Podcast

Podcast: Shaping the Future

6 Min Read
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Season 2: Shaping the Future hosted by Matthew Mugo Fields

Welcome to Shaping the FutureTM Season 2! Hosted by Matthew Mugo Fields, the podcast focuses on topics like women in tech, public healing in the wake of COVID-19, and the science of happiness. Stay tuned for discussions with industry leaders and experts as we explore how we can better prepare students for an unpredictable future.

How to Encourage Ambition

Episode Roundup

Air date: September 21, 2021

Read the full transcript.

Featured guest:

  • Shellye Archambeau, former CEO of MetricStream and author of Unapologetically Ambitious

Today's guest, Shellye Archambeau explains how she rose through the ranks to become one of the only Black women to hold a tech CEO position in Silicon Valley. On this episode we answer the following questions:

  • How do we overcome imposter syndrome?
  • What makes a good leader, and how can we as educators prepare our students for future leadership positions?
  • How do we encourage our students to be ambitious?

The Evolving Role of EdTech in K–12 Classrooms

Episode Roundup STF Amit Patel

Air date: July 13, 2021

Read the full transcript.

Featured guest:

This episode, Amit Patel explains how he became one of the people who provide essential financing for popular education apps and companies, and answers the following questions:

  • Why is education technology a good investment?
  • What are indicators that a new EdTech company will be successful, in the market and in the classroom?
  • Will advancements in artificial intelligence ever replace the role of teacher?

School Cyber Attacks and the Rise of Misinformation

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Air date: May 18, 2021

Read the full transcript.

Featured guest:

This episode explores how Ash went from being a physicist to pursuing a career at the Pentagon and answers the following questions:

  • What are the concerns surrounding social development in students since the pandemic began?
  • How can educators protect themselves from the latest cyber security threats targeting schools?
  • How can education help to negate the spread of misinformation?

Breaking Barriers in Tech

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Air date: April 27, 2021

Read the full transcript.

Featured guest:

  • Rana el Kaliouby, co-founder and CEO of Affectiva and author of the book Girl Decoded

This episode explores how Rana made the transition between a young academic to the CEO of a technology company and answers the following questions:

  • What role can emotion play when it comes to technology, particularly artificial intelligence?
  • How does a research project become a company?
  • What is the experience for a woman in the male-dominated tech leadership space, and what are the barriers to entry?

The Future of Social Impact and the Arts

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Air date: March 30, 2021

Read the full transcript.

Featured guest:

  • Marc Bamuthi Joseph, vice president and artistic director of social impact at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

This episode explores the importance of the arts and answers the following questions:

  • How can the role of art help to facilitate public healing in the wake of COVID-19 and the social justice movements in 2020?
  • What is the future of social impact?
  • How can we expand voices in the arts to better represent the population?

The Future of Happiness and Education

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Air date: January 26, 2021

Read the full transcript.

Featured guest:

  • Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, bestselling author of Happier, lecturer, and co-founder and chief learning officer of the Happiness Studies Academy

This episode explores the science behind happiness and answers the following questions:

  • What are the basic elements of happiness?
  • What is anti-fragility, and how can embracing this idea lead to better resilience in the face of hardships?
  • The rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are fundamental American liberties, but what responsibilities do schools have to teach happiness alongside their curriculum?

Check out the video below for a sneak peek of the episode!

Season 1: Shaping the Future Hosted by Dr. David Dockterman

Shaping the Future Season 1 is hosted by Dr. David Dockterman (Dock), an education lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and features education experts and thought leaders from other industries covering leading issues from across the K-12 industry. Listen to season one below for expert insights to best shape the future of education, including the future of the workforce and job skills needed, education's civic responsibilities in our democracy, and what it means to be media literate in the digital age.

Find links to the full transcripts and supporting research below.

Future Career Skills and Preparing Students for the Workplace

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Air date: October 2019

Read the full transcript.

Featured guests:

This episode explores key questions around the future workforce, such as:

  • Are we preparing students for today’s workforce or the one they’ll inherit?
  • How is the teaching profession changing to keep pace with an evolving world?
  • What can educators do to ensure students succeed in careers that don’t even exist yet?
  • What are the “soft skills” educators need to cultivate in their students to prepare them for a future career?

Preparing Future Voters and the Influence of Educators

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Air date: October 29, 2019

Read the full transcript.

Featured guests:

This episode explores how to responsibly teach civics in schools and addresses questions like:

  • How does the historical role of schools impact how we teach civics today?
  • How can we empower students to make changes in their communities?
  • Can we successfully teach civics education and remain nonpartisan?

Teaching Impeachment and Controversial Issues

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Air date: November 12, 2019

Read the transcript.

Featured guests:

As the presidential impeachment currently dominates national media, this episode explores how educators can address timely yet controversial and/or politicized topics. Students may come across social media posts, overhear conversations, or see major media about all kinds of controversial or politicized topics, and they will naturally have questions and opinions that could come up in class. How can teachers facilitate these difficult classroom discussions?

Future Skills for Fact-Checking Online Fakes

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Air date: November 19, 2019

Read the full transcript.

Featured guests:

In an era where “fake news” and false information is rampant online, this episode will explore:

  • How do we ensure ALL students are media literate?
  • What resources exist to help educators teach this complex and ever-evolving subject?
  • What role can social media play in teaching media literacy in context?

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Read more from Dock about Shaping the Future and the topics we covered in season one.

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