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Artificial Intelligence: Real Talk: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Matt Karabinos
Eli Davis, a special educator, teacher leader, and Ph.D. candidate, hosts discussions on the transformative power of AI in education. Bringing together a variety of voices who are doing the work in classrooms, you'll hear how AI can be a thought partner rather than a crutch and gain insights on navigating bias and leveraging AI to improve outcomes for all.
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- Sep 30, 20261h 4m
Expertise in the Age of AI
In this episode, Matthew sits down with Merissa Sadler-Holder, founder of Teaching with Machines and the person he credits as a catalyst in his career. They dig into what it really takes to bring AI into schools—from building student-facing AI literacy curricula to navigating the resistance, fear, and identity shifts educators face. Along the way, they explore AI as a mirror of what we value, why we're shifting from paying for time to paying for expertise, and how teachers with zero coding experience are building interactive games in minutes. It's a conversation about curiosity, change management, and why your expertise matters more now—not less.In this conversation:The critical distinction between AI literacy and AI fluency—and why students are skipping the foundationHow Merissa co-designed an AI curriculum with students at an alternative ed school (and what happened when lessons completely flopped)A historical analogy that reframes the entire AI-and-creativity debateWhy a consulting client pushed back on paying full price when AI made the work faster—and what that means for the future of your expertiseTeachers vibe coding interactive games on day one with zero prior trainingA 45-minute parking lot conversation that reveals what AI resistance is really aboutVideo Chapters:0:00 — Introduction & Meeting Merissa2:49 — Teaching with Machines Today3:55 — AI Literacy vs. AI Fluency6:17 — Social Media Lessons & Critical Thinking9:41 — Building an AI Curriculum with Students20:38 — AI, Art, and Creativity27:06 — Paying for Expertise, Not Just Time29:09 — Vibe Coding & Empowering Teachers32:23 — Light Bulb Moments39:11 — Navigating Change & Resisting Optimization50:48 — Closing Thoughts & What's NextConnect with us: Merissa Sadler-Holder (LinkedIn)Matthew Karabinos (LinkedIn)Teaching with Machines - Introduction & Meeting Merissa - Teaching with Machines Today - AI Literacy vs. AI Fluency - Social Media Lessons & Critical Thinking - Building an AI Curriculum with Students - AI, Art, and Creativity - Paying for Expertise, Not Just Time - Vibe Coding & Empowering Teachers - Light Bulb Moments - Navigating Change & Resisting Optimization - Closing Thoughts & What's Next We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
- Aug 25, 202658 min
Why Teachers Don't Need to be the Expert in the Classroom with Stewart Brown
Matt sits down with Stewart Brown, from Code for Kids (c4k.io), to dig into why so many schools are unprepared to teach AI literacy and computer science—and what it actually takes to build a foundation that sticks. From debunking the myth that CS doesn't belong in every district to rethinking what "expert in the room" even means for teachers, this conversation goes way deeper than tech tools. It's about curiosity, vulnerability, and what gets lost when we let AI do too much of the thinking for us. Timestamps: 2:43 | The real gap in K-8 schools: why computer science often doesn't exist as a real subject15:12 | Stewart's no-BS way of explaining AI: "It's a machine brain."18:07 | Matthew's viral hallucination analogy — what your breakfast 20 years ago has to do with AI19:38 | Unpacking "future-ready education" — and why it's more than a buzzword21:54 | The mindset shift every teacher needs before stepping into an AI-driven classroom30:56 | A college classroom story that changed how Matthew thinks about teaching35:09 | How Code for Kids actually started — an origin story with a wild twist40:23 | What happens to classroom engagement when teachers admit they don't know everything47:48 | Stewart gets curious: the big open questions driving his work51:49 | The one thing about AI that fascinates (and unsettles) everyone in the field57:28 | Where to find Stewart and Code for Kids We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
- Jul 25, 20261h 3m
The Education System is 100% Dead. Here's What Comes Next... ft. Amirah Cummings
What if curiosity, not content, is the most important skill we can teach kids? In this episode of Real Talk: The Curiosity Connection, host Matt Karabinos sits down with Amirah Cummings, founder of KIO (Kids in Orbit), to explore how AI is unlimiting education, why the traditional school system is 100% obsolete, and what it truly means to become a self-driven learner.Amirah is a former software engineer turned educator whose work spans multilingual Montessori schooling, mission-based learning, and an entire ecosystem designed to turn kids into "Kionauts"—curious, compassionate explorers of Earth and the cosmos. At a time when AI is "making learning infinite" and "unlimiting" students' potential, the real mission of education comes into question. Listen to the whole episode for some memorable hot takes about education and what we can do instead. In this episode, you'll learn:Why curiosity disappears around 3rd grade, and what we can do about itHow AI makes learning infinite (and what that really means for classrooms)Why Amirah believes the traditional education system is 100% deadThe difference between motivated learners and self-driven learnersHow mission-based learning replaces outdated standards and metricsWhy millennials are uniquely positioned to lead the future of educationWhat "the new literacy" really looks like in an AI-powered worldHow to develop curiosity in kids — and adults — starting with one question: "Why?"Connect with Amirah Cummings:Amirah Cummings's LinkedInKIO LearningKionautConnect with Matt & the Show:Show: AI Real Talk: The Curiosity ConnectionMatt Karabinos' LinkedIn - Introduction - KIO: Kids in Orbit - The Origin of KIO - AI and Infinite Learning - Rethinking Education - Amirah's Personal Journey - Student-Centered Learning & AI - The Future of Education & AI - Developing Curiosity - Closing: What Are You Most Curious About? We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
- Jul 25, 202620 min
ISTE 2026: Start a Conversation, Not an Accusation with Mike Lawrence
In this episode recorded at ISTE 2026, Jethro Jones talks with Mike Lawrence. Mike shares how his school district built a culture of AI transparency using disclosure badges instead of bans, why teachers need to model the same openness they expect from students, and what's next as schools cautiously explore AI agents. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
- Jul 18, 202645 min
Doan Winkel: Building Friction, Autonomy, and Design with AI
Building Friction, Autonomy, and Design with AI | Doan WinkelWhat if the best thing AI can do for students is refuse to help them? Matt sits down with entrepreneur and educator Doan Winkel to dig into why "helpful AI" might be the worst thing to happen to learning and what to do instead.In this episode:The philosophy behind AI Friction Labs and why deliberately frustrating students might be the most effective teaching tool yetWhy Doan thinks the "easy button" problem isn't really an AI problemThe ungrading experiment that revealed something startling: students aren't cheating at teachers. Teachers never even cross their minds.How one small prompt change turned a skeptical lawyer into an AI evangelist overnightWhy the most resistant person in the room might be exactly who you need on your AI committeeThe inertia problem: education hasn't fundamentally changed in decades. Will AI finally be the thing that breaks it?Doan's take on student autonomy, and the uncomfortable question he ends with that has no clean answerChapters:0:00 Introduction & Guest Welcome1:04 What Is AI Friction Labs?5:01 The Sparring Partner Concept & Mike Kentz5:43 Student Autonomy vs. the Easy Button7:39 The Ungrading Experiment & AI Cheating Reality14:54 Teacher Risk-Taking & Finding the Opening15:56 AI in Rural Schools & Learning from Others' Mistakes25:08 Designing Learning Experiences with AI31:55 Bandwidth, Training & Building Champions41:02 Curiosities: Breaking the Inertia of Education44:33 Outro & Where to Find DoanFind Doan:LinkedIn Newsletter: How to Teach AI on Substack (free, weekly, practical)Website: doanwinkel.com - Introduction & Guest Welcome - What Is AI Friction Labs? - The Sparring Partner Concept & Mike Kentz - Student Autonomy vs. Easy Button AI - The Ungrading Experiment & AI Cheating Reality - Teacher Risk-Taking & Finding the Opening - AI in Rural Schools & Watching Others Learn from Mistakes - Designing Learning Experiences with AI - Bandwidth, Training & Building Champions - Curiosities: Breaking the Inertia of Education - Outro & Where to Find Doan We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
- Jul 10, 20261h 9m
Pathologically Uncurious About AI ft. Jake Rupp
Jake Rupp teaches AP Lang and public speaking, and he built his TikTok following by breaking down rhetoric in bite-sized lessons. In this episode we get into what voice actually means, why AI-written text is so easy to spot, and why Jake has decided AI has no place in his classroom at all.Jake grades without points. He built a feedback and revision system years before AI showed up, and students are still using AI to write their own reflections on their own AI-generated work. That single fact reshapes the whole conversation. We talk about a student who told him flat out she wasn't thinking about getting caught; she just needed the assignment done. We talk about the curse of knowledge and why group work and presentations fail when we assign them without ever teaching them. And we talk about whether early AI exposure builds better judgment later or just moves the desensitization earlier.This one gets a little heated, a lot honest, and ends with Jake handing me one of the best lines I've recorded on this show.Find Jake on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and beyond!Connect with Matt on LinkedIn!Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction2:00 Jake's background teaching rhetoric and how his TikTok lessons grew out of the classroom21:00 AI and student voice, the cognitive offload problem24:00 The student who said "I wasn't thinking about you at all"30:00 Jake's gradeless classroom and why it hasn't stopped AI misuse36:00 The curse of knowledge and why we assign skills we never teach41:00 Tech giants, AI in schools, and the shift from preference to reliance50:00 The doctor question, and proving what you actually know56:00 Gen Z, work ethic, and whether AI anxiety is about something else1:01:00 Student disgust at AI generated feedback and Jake's non-negotiables1:05:00 Being curious about the future, without AI1:07:00 Wrap-up and where to find Jake We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
- Jul 5, 202655 min
Being a Cautious Advocate with Dr. Alfonso Mendoza Jr.
What does it mean to be a "cautious advocate" in the age of AI?In this episode of Artificial Intelligence Real Talk, host Matthew sits down with Dr. Alfonso Mendoza Jr. ("Dr. Fonz"), educator, ed-tech veteran, and host of the My EdTech Life podcast, for a wide-ranging and deeply honest conversation about what it really means to bring technology into classrooms with intention.Dr. Fonz brings over a decade of experience as a digital learning coordinator, a doctoral perspective on data and ed tech policy, and a refreshing willingness to pump the brakes when everyone else is flooring it. Together, Matt and Dr. Fonz dig into the lessons learned from the early days of generative AI hype, the growing tech backlash, and what cautious advocacy actually looks like in practice.In this episode, you'll hear:How a term coined by Dr. Nneka McGee ("cautious advocate") changed the way both hosts approach AI in educationWhy the hype cycle of blockchain, NFTs, and Web3 shaped Dr. Mendoza's skepticism about generative AIWhat "data rentiership" means and why it should make every educator pause before adopting a free toolThe difference between substitution and genuine transformation in classroom technology useWhy professional development for teachers is underfunded, rushed, and often set up to failHow looking at teaching through a marketing lens can help educators actually reach every learnerReal strategies for bite-sized, flexible professional learning that actually works ("PD in Your PJs," choice boards, micro-modules)Why students with IEPs, 504 plans, and multilingual learners are most at risk when schools cut their tech stacksWhat the future of higher education might look like as generative AI challenges the value of a degreeWhat are you most curious about when it comes to AI and the future of education?Connect with Dr. Fonz: MyEdTechLife podcastLinkedInTimestamps0:00 — Introduction & Guest Welcome0:59 — The "Cautious Advocate" — How Dr. Mendoza Approaches AI & EdTech Hype11:14 — Tech Backlash, Screen Time & What We Owe Kids21:45 — Student-Centered Learning & What Real EdTech Use Looks Like24:43 — Teacher Training, Professional Development & the Time Problem36:20 — AI Policy, Stakeholder Voice & the AI Readiness Audit1:07:51 — What Are You Curious About? The Future of Higher Ed & AI - Introduction & Guest Welcome - The Cautious Advocate: Lessons from EdTech Hype - Tech Backlash & Screen Time - Student-Centered Learning & EdTech in Practice - Teacher Training & Professional Development - The Future: Higher Ed & AI Curiosity We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
- Jun 24, 202628 min
Aaron Makelky on AI Scouts, Snow Globes, & Building vs. Consuming
Matt Karabinos sits down with Aaron Makelky—former history teacher turned Community & Developer Relations Manager at Descript—to explore the wild, humbling, and often hilarious journey of discovering AI. From a student showing Aaron ChatGPT after a Thanksgiving break to both men leaving the classroom within a month of each other, this episode is a real conversation between two educators who went all-in on AI before it was mainstream. They dig into the "tech lash" in schools, Aaron's powerful "snow globe" analogy for how schools operate, why every staff needs AI scouts, how they're raising AI-literate kids at home, and what vibe coding is really unlocking for everyday people. After this episode, you should be asking yourself, "are you consuming, or are you building?"Timestamped Show Notes0:00 — Intro: How Matt & Aaron Met — A LinkedIn DM friendship and parallel paths out of teaching2:56 — Aaron's AI Origin Story — A student shows Aaron ChatGPT after Thanksgiving break; he's never the same11:59 — From Classroom to Dev Relations — Aaron describes his new role teaching creators and developers instead of students14:08 — The Snow Globe: Schools & AI — Aaron's analogy for how schools operate in isolation and why that's a problem16:01 — AI, Cheating & Classroom Conversations — Why students are confused about AI cheating rules and what we should be teaching instead16:22 — Raising AI-Literate Kids — Aaron's 8-year-old wants an AI agent; the Ozzy Osbourne AI fact-check lesson; his son as the classroom's AI scout20:15 — Vibe Coding & Building Things — Aaron vibe codes a full summer routine tracking app from handwritten notes in one hour23:58 — Consuming vs. Building: The Final Takeaway — AI puts everyone in one of two categories; which one do you want to be in? We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
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About Artificial Intelligence: Real Talk
Eli Davis, a special educator, teacher leader, and Ph.D. candidate, hosts discussions on the transformative power of AI in education. Bringing together a variety of voices who are doing the work in classrooms, you'll hear how AI can be a thought partner rather than a crutch and gain insights on navigating bias and leveraging AI to improve outcomes for all.
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