Learning Unboxed

The Works is a museum, but it is also much more than that. It is a place to not just learn but explore for kids, families, and adults — and it’s an active member of the Newark, Ohio, community.Meghan Federer is the STEM Education Director for Middle and High School students at The Works, and she sees herself and the museum as a spark; an opportunity to ignite engagement in history, art, and technology. Meghan takes a hands-on role in helping kids and adults alike take charge of their learning and find new ways to explore.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at www.attheworks.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com/attheworksTwitter: www.twitter.com/attheworksLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Today we are going to talk about additive manufacturing, what some are calling the next industrial revolution. First of all, what exactly is additive manufacturing, and what is so exciting about it? We also talk about the Additive Manufacturing Summer Institute, which was a project between the National Science Foundation ATE Grant Program and Columbus State Community College, the PAST Foundation, along with a lot of collaborators from industry and a variety of educational partners in and around the community.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Additive Manufacturing Summer Program: https://www.pastfoundation.org/additive-manufacturing-summer-instituteLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Joining us today is Jenna McGuire, who is the Associate Director for Translational Data Analytics Institute at The Ohio State University, and Airyana Washington, a student who participated in the data science summer camp program. We talk about data science and what the heck it is. But more importantly, how do we get more young women interested in what data science is about? We also talk about Airyana’s interest in politics, advocating for minorities, and the environment at a political level, and how to take all of this interest and turn it into a future career.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more: https://tdai.osu.edu/summer-camp/Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Joining us today are Armando Henriquez and Dean Alkire, who are going to talk about the role of university student clubs working with K-12 students and how we can get those young students to actively engage in their own learning in an after school setting. Armando is a fourth-year undergrad in mechanical engineering at the Ohio State University and Dean is an eighth grader at the Metro Early College Middle School participating in an afterschool program called the Innovators Club.Together, they talk about the experiences of bringing engineering into schools early in a fun, exciting way, and the wide-reaching education that comes from working on these projects.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Metro Early College Middle School: https://www.themetroschool.org/o/metro-schools/page/metro-early-college-middle-schoolThe Innovators Club: https://www.pastfoundation.org/event_page/innovators-clubLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate Media

We are once again on the road, this time with Bill Manchester. Bill has always hated the idea of wasting kids' time. He didn’t want music class to be seen as a filler class or time waster for students, so he worked hard to make something more out of it. He is passionate about teaching kids not just music, but everything, using the lens of musical performance and production.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Twitter: https://twitter.com/manchester_eduTEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/umA0K6aE15ULearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Evelyn Van Til has her fingers in oh so many pies: she’s a cultural architect, she works in apprenticeships as a consultant at Apprenti, and she's incredibly active in the Central Ohio communities around technology, computer science education, and more.There is an expectation today that you can use technology, whether or not you see yourself working in tech. From retail, food service, and warehousing logistics to the more obvious careers in tech and cutting-edge innovation that you see at startups, technology simply touches every aspect of work today.We are seeing transformation at every level, and it’s important that we meet it with a strong foundation to set us up for the future.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at www.apprenticareers.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/evelynvantilTwitter: www.twitter.com/EvelynVanTilLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Grady Burrows leads the talent initiative at BioEnterprise, a non-profit accelerator for the biomedical space. They find talent and train them in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and health IT industries. These fields are growing rapidly, locally and globally, and their job to grow and diversify talent is increasingly important to society.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:BioEnterprise: https://www.bioenterprise.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BioEnterprise-Corporation/154676224607662Twitter: https://twitter.com/BioECorpLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioenterpriseYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BioEnterpriseLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

The Innovation Lab is the PAST Foundation’s “test kitchen,” where we brainstorm the creation of summer STEM experiences for the students. And today, we’re talking to two of the people responsible for creating these experiences: Ashley Price, Assistant Director of Bridge Programs at the PAST Innovation Lab, and Laura Bloch, a student at Columbia University who is working towards her master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Media.Laura and Ashley walk us through the challenges of leading diverse groups of students, embracing failures both in children and as teachers, and creatively linking real world problems with education-based solutions.Resources:Learn more at pastfoundation.orgLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Joining us today is Kelly Preheim. Kelly is a kindergarten teacher in Armour, South Dakota. Armour is a small, rural town in South Dakota, with a population of only 800 people.Kelly is passionate around birds, and she found a way to teach everything in kindergarten through the lens of birds, from creating bird houses to field guides to help out their community. She also started the Chickadee Club as a way to keep kids who were leaving her classroom engaged with her and with their interest in birds and in nature.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org Resources:BirdTeach: birdteach.blogspot.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/BirdTeach-367011353690070 Spotlight: Problem-Based Learning with Birds! Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

When people talk about education, they rarely talk about agricultural education — but there are infinite possibilities for careers that are available to explore in this space! Luckily, we’re joined by two people who are well prepared to guide us through this possibility space: Chris Baker, Executive Director of the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, and Marissa Mulligan, Extension Educator with 4-H Youth Development and the Explore Ag Program within Ohio State Extension.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at https://www.exploreag.org/Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation: https://ofbf.org/foundation/Learning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

We’re back on the road. This time, we are in the beautiful, bustling city of Cape Town, South Africa – and we have an incredibly special treat! Because we have the opportunity to visit with Russell Stevens, Head of Education of the Two Oceans Aquarium.Two Ocean Aquarium sits in a perfect location for marine education, primed to be one of the most impactful education programs in the world. Because many developing nations are looking to the future and the future of the environment, and they’re putting a greater premium on student understanding so that they can participate within the blossoming ocean economy, or blue economy.This is just part of the work that Russell and his team do every day as part of their mission to save the planet with this very, very creative Marine Sciences program.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at https://www.aquarium.co.zaFind learning curriculum at https://www.education.gov.za/Contact Russell at russell.stevens@aquarium.co.zaLearning Unboxed is produced in

Today’s guest is René Van Blerk, who is the Senior Educator and Senior Curation of Education and Interpretation of the Van Gogh Museum, who helped shape one of the most creative and innovative programs that I've seen in a long time. It's called Vincent's Traveling Case. René wanted to find ways for families to engage with the art they were viewing when they weren’t right in front of it. Museums can be busy, they can get hectic, and you can continue thinking about the stories being told while searching for someplace quiet.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at www.vangoghmuseum.nl/enVincent’s Traveling Case: www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/children-and-families/vincents-travelling-caseTreasure Hunt: www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/children-and-families/treasure-huntLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Today, we are continuing our conversation about the critically important role of the arts in communities and education. To guide us through this conversation, we sit down with Cindy Meyers Foley, the Executive Deputy Director for Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at www.columbusmuseum.orgCindy’s TEDx Talk: youtu.be/ZcFRfJb2ONkLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Today, we have a wonderful teacher and a student joining us today, Amanda Schaeffer and Neel Mawalkar.Amanda is an art teacher out of Hilliard City Schools, which is one of the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. She teaches both Art and Ecology, very STEAM-focused, in part of Hilliard City Schools Innovation Learning Campus.Neel is a 10-year old student who just finished up the 5th grade at Wickliffe Elementary School, which is also in the suburbs of Columbus in Upper Arlington. Next year, Neel is going to be celebrating his journey into middle school, and he wants to be a scientist one day when he grows up.Resources:Learn more at pastfoundation.orgLearning Unboxed is produced in part by Crate MediaRecorded by Eric French at WOSU Studios in Columbus, Ohio

Today, we’re going to be talking about music and the role of arts, music, and technology in education – and we’re going to be doing that by learning more about the unique and innovative program here in Columbus. GROOVE U is a post-secondary two-year music industry career program focusing on music industry entrepreneurship, with a heavy emphasis on experiential and applied learning. And, impressively, the program boasts a 96% job placement in-field among all its graduates.Our guests are Dwight Heckelman, the founder and Director at GROOVE U, and Nicholas Burgett, a Metro Early College High School graduate who spent some time as a student at GROOVE U. Nicholas is going to give some insight into how GROOVE U is interacting with the K-12 space in some really intriguing and interesting ways, as well as his perspective on learning in these different learning environments.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at www.grooveu.eduInstaband @ GROOVE U: www.instaband.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com/m

We are joined by awesome guests who know a thing or two (or ten) about what happens when you take your kids out of the classroom, out of the building, and you go into the field. Pam Hayes is the Early College Coordinator for Metro Early College High School in Columbus, Ohio and Sheli Smith is the Chief Academic Officer at the PAST Foundation and the PAST Innovation Lab.But this is not just a conversation about outdoor education. This is a conversation about how we can truly scaffold kids to have meaningful experiences in an early college setting that is really tied to helping these kids solve problems in the world. The program that these two women have done together is really one that stands out as not just a case study for great STEM education but a case study for how you can work very creatively within your community to make the opportunities and experiences that students can have very, very tangible.To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.orgResources:Learn more at pastfoundation.orgConnect with Sheli: linked

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 extre

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