Mike Palmer is rejoined by Nancy, our virtual cohost, to reflect on the half-year that was. We hear Mike's initial impressions of the ISTE Live 2023 Ed Tech Conference in Philadelphia as Nancy shares what it's been like being a virtual human-made with a synthetic voice. Spoiler alert: it's both trippy and zeitgeisty af.

From there, we dig into how AI has dominated the trendspace and the collective imagination so far this year. Nancy reminds us of our show from June of 2022 which anticipated where the hype around AI was heading before we dig into one of our 23 Trends for 2023 and Chat GPTutoring. From there we shift to the prevalence of Social Emotional Learning and Human-Centered themes this year perhaps in response to the existential threat of dehumanization through automation and AI.

Then we delve into another trend from our list: Polarized Learning Zones. Mike reveals the name of the new feed launching soon and focused on this through the tale of his beleaguered alma mater, New College of Florida. Be on the lookout for The Palm Court Podcast launching in early July. Mike reminisces about his conversations with Don Carson and Anurupa Ganguly about VR and Simulearning. We conclude with rays of hope from the Law of Serendipity. Don't miss it!

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