Depth and Light
32 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsHosted by JD Pirtle, the Depth and Light podcast features conversations and stories at the intersection (and sometimes collision) of art/design, education, and technology.
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Episodes
#30: What's It Like to Be Teaching in Sweden Right Now?
November 01, 2020 21:27 - 36 minutes - 83 MBIf you're teaching in the United States during the pandemic right now, you're likely having the most challenging year of your career--regardless of whether you're teaching in person, remotely, or a hybrid of the two. Without a coordinated federal response to the Covid19 pandemic in the United States, states are largely on their own to figure out how to send students, teachers, and staff back to school safely. But what's it like teaching in other countries? Sandy Bansal, lead computer science...
#29 The Lost Episode: Thomas Kearns
September 14, 2020 15:41 - 54 minutes - 125 MBBack in March 2020, I sat down with Thomas Kearns to record this episode. While the pandemic was raging through Washington and New York state, it still hadn’t reached the Midwest. A few days after we recorded this episode, the pandemic reached the Midwest and everything changed. This episode got lost in the chaos and stress of that time, but I am thrilled to finally release it. Thomas Kearns (LinkedIn) is founder of Space to Play, Tortus, and Bitspace. He was a professor and Director fo Desi...
#28: Kelley Huxtable
August 24, 2020 15:34 - 31 minutes - 72.8 MBAs we approach Fall in the United States, teachers are facing a difficult choice: teach in person during the Covid-19 pandemic or leave their jobs. In this episode, we sit down with Kelley Huxtable to hear what it's like to make this gut-wrenching decision.
#27: Nora Flanagan
August 17, 2020 12:50 - 50 minutes - 116 MBIn September, Nora Flanagan will begin her 23rd year as an educator in Chicago amid the challenging pedagogical circumstances of the covid-19 pandemic and the immense struggle Chicago Public School teachers have faced getting the support and resources they need from the community. Nora (@noraflanagan) is co-author of Confronting White Nationalism in School—A Toolkit (westernstatescenter.org/schools). She teachers English at Northside College Prep, a selective enrollment public high school in...
#26: Liz Gallo
August 11, 2020 13:19 - 44 minutes - 101 MBIn this episode, we talk a bit about what's coming up in season two of the podcast and have a conversation with Liz Gallo, CEO of WhyMaker. More info about Liz and WhyMaker can be found here whymaker.co. Follow Liz on Twitter @whymaker.
#25: The Educators and Makers Creating PPE: Part Two
May 06, 2020 17:20 - 39 minutes - 89.7 MBSince the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages in Personal Protective Equipment or PPE for medical professionals have been an ongoing issue. Two key types of PPE in desperate need are face shields and surgical masks. To mitigate this shortage, educators, makers, and everyday people have been sewing, laser cutting, and 3D printing PPE and then donating them to medical professionals, neighbors, friends, and family members. In this new podcast series, we’ll be talking to the amazing people ...
#24: The Educators and Makers Creating PPE: Part One
April 24, 2020 17:49 - 45 minutes - 104 MBSince the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages in Personal Protective Equipment or PPE for medical professionals have been an ongoing issue. Two key types of PPE in desperate need are face shields and surgical masks. To mitigate this shortage, educators, makers, and everyday people have been sewing, laser cutting, and 3D printing PPE and then donating them to medical professionals, neighbors, friends, and family members. In this new podcast series, we’ll be talking to the amazing people ...
#23: Teaching During COVID-19: Part Six
April 13, 2020 18:37 - 25 minutes - 58.8 MBAs humanity takes measures to slow the spread and effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, businesses, schools, and many public gathering places are shutting down or being restricted. This is very worrisome for all of us, and as of now, there are many unknowns. Educators of all types are facing the many challenges of online and distance learning. In this ongoing series, we will be talking to educators each week about the difficulties, surprises, and discoveries they are meeting as...
#22: Teaching During COVID-19: Part Five
March 30, 2020 15:21 - 27 minutes - 63.4 MBAs humanity takes measures to slow the spread and effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, businesses, schools, and many public gathering places are shutting down or being restricted. This is very worrisome for all of us, and as of now, there are many unknowns. Educators of all types are facing the many challenges of online and distance learning. In this ongoing series, we will be talking to educators each week about the difficulties, surprises, and discoveries they are meeting as...
#21: Teaching During COVID-19: Part Four
March 25, 2020 18:24 - 28 minutes - 65.9 MBAs humanity takes measures to slow the spread and effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, businesses, schools, and many public gathering places are shutting down or being restricted. This is very worrisome for all of us, and as of now, there are many unknowns. Educators of all types are facing the many challenges of online and distance learning. In this ongoing series, we will be talking to educators each week about the difficulties, surprises, and discoveries they are meeting as...
#20: Teaching During COVID-19: Part Three
March 23, 2020 20:16 - 21 minutes - 49.7 MBAs humanity takes measures to slow the spread and effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, businesses, schools, and many public gathering places are shutting down or being restricted. This is very worrisome for all of us, and as of now, there are many unknowns. Educators of all types are facing the many challenges of online and distance learning. In this ongoing series, we will be talking to educators each week about the difficulties, surprises, and discoveries they are meeting as...
#19: Teaching During COVID-19: Part Two
March 20, 2020 16:19 - 31 minutes - 72.7 MBAs humanity takes measures to slow the spread and effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, businesses, schools, and many public gathering places are shutting down or being restricted. This is very worrisome for all of us, and as of now, there are many unknowns. Educators of all types are facing the many challenges of online and distance learning. In this ongoing series, we will be talking to educators each week about the difficulties, surprises, and discoveries they are meeting as...
#18: Teaching During COVID-19: Part One
March 18, 2020 17:41 - 31 minutes - 71.2 MBAs humanity takes measures to slow the spread and effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, businesses, schools, and many public gathering places are shutting down or being restricted. This is very worrisome for all of us, and as of now, there are many unknowns. Educators of all types are facing the many challenges of online and distance learning. In this ongoing series, we will be talking to educators each week about the difficulties, surprises, and discoveries they are meeting as...
#17: Annette Diefenthaler
March 16, 2020 15:26 - 43 minutes - 100 MBWhat exactly is Design Thinking? What are its origins and how can it be best applied in a classroom or in any school setting? How can educators use it in all aspects of teaching, from classroom layout to curriculum design? Our guest today is Annette Diefenthaler. Annette is a portfolio director at IDEO, where she works to bring human-centered design to systemic challenges in learning and education. She is co-author of IDEO’s "Design Thinking Toolkit for Educators." • More info about Annette ...
#16: Noah Geisel
March 02, 2020 16:39 - 38 minutes - 88.7 MBHow can educators recognize learning which happens between report cards? How can they acknowledge student achievement which may be difficult to assess with traditional means? Digital badging and micro-credentials offer an alternative to traditional assessment and an emerging method teachers can use to appreciate what their students are doing in any content area. Our guest today is Noah Geisel. Noah is an educator, coach, consultant, and author. He was honored as the 2013 American Council on t...
#15: Ryan Banks Academy
February 10, 2020 16:44 - 40 minutes - 92.9 MBRyan Banks Academy is Chicago’s first tuition-free independent school—and will soon be a boarding school. Founded in 2018 by former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) social worker Valerie Groth, Ryan Banks Academy's mission is “to transform urban education by cultivating the talents and potential of at-risk students in Chicago through an immersive and innovative educational experience.” • In this episode, we have a chance to speak to Valerie, some current Ryan Banks Academy students and teachers, ...
#14: Brandy Agerbeck
January 20, 2020 18:26 - 46 minutes - 107 MBWhat’s the best way to document your ideas? Or communicate those ideas to others? For some people, writing is the most effective method. Others communicate best through drawing. For some, it’s both. Visual thinkers like Brandy Agerbeck work to empower others to draw what they are thinking and feeling, and through graphic facilitation, help organizations see trends, make sense of many ideas in one place, and plan for the future. Brandy and I discuss various techniques for Visual Thinking, why ...
#13: Devorah Heitner
January 05, 2020 19:27 - 55 minutes - 128 MBHow much screen time should my child have? Should my students have? How do we know what’s safe and what isn’t on the internet? Dr. Devorah Heitner is an educator and researcher who explores these questions and many more. As founder of Raising Digital Natives, she advises schools, parents, and organizations on how best to mentor children and adolescents as they navigate an increasingly complex computational world. In this episode, we talk with Devorah about all of this, about new technologies...
#12: Alfie Kohn
December 23, 2019 15:28 - 42 minutes - 96.4 MBThis episode features author and educator Alfie Kohn. Alfie has written and lectured extensively in the areas of education, parenting, and human behavior. His work has challenged the status quo in education for over four decades. In our conversation, Alfie details his thoughts on popular education topics like Grit, Growth Mindset, and EdTech. • Articles referenced in this episode can be found on Alfie's website alfiekohn.org. • Follow Alfie on Twitter twitter.com/alfiekohn.
#11: Bob Clagett
December 09, 2019 18:39 - 52 minutes - 121 MBOur guest in this episode is Bob Clagett. Bob is the founder of I Like to Make Stuff, a Youtube channel with 2.75 million subscribers and a website that features a multitude of free project how-to videos and step-by-step instructions. Viewers get in-depth and easy to follow instructions on how to make just about anything, from a full-scale, interactive R2-D2 of Star Wars fame to bunk beds and much more. Bob is the author of the book Making Time and is also the host of two podcasts, BrainPick,...
#10: Dale Dougherty
November 25, 2019 17:33 - 51 minutes - 118 MBThis episode features a conversation with Dale Dougherty. Dale is the co-founder of O’Reilly Media and the founder of Maker Media, which publishes Make Magazine and initiated the wildly popular worldwide Maker Faires. Dale is widely considered to be the godfather of the Maker Movement and is one of its greatest champions. We talk to Dale about his partnership with Tim O’Reilly, developing the first-ever commercial website, the dawn of the World Wide Web, and the past-present-future of the Mak...
#9: Cas Holman
November 11, 2019 17:46 - 46 minutes - 107 MBWe have a conversation with designer and educator Cas Holman in this episode. Cas is the founder and principal designer at Heroes Will Rise, an independent toy company focusing on products designed in the spirit of invention and creativity. She is also full-time faculty at Rhode Island School of Design in the Industrial Design Department. Her work has recently been featured in the New Yorker, Dwell, and an episode of Abstract (season two) on Netflix. ••• More about Cas' work can be found at c...
#8: Erin Riley and The Art of Digital Fabrication
October 28, 2019 17:49 - 50 minutes - 115 MBThis episode features artist, educator, and author Erin Riley. Erin is the director of Greenwich Academy’s state of the art Engineering & Design Lab. She is also the author of a new book The Art of Digital Fabrication: STEAM Projects for the Makerspace and Art Studio. • More information about Erin’s new book can be found here: artofdigitalfabrication.com • For more information about Greenwich Academy: greenwichacademy.org • Follow Erin on Twitter: twitter.com/eeriley99
#8: Erin Riley and The Art of Digital Fabrication
October 28, 2019 17:49 - 50 minutes - 115 MBThis episode features artist, educator, and author Erin Riley. Erin is the director of Greenwich Academy’s state of the art Engineering & Design Lab. She is also the author of a new book The Art of Digital Fabrication: STEAM Projects for the Makerspace and Art Studio. • More information about Erin’s new book can be found here: artofdigitalfabrication.com • For more information about Greenwich Academy: greenwichacademy.org • Follow Erin on Twitter: twitter.com/eeriley99
#7: Electronic Visualization Lab Part Two
October 07, 2019 20:03 - 39 minutes - 89.3 MBThis episode is the second part of our story about the Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. First, we talk to Maxine Brown, director of EVL, about her background and her 30+ years at EVL. We learn about CAVE2, the latest large scale virtual reality environment invented at EVL. Ph.D. graduate Victor Mateevitsi describes his experiences as a student at EVL, working on major systems like CAVE2. Victor then tells the story of his invention SpiderSense, a we...
#6: Ben Fry, Processing, and Computational Information Design
September 23, 2019 16:24 - 49 minutes - 114 MBIn this episode, I have a conversation with computational information designer Ben Fry, co-creator of the Processing programming language and principal of Fathom Information Design. Along with Casey Reas, with whom he created Processing, Ben is the author of Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists and Getting Started with Processing. Ben is also the author of Visualizing Data. Ben and Casey won a Golden Nica from Ars Electronica in 2005 for their work with Proces...
#5: April Welch, IIT, and Esports
September 09, 2019 15:30 - 41 minutes - 95.3 MBIn this episode, we talk to April Welch. She’s the Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Director of Esports at the Illinois Institute of Technology, or IIT. April details a range of projects she’s initiated and directed in her role at IIT, especially how she built an early Maker Space and launched an award-winning Esports program. Before the interview, we go over exactly what Esports are and why they are one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. We also discuss the positiv...
#4: Electronic Visualization Lab Part One
August 20, 2019 23:37 - 44 minutes - 101 MBThis is our first two-part story. We'll be exploring the Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. EVL has been a hub of innovation in art and technology for 46 years. EVL has a tremendous history filled with ground breaking inventions and connections to culturally significant things like Star Wars, the dawn of personal computing, and early video gaming. We'll be talking to several people associated with EVL. In the first part, we'll go over the early days ...
#3: Sylvia Libow Martinez and The Maker Movement
July 31, 2019 14:36 - 45 minutes - 104 MBIn this episode, we talk to engineer, author, and educator Sylvia Libow Martinez. She is the author of Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, which has been called the bible of the Maker Movement in schools. First, we detail the origin and current state of the Maker Movement in Schools, and then Sylvia and I discuss the state of the art in Maker education. She offers advice on a variety of pedagogical issues educators face when teaching with technology, includin...
#2: Jeff Solin and the LT Makers Lab
July 16, 2019 15:55 - 54 minutes - 125 MBThe LT Makers Lab at Lane Tech College Prep high school in Chicago is an amazing innovation and digital fabrication classroom. We’re heading to Lane Tech for a conversation with educator and technologist Jeff Solin. Jeff is the mind behind the LT Makers Lab and an award-winning National Board Certified Teacher. We'll also delve into Lane Tech's history and transition from a vocational training school for boys to a coeducational selective enrollment college prep high school. • Follow Jeff on...
#1: Gabrielle Lyon
July 01, 2019 18:59 - 50 minutes - 58.1 MBIn this episode, we sit down with nonprofit leader, educator, and author Dr. Gabrielle (Gabe) Lyon. She is the author of the graphic novel No Small Plans, the forthcoming graphic novel Washington, By and By, numerous curricular tools and was recently appointed executive director of Illinois Humanities. Gabe details her process for creating graphic novels and how they can be used as effective curricular tools, design as a "hidden curriculum", and her work as a fierce advocate for diversity and...
#1: Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
July 01, 2019 18:59 - 50 minutes - 58.1 MBIn this episode, we sit down with nonprofit leader, educator, and author Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Dr. Lyon is the author of the graphic novel No Small Plans, the forthcoming graphic novel Washington, By and By, and numerous curricular tools. Dr. Lyon was recently appointed executive director of Illinois Humanities. Dr. Lyon details her process for creating graphic novels and how they can be used as effective curricular tools, design as a "hidden curriculum", and her work as a fierce advocate for ...