Steve Hargadon is the founder and director of the Learning Revolution Project, the host of the Future of Education and Reinventing School interview series, and the founder and chair (or co-chair) of a number of annual worldwide virtual events, including the Global Education Conference and the Library 2.0 series of mini-conferences.

Steve's work has been around the democratization of learning and professional development. He has pioneered the use of live, virtual, and peer-to-peer education conferences, popularized the idea of "unconferences" for educators and built one of the first modern social networks for teachers in 2007 (Classroom 2.0).

He has supported and encouraged the development of thousands of education-related networks, particularly for professional development. For over a decade, he ran a large annual ed-tech unconference called Hack Education (previously EduBloggerCon). He blogs, speaks, and consults on education and technology, and his virtual and physical events and online communities have over 150,000 members.

Steve also has the skin disorder Vitiligo and created the world's largest social network for those with Vitiligo at VitiligoFriends.org.

Join us for this powerful conversation about the paradox of education, levels of awareness surrounding education, why a one-size-fits-all approach to education reform is not realistic, and what we should be focusing on instead.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS:

• How Steve’s journey in education began, including his childhood in an academically centered home and his work with open source software in schools.
• The two major narratives around education.
• Plato, the Allegory of the Cave, and how it relates to education and the levels of awareness surrounding education.
• The processes needed for individuals to become agents of their own learning.
• Is education reform possible or do we need a different approach?
• The kids who do well in school and what they say led to their success.
• The role libraries can play in creating ideal conditions for learning.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Connect with Steve at stevehargadon.com and @stevehargadon everywhere.
• Learn more about Rebel Educator, explore our professional development opportunities for educators and students, and check out our project library.
• Visit us at UP Academy to learn more about our personalized and inclusive learning environment.
• Connect with Tanya and UP Academy on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and learn more about her journey here.

Check out my book Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where Impact and Imagination Meet: amzn.to/3AcwlfF

Enjoying the show? Leave us a rating and review and help more people find us!bit.ly/RebelEducatorApplePodcasts

We’d love it if you could take a few minutes to fill out this survey to let us know how we can bring you the best possible content: forms.gle/JcKHf9DHTZnYUmQr6 

Interested in being on the Rebel Educator podcast? Fill out this form and we'll reach out to you if we think you'd be a great fit for an upcoming episode. https://forms.gle/CZJXLQDdevPh22ZN7

Want to learn more about opening your own UP Academy? Check out the Rebel Educator Accelerator:www.rebeleducator.com/courses/the-accelerator

MORE ABOUT THE REBEL EDUCATOR PODCAST:

In each episode of the Rebel Educator podcast, I deconstruct world-class educators, students, and thought leaders in education to extract the tactics, tools, and routines that you can use as teachers and parents. Join me as we discuss how to shift the classroom, the learning environment, the mindset, and the pedagogy, to resist tradition, reignite wonder, and re-imagine the future of education.

This podcast is dedicated to all of the educators who work thankless hours to make our next generation the best it can be.  It was designed to begin conversations on how we can redesign education for the future of work and the success of our students.  It is meant for teachers, students, administrators, homeschoolers and anyone who interacts with and teaches youth. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.