Pop and Play
A podcast from the Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University about play and pop culture. Professors Haeny Yoon and Nathan Holbert talk with educators, parents and kids about how they play in their work and their lives, and why play and pop culture matter.
The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speaker to whom they are attributed. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, administration, staff or Trustees either of Teachers College or of Columbia University.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 56
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
The Impacts of Cutting Federal Funding For Research (Pop Off)
Nathan and Haeny are back for another Pop Off about recent cuts to funding for federal research. And they brought in a special guest: Vice Dean for Digital Innovation at Teachers College, Managing Di…
What’s Poppin’ at the End of the World: A Story Episode
Haeny and Nathan aren’t just here to talk about children’s media - in this season finale, they’re here to MAKE children’s media! Welcome to a fictional tale of what happens after the end of the world…
What Are Kids Watching? (With Kids!)
What kinds of shows and media are kids into these days? Haeny and Nathan go straight to the source to find out: kids, of course! Their guests this week are three pairs of kids aged six, eleven, and s…
Centering Play in Children’s Media with Teletubbies Co-creator Andy Davenport
Haeny and Nathan welcome to the show Andy Davenport, one of the creators of the hit children’s show Teletubbies. Find out about the origins of the show, the inspiration behind the teletubbies themsel…
Children as Creative Collaborators with Story Pirates
In this episode, Haeny and Nathan talk with two of the creators of the award-winning kids and family podcast Story Pirates! Co-founder and Creative Director Lee Overtree and Co-founder and CEO Jamie …
How Children’s Media Is Changing
This season is all about exploring children’s media, and this week Haeny and Nathan talk with Emily Reardon, Emmy Award-winning and patents-holding designer specializing in the development of emergen…
What if the Games We Play Exclude You?
Haeny and Nathan welcome Aaron Trammell, Associate Professor of Informatics at UC Irvine. He has recently published two books on play: Repairing Play, A Black Phenomenology, and The Privilege of Play…
Can the Arts Save Education?
Join Haeny and Nathan in talking to Erica Halverson, professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, host of the podcast Arts Educators Save the World, and author of H…
How Does Fandom Shape Our Lives and Politics?
In this episode, Haeny and Nathan go bonkers about fandom with Henry Jenkins, Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts, and Education at the University of Southern California, a…
Making a TV Show as a Family with EcoLeaders
Join Haeny and Nathan in talking to the makers of EcoLeaders, a TV series that’s part of BronxNet Television and available on Youtube that uses puppetry to explore collective responses to environment…
He-Man and Pop Culture Representation with Anne Haas Dyson (Re-release)
Season 5 of Pop and Play is releasing next Tuesday, March 11! Since this upcoming season is focusing on children’s media, we’re releasing some past episodes where we’ve talked about children’s media!…
Pop Off: Curriculum Is Everywhere with Curriculum Encounters
This week, Nathan and Haeny sit down with Dr. Jacqueline Simmons and Dr. Sarah Gerth van den Berg of the Black Paint Curriculum Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University to talk about their new po…
Season 5 on Children’s Media Coming March 11!
This March 11th, another season of Pop and Play is about to roll into your podcast feeds! This season, Haeny and Nathan are exploring children’s media. By talking with game designers, performers, art…
FAQs from Adults about Kids’ Play and Pop Culture
As researchers of kids’ play and pop culture, Haeny and Nathan have a few frequently asked questions they get from adults. These include, how much screen time is okay (if any)? How do I design or ass…
Pop Off: Goodbye 2024! New(ish) Year’s Bonus Episode
We’re back with a new annual tradition(?)! It’s our New Year’s bonus episode - and it’s still January so the year is still new! Nathan and Haeny talk about some of their favorite pop culture topics f…
Pop Off: Offering Hope about Gun Violence Research with Sonali Rajan
Gun Violence research and hope might not usually sound like they go together, but this week’s special Pop Off guest, Teachers College Professor Sonali Rajan, is here to share progress made in this of…
Pop Off: Why Are We Hearing So Much about “Parents’ Rights?"
This week, Nathan and Haeny are talking about “parents’ rights.” Having rights sounds great, but what do people mean when they talk about “parents’ rights”? How is that phrase used in service of the …
Pop Off: Is It Okay to Play in Difficult Times?
Sometimes we hear “it’s not the time for that” when it comes to play or diving into pop culture in difficult times. When times are hard, we might feel guilty about doing things that seem frivolous. B…
Future Dreaming with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas and Oluwaseun (Olu) Animashaun (Re-release)
This week, we’re going all the way back to season one with “Future Dreaming”. In this episode Haeny talks about speculative fiction and creative reimagining with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Olu Animashau…
Pop Off: Special Halloween Bonus!
It’s Halloween! Haeny and Nathan are here to frighten and delight you with some Halloween opinions in a just-for-fun holiday “Pop Off”! Do you have takes on costumes, candy, and scary movies? Follow …