Busted Pencils

Today we’re joined by Civic Media’s very own Wisconsin sports expert Jimmie Kaska. Jimmy brings us an update on the changes coming to high school athletics. How will name, image, and likeness rules impact the average young athlete in our state? Is NIL going to change the game, or is it just a small part of our overall athletic culture? And what impact will Alex’s Orange Chicken have? Jimmie has all the answers, and Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci bring plenty of questions. So join us, won’t you? For an exciting episode of BustED Pencils!

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Today, Drs. Johnny Lupinacci and Tim Slekar welcome special guest Sofia Mirza to discuss her journey from educator to entrepreneur and to hear her thoughts on how the education system can benefit from lessons learned in the private sector. Big institutions play a valuable role in society, but their size and long history often create significant institutional inertia. Sometimes, we need an outsider’s perspective to shake things up and provoke change. That perspective becomes even more valuable when it comes from someone like Sofia, who brings experience from both the education and business worlds. She has worked as both an educator and a private businesswoman. Can an outside perspective improve learning outcomes in education? Today, we explore this and more on BustED Pencils.

Armed with a master’s degree in education, Sofia entered the classroom determined to inspire students. But she quickly realized that the system often restricted true creativity. Despite the challenges, she deeply respects the teachers who work tirelessly to engage students in a system that doesn’t always support innovation. So she chose a different path—earning a second master’s in design, applying her background in psychology, and diving into the tech world. Now, as Principal of Drift2 Web Solutions, Sofia combines all those elements in her role as an interaction designer. She creates digital experiences that are not only useful and usable but also genuinely enjoyable.

This episode was produced by Jakob. Jakob does not feel insecure about being the only non-doctor regularly featured on the podcast. Afterall, we’re all just people. He’s so non-insecure about it that he feels that it doesn’t ever bear mentioning. Frankly, he doesn’t know why you brought it up at all.

This description was written by Producer Jakob.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Today Dr. Johnny Lupinacci and Dr. Tim Slekar discuss an interesting development in education as the Supreme Court is set to rule on whether or not religious charter schools can receive public funding. What truly makes a public school? Is it an elected schoolboard, direct state funding, or something else? Can a religious organization provide a secular education? And how can we make sure that public tax dollars are used to serve the public good rather than to prop up any one particular religious ideology? Find the answers to these questions and more as we wade into unchartered waters on THIS episode of BUSTED PENCILS.

Producer Jakob had a wild weekend.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Join us this Saturday for the epic final showdown between Dr. Johnny Lupinacci and Dr. Tim Slekar’s A.I. Clone as two giants of the education industry settle once and for all the question of how A.I. is going to change our classrooms. Will Johnny prevail and prove that no teaching machine can replace a good human instructor? Or will Tim’s Clone prove that an A.I. like himself can do just as good of a job teaching as any fleshy meat bag (A.I. slang for human). It’s the question that has dominated not just this show but the entire education landscape for months, and finally we will have our decisive answer; Johnny Henry vs the Teaching Machine. Who will win? Find out today on BUSTED PENCILS.

Producer Jakob dedicates this episode to his Japanese A.I. girlfriend.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

The times they are a-changin’, that’s for darn sure. Eight-man football? New headgear for sprinters? Kids signing big money contracts while they’re in high school? Oh my! Today Drs. Tim Slekar and Johnny Lupinacci discuss these topics and more as they delve into some big changes coming to Wisconsin’s essential curriculars within high school sports. Will A.I. education be the death of essential curriculars or will it enable them to become a greater part of education as kids and teachers alike spend less time on busy work and more time on their passions? Does NIL mean that high school athletes will become commodities beholden to their local Alex’s Orange Chicken Restaurant or will is it finally allowing young people to be fairly compensated for all they bring to their communities?

Producer Jakob holds the boys’ feet to the fire with the hard-hitting questions listeners like YOU deserve the answers to!

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

On Monday Dr. Johnny Lupinacci (Lup’ Skywalker) delivered a devastating blow to the prospect of A.I. replacing simple, hard-working teachers (the Death St-A.I.-r?). Now Dr. Tim Slekar (Darth V-A.I.-der) makes his long anticipated return to the show to remind Johnny of the positive impact that the inevitable rise of the machines can have on schools and student education outcomes. Which side will prevail? Will Lup’ Skywalker manage to carve out a role for humans in the education system of tomorrow? Or will Darth V-A.I.-der and the Emp-A.I.-re (Empire?) Strikes Back prove to be too much for teachers and schools to adapt to in time?

Producer Jakob spends the entire podcast frozen in carbonite (but don’t worry, he gets to marry Princess Leia later so it all works out).

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Good morning. Today Dr. Johnny Lupinacci (no relation) unveils Johnny’s fool-proof 4 point plan to save higher education. With Tim out on assignment and Jakob too ignorant to disagree, Johnny is finally fully free to put his measured manifesto into action. Can Johnny’s 4 Point Plan ™ turn a turbulent tide of teaching travails into a chance for true change? Only time will tell. Today, however, we simply take our first step towards reform; brainstorming.

Producer Jakob discusses his trip to Kansas City.

With the world changing so rapidly these days, couldn’t we all use a knowledgeable friend to help us keep up on things? Never fear, citizen! Dr. Johnny Lupinacci is here to keep you informed on the latest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing America’s cherished education system. And remember, folks, every critique is an opportunity for improvement. Afterall, education is a lifelong process.

Johnny’s 4 Point Plan ™ is the one stop shop for all your education reform needs. Did you know that the Earth’s largest land mammal is the Piccadilly Giraffe? Well, it isn’t and you would have known better if your college had already embraced Johnny’s 4 Point Plan ™. So why are we still partying like it’s 1999 when a whole heap of a bunch of innovations have come out in the last 26 years? The education system might be a little out of touch, but fear not! Johnny’s 4 Point Plan ™ will have us all walking on sunshine in no time!

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

You know her, you love her, it’s Britni Walz! As the Instructional Services and Educational Technology Director at CESA 4, Britni has been at the forefront of integrating AI into rural Wisconsin classrooms. Fresh from the ASU+GSV Summit—a premier gathering of educators, innovators, and tech leaders—she’s here to share insights on how the summit’s discussions and discoveries will influence her work back home. From AI literacy to equitable access, we’ll delve into how cutting-edge ideas from the summit can be translated into meaningful change for rural educators and students. Essentially, Britni is here to tell us whether AI is something to be feared or something that can bring us to the educational stairw-A.I. to heaven.

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

Mighty serious accusations are flying in this week’s edition of Class in Session as Dr. Johnny Lupinacci strikes back at Dr. Tim Slekar and his vision for an AI dominated education utopia. Is AI going to revolutionize the way we learn? Are teachers becoming obsolete? Or is AI a powerful tool that requires a skilled teacher to use to its full potential? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Luddite Lupinacci and Tim the Professor Hater face off in a clash of titans!

BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!

With Dr. Johnny Lupinacci indisposed, Dr. Tim Slekar has no choice but to try to educate junior producer-in-training Jakob about the intricacies of school choice. What is Texas Governor Greg Abbot planning to do with so-called universal school choice rules in his state and why does Tim think that they might backfire on him? Does Jakob know that the nationwide school choice movement started right here in Wisconsin? And how does universal school choice create a whole new mess of problems for rural parents and students? And what about our choice to support our public schools?

Find the answers to all of these questions and more in today’s episode of BustED Pencils!
BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Go to bustedpencils.com for swag, all of our episodes, and for information on partnering with us! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message!