathforall.cct.edc.org/Pew Research, U.S. students’ academic achievement still lags that of their peers in many other countries: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/15/u-s-students-internationally-math-science/Marvin Cohen, Nesta Marshall, Babette Moeller: http://mathforall.cct.edc.org/about-math-for-all/STEM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_technology,_engineering,_and_mathematics Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Del Lago Academy is one use case that shows the potential of alternative credentialing (or digital badges) for reforming assessment in the digital age. If you're a K12 professional, a funder, or a education technologist that's been following the conversation on Badges for Learning, you don't want to miss this conversation. Alec Barron is the lead behind Competency X, a project that's already engaged teachers, local industry, and higher ed in a serious conversation about how competency-based practices, along with strong software platforms, can change the efficiency and effectiveness of school-supported pathways for youth to meaningful, prosperous futures in San Diego County.Links from this episode:Del Lago Academy: https://www.dellagoacademy.org/Portfolium: https://portfolium.com/Competency X: https://www.competencyx.com/BIOCOM: https://www.biocom.org/s/Fleet Science Center: https://www.rhfleet.org/Digital Badge Summit: https://badgesummit.weebly.com/Palomar College: https://www2.palomar.edu/Miramar College: https://www.sdmiramar.edu/Pharmatec: http://www.pharmtech.com/Assessment for Learning Project: https://www.assessmentforlearningproject.org/Education Design Lab: https://eddesignlab.org/Nicole Pinkard: http://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/profile/?p=1049&/NicholePinkard/Center for Collaborative Education: http://cce.org/Reimagining College Access: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/project/reimagining-college-access Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm talking with Julia Bennett, Director of Learning Strategy at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, along with Dan Rice, Director of Training for an organization called, Answer out of Rutgers University in New Jersey, and Temitayo Fagbenle, Senior, City University of NY, Queens College and soon-to-begin "Fellow" at "Nancy," a production of WNYC Studios. You may remember her from previous episodes of this show on higher education and youth radio.If you've wondered about this intersection between technology and the sexual development of young learners, I'm with you. We tackle some big issues in this episode, and I hope also shed some light on the reality of where young people are learning sex ed, and what role adults in their lives can play.Links from this episode:Planned Parenthood Federation of America: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/Answer: http://answer.rutgers.edu/Temitayo Fagbenle on Instagram and Twitter @theeetemi: https://www.wnyc.org/people/temitayo-fagbenle/NYC Comptroller's Report on Sex Ed: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/comptroller-stringer-report-high-number-of-middle-and-high-school-students-arent-taught-sex-ed/PrEP, HIV prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/prep/index.htmlSex Etc: SexEtc.orgOnline Shaming, WNYC Radio Rookies: https://www.wnyc.org/story/261104-radio-rookies-sexual-cyberbullying/It's Complicated by dana boyd: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300166316/its-complicated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is part 2 of an experiment. If you listen to both episodes, it’s two hours of gameplay, and talk about games in learning, play, popular titles, a takedown of the Fortnight franchise by young Game Reviewer, and Rudy Blanco's student, Kimari Rennis - I can’t wait for you to meet Kimari - we talk about diversity in games, we define some terms, sidetrack a bit into mythology, and so so much more. Here’s the bottom line, though. If you’ve never played video games with your students, you might be missing out on a tremendous learning opportunity. How often in your class does a student jump in an say, “I’m happy to control the ship?” This and so much more in the episode ahead. Enjoy.Links from this episode:NYC Video Game Critic’s Circle: https://nygamecritics.com/DreamYard Project: http://www.dreamyard.com/(Game 1) Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime: http://www.loversinadangerousspacetime.com/Until Dawn (game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Until_DawnPlants Vs Zombies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plants_vs._ZombiesGeorge Fan, PVZ designer: http://plantsvszombies.wikia.com/wiki/George_FanDisney Quest (arcade): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisneyQuestFortnite (game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FortniteSmite (game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smite_(video_game)Pub G: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayerUnknown%27s_Battlegrounds(Game 2) Don’t Starve Together: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_StarveAssassin’s Creed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_CreedPlaystation “Shareplay”: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/ps4/share-play/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is another two-parter and it’s something of an experiment. If you listen to both episodes, it’s two hours of gameplay, and talk about games in learning, play, popular titles, a takedown of the Fortnight franchise by young Game Reviewer, and Rudy Blanco's student, Kimari Rennis - I can’t wait for you to meet Kimari - we talk about diversity in games, we define some terms, sidetrack a bit into mythology, and so so much more. Here’s the bottom line, though. If you’ve never played video games with your students, you might be missing out on a tremendous learning opportunity. How often in your class does a student jump in an say, “I’m happy to control the ship?” This and so much more in the episode ahead. Enjoy.Links from this episode:NYC Video Game Critic’s Circle: https://nygamecritics.com/DreamYard Project: http://www.dreamyard.com/(Game 1) Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime: http://www.loversinadangerousspacetime.com/Until Dawn (game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Until_DawnPlants Vs Zombies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plants_vs._ZombiesGeorge Fan, PVZ designer: http://plantsvszombies.wikia.com/wiki/George_FanDisney Quest (arcade): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisneyQuestFortnite (game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FortniteSmite (game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smite_(video_game)Pub G: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayerUnknown%27s_Battlegrounds(Game 2) Don’t Starve Together: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_StarveAssassin’s Creed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_CreedPlaystation “Shareplay”: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/ps4/share-play/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The organization Games for Change is hard to describe as being just one thing: they throw a Festival that happens every year in NYC, and that's been the backbone of the organization, but around that has grown a really important community of artists and activists, educators, computer scientists, developers, funders, and game studios who believe deeply in the power of games for improving the human experience. Sometimes that's about empathy for other humans, sometimes it's about zooming in on something remarkable, sometimes it's about simply tapping the playfulness in all of us. When I think of Games for Change - some might call them Serious Games - I think of titles like Dys4ia, a flashgame by the legendary Anna Anthropy - quoting from Wikipedia, "to recount her experiences of gender dysphoria and hormone replacement therapy". There are hundreds of titles, and many would argue that the boundaries between "serious games" and others is really about your game design practice, more than genre. They can be blurry, when you put them up against Educational Games, or even virtual environments where the outcomes aren't purely a play for revenue.I've been really lucky to be a part of this organization's evolution as a participant at the festival, as a partner to their student game design challenge in my role at Mouse, and as a member of the community that gains so much from the vision they put forward 15 years ago. I feel like an Anniversary gift is in order, and while I didn't send chocolates to founders - Ben Stokes, Barry Joseph, Suzanne Seggerman - it felt like the next best thing to spend some time with G4C President, Susanna Pollack, and give you a chance to hear from two winners at this year's festival.3 Conversations, 15 years of Games for Change - enjoy.Notes from this episode:Games For Change: http://www.gamesforchange.org/Attentat 1942: http://attentat1942.com/Attentat 1942 Gameplay: https://youtu.be/kLct7kVW1sMCharles University: https://cuni.cz/About Assassins Creed, Origins for Education: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/arts/assassins-creed-origins-education.htmlSTEAM: https://store.steampowered.com/Technology Student Association: http://www.tsaweb.org/Play Garrett at Chameleon School: http://tsabms.bsd.k12.pa.us/VideoGameDesign/Team903/2018 G4C Student Challenge Winners: http://www.gamesforchange.org/studentchallenge/awards-2018-student-challenge/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Gretchen Givens Generett, is a researcher / educator on issues of teacher professional development, educational leadership, and cultural diversity. An associate professor in the School of Education at Duquesne University, Gretchen is the Director of the University Council for Educational Administration Center for Educational Leadership and Social Justice.   Her teaching and research are designed to enhance the skills and habits of mind necessary for educators to effectively teach students from diverse populations.  During our chat, Gretchen shares her own personal narrative, and talks about how each of us has a story that needs to be explored as preparation and proper framing for the work we endeavor to do. I learned so much from my chat with her, and I hope you do too.Dr. Generett has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes in the field of education. She is the co-editor of the book Black Women in the Field: Experiences Understanding Ourselves and Others through Qualitative Researchpublished by Hampton Press and has served as the guest editor for the journals Educational Foundations, Educational Studies, and Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership.  Notes from this episode:Dr. Francisco Guajardo: http://iel.org/francisco-guajardoLinda Treadway: http://iel.org/lynda-tredwayGretchen Generett’s Inspire Speaker Series story: https://youtu.be/d_fwIjZlaMwMalcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History (on school segregation): http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/13-miss-buchanans-period-of-adjustmentChris Janson https://www.unf.edu/bio/N00607194/Matt Militello https://coeweb.ecu.edu/directory/name/matthew-militello/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're getting to this episode without having given a listen to Episode 34 on MakerEd and Autism, hit pause and back up one episode. This one won't land without its predecessor. In fact, when I recorded this interview, it was intended as a segment that I would drop into 34, but the more I tried to make it work, the less I liked it. I didn't want to interrupt the previous conversation, and I didn't want to give short shrift to Dave Wells, who's a critical piece of the Maker Educator puzzle in NYC. So much so that i'm mashing up some of the conversation I have had with him previously on the show to fill in some context on NYSCI, the NY Hall of Science, where Dave works, and to round out the episode. The first part of the interview you're about to hear is from the Manhattan Make-A-Thon earlier this year where i had a chance to sit with Dave and talk about the work at NYSCI. If you prefer to skip forward to the details in the second half about how Dave and the NSF-funded research team from NYU and Education Development Center implemented the project - head to ~8:30.David Wells, Director of Maker Programming, is responsible for all programming and activities in NYSCI’s Maker Space. He oversees the design and implementation of maker-related programs which engage families, students, and visitors of all ages, he's a “maker of things” in his own right, and designs sight specific interactive art installations using discarded technology, audio experimentation, and digital media He received his B.F.A. from F.I.T. and a Masters in Museum Education from Bank Street.Links from this episode:Dave Wells, Bio https://nysci.org/people/david-wells/NYU's ASD Nest https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/asdnest/Education Development Center https://www.edc.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristie Patten Koenig is an occupational therapist, with a PhD in Educational Psychology.From her bio: She examines the efficacy of interventions utilized in public schools for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.She's the Department Chair for Occupational Therapy at New York University and a leading researcher on K12 interventions related to Autism Spectrum Disorder.Dr. Wendy Martin leads research that deepens understanding of how key components of educational programs influence effectiveness and participant experience with the prominent research group, Education Development Center.We're talking today about a project that they collaborate on: it's about maker education and Autism.Notes from the episode:ASD Nest @ NYU: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/asdnest/Wendy Martin: http://cct.edc.org/people/martin-wendyKristie Koenig: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/ot/faculty/Kristie_KoenigDiagnostic and Statistical Manual Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is part two of a couple of episodes on "Broadening Participation." Dr. Sunshine Menezes, has served as executive director of the Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island since 2006. She became a Clinical Associate Professor of Environmental Communication in the URI Department of Natural Resources Science in 2017. She'd spent more than a decade before that as specialist in Science Communication and science policy. Menezes received a B.S. in zoology from Michigan State University, a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, and was a Rhode Island Foundation Fellow from 2013-2014.Enjoy this second conversation from the 2018 convening of the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Learning's Task Force on BP through informal STEM learning.Links from this conversation:Dr. Sunshine MenezesMetcalf InstituteArpita ChoudheryThe Science of IllustrationArpita Choudhery's Etsy ShopCenter for Advancement of Informal Science website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is important groundwork for understanding some of the nuance of broadening participation. This interview is with experts like Jaime Bell, Cecilia Garabay, Christine Reich, and Dale McCreedy, and together we dive into the issue. I taped these interviews after a two-day convening of the task force in Washington DC. Every step of this experience has been an honor and a priviledge to be a part of, and I'm really grateful for the chance to contribute and, of course, learn a lot myself. If you're interested in learning more about the task force and it's work, I encourage you to check us out from the Center for Advancement of Informal Science website - I'll drop a link in the notes.This is the first of 2 parts. If you leave this conversation thinking, what on earth is Science Communication, have I got a treat. In the next episode I'll share a short chat I had with Sunshine Menezes and we tackle that topic and its relationship to all of this.Enjoy this first conversation from the 2018 convening of the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Learning's Task Force on BP through informal STEM learning:Links:The Franklin Institute is happy to announce the release of Cascading Influences: Long-Term Impacts of Informal STEM Experiences for Girls. This publication describes the results of a research study conducted by Dale McCreedy, Ph.D. (The Franklin Institute) and Lynn D. Dierking, Ph.D. (Oregon State University) to better understand the long-term significance of informal STEM programs for girls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amil Cook is a teacher at Propel Andrew Street Charter School in Pittsburgh, and he sees educators as DJs for learning. Part of his mantra... "break all the rules"My conversation with Amil Cook highlights some opportunities that excited me when I first heard about them because they were totally novel instances where an educator was consciously pairing these specific technologies - crypto currency and 360 cameras - with learning experiences at the high school level. Amil and I, along with nearly graduated senior, Denver, take some exciting twists and turns.In this episode:Youth Leading Change Summit360 Camera360 Project Experience LinkTemple Lovelace - DuquesneShamik More: Dope, MovieYoutubers & Games:Myth, Daequan, NinjaFortnightPubG Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is about Maker Education, but also about the high stakes of designing high quality professional experiences for educators. There are still too many professional experiences meant to hone craft, build skills, and excite that are way too dull.Manhattan Make-A-Thon is something different. And for that, it deserves a lot of credit. Earlier in the year, Lori Stahl Van-Brackle, Director of Instructional Technology for the Manhattan Field Support Center at the NYC DOE, challenged 20 schools in a special cohort to design maker-driven learning experiences that they would test with young people at school, and then lead experiential training at the make-a-thon: rooms upon rooms full of educators sewing, hammering, hot-glueing away while they discuss pedagogy alongside their peers. Many of them brought students, too. Which, where it worked, was an exciting glimpse at what it looks like when learning isn't something bestowed upon us, but is constructed through experience and interaction, and can most certainly be shared at the same time between teacher and student.My thanks to the talented team who made it possible. The following is a series of interviews with participants as the day unfolded.SPECIAL THANKS TO:Casey, Kenya, Carol, Mr. Deepak KapoorAmanda Solarsh, and Caitlyn from MS 104PS 191 in ManhattanAmy Sachs from Roberto Clemente, PS 15Jessica Wenke from Teqand David Wells from NYSCI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's interview is a live taping of the show from the annual Facutly Symposium at Borough of Manhattan Community College. The daylong symposium was called Techno Cultures in the 21st Century.Marc and Becca Lewis from Data & Society, explore the report titled,"Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online" widening its scope to include her further research on the "Online Far-Right" as content creators. If you're someone who spends time advocating for a creative and collaborative culture on the internet, this episode will be sobering, but required listening. The good people at Data & Society are reporting out, for our benefit, on the societal phenomena that occur on the internet. As you can imagine, 2017 was an important year for them. This report is a critical investigation of all that emerged online around the 2016 election. If you're still trying to understand the difference between "fake news" and "media manipulation," or alt right and alt light, or how a little green frog took over momentarily as a symbol of hate across our media, stay tuned.Huge thanks to the faculty of the Department of Social Sciences, Human Services, and Criminal Justice at Borough of Manhattan Community College, who were amazing hosts for this event.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc talks with distinguished learning scientists Katie Davis from University of Washington, and Barry Fishman of University of Michigan about "badges," also known as digital, micro, and alternative credentials. The group discusses the potential for technology to reframe the experience for learners of demonstrating "achievement" throughout their education and development.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Part 2 of a 2-Part Episode. Akbar Cooke is a vice principal at West Side High School in Newark NJ, he's one in nearly 1mm K12 administrators in the country, but at West Side he's a giant. Kids call him "coach" or "Cooke" and straighten up when they see him. Not out of fear, but respect - the kind that if you've ever worked with teens, you know only comes when things are reciprocal, mutual - it's clear that his heart is as intimidating, in a way, as his physical presence. Everyone should walk the halls with Akbar, if you don't ask yourself "do I have the courage to love this much - to work this hard for the people around me?" then you're not human.Matt Greenfield is an venture capitalist. If you ask anyone who invests in technology for education, they know his name, and his company Rethink Education. Proper disclosure, Matt is a board member at Mouse, and he's a writer - he's one of the only people I know who's worked as a publishing poet who now manages investments. His intellect is enormous, and among the things he shares with Akbar, is heart. When a national EdTech publication, EdSurge asked Matt to write an editorial about the exciting prospects for EdTech in 2018 from an Investors Perspective, Matt too the opportunity to write about other technologies. He wrote "I find myself without strong enthusiasm for the task of writing a conventional set of predictions about education technology in 2018. The most urgent needs of the most vulnerable children in this nation involve other technologies. M: This nation is failing its most fundamental duty to children."A lot is covered in these two episodes, but all of the topics revolve around one single truth: that the prospects for how tech innovation in the US illuminates a path to meaning, and success and wealth is not the same for everyone.Marc is also joined by Tywan Jones - a senior at West Side and one of the wise-beyond-their-years and courageous teens who gives me hope for our future. We get into the failures of our current system, and the successes of a local leader, who along with an amazing team at West Side, is battling for every strategic position on the chess board. In episode two we get into the national walkout and gun violence, and whether kids in Newark NJ can safely "walk out" even if they chose to.A quick disclaimer, there are some disturbing images that come up in our conversation in these two episodes - so if there are sensitive ears nearby - you might save this one for your headphones.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Part 1 of a 2-Part Episode. Akbar Cooke is a vice principal at West Side High School in Newark NJ, he's one in nearly 1mm K12 administrators in the country, but at West Side he's a giant. Kids call him "coach" or "Cooke" and straighten up when they see him. Not out of fear, but respect - the kind that if you've ever worked with teens, you know only comes when things are reciprocal, mutual - it's clear that his heart is as intimidating, in a way, as his physical presence. Everyone should walk the halls with Akbar, if you don't ask yourself "do I have the courage to love this much - to work this hard for the people around me?" then you're not human. Matt Greenfield is an venture capitalist. If you ask anyone who invests in technology for education, they know his name, and his company Rethink Education. Proper disclosure, Matt is a board member at Mouse, and he's a writer - he's one of the only people I know who's worked as a publishing poet who now manages investments. His intellect is enormous, and among the things he shares with Akbar, is heart. When a national EdTech publication, EdSurge asked Matt to write an editorial about the exciting prospects for EdTech in 2018 from an Investors Perspective, Matt too the opportunity to write about other technologies. He wrote "I find myself without strong enthusiasm for the task of writing a conventional set of predictions about education technology in 2018. The most urgent needs of the most vulnerable children in this nation involve other technologies. M: This nation is failing its most fundamental duty to children."A lot is covered in these two episodes, but all of the topics revolve around one single truth: that the prospects for how tech innovation in the US illuminates a path to meaning, and success and wealth is not the same for everyone. Marc is also joined by Tywan Jones - a senior at West Side and one of the wise-beyond-their-years and courageous teens who gives me hope for our future. We get into the failures of our current system, and the successes of a local leader, who along with an amazing team at West Side, is battling for every strategic position on the chess board. In episode two we get into the national walkout and gun violence, and whether kids in Newark NJ can safely "walk out" even if they chose to. A quick disclaimer, there are some disturbing images that come up in our conversation in these two episodes - so if there are sensitive ears nearby - you might save this one for your headphones. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dov is back, chatting with Marc about the process of "school choice" in NYC, and how he's dealing with the prospect of his non-high-tech options. Joining with her sage advice is Geneva Hayward, recently admitted to NYU's Game Center for a BFA, Geneva offers her ideas about how to blaze your own high tech path when school doesn't offer it. Both students are generally happy with their schooling, but weigh in on where to find ways to supplement the experience, and what's lacking about the process of high school enrollment. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three members of the Emoti-Con, NYC, Steering Committee join the show to talk about the event's anniversary. Amanda Perales, Christin Velasquez, and Meredith Summs talk about NYC's biggest showcase for young designers, makers, technologists, and tinkerers who believe in digital innovation as a tool for positive change in the world around them. 2018 will be Emoti-Con's 10th year! If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage--https://shows.pippa.io/nosuchthing--to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kalani Leifer is a former high school history teacher and the founder of COOP, a fast-growing non-profit that supports cohorts of 1st generation undergrads entering the workforce. Together, he and Monica Guzman, Program Manager and alum of Cohort 1, are evolving a model aimed at supplementing skills that prepare students for high tech jobs. Who knew that basic software remediation might be what stands in the way for many. But the biggest difference for 1st gen students they say? "Literacies" that are social above all else. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage--https://shows.pippa.io/nosuchthing--to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, members of Pittsburgh's Remake Learning Network share what challenges unite them with other cities who rally for broadening STEM participation, and what challenges set them apart. Remake's own Ani Martinez, Community Manager and operations lead, is joined by members Alaine Allen, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Megan Cicconi, Executive Director of Instructional and Innovative Leadership at Fox Chapel School District, and Liz Whitewolf, Carnegie Science Center's Fab Lab and Technical Education Manager. What does it mean to "build the learning ecosystem" in Pittsburgh? What attempts are being made to add balance to "deserts" of learning opportunity, and how does "access" change when a city is hub for residents in three states?If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage--https://shows.pippa.io/nosuchthing--to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spectrum 360 educator, David Di Ianni, has founded a youth media program for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder. With help from former student, Vincent Lissandrello, now a budding media professional himself, the pair are spreading the tools and know-how to shoot and edit video among a population in need of every tool possible that might help them express themselves and make meaning of their world.In this episode, Marc tours the Spectrum 360 upper school before sitting down with David and Vincent to learn more about the program. Learn more about the benefits of youth media programming for learners on the spectrum beyond storytelling itself, and hear how one school makes it all work.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage--https://shows.pippa.io/nosuchthing--to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A chemist and a biologist walk into a computer lab...Dr. Tessa Durham Brooks, a biologist from Doane University, and Dr. Raychelle Burks, analytical chemist from St. Edwards University, are working to help train the young scientists coming up through their institutions to embrace the competencies of computer science. Their reasoning: computation changes what impact a scientist can have through their work. If you think your students or your own kids are on a "STEM path" without embracing computer science, this conversation might offer new insights. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My thanks to CUNY SPS and CUNY Tech Meetup for playing such wonderful hosts to this event, a live interview with Professor Cathy N. Davidson, Director of The Futures Initiative at City University of New York, and one of the country's most respected scholars on the topic of higher education reform. We're joined by Temitayo Fagbenle, a Queens College student and award winning youth journalist with WNYC's Radio Rookies. In The New Education, Cathy N. Davidson reveals that we desperately need a revolution in higher learning if we want our students to succeed in our age of precarious work and technological disruption. Journeying from elite private schools to massive public universities to innovative community colleges, she profiles iconoclastic educators who are remaking their classrooms by emphasizing creativity, collaboration, and adaptability over expertise in a single, often abstract discipline. Working at the margins of the establishment, these innovators are breaking down barriers between ossified fields of study, presenting their students with multidisciplinary, real-world problems, and teaching them not just how to think, but how to learn. The New Education ultimately shows how we can educate students not only to survive but to thrive amid the challenges to come.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc sits with Dr. Stephanie Rodriguez, Director of STEM Policy at the Afterschool Alliance, and Michael Preston, Executive Director of Computer Science, NYC (CSNYC), and Co-founder of the National CSForAll Consortium, to dig in on the momentum to build support for Computer Science Education. What is 'the movement'? Is there new relevance, or more urgency now than ever? What outcomes do we hope to influence in the years to come? Who do we think will benefit?If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you don't believe that social consciousness starts early in human development, you'll assume Armando and Lynda--middle schoolers in Manhattan--are paid actors. But they're not, and in this episode they describe some of the projects that their teacher, Dr. Lou Lahana, supports with help from a holistic Community Schools approach at the Lower East Side's Island School in Manhattan. Guest Steve Heath joins the group from Rhode Island's Fab Newport, and together the group explores the highs and lows of Maker Education. This is a great episode for those working to glean the essence and values of Maker Ed, or to join veteran educators as they riff on the thornier details.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Max Salomon is an Emmy Award winning documentarian and founder of Black Dot Films, specializing in VR and 360 immersive film and video. He talks about his experiences becoming a storyteller with 19-year-old Christin (Chris) Velazquez, a Production Assistant and aspiring media professional, who shares his experience with the Made In NY PA Training Program. Max shares his early journey with Chris, as they wonder together about the right steps for a young person interested in making a career out of their passion. If interested more specifically in storytelling for VR and how the "language" of film is evolving, advance to 1:03:00. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc talks with four educators, also students of the MA in Youth Studies at City University of New York's School of Professional Studies, who share findings from their final case study for the course, Youth Identity & Digital Environments. Learn more about the eight practices that they found promising across four youth programs for addressing the issue of equity in STEM, and lowering barriers to academic and professional life in these fields. Cassie Broadus-Foote, Olivia Gregorius, Amanda Ebokosia, and Natisha Romain share their perspectives on the issues of equity in STEM, the Youth Studies M.A. program, and their work in the field. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friend to No Such Thing and recent NYC high school applicant, Dov Alperin, roves the 2017 World Makerfaire for weird, wonderful, and next-best things, reporting back and sharing his finds. Listeners met Dov in Episodes 2 & 3 at Brooklyn's Beam Center. This is a great episode if you missed World Makerfaire 2017, have never been, or never miss it, all the same. Prosthetic mermaid tails and battle-ready light sabers both make an appearance in this episode, and Dov asks makers, "how do I get my mom to let me build one of these at home?" Spoiler alert for Dov's sister: this episode may reveal the contents of a Chanukah gift. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc is joined by Temitayo Fagbenle, an award-winning Rookie Reporter, and Kaari Pitkin, Senior Producer for WNYC. Radio Rookies is the product of veteran radio producers, Marianne McCune and Kaari Pitkin, who have shepherded hundreds of youth in NYC schools through their first experiences as young reporters and storytellers. Youth-led stories have garnered numerous prestigious journalism awards and accolades. Young reporters like Temi cover big and sometimes thorny topics--drugs, race, sexual abuse, immigration--that emerge from the center of their own lives. Learn about the impacts of this experience from Temi firsthand, and peak under the hood of this unique production-centered learning experience to understand how stories get made. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc is joined by designer / developer and *renowned technoculturalist*, Joe Saavedra of Planeta, a NY-based R&D company working across digital platforms. And Chelien Brown, Learning Design Coordinator at Mouse, and NY-based STEM educator, content creator, and youth developer. From Chelien: how does he experiment with VR as a creative tool for learners in middle and high school? Learn about Joe's pathway from Alto Sax to leading large-scale hardware and software projects in VR and beyond. Together, leveraging Joe's expertise, the group winds up on a shopping spree, to discover the cost of one full VR setup that a school or learning org might incorporate into their space. Are we closer to the moment when "VR for learning" is accessible for all?About Planeta: Planeta is an R+D studio that builds ideas and tools in the domains of visual arts, sound, design and architecture. Our owned brands are to.be, Ooni, Mona, Oda, Chop and DCF. We are engaged in a vital creative partnership with GIPHY. And our Space in the East Village of Manhattan is an active performance and art space.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc's guest, Kate Rosenbloom, is the Senior Manager for Learning Design at Mouse, an alum of Teacher's College At Columbia University, and curriculum developer working in STEM, Design, and Computing education. After a recent retreat to attend CAST's Universal Design for Learning Institute, Kate fills us in on what she learned, the value of the Institute for professional development, and where these things fit into her practice. Universal Design for Learning is a research-based approach to learning design that strives to include every learner in ways that help them maximize their potential. Find more links to UDL in our shownotes (URL below).If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After decades of experience in the NYC public school system, these three educators are hopeful that "Maker Education," the field's instantiation of the popular tinker movement re-constituted by the commercial Make Magazine and Maker Faire, holds promise for reforming aspects of how we teach and learn. Dr. Lou Lahana, Lori Stahl-VanBrackle, and Iliana Villegas don't agree on every aspect of the present or future of Maker Ed, but together with thousands of educators nationally, are writing the playbook as they go. This conversation unpacks the specifics issues that educators face when working to infuse the values and methodology into their schools. The group cite examples of multi-disciplinary project work, and dig into the spaces where they happen.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erik Martin revisits a story he told in 2013 at TedX, Redmond WA, titled "How World of Warcraft Saved Me and My Education." Erik has since held posts at the US Department of Education, the Whitehouse Office of Science and Technology (OST) and is now Senior Manager for Education Programs at game engine, Unity. He credits much of his success to experiences he had working his way up to leading an 800 member guild in the popular massively multiplayer online roleplaying game, World of Warcraft. This environment became key to his recovery from depression and anorexia nervosa as a young teenager. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]org. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and tweet the showpage to your network with #nosuchthingpodcast to enter to win a brand new 1st Gen Google Pixel phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm joined in this episode by Jessy Jo Gomez -- a fantastic partner to help me peel back the layers of Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality for learning. Jessy Jo and I chat with Barry Joseph of the American Museum of Natural History, who helps us to navigate definitions, explore new examples incorporating the technology, and by sharing his experience in the design and development of AR and VR in his role at the museum. Stick around until the end for a NST first: a live shootout of Grow-A-Game to test our guests in their game design rapid prototyping skills.If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and listen to this episode for info on how to enter a raffle to win a new Google Pixl phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Elizabeth Bishop is a cultural and queer theorist, a researcher, youth practitioner, and author of Becoming Activist. Bishop explores critical literacy through her research and work with youth based at New York's Global Kids, a youth serving organization focused on global literacies and the empowerment of young people with a nearly 30-year history of impact. Bishop and I discuss her book, the relationship between research and practice, and how digital and activist identities are woven together in young people. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and listen to this episode for info on how to enter a raffle to win a new Google Pixl phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Lawrence is the Vice President of Mozilla Foundation's Leadership Network, and he's joined by fellow web citizens, Iliana Lugo and Charles Canario, to discuss "Internet Health" and a host of issues related to learning and literacy in the digital age. Is information on the internet a public resource? Why should we care about issues of privacy on the web? What are the skills that all of us can support as learners of all ages grow with the culture of the web? Charles and Iliana share their perspectives about these issues and more, and we find out that one of us is considering an anonymous web identity to carry out their aspirations as a LARPER. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and listen to this episode for info on how to enter a raffle to win a new Google Pixl phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yamilée Toussaint is the founder of Brooklyn's STEM From Dance. She's joined by alum Daneilla McEwan to talk about how dance works as an entry point for young women learning computer science. Yamilée grew up with dance from a young age and after graduating from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering she surprised her family by turning to the field of education to start her career. Years later she founded an organization that engages young women in STEM by leveraging their excitement for the arts. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes, Stitcher, Googleplay. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and listen to this episode for info on how to enter a raffle to win a new Google Pixl phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Goodman talks about Educational Video Center's (EVC) incredible origin story, and what has kept their youth media programs true to the vision that sparked the organization more than 30 years ago. Serenah Vaughan is a budding filmmaker, alum of EVC's documentary production program, who now, as she finishes up high school, is working on a production that characterizes the problem of opioid addiction across rural and urban environments. This episode will take you on a ride from the gangs of the South Bronx in the 1970's to the practical potential of production-centered media education today. If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes and Googleplay. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and listen to this episode for info on how to enter a raffle to win a Google Pixl phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matthew Farber and Alex Fleming, two of the curriculum guide's authors talk about the vision and history for this open resource now available through Carnegie Mellon University Press. Matthew Farber is Assistant Professor of Technology, Innovation, and Pedagogy at the University of Northern Colorado, and Alex Fleming is a Learning Design Manager at Mouse (Mouse.org).From the CMU ETC Press Website: How can designing games about real world issues teach students empathy, systems thinking, and design thinking? This curriculum guide shares lesson plans and ideas for educators to implement created by experts who lead game jams themed on topics such as climate change, immigration stories and local voices, and future cities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Naomi Clark takes me to school on a few questions that emerged from episode 5. Is the "gamer" identity inclusive? Is gamification good for education? Is there purpose in gender-specific games? You might be surprised by some of her answers. Naomi Clark teaches at NYU's Game Center, and has contributed to more than three dozen game titles. This episode is perfect if you're already contemplating some of these issues, or even if you're brand new to the conversation.If you're enjoying No Such Thing please rate and review us wherever you download your podcasts. All show notes are available at nosuchthing.wordpress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Geneva and Mickell are products of NYC Public Schools, a handful of key programs for aspiring young digital creators, and (eventually) some supportive families. We cover lots of territory in this episode. Mickell takes us to school on game genres, and together they reflect on what key supports helped them pursue their passion. We also scratch the surface on gaming and gender, and Naomi Clark pops by to offer some ideas about why boys might be quicker to identify as a "gamer" than girls.In this episode:Mattie Brice: http://www.mattiebrice.com/Alexandre "Zedig" Diboine: http://alexandrediboine.tumblr.com/2064 Read Only Memories, the game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2064:_Read_Only_MemoriesVA-11 HALL-A (aka, "valhalla"), the game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA-11_HALL-AThe World Ends With You, the game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Ends_with_You Naomi Clark: http://gamecenter.nyu.edu/faculty/naomi-clark/Learn more about the free Future Game Designers Program @ NYU: http://gamecenter.nyu.edu/academics/high-school/Eyebeam: http://eyebeam.org/If you like this episode, subscribe to No Such Thing on iTunes and Googleplay. If it's not available on your favorite player, let me know through our shownotes site, nosuchthingpodcast[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Already a subscriber? Please rate and review us, and listen to this episode for info on how to enter a raffle to win a Google Pixl phone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.