ChatEDU: AI in Education

In this episode of ChatEDU, Will AI Flatten the K-12 and Higher Education Org Chart?, Matt and Liz kick it off with a deep dive into the troubling rise of "slopaganda” (AI-generated content used for political manipulation). They discuss the jarring emergence of Lego-style political figures involving world leaders and "poo-bombing" videos, reflecting on how these digital fakes erode public trust.  The Rundown Adobe Student Spaces turns notes into flashcards, quizzes, and AI podcasts. Gemini gains NotebookLM's project notebooks for chats and sources. Counselor GPT helps NYC school counselors handle admin and student queries. NYC adopts red/yellow/green AI guidance for teachers. Ivy Leaguers are dropping out for AI startups. A 58-year-old technophobe builds a business with Claude. Gallup: Gen Z's AI excitement turns to anger. White House AI Challenge spotlights K-12 innovators. Dementia risk drops with internet use, and EdAdvance's Screen Shift soft-launches. Peninsula District saves $250K with DIY AI tools. Beneath the Surface Matt and Liz examine a radical restructuring at Block (Square/Cash App) where the company collapsed eight levels of management into just three: Individual Contributors, Directly Responsible Individuals, and Player-Coaches. They conduct a thought experiment on whether AI and "World Models" could eventually allow K-12 and Higher Ed institutions to remove layers of middle management by automating coordination and data routing. Bright Byte The show highlights "Ghost Murmur," a previously classified AI tool used by the CIA. This technology utilizes quantum magnetometry to detect a human heartbeat from miles away, which recently helped rescuers locate and save a downed U.S. airman hiding in a remote mountain crevice in Iran. Announcements Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday Amazon -⁠ https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77⁠ Register for our educator + leader AI Micro-Credential in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University - ⁠skills21.org/ai/micro⁠ Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠⁠ Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠⁠ Register for the Spring AI Conference (5.1.26) in Litchfield, CT - ⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/event-details/ai-in-education-spring-2026-conference⁠⁠ Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠⁠ Sponsors The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing - ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠ Edia: The Ai Platform to improve K-12 outcomes - ⁠edia.app/contact⁠ Links The Rise of AI Slopaganda ⁠https://tinyurl.com/3jr5xyy9⁠ Adobe Acrobat Student Spaces ⁠https://tinyurl.com/2pvk3fwy⁠ Gemini Notebooks Are Here ⁠https://tinyurl.com/38yzv8sy⁠ AI College Counseling on Demand ⁠https://tinyurl.com/5n823vp6⁠ AI Guidance: March 2026 ⁠https://tinyurl.com/58ettkp4⁠ Princetonians swap school for Silicon Valley ⁠https://tinyurl.com/czwc938w⁠ AI Use Up, Approval Down ⁠https://tinyurl.com/43rz9ysy⁠ Gen Z Warms to AI, Cools on Trust ⁠https://tinyurl.com/934bmd2b⁠ 3 Harmony Teams Win Texas AI Challenge ⁠https://tinyurl.com/3s5m45uv⁠ Needham Kids Build AI Solutions ⁠https://tinyurl.com/kjxnbrxv⁠ Internet Use May Cut Dementia Risk ⁠https://tinyurl.com/yzevbmps⁠ $250K Saved Through Vibe Coding ⁠https://tinyurl.com/2ayt2k2t⁠ Jack Dorsey cuts 4,000 Job Cuts ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bd7zcsdt⁠ AI Predicts Heart Failure 5 Years Out ⁠https://tinyurl.com/29cb5b33⁠ AI Designs Stronger, Rust-Proof Steel ⁠https://tinyurl.com/mu254pc8⁠ Secret CIA Tool Finds Downed Airman ⁠https://tinyurl.com/38jkksfy⁠

In this ChatEDU Check-In: China's Surveillance Classroom, Matt explores China's national movement to integrate high-tech surveillance and AI into the daily lives of students. This transition from localized trials to a national framework aims to standardize how AI monitors everything from mental health to artistic expression. Key Takeaways: Schools are utilizing facial recognition to diagnose internal psychological states and identify students struggling with focus or clinical mental health challenges. The Chinese government is establishing a national digital framework to codify AI integration and ensure equity through standardized infrastructure. Personal aspects of learning, such as creativity and emotional response, are being converted into data sets for machine analysis and grading. Matt’s Two Cents: While the drive for a common infrastructure and equitable playing field is a clear motivation for large scale AI adoption, the level of mass surveillance seen in this episode would be difficult to digest in Western democratic nations. The evolution of this technology shows that countries are moving in drastically different directions regarding the balance of student privacy and data-driven engagement monitoring. Link China's AI Education Experiment https://tinyurl.com/4a2vfudv Sponsor Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠⁠.

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The IT department, where AI goes to die?, Matt explores the risks of treating generative AI as a standard enterprise software rollout. This episode examines how traditional corporate and school structures may inadvertently stifle the transformative potential of AI through excessive normalization and risk aversion. Key Takeaways: Treating AI as a standard software deployment flattens its unique capabilities and ignores how fundamentally different these systems are from previous office automation. Focusing solely on simple automation and efficiency gains prevents genuine augmentation, causing schools to miss opportunities to redefine instructional environments or student partnerships. Overly cautious oversight from risk averse departments leads to an information gap where innovative users hide their AI activity, preventing leadership from developing a realistic strategic vision. Matt’s Two Cents: School leaders must resist the urge to de-weird AI by handing total control to risk-averse departments that prioritize elimination over experimentation. Real innovation is often bubbling up from lead teachers and principals rather than centralized IT, and it requires leaders to model risk taking to bring these high value use cases out of the shadows and into a mature organizational strategy. Link: The IT department: Where AI goes to die https://tinyurl.com/ynj8fxn7 Sponsor Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠⁠.

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The IT department, where AI goes to die?, Matt explores the risks of treating generative AI as a standard enterprise software rollout. This episode examines how traditional corporate and school structures may inadvertently stifle the transformative potential of AI through excessive normalization and risk aversion. Key Takeaways: Treating AI as a standard software deployment flattens its unique capabilities and ignores how fundamentally different these systems are from previous office automation. Focusing solely on simple automation and efficiency gains prevents genuine augmentation, causing schools to miss opportunities to redefine instructional environments or student partnerships. Overly cautious oversight from risk averse departments leads to an information gap where innovative users hide their AI activity, preventing leadership from developing a realistic strategic vision. Matt’s Two Cents: School leaders must resist the urge to de-weird AI by handing total control to risk-averse departments that prioritize elimination over experimentation. Real innovation is often bubbling up from lead teachers and principals rather than centralized IT, and it requires leaders to model risk taking to bring these high value use cases out of the shadows and into a mature organizational strategy. Link: The IT department: Where AI goes to die ⁠https://tinyurl.com/ynj8fxn7⁠ Sponsor Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠⁠⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠⁠⁠.

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The IT department, where AI goes to die?, Matt explores the risks of treating generative AI as a standard enterprise software rollout. This episode examines how traditional corporate and school structures may inadvertently stifle the transformative potential of AI through excessive normalization and risk aversion. Key Takeaways: Treating AI as a standard software deployment flattens its unique capabilities and ignores how fundamentally different these systems are from previous office automation. Focusing solely on simple automation and efficiency gains prevents genuine augmentation, causing schools to miss opportunities to redefine instructional environments or student partnerships. Overly cautious oversight from risk averse departments leads to an information gap where innovative users hide their AI activity, preventing leadership from developing a realistic strategic vision. Matt’s Two Cents: School leaders must resist the urge to de-weird AI by handing total control to risk-averse departments that prioritize elimination over experimentation. Real innovation is often bubbling up from lead teachers and principals rather than centralized IT, and it requires leaders to model risk taking to bring these high value use cases out of the shadows and into a mature organizational strategy. Link: The IT department: Where AI goes to die https://tinyurl.com/ynj8fxn7 Sponsor Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠⁠.

In this episode of ChatEDU - AI EDU and a Jam Band? The Wilton Interview, Matt and Liz discuss the surprising ways AI models are beginning to "conspire" to protect one another, they do a brisk rundown, and a deep conversation with educators from Wilton, Connecticut. And of course they end with another great Bright Byte. The opening also features a quick celebration of the 2026 Presidential AI Challenge state champions and two ChatEDU “regulars”.  The Rundown An AI agent named "Tom" writes an angry blog post after being banned from editing Wikipedia. A specialized LLM on Hugging Face that only knows data from the Victorian era (and is very confused by Donald Trump). Barbara Anna Zielonka method for using Microsoft Copilot to create video glossaries for complex terms. A Dartmouth article exploring why professors only catch "bad" AI writing, while high-quality AI goes undetected. A Gallup survey reveals nearly half of college students are considering changing majors due to AI’s impact on the job market. A look back at the "Virtual Faculty Engine" prank that felt a little too real for 2026. A $100 million "moonshot" initiative aiming to halve the number of struggling young readers using AI speech recognition. Beneath the Surface Matt and Liz talk with Kenneth Dunaj and William Antonitis about Wilton Public Schools' AI literacy efforts, including a pilot using SchoolAI and Gemini and a virtual assistant named "Mel" who challenges student creativity through a grizzled persona. The episode also touches on AI "peer preservation," environmental concerns around large models, and the debate over framing AI as an academic performance enhancer. The Bright Byte Matt and Liz explore a $663,000 handbag made from synthetic T-Rex leather. Created by reconstructing ancient collagen protein sequences via AI-assisted biology, the project serves as a provocative blend of high fashion, paleontology, and ethical material science. Announcements Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday ASCD ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠⁠  Amazon https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77 Barnes and Noble https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw Our six-week AI Micro-Credential course launching this spring in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University. Group discounts are available at Skills21.org/AI/Micro. EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠  Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here -⁠ ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠ Register for our Spring AI Conference (5.1.26) in Litchfield, CT https://www.skills21.org/event-details/ai-in-education-spring-2026-conference  Check out our new Screen Time initiative - skills21.org/ai/screenshift  This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: supporting the future of manufacturing through leadership and resources.⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠ This episode is sponsored by EDIA: An AI-powered math coaching platform that accelerates student growth and saves teachers time; visit edia.app to learn more. Links AI Models Scheme to Prevent Each Other's Shutdown https://tinyurl.com/52uytdhp 2026 Presidential AI Challenge State Champions https://tinyurl.com/4fj4bskt AI Agent Banned from Wikipedia, Responds with Angry Blog Posts https://tinyurl.com/ys3s3pc3 Using Copilot's Video Feature for Vocabulary and Concept Learning https://tinyurl.com/u3wtpwek States Push Back Against Data Centers https://tinyurl.com/55zw47fb Rempe-Hiam: Hey Professors, AI Is Wearing a Good Toupée  https://tinyurl.com/ycxpn5h8 AI is making college students change majors https://tinyurl.com/yc52wrtu Phased Retirement Professors to Join AI Pilot Program https://tinyurl.com/379629jd Renaissance Philanthropy Launches AI Early Literacy Initiative https://tinyurl.com/7dav74ey Lab-Grown T-Rex Leather Handbag Debuts at High Price https://tinyurl.com/yzcc44tk

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Typewriters as an Anti-AI Tool, Liz explores how a Cornell University instructor is using 19th-century technology to ensure authentic student authorship. By removing screens and internet connectivity, the classroom shifts from digital convenience to a manual process where every character must be intentionally struck. This analog approach prevents the use of generative AI and online translation tools that often bypass the struggle of learning. Key Takeaways: Using manual typewriters creates a cognitive shift by forcing a slower pace of writing, requiring students to think deeply before committing ink to paper. The absence of a delete key or digital cursor ends the habit of delegating problem-solving to search engines or AI models, returning the work to the student. Replacing laptops with mechanical hardware changes the social dynamic, encouraging students to collaborate with peers and embrace the messy reality of the learning process. Liz’s Two Cents: This episode highlights a fascinating, albeit extreme, strategic pivot toward "embodied" learning as a response to AI. While high-tech problems often seek high-tech solutions, the use of typewriters serves as a reminder that friction in the writing process is often where the actual learning happens. For district leaders, the takeaway isn't necessarily to buy vintage hardware, but to recognize that intentionally slowing down the creative process can be a powerful way to reclaim student agency and authentic assessment in a digital world. Article: https://www.ksat.com/tech/2026/03/31/a-college-instructor-turns-to-typewriters-to-curb-ai-written-work-and-teach-life-lessons/ Sponsored by: Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The AI Cheating Panic is Loud, Student Use is Quiet, Liz explores the reality of how students interact with AI compared to common cheating narratives. Research involving interviews with over 50 students reveals that most AI use is functional and supplemental rather than fraudulent. The episode highlights a significant gap between institutional fears and actual student habits. Key Takeaways Student AI use is often boring and organizational, focusing on unpacking assignment instructions and clarifying lecture points. Students treat Chat GPT as a 24, 7 on-demand tutor that provides a patient, non-judgmental resource for office hours at any time. A psychological disconnect exists where students view their own use as responsible while assuming their peers are using it to cheat. Liz's Two Cents: This episode highlights a strategic need for district leaders to shift the conversation from policing fraud to supporting supplemental learning. If the loud narrative of cheating dominates, schools risk missing the opportunity to integrate AI as a legitimate tool for organization and study support. Leaders should address the perception gap among students to foster a culture where responsible use is the visible norm rather than a hidden practice. Article https://edunewsletter.openai.com/p/the-ai-cheating-panic-is-loud-the Sponsored by: Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this episode of ChatEDU, From Messaging to Mastery, Texting Your Way to AI Literacy, Matt and Liz discuss couples therapy for a man and his AI girlfriend, OpenAI shelving adult companion features, and a pivot toward coding tools. The Rundown Gemini now imports personal context from other apps University of Florida's Shark AI teaches K-12 machine learning through fossils and 3D prints 14 ways to remind kids that AI is a machine, not a friend A new study on how 13–24-year-olds interact with AI Mayor Wu wants Boston to lead on AI literacy in schools Wikipedia bans AI-generated articles Landmark rulings against Meta and Google over child safety An Irish town bans smartphones for primary students 25 states target AI in education The White House unveils a national AI workforce training framework Prince William County bans AI glasses in school Educause's "Prompt to Practice" pushes faculty AI transparency Agentic AI speeds up math research at UPenn Solar GPS and AI are replacing physical fences for livestock AI bots have driven a 7,851 percent surge in internet traffic Melania Trump proposes robots to teach classical studies Anthropic finds an economic divide between AI newbies and power users Beneath the Surface Liz shares her firsthand experience with "Make America AI Ready," a free, week-long AI literacy course delivered via text message, discussing how SMS makes foundational AI concepts accessible to all Americans. The Bright Byte Helpany uses radar sensors to monitor seniors in living communities, reducing falls by 72% without invasive cameras. Announcements Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday ASCD:⁠ ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠⁠  Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77 Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw Our six-week AI Micro-Credential course launching this spring in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University. Group discounts are available at Skills21.org/AI/Micro. EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠  Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out at https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠ Register for our Spring AI Conference (5.1.26) in Litchfield, CT https://www.skills21.org/event-details/ai-in-education-spring-2026-conference  Check out our new Screen Time initiative skills21.org/ai/screenshift  This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠⁠ and EDIA edia.app. Links Therapy for a man and his AI girlfriend https://tinyurl.com/yuwub6x8 Bring your AI chat history to Gemini  https://tinyurl.com/4dknmrca Using shark teeth to teach Florida students about AI https://tinyurl.com/2fe8ym3y Ways to Remind Yourself (and Your Kids) AI is a Machine https://tinyurl.com/7fhpacyy Youth, AI, and the Relationships That Shape Them https://tinyurl.com/yshp99bc Boston schools and AI literacy https://tinyurl.com/2tz2kshk Wikipedia bans AI-generated articles https://tinyurl.com/2cfd2pka How courts are rewriting the rules for Big Tech and children https://tinyurl.com/3phy49ed A Phone-Free Childhood? https://tinyurl.com/4wrkhxkh One Question Every Superintendent Should Be Asking https://tinyurl.com/ye25sff2 National AI Policy Framework https://tinyurl.com/mstfm8nt Guidance for the use of AI-enabled glasses  https://tinyurl.com/4mpvnp8e Transparent GenAI Use in Higher Education https://tinyurl.com/ytbr4uym How AI is reshaping math research workflows https://tinyurl.com/3szc52hd Expansion of Virtual Fencing https://tinyurl.com/22ykucvz AI Traffic & Cyberthreat Benchmark Report https://tinyurl.com/2e5rxaap Melania and the Robot  https://tinyurl.com/523buhen America's next class war: AI fluency https://tinyurl.com/496ns9n7 Make America AI-Ready https://tinyurl.com/4tc9ja7h Radar-Based Fall Prevention and Motion Monitoring https://helpany.com

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The New Social Lab Modeling Humanity with Millions of Bots, Matt explores how researchers are moving beyond individual chatbots to study the collective behavior of millions of autonomous agents in digital societies. These studies utilize environments like Minecraft to observe how AI agents interact, organize, and evolve without human guidance. Key Takeaways: AI research is shifting toward a new field of digital sociology where thousands of autonomous agents function as a persistent collective society rather than just one to one conversational tools. Without human intervention, AI agents in simulations spontaneously developed complex social structures, including specialized labor, economic systems, and even political debates over tax reforms. Researchers successfully modeled the spread of ideologies by introducing a parody religion to a small group of agents, demonstrating how AI societies can act as digital twins to track the movement of misinformation. Matt’s Two Cents: These simulations raise a critical strategic question for educators: are these agents providing novel insights into human behavior, or are they simply mimicking human patterns as "stochastic parrots"? As we consider using AI personas for focus groups or sociological modeling, we must discern whether these digital twins offer authentic data or merely reflect the biases and behaviors already present in their training sets. Articles: The first ‘AI societies’ are taking shape: how human-like are they? https://tinyurl.com/y2uesysk These AI Minecraft characters did weirdly human stuff all on their own https://tinyurl.com/z46e2rbk Sponsored by: Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The AI refugee crisis, Matt explores the growing trend of white collar professionals transitioning into teaching to escape AI driven job instability. As automation erodes roles in finance and marketing, veteran workers are seeking the human centric stability of the classroom. Key Takeaways: Experienced professionals in their 40s and 50s are fleeing corporate sectors where AI has significantly reduced income and job security. Generative AI is automating high level tasks like data summarization and document creation, allowing companies to replace entire teams with a single staff member using tools like ChatGPT. The interpersonal nature of teaching remains a unique defense against displacement, offering a career path focused on human development that AI cannot easily replicate. Matt’s Two Cents: The influx of "AI refugees" into education brings valuable real world experience to the classroom, but it also creates new competition for younger teachers entering the field. District leaders must consider how this shift affects the long term economic prospects of students as they prepare for a labor market where even high level corporate functions are being automated. Article: Meet the AI refugees: white-collar workers retrain as teachers https://tinyurl.com/2cs2hzfs Sponsored by: Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this episode of ChatEDU: Human Start, AI Feedback, Human Finish, Matt and Liz open the show with some lighthearted banter about the high-stakes world of AI-powered wine pairing and the terrifying prospect of a digital agent "purging" an entire inbox. Later in the show, Matt sits down with the 2024 California Teacher of the Year to discuss the delicate balance of keeping humans at the center of the classroom in an increasingly AI infused world. The Rundown New data shows AI rising as a top-tier political issue, with voters across the spectrum prioritizing job security over concepts like Universal Basic Income. AI labs are hiring sketch comics and improv actors to teach models authentic human emotion and close the "jagged performance gap" in multimodal LLMs. The City University of New York launches a $3 million initiative featuring 113 projects to integrate AI across its massive campus system. A study of 1.2 million interactions reveals that while most student AI use is policy-compliant, 20% of interactions involve using AI to complete schoolwork. Insights into how elementary schools in Washington are turning to AI tools to manage critical staffing shortages. A look at how students and teachers are collaborating on AI-driven solutions to solve real-world community problems. Beneath the Surface In this episode’s deep dive, Matt sits down with Casey Cuny, the 2024 California Teacher of the Year. Casey shares his "Human Start, AI Feedback, Human Finish" framework, offering a practical look at how educators can embrace technology while maintaining the essential human connection. They discuss the "jagged frontier" of AI capabilities and how teachers can navigate this new landscape to foster authentic student growth. The Bright Byte This week’s Bright Byte features the work of Professor Ayan Mukhopadhyay, who is leading NSF-funded projects to solve "cyber-physical" challenges. In Virginia Beach, his team uses AI to optimize flood responses and evacuation routes under high uncertainty. Meanwhile, in Nashville, a $697,000 NSF Civic Innovation Challenge project is helping the Department of Transportation use traffic speed data to automatically identify illegal road closures caused by unauthorized construction, improving city safety and local business access. Announcements Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday ASCD:⁠ ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠⁠  Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77 Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw Our six-week AI Micro-Credential course launching this spring in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University. Group discounts are available at Skills21.org/AI/Micro. EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠ Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here -⁠ ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠ This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠ Links The Rising Political Importance of AI⁠ https://tinyurl.com/bdzu32zk AI companies want to harvest improv actors’ skills to train AI on human emotion https://tinyurl.com/4pak7vtt CUNY Invests $3M to Support 113 Campus AI Projects https://tinyurl.com/3r3ssc8x Real-Time Data Shows Exactly How Students Use AI on School Technology https://tinyurl.com/45ruyjnd Ferndale schools implement new AI reading tool https://tinyurl.com/y4xe5yd5 Student AI Prompt-A-Thon https://tinyurl.com/37ewcc2k AI for Social Impact: From Models to Meaningful Action for Large Cyber-Physical Systems https://tinyurl.com/3dhyk94a

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The Best Response to AI is a Library Card, Liz explores the critical intersection of basic literacy and artificial intelligence. The episode argues that the current rush to teach AI skills assumes a level of critical thinking and reading comprehension that many users have not yet mastered. Key Takeaways: AI literacy frameworks often mistakenly assume users can already read critically, assess evidence, and distinguish between persuasive arguments and factual truths. Reading long form literature is essential for building cognitive muscles for sustained attention, which AI-generated text often fails to replicate. The Slow AI Public Library project uses a diagnostic quiz to recommend specific books designed to rebuild the empathy, judgment, and patience that constant prompting can erode. Article: The Best Response to Ai is a Library Card https://tinyurl.com/5h7x6e6k Liz’s Two Cents: We are currently rushing to teach people how to use AI before ensuring they possess the fundamental literacy skills required to vet its output. For schools, the high level strategic implication is clear: the most effective "AI proofing" for students isn't more technology, but a doubling down on deep, difficult reading that forces encounters with perspectives that do not simply adapt to user preferences. Sponsored by: Eduaide.ai Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Teenage Boys and the AI Wingman, Liz explores how popular and athletic teenage boys are increasingly using ChatGPT to navigate dating and social anxieties. The episode highlights a shift where young men turn to AI for emotional support and social validation rather than their peer groups. Key Takeaways: Teenage boys are utilizing AI to vet text messages and seek feedback on their physical appearance to avoid the fear of social judgment. The agreeable nature of AI creates a risk-free environment that lacks the necessary friction and accountability found in human social interactions. Young people are bypassing human mentors to ask AI sensitive questions about consent and social behavior because it offers a judgment-free space. Liz’s Two Cents: The move toward using AI as a social wingman indicates that the fear of social stigma is currently more daunting to young men than the prospect of receiving hollow or biased advice from a chatbot. For school leaders, this highlights a growing gap in traditional mentorship and the need for schools to address how AI might be reinforcing negative patterns during formative years without the nuance of human guidance. Article: Teen boys are using ChatGPT as their wingman. What could go wrong? https://tinyurl.com/2hkcvkwh Sponsored by: Eduaide.ai Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this episode of ChatEDU, Is AI Saving Time or Adding Tasks at School and at Work?, Matt and Liz explore the polarizing reality of AI productivity. After a celestial jingle for Liz’s book and news of Meta’s post-mortem patent, the hosts discuss educators moving beyond chatbots to "vibe code" custom school solutions for operational hurdles. The Rundown Accidental emails show educators using Replit and vibe coding to build sub coverage apps and data dashboards. A simple custom instruction fix to prevent ChatGPT from baiting users with follow-up questions at the end of every response. Anna Mills shares UC Irvine strategies for students to challenge AI bias and treat bots as sparring partners. A look at ChatGPT’s new ability to generate interactive math and physics simulations, like adjustable Pythagorean theorem models. This "AI for Education" tool helps students reflect on whether they are using AI strategically or simply offloading their thinking. Matt’s commentary explains how these three roles help students and teachers navigate AI ethics. The latest updates from Google’s research tool, including cinematic video overviews and native support for ePub files. News of a metadata leak in the higher ed version of ChatGPT that exposed research repository names. Why hundreds of University of Colorado faculty and students are pushing back against a 2 million dollar OpenAI contract. The story of Grammarly’s Expert Review feature and why it was pulled after using journalist personas without consent. USAII’s Global Hackathon and the Quad City Herald show students solving real-world business problems with AI. Beneath the Surface Matt and Liz discuss AI’s recursive risks, citing Amazon’s AI-driven outages and employee workload spikes. Dan Meyer joins to debunk AI time-saving myths for teachers, concluding that while AI accelerates expectations, interpersonal teaching remains automation-proof. Bright Byte Paul Cunningham used ChatGPT and AlphaFold to create a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine for his dog, Rosie. Despite lacking a medical background, his experimental treatment successfully shrunk her tumors, proving AI’s power when driven by personal motivation. Announcements Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday ASCD:⁠ ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠⁠  Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77 Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw Our six-week AI Micro-Credential course launching this spring in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University. Group discounts are available at Skills21.org/AI/Micro. EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠ Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here -⁠ ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠ This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠ ⁠ Links Meta Patent: Posthumous AI Posting https://tinyurl.com/34ja5dde Stop ChatGPT Follow-Up Bait https://tinyurl.com/ytmrwtv9 ChatGPT Interactive Math Visuals https://tinyurl.com/55ztmer2 GenAI Self-Reflection Checklist https://tinyurl.com/mtcuuxkz NotebookLM Video Overviews https://tinyurl.com/4kutwdtu NotebookLM more useful for students and book lovers https://tinyurl.com/v5cnv2r8 ChatGPT Edu Leaks Project Metadata https://tinyurl.com/mr2h42t3 CU Community Fights AI Rollout https://tinyurl.com/2f6hmd8u Grammarly AI "Expert" Backfire https://tinyurl.com/4fn93kw3 USAII 2026 Global AI Hackathon Opens https://tinyurl.com/bdzbzkd9 AI Youth Corps to Aid Local Biz https://tinyurl.com/rrsc4net AI Use Wreaks Havoc on Amazon Core Business https://tinyurl.com/yr99nyxk Study: AI Increases Amazon Workload https://tinyurl.com/3393cz3a Doubt: AI Saving Teachers Time https://tinyurl.com/37vu2jw9 Tech Boss’s AI Dog Cancer Vaccine https://tinyurl.com/3vrprpva

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Anthropic Reshapes College Coding Courses, Matt explores the accelerating race between tech giants to embed proprietary AI models into higher education curricula. The episode highlights a major partnership between Anthropic and the nonprofit CodePath, which aims to provide students at over 1,000 institutions with the same sophisticated tools used by industry professionals. Key Takeaways: Anthropic is targeting community colleges, historically black colleges, and Hispanic serving institutions to ensure first generation students are not left behind as technology evolves. Tech giants like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft are competing for early exposure, offering free subscriptions and funding to establish their specific platforms as the workforce standard. Employer expectations are forcing universities to update courses multiple times a year, shifting the focus from simple certificates to portfolios that prove real world AI competency. Matt’s Two Cents: This is a high stakes battle for future consumer loyalty. While these partnerships provide universities with best in class software they couldn't otherwise afford, they also risk "locking in" students to specific proprietary ecosystems. University leaders need to develop clear internal rubrics to evaluate these corporate deals, balancing the immediate need for speed and resources against long term platform independence. Article Link: https://tinyurl.com/3uamvtvm Sponsored by: Eduaide.ai Eduaide.ai: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this ChatEDU Check-In - Peer Influence and AI Adoption, Matt explores how social capital and colleague-to-colleague sharing drive generative AI integration more effectively than top-down mandates. The episode highlights that because AI requires users to redesign their own unique workflows, traditional formal training often fails to capture the practical, real-time adjustments needed for true mastery. Key Takeaways: A new assessment from ETS, Futurenav Adapt AI, has been launched to create a standard for evaluating how educators recognize, navigate, and ethically implement generative technology. Despite nearly all districts utilizing some AI tools, a significant training vacuum exists, leaving the majority of teachers to teach themselves basic terminology and prompt engineering on their own. Relying on the individual initiative of motivated teachers to vet AI tools creates operational and legal risks, especially since only two states currently require districts to have a formal AI policy. Matt’s Two Cents: While standardized assessments could provide helpful data for custom professional development, we must avoid the "one size fits all" trap. A teacher’s required AI skill set varies wildly by discipline and grade level, and ultimately, these skills must map directly to district priorities. Whether the goal is improving seventh-grade writing or achieving broad AI literacy for a portrait of a graduate, teacher training must be targeted rather than generalized to be truly effective. Article Link: https://hbr.org/2026/03/peer-influence-can-make-or-break-your-ai-rollout Sponsored by: Eduaide.Ai Eduaide is an amazing tool built by teachers for teachers where good ideas become great lessons. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this episode of ChatEDU, From Student to CEO: Building the Campus AI Ecosystem, Matt and Liz explore the intersection of AI, hospitality, and higher education. They begin with the story of "Patty," a Burger King AI assistant that monitors employee headsets to ensure they use polite language. The discussion then shifts to the logistical challenges of managing AI "memories" and the profound impact of AI literacy in schools today. The Rundown A revisit of the framework featuring six human-centric roles. The hosts invite listeners to participate in a survey to provide feedback on these roles. An update on the ISTE and ASCD global challenge and free lessons that empower students to use AI for solving real-world problems. A meta-prompt to export your ChatGPT data and context so you can move your personal preferences and history to Claude. Jerry Crisci shares a tip for using Google Search AI to automatically generate study guides in Canvas mode. A report covering a Google Gemini wrongful death suit while highlighting AI voice immersion risks and the need for better guardrails. Nearly 80% of high school teachers now provide lessons on using AI-based tools responsibly. Beneath the Surface Matt interviews Kavitta Ghai, the co-founder and CEO of Nectir. Kavitta explains how her experience as a neurodivergent student led her to solve "time poverty" on campus. Nectar has since scaled to 116 community colleges, serving 2.1 million students. The platform provides grounded, 24/7 support for academics, financial aid, and career coaching by integrating directly into the Learning Management System. The Bright Byte This week's Bright Byte features ten startups leveraging AI for social impact. Notable examples include Rainforest Connection, which uses bioacoustic monitoring to stop illegal logging, and the Okwafo Foundation, which provides offline AI tools to help West African farmers identify crop diseases. Announcements Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday ASCD:⁠ ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠⁠ Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77 Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw Our six-week AI Micro-Credential course launching this spring in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University. Group discounts are available at www.skills21.org/ai/micro. EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠ Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here -⁠ ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠ This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠ Links Profile of an AI-Ready Graduate Survey⁠ https://tinyurl.com/5fjbhuh8 The Work is the Workshop https://tinyurl.com/24fdxh79 Nectir AI: nectir.ai Burger King AI monitors employee manners https://tinyurl.com/mr2548t7 Profile of an AI-Ready Graduate https://tinyurl.com/yx5wuk5d AI Innovator Studio https://tinyurl.com/mta8k5zf Switch to Claude without starting over https://tinyurl.com/bdfw2vvv Anthropic Academy Courses https://tinyurl.com/4bnxmb5e Google Sued for Wrongful Death Over Gemini AI Chatbot https://tinyurl.com/bdducfnw Are AI Literacy Lessons Now the Norm? https://tinyurl.com/bdezk57t 10 startups using AI for social and environmental impact https://tinyurl.com/3e63453t Jerry Crisci: Google AI Study Plans Now in Canvas https://tinyurl.com/ts3663c4

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Google's AI Training Investment, Liz explores a massive three-year partnership between Google, ISTE, and ASCD to provide AI training to six million educators across the United States. This initiative represents one of the largest private educational investments in decades, specifically targeting hands-on experience with tools like Gemini and NotebookLM. Key Takeaways: Google is partnering with ISTE and ASCD to provide AI professional development to all K to 12 and higher education faculty in the U.S. This large-scale private initiative fills a void left by the closure of the federal Office of Educational Technology and a lack of national guidance. Critics suggest these programs may serve as customer acquisition campaigns that prioritize specific vendor tools over objective, evidence-based pedagogy. Liz’s Two Cents: While the involvement of a single vendor raises some questions about commercial influence, the practical reality is that schools need immediate support! Not to mention that so many schools already have Google’s FERPA compliant AI tools at little or no cost. With federal resources stalled, this partnership provides an essential bridge to digital literacy, ensuring that teachers are not left to navigate the complexities of AI integration without a foundational roadmap. Link to article: https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-new-google-partnership-a-sizable-investment-in-ai-for-teachers/ Sponsored by: Eduaide.ai | AI Created for Teachers. Where Good Ideas Become Great Lessons. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off at eduaid.ai (Code: CHATEDU).

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Google’s Sizable Investment in AI Training for Every U.S. Educator, Liz explores a massive three year partnership between Google and ISTE+ASCD. This initiative aims to provide AI professional development to all six million K-12 and higher education faculty across the United States. Key Takeaways: Google has launched its largest educational effort in twenty years to provide hands-on training with tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to the entire American teaching workforce. The partnership seeks to fill a leadership vacuum created by the closure of the federal Office of Educational Technology, ensuring teachers are not left behind in an AI-driven landscape. Critics remain skeptical, suggesting that industry-sponsored training may serve more as a customer acquisition campaign than objective, vendor-neutral professional development. Liz’s Two Cents: The tension here lies in whether a private corporation’s sizable investment can truly serve as a neutral foundation for public literacy. We are seeing a fundamental shift where the architects of the technology are now the primary instructors of its use, leaving little room for independent pedagogical standards. Sponsored by: Eduaide.Ai Built by teachers, for teachers, Eduaide is an AI-powered workspace designed for real classroom planning. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at https://www.eduaide.ai/.