The DIY Learner

Today's guest on The DIY Learner podcast is John Spencer, a former middle school journalism and computer-programming teacher who is now a full-time professor of instructional technology in Oregon. He is passionate about seeing students embrace creativity and design thinking. His work has been featured in Kappan Magazine, Edutopia, Slate, and The Washington Post, and he had the honor of delivering a speech at the White House on the future of education. Spencer is the co-author of several education books, including Launch: Using the Design Thinking Process to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student. He is also the co-founder of two educational technology startups, Write About and Blend Education. Spencer's goal is to make something new each day. Spencerauthor.com thelaunchcycle.com @spencerideas sketchyvideos.com

Anne Wintemute, founder of the Highlands Micro School, joins host Laura Armer in this episode of The DIY Learner podcast. Anne's background in business start-up and development and experience as an advocate for evidence-based maternity care paved the way for her current venture, Highlands Micro School. Highlands Micro School is the product of combining private-sector innovation and evidence-based practices in education. In this episode, Anne tells Laura about what inspired her to start a micro school, and she explains the philosophy of Highlands Micro School. Listen and learn how Anne has dealt with some of the challenges along the way. By using the best available research to inform the school philosophy and practices, Highlands Micro School has attracted an eager group of families who seek a well-rounded education for their child. Anne Wintemute lives on an urban farm in Denver with her husband and 3 young daughters. www.highlandsmicroschool.com

Guests James Kendall and Lea Wakeman of the Woodland Classroom deliver forest school programs, outdoor education and practical woodland skills sessions for schools, environmental organizations and events. James and Lea are experienced forest school leaders and outdoor educators who are very passionate about the benefits of learning outside in nature. In this episode, you will hear them describe some of the activities of their Woodland Classroom, including their outdoor version of the popular video game Minecraft. Learn why James and Lea believe we should let our kids use tools we might normally be afraid to – even an axe! The Woodland Classroom website is www.woodlandclassroom.com.

Today's guest is Steve Daar, the founder and CEO of Conversion For Good, (www.conversionforgood.com), a conversion optimization agency that works exclusively with mission-driven businesses and non-profit organizations. After learning from multiple early entrepreneurial failures, investing thousands of hours and managing over $1.3 million in online advertising spend for Fortune 500 level businesses, our guest wrote the book, Profit Hacking. Steve shares his DIY learning philosophies that got him where he is today. Steve believes that when you have a new perspective on who you are and what you are capable of, then everything changes.

Today's guest is Everett Jordan, the Director of Education for The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding, a Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia. Jordan began his career at Newport News Shipbuilding in 1973 as an apprentice ship fitter. Throughout his career, he has held increasingly responsible positions including supervisor, general foreman, superintendent, and trade director of dimensional control, ship fitters, and welders. Jordan has received a number of awards including the Newport News Shipbuilding President's Model of Excellence Award for leadership and is a Master Shipbuilder. In this episode, Jordan talks about the apprentice model of learning and believes that at The Apprentice School, “The future is consistently in front of our students.” The Apprentice School provides high quality, comprehensive four and five-year apprentice programs for students interested in shipbuilding careers. Since 1919, these programs have produced over 9,800 graduates in support of the operational needs of Newport News Shipbuilding. If you would like to learn more about The Apprentice School, you can visit www.apprenticeschool.com

Today's guest is Rachel Heiman, an Associate Professor of Anthropology and the Coordinator of Prior Learning in the Bachelor's Program for Adults & Transfer Students at The New School in New York City. In this episode, Rachel shares the amazing history of The New School, and she explains how the credit for prior learning program works, including specific examples of the types of learning that can be awarded prior credit. Rachel Heiman received her B.A. in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the relationship between habits, sentiments, and spaces of everyday life and the volatility of cultural, political, and economic conditions. Her recently published book, Driving after Class: Anxious Times in an American Suburb (University of California Press, 2015) explores middle-class anxieties and suburban life in the United States during the economic boom of the late 1990s.

Today's guest is Jon Grinspan. He is a curator and Jefferson Fellow at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. He is also a frequent contributor for the New York Times, focusing on history and youth issues. His article, D.I.Y. Education Before YouTube, was the inspiration for this podcast episode, describing the self-directed learning of 19th century youths and posing the question, “Is this old-fashioned culture of self-improvement making a comeback?” Learn more about his thoughts around this question as we dig a little deeper into some of the stories he shared in his article. Jon has a PhD in History from the University of Virginia, and will be publishing his first book - on young people's forgotten role in American democracy - next spring, titled The Virgin Vote.

Today's guest is Derek Loudermilk, a former professional cyclist and scientist who now travels the world full time. After discovering a new species in 2012, Derek decided to leave science to impact people more directly. You can usually find him having adventures, learning new things, connecting with people, and teaching. Derek is a coach and hosts the Art of Adventure podcast, and his mission is to help you do something that has never been done before.

Today's guest is Burck Smith, the CEO and founder of StraighterLine. StraighterLine solves the #1 issue facing students today – the skyrocketing cost of college – with high quality online courses that prepare students for success. Ten years before launching StraighterLine in 2009, he co-founded SMARTHINKING, the largest online tutoring provider for schools and colleges. Burck has written chapters for three books on education policy for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He is a member of the American Enterprise Institute's Higher Education Working Group. Prior to starting SMARTHINKING, Burck was independent consultant and journalist whose clients included the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Computer Curriculum Corporation, the CEO Forum on Education and Technology, the Milken Exchange on Education and Technology, Teaching Matters Inc., Converge Magazine, Wired Magazine, Wired News, University Business, the National School Boards Association and more. In the early 1990's, he wrote articles on a variety of subjects including creating community telecommunication networks, electronic access to political information, telecommunications deregulation and the ability of utilities to serve as telecommunications service providers. Burck holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. from Williams College. www.straighterline.com

Today's guest is Rainesford Alexandra. She is a writer and education activist who believes learning should be creative and synonymous with “hope” — not just something out of a textbook. She is a DIY learner who is starting to make an impact in the world of education, by example and by her writing and speeches. She was recently named to the Advisory Board for SXSWedu. After trading the Dean's List for a gap year, Rainesford spent time out of school publishing writing with The Huffington Post, Zouch Magazine, and UnCollege.org. Combining her love of writing and background in ballet, she founded an ongoing interview series with up-and-coming artists, The Young Artist Feature, and writes a monthly column for one of the world's most prominent dance brands, Russian Pointe. Additionally, Rainesford co-founded a community yoga studio and, meshing her passions for story-telling and social good, works in media for nonprofits. In November 2014, she spoke at TEDxYouth Kansas City, and gave a talk at TEDx Eastside Prep in Seattle in March 2015. In this episode, Rainesford talks about her gap year, her philosophies about learning, and she believes that learning is not just a “school thing” but a “life thing.” Find out how she and I have Montessori in common, and get ready to be inspired by this amazing young woman. Ultimately, Rainesford wants to leave the world—and education—a little better than she found it. You can catch her on Twitter: @Rainesford.

My guest today is Michael Crawford, the Chief Academic Officer of the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI), where he drives the development, delivery, and curation of program curriculum and content. ELI is an education company dedicated to redefining entrepreneurship and helping to empower people through the development of an entrepreneurial mindset. Their curriculum, the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, is being utilized at several community colleges and small business development centers, both in the US and in Latin America. Michael believes entrepreneurial thinking is what is needed in education today and feels that entrepreneurs have a mindset that allows them to identify problems in their environment, to take action, to test possible solutions, and then ultimately to manifest something that will provide value for other people. Building upon more than seven years of facilitation and scholarship in the fields of psychology, education, and human development, Michael combines theory and praxis from multiple disciplines to ground ELI's work in sound practice and research. Prior to joining ELI, Michael served as the Assessment Coordinator for Kauffman Scholars, Inc., a college access and scholarship program supported by the Kauffman Foundation, where he led all organizational data activities, including planning, analyzing, and reporting, to promote increased and effective usage of research and data across all departments. While there, he co-created and co-facilitated StartupScholars, an innovative internship program that connected companies seeking resources and high-school and college students seeking work experience in a mutually-beneficial learning and employment opportunity. Michael has extensive qualitative and quantitative research experience, having worked as a Research Assistant at the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas, as the Project Coordinator for the United Way of Greater Kansas City Out-of-School Time Quality Matters Project in Kansas City, and as a Research Assistant at the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University. His writing has been published in academic journals and edited books, and he has been an invited speaker, presenter, and facilitator at conferences and seminars. Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan, a Master of Science in Sport Psychology from Michigan State University, and is currently a PhD Candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Kansas. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife, son, and dog. He also enjoys reading whatever he can get his hands on.

Guest Karen Francis shares details about CourseTalk.com, the world's largest source for student reviews of online courses and MOOCs. Karen serves as Executive Chairman of AcademixDirect, which acquired CourseTalk in 2013. Karen describes how CourseTalk is like “Yelp” because of the student reviews, which help people understand what a course is really like. She stresses the importance of taking a moment to ask yourself, “What is my goal?” before selecting an online course to take. In this episode, you will hear Karen's thoughts about “completion rates” as they relate to MOOCs, and find out which providers have the most popular course ratings on CourseTalk. Karen is a first-generation college student who attended Dartmouth and Harvard Business School, later served on Dartmouth's Board of Trustees, and now works with online and for-profit educators in addition to more traditional schools; as such, she has insight into just about every corner of the education industry.

My guest today is David Brake, CEO of LRNGO.com, where learning meets the sharing economy. LRNGO is an open web & mobile marketplace where users in over 200 countries find experts and earn money teaching what they love, and exchange skills & knowledge with each other at no cost. (For instance: I'll teach you an hour of computer programming if you teach me an hour of graphic design, or I'll teach you a half hour of English if you teach me a half hour of Spanish once a week.) David is really passionate about learning, and he says, “Learning is personalized – it's your story, and no one has the same path as you.” David is also the founder of Teachers 2 Go LLC, a company that creates win/win situations for teachers to earn supplemental income by bringing them to the location of clients. He is also organizer of two not-for profit community groups: the Houston Language Partners and Houston Learning Exchange.

Today's guest is Hudson Baird, the Executive Director of PelotonU. He and his team at pelotonu.org hope to build effective pathways for working students to graduate from college debt-free. In this episode, Hudson describes how PelotonU matches students with online degree programs at a variety of universities, based on each of their students' goals. They then help students put together a personalized degree plan and offer an in-person community where students spend several hours per week studying alongside a mentor and a cohort of peers. PelotonU also provides tutoring support if needed. Hudson Baird is an Austin, Texas native, and Vanderbilt graduate. His career began in international development before he began working in higher ed.

Today's guest is Jenny Anderson, the Co-Founder & CEO of Celebrate Autism, a nonprofit organization that is leading the national conversation about rethinking what is possible for individuals with disabilities. In this episode, you will hear how Jenny's brother inspired her to start Celebrate Autism, a non-profit that is empowering individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities through providing entrepreneurial education. Jenny Anderson has worked in advocacy, education and equity for her entire adult life. Having a sibling on the autism spectrum influenced Jenny immensely and fostered a passion for working with those with disabilities. She is now at the cutting edge of educational innovation, fighting for creative solutions for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. In this episode, find out why entrepreneurship and autism can be a great combination. Jenny's organization is interested in building a database of mentors, so if you are interested, please go to the Get Involved link at celebrateautism.com or email connect@celebrateautism.com

Shawn Drost is the co-founder of Hack Reactor, the leader in immersive education for computer programming, where he manages the Remote Beta program and the Last Mile's Code.7370 curriculum at San Quentin State Prison. Prior to Hack Reactor, Shawn was a software engineer, most recently at OkCupid, and a founder of several non-profit and for-profit initiatives. In this episode, Shawn describes the Rapid Iteration Teaching method that Hack Reactor uses and explains how “asking for thumbs” can be a very effective teaching model. He says Hack Reactor is data driven in everything they do instructionally, and they model a lot of their processes from the real world. Shawn shares what he has recently learned about homelessness, and learn why he has been really encouraged to find that you really can successfully affect change in giant societal machines. Shawn is most proud of the Code 7370 program, which is the first “learn to code” program inside an American prison. Hear Shawn announce a new scholarship opportunity, and learn about one of his earliest teaching experiences.

Today's guest is Nicholas Wyman, a speaker and an expert on applying real-world solutions to the challenges companies face in finding skilled employees. He is the author of "Job U, How to Find Wealth and Success by Developing the Skills Companies Actually Need," which explores educational options like professional certifications, associate degrees, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, online education, and soft-skills training that can provide the skills the employers are looking for. In our discussion, Nicholas shares some practical tips for new graduates, including the importance of networking and being organized. Nicholas highlights the importance of employers taking on the role of educator, and he touts Whole Foods for constantly looking for creative ways to retain and develop their employees so their skills really are out on display in their stores. Hear about his vivid memories of learning to cook with his grandmother and how that had an impact on him and his career path later in life. Nicholas is CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation, which develops mentoring programs for corporations and places people in apprenticeships and training programs globally. He has an MBA and has studied at Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Today's guest is Nikhil Goyal, a 19-year old education crusader and author of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student's Assessment of School and another upcoming book on learning, SCHOOLS ON TRIAL: How Freedom and Creativity Can Fix Our Educational Malpractice (Doubleday/Random House, Feb 2016). During our conversation, you will learn which new learning trend excites him the most, and what he feels is the major problem with conventional education. Nikhil also shares some practical and easy ways all of us can take part in the education revolution. Goyal has appeared on MSNBC and FOX and written for the New York Times, MSNBC, The Nation, and other publications. He has also spoken at Google, MIT, Yale, Stanford, University of Cambridge, and others. In 2013, Goyal was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. He is also a recipient of the 2013 Freedom Flame Award. He lives in New York.

In this episode, you will hear Darrell Silver, co-founder and CEO of Thinkful, describe their learning model for teaching software engineering one-on-one online. Darrell describes Thinkful as utilizing a passionate group of people who believe that to learn the best, you should learn from the best. He says that Thinkful is doing something that's been done for thousands of years… which is an apprentice style of learning. Darrell shares some great advice for those who are thinking of taking learning into their own hands, as well as a special story that highlights his curious nature as a child, which continues to fuel his desire to continue learning things today.

Brad Zomick is the co-founder and Senior Director of Content at SkilledUp. He is a life-long learner and lifehacker. SkilledUp's mission is to organize, curate and review the world of online education, with an emphasis on skill-based learning that helps people gain marketable, in-demand job skills.

Today's guest is Kyle Pearce, Founder of DIY Genius, and his mission is to teach people how to use technology to learn faster and develop a meaningful career around their creative talents. He runs a self-directed learning community called DIY Genius that helps people learn today's most in-demand digital media and productivity skills they can use to live, learn and work from anywhere they choose. After you hear Kyle, you will be truly inspired to bring out your inner genius.

Guest Trevor Ragan, founder of Train Ugly, is doing some great work in the world of learning. He says that his fascination with learning has sent him on the most incredible journey of his life, and that during his crusade, he's discovered some important concepts that have totally changed the way he looks at the world. Trevor believes that a growth mindset is the key to success in learning.

Laura Armer talks about the show "The DIY Learner" and a bit about her background in this opening episode of the podcast.