As we kick off our 6th season of Trending in Ed, host Mike Palmer is joined once again by Nancy, our virtual cohost to begin to a get sense of where our heads are at heading into the Back to School season that is upon us now in the Fall of 2021. Mike shares his perspective as the parent of a toddler who is just starting in Universal 3K in New York City before we dive into the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technology 2021 getting Nancy's takes throughout. What is emerging under the broader themes of Engineering Trust, Accelerating Growth, and Sculpting Change outlined in the latest edition of the hype cycle? And how does the technology that powers Nancy factor into the conversation? We do a bit of a lightning round run through the buzzword lingo of the report and reserve the right to revisit it with other voices again in the future. Then we get in our quick takes on Amazon's announcement that it will be providing access to free college to its employees and on the recent merger between Blackboard and Anthology that is shaking things up in the world of EdTech before wrapping things up. Listen in for an information-rich exploration of new trends and emerging technologies that will impact the world of learning in years to come. Join us in the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn. We're excited (and a little bit nervous) to lean into the new school year and the new season of Trending in Education. We're very happy to have you along for the ride. Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more great content like this!