#21 Bringing Nature to Life with Karin Davidson-Taylor

Show Notes

Dive into the captivating world of live virtual learning with our latest episode featuring Karin Davidson-Taylor, a seasoned School Programs Officer at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario. With her rich background of over 17 years in teaching, Karin has transformed RBG into a hub for interactive virtual learning, reaching audiences across North America and beyond.

In this episode, Karin shares her inspiring journey and the golden moments of using live video in education. She tackles the persistent challenges of distance learning and reveals how she makes the wonders of plants come alive on screen.

Explore how Karin balances in-studio with garden programs, and discover her unique approach to customizing content for diverse international standards. Delve into the art of making plants exciting over live video and learn about her innovative use of document cameras to zoom in on the natural world.

We also discuss the importance of plants in our daily lives, their role in the environment, and how Karin addresses the common belief that nature is best learned outdoors.

Key Takeaways:

• The art of maintaining learner engagement through smooth transitions and a well-thought-out flow in virtual programs.
• The importance of creating connections and transitions between topics in virtual learning.
• Insights into the benefits of collaborations with other content providers in enhancing educational experiences.
• The significance of reflection and evaluation in continuously improving virtual learning programs.

Join us for this enlightening conversation with Karin Davidson-Taylor and gain valuable insights into the world of live virtual learning, where nature meets technology in the most engaging ways.

Guest Links:
See Royal Botanical Gardens' amazing Live Virtual Programs: https://www.rbg.ca/things-to-do/courses-camps-programs/virtual-field-trips/

Host Links:
Browse amazing virtual learning opportunities at CILC.org

Seth's  Banyan Global Learning prepares students for real life with live virtual learning experiences in Character Education: banyangloballearning.com

Creators and Guests

Host

Allyson Mitchell

SF

Host

Seth Fleischauer

TM

Host

Tami Moehring

What is Why Distance Learning??

Why Distance Learning? is a podcast about the decisions, design choices, and assumptions that determine whether live virtual learning becomes shallow and transactional—or meaningful, relational, and effective at scale.

The show is designed for education leaders, instructional designers, and system-level practitioners responsible for adopting, scaling, and sustaining virtual, hybrid, and online learning models. Each episode examines the structural conditions under which distance learning actually works—and the predictable reasons it fails when it doesn’t.

Through conversations with researchers, experienced practitioners, and field-shaping leaders, Why Distance Learning? translates research, field evidence, and lived experience into decision-relevant insight. Episodes surface real tradeoffs, near-failures, and hard-won lessons, equipping listeners with clear framing and language they can use to explain, defend, or redesign distance learning models in real organizational contexts.

Hosted by Seth Fleischauer of Banyan Global Learning, and Allyson Mitchell and Tami Moehring of the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, the podcast challenges outdated narratives about distance learning and explores what becomes possible when live virtual education is designed intentionally, human-centered, and grounded in evidence.