No Such Thing

Mike Flanagan is the CEO of the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC), a growing group of high schools creating a digital high school transcript that opens up opportunity for each and every student — from all backgrounds, locations, and types of schools — to have their unique strengths, abilities, interests, and histories fostered, understood, and celebrated.Mike oversaw the design and development of Mastery Transcript software products, connecting with members and advisors to manage the MTC product roadmap till May, 2021. He is an experienced education technology executive, most recently having served as CEO of the Services Division at the National Association of Independent Schools, where he led a complete redesign and relaunch of their School and Student Services financial aid platforms.Links:https://mastery.org/mtc-team/https://growbeyondgrades.org/blog/episode-48-flanaganhttps://x.com/mkflanaganjrhttps://archive.org/details/per_christian-science-monitor_1932-02-13_24_67/page/n9/mode/2up?q=%22mastery+learning%22

Louisa Rosenheck is a thought leader in the ed tech field, with a passion for game-based learning and playful pedagogies. She works to promote deeper learning through designing playful experiences, developing creative ways to assess learning, and building capacity in other organizations to implement innovative digital learning and curriculum in their own contexts. She is a co-author of the book Resonant Games and teaches a graduate course on ed tech design at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She spent over a decade doing research on digital games and creative learning at MIT, and is now the Director of Learning Design for the Kahoot! Group.As we delve deeper into the conversation with Louisa Rosenheck, we'll explore practical strategies outlined by the collaborators for incorporating accessibility into learning design, the challenges faced by educators and technology providers, and the potential impact of inclusive design on the future of education.Links:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kahoot-unveils-white-paper-on-the-critical-role-of-inclusive-learning-design-in-game-based-learning-302099735.htmlhttps://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kahoot-has-a-strong-positive-impact-on-students-learning-outcomes-shows-new-research-302087878.htmlhttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/kahoot_inclusive-design-in-game-based-learning-activity-7181327797796192257-PZ0Chttps://kahoot.com/blog/2024/03/26/inclusive-learning-design/https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/50729/978-3-030-80658-3.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1https://kahoot.com/blog/2024/03/26/inclusive-learning-design/

Shai Reshef is the President of University of the People (UoPeople). Reshef has over 25 years of experience in the international education market. Reshef has been widely recognized for his work with UoPeople, including being awarded the 2023 Yidan Prize for Educational Development, referred to as the Nobel Prize for Education; an honorary doctorate from the Open University, named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business; awarded an Ashoka fellowship; joined UN-GAID as a High-level Adviser; granted an RSA Fellowship; selected by The Huffington Post as the Ultimate Game Changer in Education; nominated as one of Wired Magazine’s 50 People Changing the World; and selected as a Top Global Thinker by Foreign Policy Magazine.UoPeople is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American, accredited, online university. Dedicated to opening access to higher education globally, UoPeople helps high school graduates overcome financial, geographic, political, and personal constraints keeping them from college studies. UNESCO estimates that by the year 2025, there will be nearly 100 million young people unable to find seats in traditional universities. UoPeople believes that access to higher education is a basic right which promotes world peace and global economic development; and it is committed to providing those young people a quality higher education – tuition-free.Links:https://www.uopeople.edu/about/leadership-team/shai-reshef/https://www.ted.com/talks/shai_reshef_an_ultra_low_cost_college_degree?language=enhttps://www.unesco.org/en/higher-education

About Layla (From Yolanda Stewart)The importance of having a space for young women of color to inquire about sexuality and mental health is often a challenge – and nearly non-existent in some cases. For Tiffany Lloyd, this is among the reasons for creating the online big sister “Layla’s Got You.”The multigenerational chatbot is a space for women of color who are seeking answers to personal questions and focuses on the premise of being a community made for women, by women. Layla embodies the essence of a trusted and knowledgeable friend. Since its inception six years ago, Laya’s Got You has expanded to an on- and offline sisterhood, offering a wealth of knowledge on Black women’s concerns, and organizes efforts to support issues Black women care about. Yet, the organization acknowledges it has a long way to go in order to continue making strides in young Black women’s lives.Links:https://www.laylasgotyou.com/https://allynfoundation.org/staff/tiffany-lloyd/https://giffordfoundation.org/laylas-got-you/https://centralcurrent.org/laylas-got-you-the-online-chatbot-big-sister-friend-for-young-women-of-color/Layla’s Got You: Developing a tailored contraception chatbot for Black and Hispanic young women - Erika Bonnevie, Tiffany D Lloyd, Sarah D Rosenberg, Kara Williams, Jaclyn Goldbarg, Joe Smyser, 2021 (sagepub.com)ERIC - EJ1297431 - "Layla's Got You": Developing a Tailored Contraception Chatbot for Black and Hispanic Young Women, Health Education Journal, 2021-JunSyracuse residents decide together how to spend $150K to fight lead poisoning (centralcurrent.org)

BackpackX is a new educational initiative from Women Rise which uses short film VR animations to create immersive experiences. BackpackX is designed to educate children (aged 8-14) from marginalised communities where the educational systems are broken or non-existent and focuses on important topics of their time such as gender equality, climate change, refugee crisis, financial independence, emerging technologies and more. Using the power of art and innovative technology, BackpackX will provide immersive experiences and educational content that inspires children while learning. Through this experience we will also introduce young children to the exciting new worlds of Metaverse and Web3. BackpackX launched in Oct  2023.Maliha Abidi is a Pakistani-American multidisciplinary artist and author living between London and Los Angeles. Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, she migrated to California, United States at the age of 14. As a South Asian immigrant, her experiences play a huge role in her work. Her art focuses on advocating for social justice including women’s rights, girls’ education and mental health. Using bright and bold colors, Maliha hopes to get people interested in complex issues that impact our societies. “Come for the art, stay for the cause.”She is also the founder and creator of Women Rise NFT. A Web 3.0 initiative with the focus on women’s rights and girls’ education through using art as a tool for advocacy. Maliha’s work includes illustrations, animations, NFT art and illustrated books.Links:https://www.malihaabidi.com/https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebekahbastian/2022/02/20/seven-nft-projects-that-are-applying-an-equity-lens-to-their-work/?sh=5255857330b4https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/virtual-reality-better-video-evoking-fear-spurring-climate-action/https://www.womenrise.art/

Stakeholders in a nascent program in NYC talk about their roles building formal pathways from high school programs to careers in the growing video game economy. Marc joins the gathering to celebrate one of partners' latest achievements in Harlem, a youth-driven exhibition that celebrates the role of video games in the lives of young people, challenging negative tropes about being an enemy to positive growth and development. Special thanks to Harlem School For The Arts, host and without whose support the exhibit would not be possible.Video Games: The Great Connector, explores how young people leverage video games in this pursuit, emphasizing less what games do to youth than what youth do with games. Special thanks to hosts of the event and exhibition, Harlem School of The Arts, without whose support the exhibit would not be possible.Gaming Pathways was founded by a city initiative from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment as a new way for high school students in Harlem, Northern Manhattan, and the South Bronx to get training, degrees, and eventually jobs in digital games. Gaming Pathways is guided by an Educational Advisory Board, which includes many of NYC's leading AAA and indie games companies. Guests:Nick MartinezSylvia Aguinaga at MimogamesNick FortugnoPhil Courtney & Meredith Summs at Urban ArtsBarry JosephSpecial thanks:Stan AltmanKaren MurrayNYC office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Pat Swinney KaufmanHarlem School of The ArtsLinks:https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/gamingpathwayshttps://hgs-ny.org/https://animogames.org/https://urbanarts.org/