Learning Unboxed

Today, we are continuing our tour of early access programs that help children transition into post-secondary, often blurring the lines of that traditional high school to college transition in the process. We’ve luckily had the privilege of seeing and exploring some of these programs in other areas of the country and world, and we think getting a view of everything that people are doing now is a really important part of making these programs even better in the future.Our guest is Brian Sien, who is the current Principal of Clackamas Middle College, a fabulous school outside of Portland, Oregon. Brian is an innovative leader in this space who has been heavily involved in transformative education, in a variety of ways, throughout his experience in both traditional and charter public schools. He has a passion for working with students, teachers, administrators, and state leaders to provide seamless transitions from K12 education into post-secondary for all stakeholders – something that you might know we are extremely passionate about, too!To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at https://www.clackamasmiddlecollege.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-sien-2386b438/Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Today we’re excited to introduce you to a new program called STEMcoding, which is an effort to reimagine STEM courses with computer science in mind, and two of the people spearheading this initiative, Chris Orban and Richelle Teeling-Smith.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more about STEMcoding: u.osu.edu/stemcodingStart taking modules now on the YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/STEMcodingTwitter: twitter.com/STEMcodingYou can find more coding activities at hourofcode.comConnect with Chris: physics.osu.edu/people/orban.14Connect with Richelle: physics.osu.edu/people/teeling-smith.1College Credit Plus: www.ohiohighered.org/content/college_credit_plus_about Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

This week, we are wrapping up our tour of the Alaska Middle College program with an on-location conversation at the Mat-Su Middle College. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Middle College as well as the pains of creating transformative educational programs across the nation and around the world.Our guests today are Greg Giauque, who's a Principal Teacher at Mat-Su Middle College, and Kaelle Daughterty and Isabella Sarro, who are both students currently enrolled at Mat-Su Middle College.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/about/high-school-students/index.cshtmlMat-Su Middle College: https://www.matsuk12.us/msmLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

In the last episode, we sat down with four of the innovative educators and administrators behind the Alaska Middle College program to discuss what Middle College is and why they’re so effective at improving student outcomes. Today, we’re talking to a teacher and student from Mat-Su Middle College School, the first Middle College school in Alaska, to learn what both students and teachers love about the program. Our guests are John Robertson, a Social Studies and English teacher at the Mat-Su Middle College School, and Kat Barr, a junior currently attending Mat-Su Middle College. To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org Resources: Learn more at https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/about/high-school-students/index.cshtml Mat-Su Middle College: https://www.matsuk12.us/msm  Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Today we are going to learn what Middle College programs are, why they’re so effective at improving student outcomes, and what communities need to know if they are contemplating the possibility of launching Middle Colleges of their own. And we have an all-star lineup of guests joining us to talk about the success of the Middle College School programs in Alaska!We sit down with Dr. Claudia Lampman, the Vice Provost of Student Success and a Professor of Psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, the institution that hosts the Alaska Middle College efforts across the state; Luke Almon, the principal of the Anchorage Middle College School; Greg Giauque, who's the principal and a teacher at the Matanuska-Susitna (MatSu) Middle College School, which is just outside of Anchorage and the longest-running Middle College in the Alaskan effort; and Dr. Holly Martinson, an Assistant Professor at the WWAMI School of Medical Education and the Chair of the Middle College Programs within the UAA effort and system.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/about/high-school-students/index.cshtmlHolly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-martinson-0a2b50a8/Luke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-almon-48300b39/Claudia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-lampman-3332a614a/Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-giauque-074984140/Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Karl Rectanus is an educator, entrepreneur, advisor, and the co-founder and CEO of LearnPlatform, an organization with a team of educators, researchers, and technologists committed to leveraging data, delivering dynamic solutions, and making results matter.Karl leads K-12 districts, higher ed institutions and state education agencies in their efforts to use the research-based LearnPlatform to continuously improve standards of practice that drive blended and personalized learning at scale, increase student achievement, and expand equitable access to education technologies. So, needless to say, we’re big fans over here at PAST.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at LearnPlatform.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/LearnPlatformUSFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnTrialsKarl on Twitter: https://twitter.com/karlrectanusEdTech Top 40: https://learnplatform.com/edtech-top-40Listen to Seth Godin’s Akimbo S3E9: Stop Stealing Our DreamsLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Today, we’re talking about the role of invention in education – and why design thinking and problem-based learning should, ultimately, have a much greater role in our classrooms than they currently do.To illustrate the value of invention, we invited two amazing guests, Robin Hilsmeier and Jim Bruner, to discuss how the Ohio Invention League gives students the opportunity to practice design thinking by creating, marketing, and pitching solutions to societal problems.We describe the Invention League, as well as the national Invention Convention program, in detail in the episode, but Jim provides a wonderful explanation that will help you understand the high-level concept: “Invention Convention is a science fair with purpose. The kids have to create something that is an answer to a problem; it's a product, and then they sell, market, and promote that product with data.”To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at inventionleague.orgRobin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinhilsmeierJim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbruner/Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

On Learning Unboxed, we like to share case studies of the projects and programs that are revolutionizing education; great new ideas that have already been tested, the lessons that we've learned along the way, and where there are opportunities for other communities to do similar things as they think about education. That’s why, today, we are excited to introduce you to Energy4Learning, a program that transforms school buildings into learning tools by leveraging real energy data to engage students in problem-based learning. Joining the show to teach us about this new program is Ryan Prestel and Kat Deaner. Ryan is the co-founder and CEO of JadeTrack, a cloud-based analytics platform powering some of the world’s most robust energy and sustainability programs. They empower stakeholders – and, for this program, students – to create impact by making complex energy usage data simple. Kat is PAST’s very own Director of School Design and Online Learning, and she leads all the efforts associated with school transformation projects, including Energy4Learning. To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org Resources: Learn more about Energy4Learning Check out www.jadetrack.com JadeTrack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jadetrack  JadeTrack Twitter: https://twitter.com/jade_track Kat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-deaner/ Download the Comprehensive Sustainability Tracking Handout Download the JadeTrack Product Sheet  Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

I’m often asked question about internships for high school students, so it’s clear that the subject is top of mind in many schools, communities, businesses, and industries. So, in this episode, I want to shine a spotlight on a partnership that exemplifies the benefits of high school internships, for both students and businesses, and encourage other communities to adopt a similar model.Joining us are Meka Pace, the Executive Director and Superintendent of the Metro Schools network, and Vanessa Jester, the Workforce Development Manager at Turner Construction.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more about Metro’s Learning Labs: https://www.themetroschool.org/about/learning-centers/Meka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meka-pace-48309285/Meka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mekapaceVanessa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-jester-a41172106/Read: “Take 5 Steps to Find an Internship During High School”STEM Industry Council (SInC): http://www.sinccentralohio.org/Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Dr. Kimberlee Kiehl is a passionate supporter of education in the Columbus area, and she has been for a number of years. She actually started a career in formal education, but she left to focus on informal education – and that’s what makes her the perfect person to teach us about how informal education spaces are disrupting the education world and how teachers can utilize local resources and opportunities in the everyday classroom. Dr. Kiehl currently serves as Senior Vice President of Operations and Experience at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio, which she claims is “the best science museum in the world” (and we might be a little biased, but we’re inclined to agree). To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org Resources: COSI: https://www.cosi.org/ Big Science Celebration (FREE on May 4, 2019): https://cosiscifest.org/bsc/ The 95 Percent Solution: https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-95-percent-solution  Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio