Episodes
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Major news across the AI in education landscape has developed over the last three weeks, leading to Los Angeles Unified School District disbanding their highly public AI chatbot 'ED' and the tech firm partner Allhere.
Fonz Mendoza, founder of My Edtech Life, and I break down the news and what it means for education.
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As we close another school year, let's take a timeout on all the AI developments and think bigger picture about vital questions we need to answer if AI is going to positively impact education.
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Missing episodes?
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Is Project Based Learning The Answer for Schools in a World of AI?
I talk with Phil Alcock, who believes project based learning is the answer for schools in a world of artificial intelligence.
Phil holds multiple roles across the AI education space, expert in project based learning, and a lifelong educator. He is the founder of AIxPBL, a curriculum design consultant, an AIxED developer, and STEM teacher.
Phil walks us through the main components of project based learning, why schools struggle to implement it, how a world of AI enhances project based learning, and he shares his take on technological innovations on the horizon.
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Will AI in education lead to personalization or surveillance?
I talk with Karle Delo. Coach Karle is a lifelong educator and has held roles as a Director of Curriculum and Instruction and Tech Integration for a public school district in Michigan.
Karle and I talk about the double edge sword of AI in education. Karle also shares what the impact of AI has been in her school community, strategies for AI adoption, AI student usage, AI scams, AI detection, the role of AI education products, and much more.
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Join the conversation at theaieducationconversation.com
What does it take to create comprehensive statewide AI guidance for schools in a world where technology is rapidly evolving and stakeholders have different perspectives on what artificial intelligence is and how it should be used?
I talk with Vera Cubero, a lifelong educator and technology expert, who led the charge for artificial intelligence guidance in North Carolina schools. North Carolina is one of only a handful of states that have released guidance for schools on AI usage.
Vera walks us through what it really takes to develop comprehensive guidance for radically different school communities, AI as an arrival technology, AI detectors, authentic student work, and much more.
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How are education systems in the United Kingdom and the United States grappling with AI? How do schools and assessments need to evolve in a world of AI?I talk with David Meechan - senior lecturer in education at the University of Northampton. Join the conversation at theaieducationconversation.com
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Winston Roberts, aka the Teacher in a Suit, joins the conversation to share the BIGGEST threat to AI in Education...it is not privacy, ethics, or ai detectors.Join the conversation at theaieducationconversation.com
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My moonshot for AI in Education.
Will you build your ironman suit?
Join the conversation at TheAIEducationConversation.com
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Want to leverage the power of AI to create captivating images? Say less!This presentation explores AI image generators - what they are, how to use them to create stellar images, and some of the best use cases in education and leadership.At the end, I share my top three cheat sheets for all the verbiage you will need to make impressionable images every time!Join the conversation at theaieducationconversation.com
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Support the channel by purchasing Co-Intelligence through our supporter link here.A couple weeks ago, a notable voice in the artificial intelligence movement, Dr. Ethan Mollick, dropped a book on artificial intelligence called Co-Intelligence. Ethan Mollick is particularly known for his integrating AI into his business courses at the University of Pennsylvania; he was the first person I saw bring AI policies into his course syllabi in December 2022, when most folks had not even heard of ChatGPT yet. He has also explored AI’s broader implications through his popular Substack newsletter, "One Useful Thing", and collaborative research on AI's impact in professional settings like consulting. Though not a computer scientist, his expertise in business innovation provides a unique, non-technical perspective on AI, making complex subjects accessible and relevant.In this episode, I explore Co-Intelligence and offer my full review of Dr. Mollick’s book.
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As many users establish their routine for leveraging AI tools in education, I am noticing a pattern in many of these interactions.Most user interactions with AI are A + B responses.A user prompts chatGPT or Claude for a specific deliverable, such as a lesson plan, agenda, or summary, and once the AI tool generates it, the interaction is over.I have found myself engaging in long dialogue exchanges with ChatGPT - sometimes I may be asking for support around a specific deliverable but most of the time, I am not. Instead, I am leveraging ChatGPT and other AI tools for strategic thinking. AI has helped me think more comprehensively around plans, projects, initiatives, and other aims I may be pushing towards in the various professional roles I play. Oftentimes, strategic thinking happens with colleagues or individually by journaling or using a consultancy protocol but what happens when you introduce AI into the equation?Show notes at TheAiEducationConversation.com
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Artificial Intelligence presents amazing potential for language development and translation in the next couple years.Imagine a scenario where a Vietnamese speaking student can enter a full immersion English speaking classroom on day one with an AI translation device which seamlessly translates both languages so a student can engage in content without having to develop a full language competency.Many companies are excited by this possibility and working fervently to make it a reality. A world where technology makes communication across languages seamless and accessible. While AI technology presents the capability to make seamless translation a reality, does it come with tradeoffs? We know every language, let alone dialect, also includes cultural context, nuance, and semantics, meaning the gap for miscommunication still exists.If AI translators are adopted across the world, does it also lead to a loss of cultural competency as folks rely on AI translation rather than learning new languages - and the cultural lens which come with it?At the same time, many schools and teachers across the world are experiencing tremendous challenges in supporting multilingual learners. As our communities continue to change, there are classrooms where many different languages could be spoken - how does a teacher support all of these students? Can AI help?Tan Huynh has insight here. As a multilingual education expert who speaks six languages and an individual who has taught close to two decades in a variety of educational contexts, Tan is uniquely positioned to provide important answers to these big questions.Show notes at TheAIEducationConversation.com
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Show notes at TheAIEducationConversation.com
In the early days of this podcast, when I made the decision to put myself out there, there wasn't a massive audience of folks lining up to talk about AI or reacting to some of the episodes I was publishing. Early on though, there was a really enthusiastic Edtech podcaster with well over 150 episodes and a robust global audience who reached out to say how much he was enjoying my podcast and he invited me to come on to his podcast, My Edtech Life, as a guest.Today's episode is a full circle moment for me as I now get to switch the roles here and welcome Alfonso 'Fonz' Mendoza, founder of the My Edtech Life podcast to join our conversation.In addition to all of the learnings he's gained from talking to education and technology leaders for over 270 episodes, Fonz is an instructional software specialist for a public school district in Texas, meaning he has such a deep expertise on technology in schools and is tremendously qualified to support schools with thinking through the implementation around AI in schools.You will experience Fonz's expertise quickly - there were certain moments where I honestly felt like I was looking into a kaleidoscope where I could see a vision for an AI powered school at the end, but layers of complexity in getting there can feel overwhelming. I appreciate Fonz for breaking it down in a way that was comprehensive but digestible.
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While AI tools continue to develop in rapid fashion, guidance across school districts, states, and the federal government has pretty much remained the same.On the horizon is the biggest opportunity to inform a change in strategy, planning, or training around AI for school districts: summer planning +The in service weeks.Need a playbook and don't have the mental bandwidth right now?While the way forward may seem murky or unclear right now, I’m excited to share one school district’s playbook, maybe the best playbook I’ve seen up close and personal to date: St. Vrain Valley Schools in Colorado.Diane Lauer, Chief Academic Officer of St. Vrain Valley Schools shares so many gems for how to thoughtfully implement and talk about AI across a school district.
Join the conversation at TheAIEducationConversation.com
Show Notes
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As we kick off the busiest season of the school year mixed with some spring breaks in between, I’d like to take it lighter this week with an AI Essentials episode with tips on how to talk about and adopt AI in your organization.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to present on AI implementation and change management at Sequoia Con and I enjoyed my session time - it was filled with a virtual room full of educators, tech enthusiasts, and higher education folks from across the world and there were some great reflections on how folks had been talking and adopting AI within their own organizations.
Since the session was well received, I’m going to take a few of the biggest tips I offered in the session.
If these tips resonate and you are interested in listening to a deeper dive episode on AI implementation and change management or if you would like me to develop a plan or learning experience for your organization, reach out!
SHOWNOTES
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For many of us, using AI for the first time can feel like magic. I know I felt that way the first time I used ChatGPT a month after it was released in 2023. I was so excited by the technology and my experience engaging with artificial intelligence that I started this podcast and a learning journey. Just like a talented magician engaging in a really compelling magic trick, however, not everything is as it appears. I kept thinking about this during my conversation with Tom Mullaney. Tom is an experienced educator who’s held multiple teaching and education roles during his career. He’s recently settled in as an consultant around educational technology and publishes thoughtful media on his website.I was interested in having a conversation with Tom based on a blog post he wrote where he talked about one of the most popular AI use cases which he headlines as ‘talking to the dead’. What I mean by this is educators, schools, and organizations who have trained AI chatbots to speak in the voices of folks who may have passed, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Napoleon, or other notable figures. I appreciated Tom bringing the heat during our conversation and cautioning folks involved in education to stop racing to adopt AI and ensure we are considering the ethics, drawbacks, and implications of AI adoption in schools. All show notes and conversation takeaways available at TheAIEducationConversation.com
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While the AI boom of the last year and a half continues to be novel for many of us, there are pioneers in the field who’ve thought about AI in education for decades.
As the leader of InnovateEDU, Erin Mote, has served as a thought leader and coalition builder to leverage technology, research, and policy to catalyze transformation in education.
One such focus area of InnovateEDU has been the EDSAFE AI Alliance, which engages in multiple policy and education efforts to ensure SAFE use of AI in education.
I learned so much from Erin around the historical evolution of InnovateEDU, their current strategies and tactics around AI implementation, how she envisions transformation in education, privacy implications, and much more.
In addition to my takeaways below, I wanted to double click on an aspect of Erin’s story which resonated for me - while it can be scary to make a hard pivot in life which potentially puts you in an uncertain, uncomfortable circumstance, life is too short to not run full speed at your purpose and passion.
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Shownotes
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Are we finally at “the get on the train or be left at the station” moment?Our guest today says there’s still time: it’s okay to breathe.My SECOND conversation with Dr. Nneka McGee was a special one. In addition to being the first guest to return to our conversation, Dr. McGee is a true AI unicorn — a district leader with deep experiences in education (most recently as Chief Academic Officer of San Benito CISD in Texas) and a depth of experiences in Artificial Intelligence well beyond the ChatGPT era.Honestly, this conversation with Nneka was probably one of my favorite conversations on my journey so far — maybe it is because we are talking for the second time or because we’ve both grown tremendously in our knowledge around AI in education over the past year.Buckle your seatbelts and get ready for an hour-long doctoral level class with Dr. Nneka McGee.Register for Sequoia Con ($50 off w/ code: AIConvo)Show notes at TheAIEducationConversation.com
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Implementing AI in a large, urban school district can feel like adding one more card at the top of an already grandiose house of cards.
Can you imagine the type of pressure and considerations you would have to hold in being responsible for the whole house of cards as a school superintendent?
Beyond the sheer size of large, urban school districts, what are some of the cards they balance to get the entire ecosystem moving towards a shared vision on a daily basis?
I talk with one of Connecticut’s most innovative and beloved superintendents, Dr. Leslie Torres Rodriguez. Dr. Torres Rodriguez leads Hartford Public Schools, one of the state’s largest school districts.
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The emergence of AI has brought with it a tsunami of new AI tools and products, all which can bring efficiencies to one off tasks we engage in our daily lives.
This can be a great initial step, but the long term strategy of educational institutions cannot be to purchase 10 new AI powered products in the spirit of transforming their school.
Transforming education will require a foundational vision for the educational experience, not just an AI policy on how to use AI tools for one-off use cases.
What does this vision look like? As we begin to paint a comprehensive vision for the role of AI across education - in classrooms, offices, hallways, and backpacks across the world - what are we driving towards?
The recently named Chief AI Officer at Sacramento State, Dr. Sasha Sidorkin, aka the AI Czar, and I grapple with elements of these questions.
Shownotes
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