S E7: Ep 7 - School Is SO Boring! Using Adaptive Apps to Supercharge Learning, featuring Anna Davlantes

05/23/23 • 21 min

It’s easy for gifted kids to get bored in school because they often grasp lessons and concepts faster than their peers. This can cause some of them to tune out, and prevent them from reaching their full potential.

But there’s good news. Today’s technology has spawned new learning tools called adaptive apps that can help learners stay engaged and challenged.

We turn the tables in this episode, with Emmy Award-winning journalist and talk show host Anna Davlantes interviewing our Gifted Minds’ show host, MacKenzie Price, about what exactly adaptive apps are, and how they can help gifted kids take control of their own learning.

Listen now to hear about:

How adaptive apps work [04:51], and the learning science behind them [06:56];
How kids feel about adaptive apps—including video clips of students sharing their experiences [08:20];
The importance of embracing learning technology to support your child’s future [11:12]; and
How to get started with adaptive apps, and a few of MacKenzie’s favorites for advanced learners [14:34].

Don’t miss Today’s Takeaways!

Listen all the way to the end of the episode for three tips on how to help your children excel in their learning.

Links and Resources

Read these great articles about adaptive learning apps:
Check out the video version of this episode on the Gifted Minds YouTube channel. Don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Learn more about GT School, an online program that helps gifted and talented kids supercharge their academics.

Be part of something special

Stay connected with our community:

If you enjoy the Gifted Minds podcast, would you leave us a short review on your favorite podcast platform? We love reading your feedback and ideas.

About Anna Davlantes

Anna is a seven-time Emmy Award winner and Northwestern Medill School of Journalism graduate who has broken major stories and carved out a reputation for original reporting and uncovering wrongdoing and inequality. She has worked for NBC Chicago as an anchor/reporter. She was a morning news anchor at Fox Chicago and did a talk show for PBS. She is also an underwater documentarian who won three Emmy Awards for her Get into the Shark Tank series.

Podcast Credits

Executive Producer and Host: MacKenzie Price
Executive Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
Senior Producer: Amanda Avery
Senior Editor: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
Marketing: Patrick Harrell, The Krewe
Video Production/Editing: Kevin Smith, Picturebox Productions
Music Producer: Dyami Wilson

But there’s good news. Today’s technology has spawned new learning tools called adaptive apps that can help learners stay engaged and challenged.

Listen now to hear about:

How adaptive apps work [04:51], and the learning science behind them [06:56];
How kids feel about adaptive apps—including video clips of students sharing their experiences [08:20];
The importance of embracing learning technology to support your child’s future [11:12]; and
How to get started with adaptive apps, and a few of MacKenzie’s favorites for advanced learners [14:34].

Don’t miss Today’s Takeaways!

Listen all the way to the end of the episode for three tips on how to help your children excel in their learning.

Links and Resources

Read these great articles about adaptive learning apps:
Check out the video version of this episode on the Gifted Minds YouTube channel. Don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Learn more about GT School, an online program that helps gifted and talented kids supercharge their academics.

Be part of something special

Stay connected with our community:

If you enjoy the Gifted Minds podcast, would you leave us a short review on your favorite podcast platform? We love reading your feedback and ideas.

About Anna Davlantes

Podcast Credits

Executive Producer and Host: MacKenzie Price
Executive Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
Senior Producer: Amanda Avery
Senior Editor: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
Marketing: Patrick Harrell, The Krewe
Video Production/Editing: Kevin Smith, Picturebox Productions
Music Producer: Dyami Wilson

Previous Episode

S E6: Ep 6 - Becoming MrBeast: How Obsessive & Ambitious Kids Thrive, featuring David Perell

Have you ever felt like your child's interest in something has become all-consuming? It’s not uncommon for gifted kids to develop intense interests that can leave them feeling isolated from their peers. As caregivers, how can we help and encourage them?

For this episode in our Life Skills series, we talk with David Perell, founder of Write of Passage, about how parents can help their children embrace their passions and find a community of like-minded individuals. David shares his personal experience of feeling alone in his interests as a child and the steps his family took to make him feel valued and inspired.

Listen now to hear our conversation about:

The difference between what’s rewarded in academics and what’s rewarded in life [02:59];
How to help your child find a community of ambitious peers who make them feel validated and accepted [12:10];
How the internet can help gifted kids who feel isolated [13:41]; and
What parents can do to embrace and support their child's interests [16:51].

Don’t miss Today’s Takeaways!

Listen all the way to the end of the episode for three tips to help your child thrive with whatever they choose to do.

Links and Resources

Learn more about David Perell’s online writing program, Write of Passage.
Check out the video version of this episode on the Gifted Minds YouTube channel. Don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Learn more about GT School, an online program that helps gifted and talented kids supercharge their academics.

Be part of something special

Stay connected with our community:

If you enjoy the Gifted Minds podcast, would you leave us a short review on your favorite podcast platform? We love reading your feedback and ideas.

About David Perell

David Perell is a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He believes writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. David seeks to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. David’s online course, Write of Passage, has been taken by more than 500 students from more than 40 countries and from companies like Intel, Google, and Twitter. The five-week course draws on David’s experience writing online, building an audience, and his interviews with more than 100 people on his North Star Podcast. Each interview explores the methods and principles of successful creators, artists, and entrepreneurs. His podcast guests include astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author Seth Godin, and economist Tyler Cowen. As an Emergent Ventures fellow, David’s work is supported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

Podcast Credits

Executive Producer and Host: MacKenzie Price
Executive Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
Senior Producer: Amanda Avery
Senior Editor: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
Marketing: Patrick Harrell, The Krewe
Video Production/Editing: Kevin Smith, Picturebox Productions
Music Producer: Dyami Wilson

Next Episode

S E8: Ep 8 - More Screen Time, Please!, featuring Keith Schacht, CEO of The Explanation Company

It’s no secret that many parents struggle with exactly how much screen time is healthy for their kids. Some wage daily battles to manage their children’s time with devices, and others feel powerless to do anything to control the siege. But the digital world is here to stay, so it’s more important than ever for caregivers to understand and embrace technology in their kids' lives.

For this episode in our Life Skills series, we talk with Keith Schacht, CEO and co-founder of The Explanation Company. He offers a new perspective on the role that technology plays in growing up today. He shares his vision for a world where using it becomes a skill that young people tap to open doors, explore new ideas, and develop their interests.

Listen now to hear about:

The danger of focusing solely on the duration of screen time [03:43];
The benefits kids gain from their time on devices (and not just when they’re playing Mindcraft) [04:48];
How to encourage children to use screen time to explore interests, passions, and potential careers [07:49];
The value of proactively parenting in the digital age to help kids develop a healthy relationship with technology [15:10];
How technology can be a tool that builds independence [18:20].

Don’t miss Today’s Takeaways!

Listen all the way to the end of the episode for three tips on how to help your children excel in their learning.

Links and Resources

Follow Keith Schacht on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Learn more about The Explanation Company.
Check out the video version of this episode on the Gifted Minds YouTube channel. Don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Explore Alpha, a unique school that uses adaptive software and motivational strategies to help students to learn in the style that works best for them.
Learn more about GT School, an online program that helps gifted and talented kids supercharge their academics.

Be part of something special

Stay connected with our community:

If you enjoy the Gifted Minds podcast, would you leave us a short review on your favorite podcast platform? We love reading your feedback and ideas.

About Keith Schacht

Keith Schacht is an entrepreneur, engineer, and investor focused on building products for children. He was previously the CEO and co-founder of Mystery Science, the most widely used science curriculum in U.S. elementary schools. He’s now the CEO and co-founder of The Explanation Company, building internet tools for children. He’s an active angel investor and a board member of Higher Ground.

Podcast Credits