Transforming Education Podcast

Today on the call, Girish Gupta joins me to discuss digital literacy and he and his team are using student generated videos to engage students in an entrepreneurial way.  I first met Girish when we both sat on a panel at an education event at Apple. The theme of the night was digital storytelling and I loved watching the student-created videos he and his team produces with project-ed. If you're like me and you want your students to create projects that connect to the real-world, then you'll this. On the interview, Girish shares: Why digital literacy The value in student-generated content The concept of students making money for their work  What makes a great video   Connect with Girish:   @projectedvideos ggupta@amplify.com

Today on the call, innovator school leader Scott Mauk joins me to discuss a topic that I hold close to my heart: school violence. As teachers and school leaders, this is the last thing we want to think about, but something we cannot ignore. For those who don't know, I live about an hour outside Sandy Hook Elementary where a terrible school shooting took place. One year after that event, I had an amazing opportunity to engage my students in a global dialogue on school violence. Thanks to a partnership with Google and Global Nomads Group, my students had a discussion on gun violence with students from Virginia, Somalia, and Pakistan. It was an incredible experience and one I hope to repeat in the future.  One day, Scott and I were talking about this and so we decided to go ahead and bring this topic on the show. For those who don't know, Scott is an incredible and innovative school leader in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He'll go into detail about his work, so I will let him tell his story. O

What's Maggie reading?  Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley Global Educator Maggie Chumbley joins us on the podcast today to share her thoughts on global education. After teaching abroad and then moving throughout the United States, Maggie has worked with a number of students and school settings. What I loved about talking to Maggie is that she got me to look at global education not just as the concept to connect students on a global level, but to also connect students to the globe they inhabit. Specifically, now that we live in the connected world, it's incredibly easy to see the global human footprint. The world got a lot smaller when we fit the internet in our pockets. Maggie's latest project, the Midway Education Collaborative, engages students in inquiry over global issues like pollution, energy, and, in her latest work, how the Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch has churned up so much track that it's greatly debilitating the Albatross popul

Joining me on the call today I have Julie and Zainab from the Waterloo Global Science Initiative. We focus our discussion on the future of high school and the World Literacy Summit.  Not too long ago, this group put together a pretty awesome five-day event that brought in leaders from all around the world to combine ideas that would recreate how we think of education our children.  What I love most about the WGSI is that they are very action oriented and focused on pushing forward and doing. Also, they focus a lot on motivating everyone to get behind their movement by using everyday language and avoiding education speak. Why? Because very academic terminology can often ostracize the exact families that send their children to our schools.  On the call Julie and Zainab share: What High School Will Look Like in 2030 Redefining the Role of the Teacher Why Failure is a Good Thing Why Education Speak Can Hinder a Message Connect with Julie and Zainab here: @wgsisummit wgsi.org I'm excited to sh

What's Vlad reading: Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace) by Chade-Meng Tan I am very excited for this episode because it dives into a topic that has grown to have significant meaning in my life. And that's meditation and mindfulness. Also known as mindful living.  You may be thinking…what does this have to do with education? Well, bear with me and you'll see. It has everything to do with long-term education. It’s why Vlad calls meditation “technology of the mind.”  I've talked about this a little bit before on the show, so some of you know why I have such a passion for education.  I grew up with a single mother on welfare who somehow found the money to send me a private school. It wasn't a boarding school or anything like that. The tuition wasn't very much, in fact, but even a few hundred bucks a year was very difficult for her to come up with. I didn't realize this until maybe high school.  D

What's Tom reading? Lean In: Women, Work, and The Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg Joining me today, I have Tom Krieglstein on the show. He is such a mastermind behind the educational technology scene. He's started up several successful #edtech campaigns and also runs the successful Meetup NYedTech. If you are interested growing your existing edtech community or thinking of starting up your own ed-tech company, this episode is for you. Amongst other super helpful information, Tom shares 3 tips for the education entrepreneur that will save you a lot of money. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, whether you use RSS, iTunes, or an app like Stitcher. To do this, click on one of the buttons on the left-hand side of the website.  Thank you to all of those who left a rating of the show over at iTunes. I really appreciate it. Honestly, it really makes my day when I see that one of you took the time to open up iTunes and rate the show.  On the interview, Tom shares: Specific advice for kick

What's Melissa reading?:  The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business  by Charles Duhigg All right, do I have a show today for you or what? Joining me on the call today to discuss the future of education is Melissa Pelochino - an incredibly gifted educator who currently resides as a fellow the d.school at Stanford University.  I've been getting some requests from listeners to bring on guests that can speak specifically about prototypes and ideas for the future of education, which is why I feel so lucky to share Melissa's message with you. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, whether you use RSS, iTunes, or an app like Stitcher. To do this, click on one of the buttons on the left-hand side of the website.  Thank you to all of those who left a rating of the show over at iTunes. I really appreciate it. Honestly, it really makes my day when I see that one of you took the time to open up iTunes and rate the show.  My favorite golden nugget is what Melissa shar

Students graduating today will be graduating into a world that Daniel Pink, Seth Godin, and Sir Ken Robinson all agree is a global world. Students will live in a world that crosses cultures on a daily basis without ever having to board a plane. All it takes is a click of a button.  Outsourcing, partnering, and creating new bodies of work that we can't even think about today will involve an intricate web of global networking. Jennifer is at the head of this move connecting students to non-profits and connections to create opportunities for students to engage in a globally connected work style very much like the world of work they will be graduating into. I love this kind of stuff, especially since I was the student who sat in school and wanted to know the clear connection the content I learned had to do with the real world.  Jennifer's work with New Global Citizens is doing just that.  So, for any of my listeners who are want to know how to best prepare their students to become global citizens o

I'm so excited to be back and share this week's podcast interview with you. I'm pumped to have Zak Malamed join in on the call today. Zak shares his story of how be founded the company Student Voice, the organization built to give voice to students to best transform education.  The focus of this week's episode is thinking of ways we can invite students into the conversation and empower them to help be the change they want to see in education. To me, it's a lot like bringing in customer reviews and modifying the business plan if the customer is either not happy or not even buying the product. And when the customer happens to be students and the product learning, we can't afford to not have the customers buy the product.(click to tweet!) Because of the shift in education technology, students now have the ability to get their voice heard. Zak, who is extremely savvy with Twitter, found out that Twitter's hashtags allow for students to connect and communicate simultaneously across the globe. 

What happens when you combine Woodstock with TED? You get the SXSWedu conference in Austin, Texas. On the call with me today, I have Greg Rosenbaum - the organizer behind SXSWedu - the yearly conference that takes place in Austin, TX. To me, this conference is like a combination of TED and Woodstock. It's jaw-dropping brilliance that gets the mind spinning meshed with some of the best music of our time - which, by the way, led him to winning the Forbes 30 under 30 award for a top mover and shaker in transforming education.  Greg and I talk about: The value of building a network of supporters. Greg shows how building a network can inspire motivation and create opportunities to make transformative ideas happen.  How to grow a conference into an award-winning annual event Greg share his journey of how he helped grow SXSWedu into what it is today. A couple quick notes: I really appreciate those who went over to iTunes and left an honest rating of the show and a comment. If you haven'

Imagine a world where students bridge borders and cross cultures all with the click of a button?  Meet Chris Plutte from Global Nomads Group  He shares his background in international peacekeeping efforts and how that led to co-founding this unique non-profit that connects students of differing backgrounds.  Chris is the leading expert on global student discussions and the current GNG focus is on building classroom connections between students in the U.S. to students in the Middle East. A bit about Chris: He is a sought after speaker on media, youth and conflict and has been on Today Show, CNN, NPR, Education Week. So as to say, I was a bit nervous having him on the show and honored that he joins us today. Chris opened and directed all of Search for Common Ground’s  programs in Rwanda.  And during his time in Rwanda he introduced innovative programs for peace building using technology in the classroom.  Quick Note: This episode is brought to you by

What happens when a bunch of educators get together to share their most creative lessons? You get Adobe's Education Exchange program. On this episode of The Transforming Education Podcast I have the head of the Adobe Education Exchange program, Matt Niemitz. We dive into a deep conversation about creativity and how educators from all around the world are sharing ideas to help spark students' creativity.  It is such an incredible conversation and I think Sir Ken Robinson's ears must be ringing, because we tie in his work quite a bit.  On the call, Matt shares the following information which you can travel to below by clicking on the hyperlink: Adobe's Education Exchange Program Sir Ken Robinson's book "Finding Your Element" The Importance of Creativity The Globally Connected Teacher What Makes a Great Lesson for Creativity  Reach out to Matt and his team on Twitter: @mattniemitz  @AdobeEdu Please take a second and give this podcast an honest ratin

Meet Hilary and Rachel - two user-experience (UX) designers who are reshaping education as we know it. Their work and research dives deep into the learning structure to examine the question, "How can our students learn better and more efficiently?" On the call, Hilary, Rachel, and I talk about how the digital world has created a unique experience where students can learn in an extremely engaging way that allows learning to be incredibly fun, dynamic, and personalized.  We start off by defining what UX exactly is and then explore both low-tech and high-tech designs Hilary and Rachel have examined.  Sir Ken Robinson, in arguably one of the most popular TED talks, speaks about the importance of creativity in a child's education. He argues actually that Schools Kill Creativity, which obviously rustled the feathers of school leaders around the world.  He says that in order for our society to move forward and progress, creative thinking needs to be a central focus in transforming educa

Last week, I had Google on the call sharing their story about Connected Classrooms, and on this episode I share another way to get students from different parts of the world communicating more effectively.    On the call with me today, I'll be chatting with Anya Warburg from Move this World.org  a non-profit that uses creative movement as a vehicle to transform conflict, violence and bullying in communities. If you have any questions for me, feel free to send me an email at mark@markwguay.com or tweet me at @markwguay. Just a quick note, this show is for you, so let me know what you think and leave an honest rating on iTunes.  “Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes...it makes the world a better place.” - Daniel Pink Want to learn more? Here's the contact info: Twitter: @move_thisworld  Website: Movethisworld.org 

We are currently preparing students for a world that we know very little about. The world we live in now is truly remarkable and something we could never had predicted in the 1970s and 80s. The one thing that we can agree on, however, is that the world got a lot smaller when we fit the internet in our pockets. I truly believe that we are living in a new renaissance - one that allows ideas to spread with a click of a button and zero budget. It's an amazing time to be alive and a truly amazing time to be a student. To date, Google has been a leading superpower in making these changes and I am so excited to hear that Google has just taken one giant leap in building the global classroom with its new program Connected Classrooms.  Today on the call, I have with me Lisa Jiang, one of the founders behind Google's new Connected Classrooms  program. On the call, Lisa and I chat about: The value of cross-cultural communication Building the global citizen Global Nomads Group and their role

Say good-bye to mystery meat and sugary milk and hello to brain food and a focused mind. On this episode, I interview Brian Weaver, vice president for Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Brian shares his insights into healthy eating and nutrition and shares the stories of successful schools that pave the way to a healthier generation. Find out more at, healthiergeneration.org letsmove.gov Send your comments at thoughts over to mark@markwguay.com or leave a comment at markwguay.com. If you like what you hear, please head on over to iTunes (link here) and leave an honest review. 

I feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to talk to Pop Fit Kids. They offer schools a "FUNctional fitness program that provides tools in the short term to help kids develop life-long healhty habits they will utilize in the long term." Healthy exercise is something that many people grapple with and I absolutely love what they are doing. And as we move through new education initiatives and we see a shift from the traditional brick and mortar public school to an arena of blended learning, it's ideas like those that Mara and Maria have created with Pop Fit Kids that will help maintain the healthy fit bodies children need to grow into the remarkable lives we all hope they become.  You can find out more information on Mara and Maria at   www.PopFitKids.com 

This episode is brought to you by Christa McCauliffe Academy, a global online k-12 school that creates personalized education for the creative mind, bringing together remarkable students from around the globe.  I'll be talking with the most influential change-agent in amping up the arts in education, Jessica Wilt. Turning STEM into STEAM, she pushes schools to realize the importance of the arts as a vehicle to enhance all other subject areas.  As a professional dancer, Jessica has tap danced her way into education, serving as a teacher, college professor, and now an entrepreneur and writer. Currently, she runs ArtsEdTechNYC and blogs for the Huffington Post. Follow Jessica at @ArtsedtechNYC and Jessicawilt.com. Her email address is info@jessicawilt.com I'd love to hear your thoughts on our conversation, so please leave your comment at markwguay.com/jessicawilt. Keeping it on the positive, Mark at The Transforming Education Podcast

Today I talk with Sallome who acts as the mastermind Chief Dream Director behind the The Future Project. You can check out Sallome's personal work here  and read more about The Future Project here. To give you an idea of what students have created so far you can watch this video and check out Flutter, created by 17-year old Raenuka Reneau. My favorite idea? One current student-scientist is working to create a hoverboard. I'll make sure to post a picture of me riding it when it gets patented.  Towards the end of the interview, Sallome opens up and honestly shares her thoughts on what's missing in the school design and how The Future Project works to fill these gaps. Take, for example, the importance to build an innovative school culture that views failure as a learning tool.  Make sure to watch the launch of Dream.org on 8-28-2013 as well as join The Future Project commemorate the I Have a Dream speech given by one of our nation's greatest d

On this episode, I'll be taking a look into what it means to globalize education when I interview two edu-preneurs who took their roots in teaching and created a more global classroom.  About a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to run a breakout session at the NYC Global Education Forum and got to mingle with some of the key catalysts behind building a more global education.  On the interview today, I have the organizers behind that whole event and am so humbled that they have agreed to come on and discuss global education. Zak Ringelstein and Leah Schrader founded UClass to build a more global education and help educators and students transcend learning beyond the four walls of the classroom. Their company U-Class links students and teachers together through assignments that have gone global.  Find out more about UClass by visiting their site here and reaching out to Zak@Uclass.org