Author: BelieveAgain

Host Mike Palmer is joined live at SXSW EDU by Dr. Tolonda Tolbert, Elliot Felix, Dr. Robin Naughton, and a live audience as we reveal our Learning Trends March Madness Brackets for 2023. We meet Tolonda, Elliot, and Robin briefly as Mike welcomes family and friends into the conversation. He shares the show’s history with March Madness and our previous junkets to Austin to record episodes at SXSW EDU. From there, we hear from each of the panelists as they introduce their four trends for the brackets ranging from Tolonda’s experience as a Co-Founder of Eskalera, Elliot’s perspectives from consulting…

Kyle Li is an interaction and learning designer based in New York City where he’s an Assistant Professor of Design Technology at Parsons School of Design. He joins host Mike Palmer to discuss his experiences working with students exploring design and emerging technology. Kyle shares how he is fulfilling his mission to bridge the gap between higher education and emerging tech by working on projects like the partnership Parsons has formed with Roblox, the gaming platform used by millions of kids. He shares his advice for learning professionals who are trying to motivate rising talent while staying relevant in transformational…

Joel Kupperstein is the Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at Learning A to Z. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about teaching, writing, and emerging tools like Chat GPT and generative AI. Joel shares his roots as a teacher from a family of teachers who began in the classroom in Los Angeles before moving to Product Strategy on the commercial side at leading EdTech companies like Learning A To Z. We explore how the design of assignments and assessments will need to evolve as large language models empower teachers and students to become more efficient and creative…

Heather Combs is the CEO of StraighterLine, a platform that provides affordable access to college credit through online courses. Heather joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the disruption we’ve witnessed to traditional models of higher education in recent years and the role StraighterLine is playing in this transformation. Heather begins by describing her background in business transformation and software development, which provides a sharp perspective on developing online products that tap into new and emerging markets. We explore how for many learners the traditional models of the academic schedule and synchronous classes just don’t make sense. We discuss…

Jennifer Granick is the surveillance and cybersecurity counsel with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. She litigates, speaks, and writes about privacy, security, technology, and constitutional rights. Also the author of the book American Spies: Modern Surveillance, Why You Should Care, and What to Do About It and an alum of New College of Florida she joins Mike in a conversation about her work with the ACLU, her perspectives on the current situation at New College, and her thoughts on education and the future of work in light of the emergence of generative AI and Chat GPT. We begin…

Bryan Alexander is an award–winning, internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of higher education’s future. He’s the author of the recent book Universities On Fire: Higher Education in Climate Crisis which forms the foundation of this episode. Bryan joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how to use futures thinking to explore climate-related scenarios with special attention to higher education. We begin by reflecting back on Bryan’s previous appearances on the podcast back in 2020 soon after the release of his book Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education. Among the scenarios in…

Sakina Pitts is the Principal of The Newark School of Fashion and Design (NSFD) and Giselle Morell is the Head of Customer Engagement at N Ventures at The New School of Social Research. The duo joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the recent launch of NSFD in partnership with N Ventures as they look to expand access to students through entry points, pathways, and relationships in the fashion industry. We hear Sakina’s origin story as a student growing up in Newark who had a love for fashion and education that has culminated in her role as the Principal…

Sudhir Krishnaswamy is the CTO of Barnes & Noble Education Digital Student Solutions where he leads the team that designs Bartleby Write and related products focused on writing help. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how best to design online writing help products in light of emerging generative AI technology like Chat GPT. We hear how Sudhir was drawn to computer programming early in his career and how he’s held a series of senior technology roles across various education companies most recently focusing on online writing help. Sudhir describes what’s involved in building writing help products and…

Julie Lammers is the SVP of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility at American Student Assistance (ASA), an organization that is committed to increasing #opportunity for young people to have the tools necessary to plan for postsecondary and career success. She joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about exposing young people to a variety of potential career pathways as early as possible in their educational journeys. We begin by hearing Julie’s origin story, which centers around her opportunity to intern for Teddy Kennedy while still in college. How can we provide opportunities for career exploration beginning in middle school and…

Andy Pass is the Founder of A Pass Educational Group, an Elearning and Instructional Design services company. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how learning content development and instructional design are being transformed by generative AI tools like Chat GPT. We begin by hearing Andy’s origin story which begins in a Jewish Day School where he discovered his love of teaching. Soon after, he discovered instructional design and sales while working for Pearson which led him to found A Pass in 2009. Then Andy provides his perspectives on how disruptive generative AI tools are changing how we…