In an effort to understand how we got here (here being our careers in education), we reflect back on all of the various job and volunteer experiences we have had along our journeys towards education. First, Jordan and Helen share about their latest Halloween activities as well as an accidental soup-in-the-pantry incident. Jordan then dives into listing off the many jobs she has had since high school, which involved working with animals, kids, teen moms, and retail; she was even a tattoo artist (don’t worry, they weren’t permanent!). Helen also shares her work history that included umpiring softball, selling tickets in multiple box offices, leading activities at a nursing home, facilitating events at a state park, and leading tastings and tours at a winery. Jordan and Helen ultimately consider how the little choices led to big changes in their personal and professional lives.

Millennial Mom disclaimer: Jordan used AI to come up with this episode’s title. And coincidentally enough, we are talking about AI in our jobs for this episode! Jordan and Helen start off sharing their recent Halloween activities, and Helen finally reveals her fun, coordinated family costume. Helen shares her thoughts after viewing the Can’t Look Away documentary as Jordan prepares to do her second community screening. Helen then dives into a conversation on how AI is being utilized in education and how she connects with students through language, arts, and culture. She reflects on her teaching philosophy and shares thoughts on the book We Got This by Cornelius Minor, which discusses the trope of teachers being heroes. Jordan then shares her deep concerns after reading an article about a school counselor in Topeka, Kansas, who is creating AI chatbots for elementary school students dealing with “minor” social/emotional problems.

Helen starts out the episode blowing our minds (or at least Jordan’s) by sharing about the wild world of ultramarathoning. Jordan shares about her first experience with the community screening of the documentary, Can’t Look Away, and wrestling with feelings of disappointment, appreciation, frustration, and pride. But despite the low turnout for the first screening, a second screening has already been scheduled for this month. The documentary is an intense look into the devastating impact that social media is having on young people and why reform is needed. We talk about the current flaws with safety features promised on Instagram teen accounts that don’t actually keep adolescents safe. Jordan shares about an experience giving her kindergartener a chance to do something entirely on his own out in the real world. We end with a story of gaga ball and “confronting” junior high teens who were saying some not-so-appropriate things on the playground.

Link to the film: https://www.jolt.film/watch/cantlookaway

The internet used to be a place that you physically went to, and now it’s accessible 24/7, often located in your very own pocket. Jordan starts out the episode by sharing an update on her first scheduled film screening of Can’t Look Away, and Helen cracks us all up with a joke. NSYNC fans will appreciate this episode because Jordan takes us back to her days sending out a weekly email newsletter on AOL. We reflect on our own early internet experiences and screen names, which leads to Helen sharing a memory of being left out by some of her “friends.” Jordan and Helen then discuss ways they currently use the internet for learning and connection with others. Helen talks about how parasocial friendships can result from people you follow online. We hope you leave this episode understanding that we don’t think all internet is bad, and there are still ways to use it to better ourselves.

In episode 11, we dive into the world of algorithms to try our best to understand them. Jordan shares an update on her documentary viewing event that is scheduled for October 6th. Helen and Jordan both share their how they use WhatsApp for communication. We go over the rules of the latest recess craze sweeping Morton aka gaga ball, and Helen tells us how she made a trip back to the apple orchard. We then define what an algorithm actually is and how we all use algorithms in our daily lives. Much of our discussion surrounding algorithms focuses on the negative (with a few positive) impacts on teens. Helen and Jordan reflect on some of their own teenage experiences with media and how different media is today. Jordan references a study that looked into the effects of social media on the teenage brain. We share concerns about how social media companies hire psychologists to help make social media more addictive and why delaying use for kids and teens is so beneficial.

Can't Look Away trailer

Screening Registration

In our tenth episode, it’s time for us to reflect on our goals, accomplishments, concerns, and future plans for this podcast. We start off by diving into the wild world of the multitude of Facebook groups in our town and their eccentricities. Helen gives her hot tip of spreading peanut butter with a spoon - NOT a knife - and we then give a brief preview to our upcoming Halloween plans. We each share how this podcast has helped boost our confidence with talking about topics and issues that are important to us with others. Jordan shares a new project she’s working on to bring a documentary screening to Morton. Helen gives a glimpse into her childhood theatrical skills with her amazing recall of lines she had in elementary school. Helen then shares how she plans to help positively influence future teachers during her literacy and technology course. We each reflect on some disturbing online experiences of our past and present, which leads to concerns for the future.

After a very busy pumpkin-filled week, aka the Morton Pumpkin Festival, aka P-fest, we have our most meticulously planned episode ever...jk. We planned nothing! For our non-Morton listeners, P-fest is a multi-day autumnal extravaganza, and we share our experiences from this year and years past. We talk about our childhood memories of listening to the radio and our experiences with winning (and not winning) radio contests. Jordan shares her awareness of smartphone use in adults out in the world, especially in those moments of waiting. We then dive into the diverse world of grocery store options and what our preferences are. Naturally a discussion all about groceries leads to Jordan sharing her past dating app misunderstandings and then her current existential crisis dealing with the idea of what “home” truly means. It’s a bit unhinged, but Helen and Jordan certainly had a gourd time.

In episode 8 we are talking about all things AI...well, at least some things AI. We start with a fun podcast update: we have new theme music written by none other than Brian Spicklemire! Jordan talks about her latest interview about the Wait Until 8th movement on the Morton school district podcast, CareU, and Helen shares her exciting adventure in an amateur pumpkin baking competition. And then we just start to scratch the surface of the many topics surrounding the presence of AI in our lives. Helen references Janelle Shane’s You Look Like a Thing and I Love You and shares several points from John Warner’s More Than Words to help us understand how AI works and the ethical, moral, and environmental concerns it poses. Jordan also shares a disturbing recent finding dealing with the Character.ai platform that exposes minors to harmful, violent, and sexually explicit content. There is so much more to discuss regarding AI, and we hope this is the first of many future discussions.

In episode 7 we’re responding to not one but two listener emails! For the first email, we address the reasoning behind the desire to review educational apps due to potential safety and privacy concerns. Our second listener email came from a local business owner who shared their thoughts and concerns based on our episode 5 discussion on attention & focus; this listener shared how when hiring employees, critical thinking and communication skills are greatly lacking from new college graduates. We also talk about ways to bring back the classic “away message” in our day-to-day lives. We address how the internet used to be a place you went to, and now it feels that today’s expectation is to always be online and accessible. We also question whether or not we could stop using social media in our lives or not (spoiler alert: we are still using it!).

We open with an exciting announcement: we have an email address! Contact us with all of your questions, comments, thoughts, ideas, and more at [email protected]. Helen shares an update on her syllabus for her course at Illinois State University. Jordan gives a life update about how it feels to have a first day of school as a parent of a kindergartener. And then we take our sixth episode on a slightly different path by sharing our top 10 favorite local spots in central Illinois to visit. And because there are far more than 10 great spots to check out, we include several “honorable mentions” so that listeners have even more places to discover. We hope our listeners enjoy hearing about some of our favorite spots so that you and your family can go explore and create your own screen-free memories!