Throughout the country, states and districts are taking different approaches to student cell phone use. Some have implemented complete bans, while others are leaving the decision to individual schools or educators.
What I’ve learned over the past 12 years of using devices in my classroom is that while policies can help create structure, they don’t build consistent digital habits. Digital wellness has to be taught, modeled, practiced, and reflected upon.
Why tech habits matter
With so much access to technology, we need to guide students in developing good digital habits. Digital wellness involves helping students understand when technology is helpful, when it becomes draining, and how to make intentional choices that will keep them balanced and present. Cell phone bans and updated device policies have been designed to promote digital wellness in our schools.
I’ve observed that in schools with cell phone bans, students are more interactive with one another, and their socialization skills are improving. For some students, knowing where their phone is and having it close by is important, and I can relate. But I also understand the importance of disconnecting and being present in the moment, especially in our classrooms, to be more focused on learning.
I have done a variety of activities with students and educators focused on digital habits. In one of them, I focus on the “benefits” and “drains” of devices. A simple way to start is with activities that help students map their “digital day.” Ask them to list all the ways they use their phone or other devices from morning to night. Next, have them decide when the use helps learning (taking a photo of notes, defining or translating a word, keeping time, conducting research, or even recording a podcast draft) or benefits their well-being (such as tracking steps, doing meditation, or using focus apps). They then identify when it is draining (doomscrolling or game-playing; checking notifications; causing reduced energy, lack of attention, or mood changes).
Continue reading the rest of my article on Edutopia.
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, with a research focus on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
In collaboration with Delightex Edu. All opinions are my own.
Over the past 9 years, using Delightex Edu (formerly CoSpaces Edu) with my students, I have seen it continually add features that spark curiosity, boost creativity, and offer more engaging ways for students to build their knowledge. I have often said that we need to move students from consumers to creators, to innovators, and with Delightex Edu, students don’t just consume content, they create immersive worlds. Students and educators can design 3D worlds, build interactive environments, and leverage all of the options for coding and creating a more authentic and personalized product.
Delightex Edu is a highly visual, user-friendly, intuitive system that helps students develop essential skills such as collaboration, creativity, logic, problem-solving, and more that will lead to future success. These are skills that have been in demand, and they are not changing, but what is changing is the “how” students can develop these and other essential future-ready skills.
Most recently, Delightex has added AI features to its already robust platform. Artificial intelligence is not a futuristic concept. I have been speaking about augmented and virtual reality and AI for more than eight years, and these concepts are not going away. They have become part of everyday life, shaping how we work, communicate, and create.
As digital literacy evolves, students need opportunities not just to use AI, but also to understand it, question it, and use and create with it responsibly. Delightex Edu’s latest update takes what it already offers to a new level. AI enhances the creative experience, expanding what students can build while engaging them in hands-on, safe, and exciting learning opportunities.
The new AI features focus on three essential principles: smarter creation, deeper learning, and safe innovation.
AI to amplify creation and not replace student creativity
One of the most important things that I have shared with students and educators is that having the new AI features should not be thought of as a substitute for students’ own thinking and creativity. Instead, it should amplify learning while also teaching students about AI’s capabilities in a safe space, which is what matters as we help them build content skills and AI literacy.
Students are still in control and taking the lead as they create and apply their knowledge in new ways. They are still the designers, the coders, the curious learners, and the storytellers. AI is just another tool in the Delightex toolbox. They now have more opportunities to learn about prompting, how to generate images they want, and be able to develop true AI literacy alongside computational thinking skills.
AI Buddies: Bringing Worlds to Life
Whether for students or educators, Delightex Edu is so much fun to dive into and start creating with, especially with AI Buddies, which are AI-powered 3D characters that can talk, react, and express emotions through real-time animations. AI Buddies are defined by creating a short prompt and can act as guides, tutors, narrators, or characters in a story. AI Buddies make it so much fun for anyone creating with Delightex.
AI Buddies are a fun addition to any project. They respond via text and can also use expressive animations that make interactions feel more natural and believable. Students can set proximity triggers in their environment so that an AI Buddy responds automatically when someone enters a specific area of a scene. This was a game-changer because it shifted the static environment into a more responsive and immersive experience.
When I think about the possibilities and how AI buddies will amplify learning, they can help students create more engaging stories, interactive simulations, and even role-based learning. Imagine having a historical figure who can speak to students. Or a science class or a language class, with a virtual guide who can walk users through a location unique to the content. Characters in a story can respond differently depending on the choices the player makes.
These possibilities also bring some reminders. Safety, especially when it comes to AI, is critical. With Delightex Edu, teachers control student access by license, class, or each individual student. Guardrails, Content Guard, and AI History ensure that any interactions stay age-appropriate, transparent, and are reviewable by the teacher.
AI Skills: Coding and AI Literacy
When AI Buddies are added to each student’s Project, it brings their story and their world to life. With AI Skills, students can decide how the characters will act.
AI Skills enables students to design actions using visual coding and assign them to AI Buddies. Using Delightex’s CoBlocks system, AI Skills combine traditional visual logic with the use of simple prompts. Students still define conditions, test behaviors, and refine outcomes as they have been able to do, but now with AI Skills, the characters can respond in more natural ways to dialogue and intent.
When learning to code, students were programming only event-based responses, for example, “when this happens, do that.” However, now, students think about how these intelligent systems are able to interpret meaning. It can lead to great conversations in the classroom, and students or teachers can talk about questions such as:
How does a character decide what action makes sense?
What happens when prompts are unclear?
How do logic and language work together?
AI-Generated 360° Worlds Inside 3D Scenes
One of my favorite new AI features is that I can dream big and create fun prompts that generate beautiful images. Through Delightex Edu’s Skybox integration, you can generate AI-powered 360° images right inside 3D scenes. Before this feature was added, scenes were limited, but now any 3D scene can be transformed into a fully immersive 360° environment, truly expanding creative possibilities. Students can instantly generate any backdrop they can imagine for their stories, simulations, or virtual field trips. Once they create their new background, they can select from all of the options for characters, objects, and more. It boosts student engagement and promotes more experiential learning.
Why This Is Important for the Future of Learning
As I explored these recent updates, I realized they are moving us toward what digital literacy should look like in an AI-powered world.
Whether early learners, older students, or educators, everyone needs opportunities to create with AI and understand its capabilities. And, they need to be able to do so in safe environments where experimentation is encouraged, guardrails are in place, and active learning is available. Delightex Edu is a platform where AI enhances creativity, deepens understanding of new technologies, supports the acquisition of content knowledge, and prepares students for future work and learning.
Always at the forefront with great features that bring amazing learning possibilities to students, I’m looking forward to more features from Delightex. And I am excited for all students who will be able to apply their knowledge in exciting and innovative ways!
To learn more and have fun creating, visit delightex.com/edu. Explore the gallery, check out the resources, and then start your own project! Have fun learning!
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, with a research focus on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
As I reflect on 2025, it feels like a year of recalibration. I think about education, and while things were definitely moving faster, especially with AI and the changes it has brought, I feel like things are moving at a deeper level. After several years of rapid changes, disruptions, and adjustments, many educators, leaders, and systems seem to have shifted from being reactive to proactive, and, more importantly, to focusing more on reflective practices. Some questions I consider are:
What is actually working? What is overwhelming students and teachers? What does “future-ready” really mean, and is it the proper term?
In many ways, 2025 feels more like a time when education stopped trying to keep up with every new trend, took a breath, and began reclaiming its intention.
From Urgency to Intention
The past few years have required schools to operate in what I’ve heard in many conversations as a “crisis mode.” After some thought, I have seen and experienced a shift away from an overwhelming sense of urgency to accomplish everything and toward purposeful decision-making. A word that I have used a lot after reading a book by Kevin Roose called Futureproof is “discernment.” He wrote about the shift from media and digital literacy to digital discernment. I’ve seen this in my own practice as well. Educators have become more discerning about initiatives to invest in, tools to explore, and expectations to set. The question “Can we do this?” shifted to “Should we do this? And “Why?” Which then led to the “How” part.
This shift showed up in conversations around curriculum, assessment, technology use, and student well-being. Schools began reducing or being more selective rather than layering, which helped educators to adjust better to change. Leaders focused more on coherence instead of compliance. And in some conversations I had or articles I read, I noticed respectful pushback on practices that added complexity without improving learning.
I think this is why the recalibration mattered.
AI Moved From Novelty to Normal
Since artificial intelligence and all of the new tools arrived in classrooms, it was an interesting time for educators. Something novel, something cool yet scary at times I’ve been told by educators that I am training, and other times, something to be avoided at all costs. But, what I noticed this year has been a shift. A shift away from the worries about plagiarism and cheating, about the time needed to learn how to leverage AI in our work, to a focus on how to bring it into our classrooms intentionally, purposefully, responsibly. In 2025, AI in education has become more of the norm.
I have noticed a change in the reactions. Now I see more focus on:
Data privacy
Ethical use and attribution
Age-appropriate access
Skill-building over shortcut-taking. (Leaning on versus learning from)
Transparency instead of surveillance
AI has become less about “cheating” and more about helping students and others learn how to think, evaluate, and create responsibly in an AI-infused world. Educators that I have worked with in my own school, at conferences and during professional development sessions that I have provided, have been asking different questions. At first, questions focused on “How can I tell when a student has used ChatGPT?” “Why do I need to teach about AI in the elementary level, they are too young and it is too much technology?” and “How do I find the time to evaluate the tools?” and more. But now, the questions are more targeted. Some examples are “How does this tool support learning goals?” and “When does it enhance or push thinking and when does it replace it?” Questions are also asked about how to connect AI into different grade levels and content areas without it feeling like something extra. I think the key to these questions is keeping the focus on the human aspect of learning and teaching.
We need to become AI literate and help students to develop their AI literacy skills, which do not only require developing technical skills. It also involves essentially human skills such as judgment, empathy, discernment, and reflection. With so much technology, the impact on us as humans is real and brings out the importance of digital wellbeing in addition to digital citizenship.
Digital Wellness
I’ve been working on an initiative through ISTE+ASCD and Pinterest that focuses on digital wellbeing and digital citizenship, both aligned with innovation. Something that I’ve noticed in the conversations at the schools is that educators are realizing that digital citizenship alone is not enough. Conversations about constant connectivity and the cost of it have been taking place and leading to new policies and guidelines in schools.
As a result, digital wellness has emerged as a priority for all, rather than as a standalone curriculum In my work with educators, each group talked openly about:
Attention fatigue
Notification overload
Screen balance
Emotional regulation
Boundaries and agency
Cellphone bans were in place and while some saw the positives, others raised some interesting points. Rather than banning technology outright or ignoring its impact, should we instead focus on intentional use of it and guide students? Questions like “When does technology add value?” and “When should we step away?” became part of the discussions in and out of the classroom.
Focusing on the human connection
I noticed in some schools that I visited, more socialization, more connections being made between students in the classrooms. More time for colleagues to work together and with their students.
There was renewed emphasis on:
Relationships over rigid pacing
Depth over coverage
Dialogue over compliance
Reflection over reaction
Administrators that I spoke with have said they are listening more closely and trust teachers to use their professional judgment. Something else I noticed was an increase in the inclusion of student voice in conversations about learning, technology, and school culture. I have asked students for feedback for many years and value their input as it expands my understanding and helps me to better connect. In some of the schools that I have visited, common questions to students have been:
How do you learn best?
What feels supportive vs. stressful?
How does technology affect your focus and well-being?
What do you want your teachers, families, friends, to understand about your experience?
When students were invited into these conversations, the results were powerful. They wanted agency, not avoidance. They wanted guidance on balance, which could not be learned through complete bans. When students were treated as collaborators or partners in shaping their learning environments, it led to powerful learning and growing as a school community.
The Power of Reflection
I wrote about it, spoke about it, and engaged in reflection myself and with other educators. We often noted the increase in the need for reflection, especially in our field that is constantly changing.
Some areas that I considered:
What I kept doing out of habit
What I needed to let go of for sustainability
What truly mattered in my classroom
What I needed to do to make a difference
Was I involving my students in decisions
What kind of educator I wanted to be
Reflection shouldn’t be about perfection, at least not in my mind. I see it as a way to focus on continued growth, clarity, and purpose in my work.
Some things that I learned in 2025
I had many opportunities to learn and share my learning with others. I provided some keynotes and a lot of training and working with educators from around the world. When I tried to gather my thoughts about innovation, effective technology use, digital wellness, student voice and agency, and reflection, I came to some conclusions…at least as of today. But I will continue to reflect.
Innovation without intention leads to exhaustion.
Technology must serve learning, not dominate it.
Wellness is foundational to continued growth.
Students are capable of thoughtful insight when involved in the conversation.
Reflection is a powerful driver of meaningful change.
Education does not become easier with each passing year but I do find that the conversations become more transparent and honest.
As I close the year on blogs for 2025, I leave you with some questions to consider, that I have considered myself:
Looking Back
What was one moment in 2025 when teaching or learning felt especially meaningful for you? Why?
What was draining or unsustainable this year as opposed to other years?
What practice, tool, or expectation did you decide to let go of, and why?
Technology & Learning 4. Where did technology genuinely support learning this year? How? 5. Where did it lead to distraction, add extra pressure, or increase overload?
Well-being 6. When did you feel most balanced as an educator this year? What contributed to your balance? 7. What helped you to decide when something was “too much”?
You might even choose to engage in conversations with colleagues or a PLC for even more opportunities to learn and connect.
As we move forward into 2026, we must continue to design learning experiences that are human-centered, values-driven, and always reflective. If 2025 could offer advice, it might be to Slow down in order to choose well.
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, with a research focus on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
Education is evolving faster than ever. Artificial intelligence, personalized learning, and competency-based models are transforming the way educators determine the most effective ways to prepare students for the future. Even with so many options available, in my own experience and for others, the same curriculum may be used each year, in more of a one-size-fits-all format, rather than reflecting the diversity, creativity, and individual needs of our students today.
Each student brings their unique abilities, background experiences, and identities into the classroom. To continue engaging and empowering students in learning, educators need tools that provide robust options and possibilities. We need tools that help us design learning that is relevant, inclusive, and connected. An extra bonus is finding tools that save time, allowing us to spend more time with students.
I have enjoyed using Curriculum Genie, developed by Learning Genie. This innovative platform helps educators transition from traditional instruction to personalized and UDL-aligned learning, supporting the whole learner and also the competencies outlined in the Portrait of a Graduate.
Why Curriculum Needs An Update
A standardized curriculum was initially developed to promote fairness, ensuring that all students had access to the same information. But equal content doesn’t mean equitable learning. If lessons are not adjusted to meet student needs and are not more personalized, then they will fail to:
Reflect students’ local cultures or communities, and authentic learning is lost.
Connect abstract concepts to real-world experiences, reducing comprehension.
Maintain student engagement when lessons feel irrelevant or disconnected.
As educators, we know the need for personalization, but creating differentiated lessons can be time-consuming and, at times, even overwhelming, as we worry about meeting each learner’s needs. Curriculum Genie removes that barrier by making relevance, accessibility, and inclusion achievable and in a platform that is easy to navigate and user-friendly.
Curriculum Genie: AI Meets Authentic Learning
Curriculum Genie is not just another planning tool—it’s an AI-powered educational design partner. It helps teachers build or adapt a curriculum that authentically and meaningfully connects to students’ needs and experiences.
✨ Key Features
1. Location-Based Unit Generation
Educators can select a location (state, city, or region), and generate unit planners tailored to that specific place in no time at all. The examples, activities, and cultural connections align with the local environment, which makes the lessons more authentic and relatable.
2. AI Lesson Assistant
Teachers can:
Create new lessons in a short amount of time that reflect a specific location or cultural context.
Transform existing lessons without rewriting them from scratch.
Have a thought partner to build out a truly impactful lesson for students.
This flexibility empowers teachers to make any lesson more meaningful while saving hours of preparation time. The time saved can then be spent with students and colleagues, continuing to learn and grow together.
Generates interactive slides!
3. UDL-Embedded Supports
Curriculum Genie doesn’t just create lessons; it also aligns them with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, helping educators plan for accessibility and inclusion from the start. UDL is a focus area for many educators, and making sure to provide the right supports and activities is key. Curriculum Genie helps with this. Why UDL?
UDL ensures multiple means of:
Engagement: Connecting to student interests and motivation.
Representation: Presenting information in diverse ways (visual, auditory, tactile).
Action & Expression: Giving students options to show what they know.
For example, when designing a science lesson, Curriculum Genie might suggest hands-on experiments, visual diagrams, or video explanations to make sure that every learner can engage and succeed. For my STEAM course, I can create robust lessons focused on digital citizenship and wellness or other important topics that boost student engagement and make truly interactive lessons to amplify learning. How? Curriculum Genie provides all of the resources that I need to make a lesson successful, meaningful, and personalized to my students.
4. IEP and ELL Integration Supporting diverse learners is a key aspect of Curriculum Genie’s design. It automatically weaves strategies for students with IEPs and English Language Learners, helping educators to build their instructional practices, too.
5. Portrait of a Graduate Alignment
Many districts are focusing on the Portrait of a Graduate, and also, Portrait of an AI Graduate, which outline the essential skills our students need to be successful in the future. They develop skills such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, and global citizenship.
Curriculum Genie helps educators design lessons that cultivate these competencies through:
Real-world, problem-based learning grounded in local and global contexts.
Collaborative and inquiry-driven activities that foster communication and creativity.
Culturally responsive projects that honor diverse perspectives and promote empathy.
Using Curriculum Genie enables educators to connect academic standards with the Portrait of a Graduate competencies, which ensures that students learn more than the content; it helps them to build the mindset and skills needed for their future.
They also offer FREE K-12 Lessons on AI Literacy!
Free AI Literacy Courses for K–12 Educators
Another great feature offered by Learning Genie is that it provides free AI Literacy Courses for K–12 educators.
The courses are self-paced and help teachers and school leaders:
Understand how AI works and how it’s shaping learning.
Explore classroom-ready strategies for AI integration.
Learn to design lessons that teach students to think critically about AI.
The future of learning depends on our ability as educators to make education more personal, purposeful, and powerful. Curriculum Genie offers guidance that helps educators move beyond traditional and one-size-fits-all instruction to learning that is inclusive, authentic, and future-focused.
More than just a platform with limited capabilities, through its integration of AI, UDL, Portrait of a Graduate competencies, plus the great and free AI literacy courses, Curriculum Genie supports educators with the tools to make it a reality.
If you’re looking for a new platform that will save you hours of time by addressing many important areas, then I definitely recommend that you dive into Learning Genie and explore creating with Curriculum Genie. I have been amazed at how quickly it creates, how responsive it is, and the quality of resources and materials that it shares for teachers.
Learn more and request a demo at https://www.learning-genie.com/
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
“Where are you with AI today—curious, testing, using weekly, or all in?”
That’s how we opened our recent panel on AI literacy for educators. Whether you feel energized, overwhelmed, or skeptical, you’re not alone, and that’s exactly why having conversations around AI and how to bring it into our schools matters.
Why AI Literacy, Why Now?
I enjoyed the opportunity to serve as the panelist for this great discussion about AI Literacy. We had so much engagement from attendees from more than 25 countries around the world!
The panelists engaged in rich discussion and offered insight into our role as educators and how we can help our students and ourselves better understand: What do we need to be doing when AI-powered tools surround us?” How does learning change?
Literacy isn’t about knowing how to navigate AI platforms, but rather it is about habits of mind. Asking better questions, evaluating outputs, knowing how to evaluate sources, understanding the limitations of AI, and aligning use with learning goals, ethics, and policy. AI is something that we need to consider and how it is involved in our planning, teaching, assessment, and reflection. And being able to determine whether something is real or not, something that I thought more about after reading the book Futureproof, by Kevin Roos, two years ago. Shifting from digital literacy to discernment is key.
The Skepticism Is Real (and Reasonable)
We started our discussion with what we called initial skepticism. Many teachers are hesitant to introduce AI into their classrooms, schools, or even their own workflows. As Jeff Bradbury put it:
“There are educators out there trying to figure this out, but they are not yet sure how to do it. There are educators out there who are scared. And then you have educators on the other side of the innovation curve… How do you work with all of those at the same time?”
He continued: “That question hits home. In every district I visit, I meet the AI All-Ins, the Cautious Curious, and the Not-Now crowd. Suppose this is your staff, good, because having discussions with educators who have these different viewpoints is key. It means you have internal mentors and internal skeptics—the two groups you need most to build something responsible and resilient, especially when the topic is AI”.
Some ideas shared: Start with a common language or practices. Define “AI literacy” and what that means. Identify how to best use AI (lesson planning, differentiation, feedback drafting) and some ways where you want to avoid the use of AI or be more cautious (grading without verification, sensitive data, replacing teacher judgment). Establishing clear guardrails reduces anxiety and helps to ensure that AI implementation in our schools is consistent and purposeful.
The “Aha” That Changes Everything: Specificity
Jeff told a story about a colleague—a music teacher—who tried AI “seven or eight different ways” to create a budget and concluded, “I hate this thing.” The pivot came with one question: “Were you specific?” Did he tell the AI it was for a middle school music program? The approximate budget? The categories? The constraints?
“You didn’t fail eight ways,” Jeff said. “You found eight ways the system didn’t have enough to listen to you.”
The quality of your prompt is not about clever “hacks”—it’s about context, criteria, and constraints.
Prompting is a pedagogy: We are modeling for students how to ask precise questions, set criteria, and iterate. That is AI literacy.
Meet Teachers Where They Are
Rick Gaston and Courtney Morgan from Kira emphasized a simple, human truth: people learn faster when they feel safe and seen.
“We like to meet teachers where they’re at to help them begin with AI,” Rick said. “Start with lesson content they’re comfortable with and have them experience how quickly AI can provide new ideas in that content area.”
“We believe in learning by doing,” Courtney added. “We facilitate that process so teachers can experience that our AI tools can be their teaching buddies.”
I love that phrase: teaching buddies. Not a shortcut. An assistant or collaborator who drafts, riffs, and reframes so that educators can focus on the human aspects of teaching, such as relationships, feedback, and instructional decision-making.
Time: The Gift Teachers Actually Feel
Jeff’s coaching mantra resonated with the chat: “What is the one thing I can give you that no one else can? Time.” When AI saves a teacher 30 minutes tonight, their stance moves from skeptical to curious. When it saves them three hours before conferences, they become advocates.
Concrete time-savers that build trust:
Parent emails: Draft a positive progress update with two examples of growth and one specific next step—translated into Spanish and English.
Rubric remix: Convert a long analytic rubric into a student-friendly checklist; add “I can” statements.
Formative checks: Generate two exit tickets (one multiple-choice, one open-ended) targeting the same standard; include an answer key/rubric slice.
When teachers see the time they can save and then shift to students or colleague interactions, they’re more willing to explore deeper integrations of AI into their practice.
Additional insights from participants (courtesy of Kira)
About Kira
Kira is an AI-powered teaching & learning platform built to save teachers time, personalize instruction, and keep teachers in control.
During the panel discussion, attendees had the chance to learn more about the platform and the AI Tutor. “This is just a quick preview of the Kira platform,” said Courtney, “and why we keep mentioning the built-in AI Tutor we’re really proud of.”
At its core, the AI Tutor is designed to coach, rather than simply provide answers. Students can highlight any passage and ask a question, or simply discuss it directly with the tutor. “You’re going to see me try to make it solve the problem for me,” Courtney joked, “but it won’t. Instead, it walks you through highly scaffolded steps.” That means support questions, targeted hints, and extra practice. The Tutor will work at nudging learners toward the how and why, not just the what. You can adjust the support level and reading level per student. It never gives direct answers and provides context-aware, course-specific feedback.
The AI Tutor is subject-agnostic and works across K–12 courses, math included. It’s available to both teachers and students, and it’s been a game-changer for first-time teachers who lean on it to deepen their own understanding while teaching. The message is clear: AI as a teaching buddy, not a replacement.
Differentiation is built in. Teachers can adjust the tutor’s level of support if students are over-relying on it, or increase it for learners who need more targeted assistance, including those with IEPs or language-learning needs. The goal is precision teaching: the right help, to the right student, at the right moment.
Getting started is easy. Kira offers ready-to-use courses, including AI Demystified for students, answering the big questions, “What is AI? What is it doing? How do I use it responsibly?”—and AI 101 for Educators, which builds teacher AI literacy. Looking to be part of a learning community?
Join the upcoming AI 101 for Educators cohort starting in October. Learn more and express your interest here! It is a short, self-paced PD (about 2 hours) for any subject area that builds confidence using AI in real classrooms.
It will cover:
What is AI, and what AI tools are helpful for educators?
How can I teach my students to use AI responsibly?
How can I use AI tools to enhance my students’ critical thinking?
How can I reduce risks and maximize the benefits of using AI in the classroom?
Once you fill out the form, the team at Kira will follow up with more details.
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “AI is coming for your job,” you’re not alone. That may be true in some professions. But when I hear it applied to education, I think back to 2020–2021, when the world learned from kitchen tables and bedroom desks. We all saw, in real time, how irreplaceable teachers are, and the immense value they bring to millions of students every day.
Will AI replace teachers? Not from what I can see. Will it help them reach more students and raise achievement for all learners while saving them time on the backend? Absolutely.
Time Saved is Time Invested in Students
What do teachers want? MORE TIME! When do they want it? NOW!
Ask any teacher what they wish they had more of (besides a higher salary), and the answer is almost always the same: time. Time to prepare lessons, to modify materials for all learners, to provide meaningful feedback, to take a full 30-minute lunch break, and actually enjoy it.
U.S. teachers work an average of 53 hours per week, far beyond their contracted hours. Much of that time is consumed by planning, grading, paperwork, and administrative tasks, exactly the kind of work that pulls teachers away from direct interaction with students. It’s such a recognized problem that the New Jersey Department of Education created a grant program called Expanding Innovations in Teacher Climate and Culture, with the sole goal of finding ways to reduce these burdens.
The world of AI is evolving daily, with new tools designed to take these repetitive tasks off teachers’ plates. AI can generate draft lesson plans, create differentiated practice questions in seconds, summarize student performance data into actionable insights, and even draft parent emails. Teachers who use AI at least once a week report saving an average of 5.9 hours each week, adding up to the equivalent of six full weeks over a standard 37.4-week school year.
Take the math teacher who went from spending 90 minutes a week creating Do Now and Closure Google Forms for her three different preps to crafting them in under 10 minutes, letting the AI do the heavy lifting while she simply reviewed, edited, and published. This saved time not only allowed her to do more with less, it also helped alleviate the burnout that comes from teaching multiple preps day in and day out, all while trying to differentiate and create high-quality materials for every learner. AI gives teachers more time both in and outside the classroom, helping restore the work–life balance that’s so hard to maintain during the school year and providing the breathing room they need to give their all to their students.
Turning Time Saved Into Better Learning
AI can save teachers time, but what can that time be used for (besides taking a breath)? For most of us, it means redirecting energy into the parts of teaching that made us want to pursue this profession in the first place: connecting with our students and helping them grow academically.
Differentiation
Every classroom has students with different readiness levels, language needs, and learning preferences. AI tools like Diffit or MagicSchool can instantly create multiple versions of a passage or assignment, differentiated by grade level, complexity, or language. This allows every student to engage with the same core concept, moving together as one cohesive class. Instead of spending an evening retyping and rephrasing, teachers can review and tweak AI drafts in minutes, ready for the next lesson.
Feedback
Timely, specific feedback drives learning but can easily consume hours of a teacher’s time. AI tools such as FeedbackFruits or Rooted Learning can summarize student work or auto-grade Google Forms and release feedback instantly. Teachers can then refine and personalize those comments, giving students actionable guidance while avoiding burnout.
Relationship Building
Extra time also means more one-on-one moments with students and far fewer late nights creating instructional materials for the next day. Will this also mean less coffee consumption? That’s up for debate.
AI isn’t just saving time, it’s giving teachers the capacity to teach better, connect more deeply, and respond to students’ needs in ways that matter most.
Guardrails for Responsible AI Use
AI is making headlines in every industry, but it’s important to remember that not every tool is created equal, and not every use is risk-free. When evaluating AI tools, pay close attention to your students’ data privacy. Many of these tools request student names, work samples, or other information that could violate FERPA or district policies. Always review the privacy policy before moving forward with a tool.
Accuracy is another factor. AI can and does make mistakes, so it’s essential to review the work before sharing it with students. AI is a great starting point, but the final product always needs a teacher’s eyes.
AI is here to stay, and it has the ability to remove time drains, expand access to differentiated materials, and give teachers the time they need to get back to what matters most, their students. It’s not about replacing teachers, it’s about giving them more room to thrive.
About Matt
Matt Mawn, EdD, is the founder of Rooted Learning, an AI-powered platform that generates standards-aligned, differentiated assessments in minutes. He has over 13 years in K–12 leadership, higher education, and edtech. Connect with him on X or visitRooted Learning.
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
As we head into a new school year, there’s always a familiar pattern—new schedules, maybe new students, seating charts, lesson planning, and so much more. We all have our usual back-to-school routines, but what if instead we took some time to learn more about our students and brought in opportunities that will prepare them with essential skills they’ll need for the future?
In our classrooms, we are teaching the next generation of creators, innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders. As the world continues to evolve rapidly, largely shaped by AI and other emerging technologies, our methods and maybe even our approach to education may need to be adjusted
Here are a few practical, engaging ways to kick off a new school year that will help students build future-ready or future-focused skills.
1. Foster Curiosity with a Future-Forward Inquiry Project
One of my favorite ways to begin the year is with a “What If…” inquiry activity. Present an open-ended question to students:
What if school took place in the metaverse?
What if every job used AI in some way?
What if we had to solve global problems using only local resources?
Then give students an opportunity to explore and discuss. They can brainstorm, sketch ideas, conduct research, or even collaborate in small groups. An activity like this will not only spark creativity and critical thinking, but it’s also a great way to gather insight into their interests, comfort level with tech, and their ability to think in different ways.
Bonus: You can ask this same question later in the year to compare or even to use it as a focus for a full project or assessment to see how their thinking has evolved.
2. Practice Communication Skills
Our students need to be able to communicate clearly across digital platforms, cultural contexts, and group dynamics. Early in the year, try giving students a prompt like:
“What would you want the world to know about your generation?”
Have them respond however they choose, whether sharing out loud, creating a short video, an infographic, or even a podcast clip. Another way to boost communication is by making time for a gallery walk or student showcase. Getting students to share their ideas and discuss them with one another is great for building the classroom community.
It also builds media literacy, student confidence, and fosters collaboration. And another benefit is that for us as educators, we have truly authentic artifacts of student voice and that helps students to feel that their work is more meaningful and valued in our classrooms.
3. Use AI Tools to Teach Digital Literacy and Responsibility
I have long been saying that whether we’re ready or not, we have to be willing to embrace the changes in technology. Over the past few years, we have experience so many changes because of AI. Our students will grow up and work in an AI-powered world. To prepare them, and ourselves, we need to focus on AI literacy, which is more than just explaining how tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini or another LLM works. We also need to help them understand the when, why, and how to use these tools responsibly.
Start simple. Involve students in generating text with an AI tool and then ask them to fact-check it. Another idea is to generate a paragraph and ask students about the tone, does it sound human, and other questions that get them to really think about the output that is generated.
What I love about doing these activities in my classroom and when I am training educators, is that they open up important discussions about ethics, bias, and considerations of how to evaluate the information received. creativity.
4. Build Collaboration and Problem-Solving Skills
Problem-solving is most effective when students are working together to brainstorm ideas and iterate solutions.
One idea is to try a design challenge in the first weeks of school that connect to your content area. For example:
In science: Build a prototype for a sustainable invention.
In social studies: Redesign your community for accessibility.
In language arts: Create a character who solves a major future problem.
I sometimes only offer basic overviews with minimal instructions and encourage students to lead the way. I emphasize the process itself by asking them, “How did they approach the task? What obstacles did they face? What did they learn?”
An activity like this promotes real-world teamwork, growth mindset, and building resilience—all skills that will benefit our students far beyond our classroom.
5. Focus on SEL and Identity as a Foundation
Before students can engage deeply in learning, they need to feel seen, heard, and safe. The beginning of the year is the ideal time to promote social-emotional learning (SEL) by helping students explore who they are and what they care about.
Some activities that I have used and that colleagues have shared, include:
“My Learning Superpower” profiles
Vision boards for the year ahead
Journaling about strengths and challenges
Weekly gratitude or goal-setting circles
Beginning of the year “About Me” and a revisit of the responses later in the year.
Activities like these suggestions help students build self-awareness, empathy, and regulation, which are essential for pushing through both academic and personal challenges in a changing world.
When students better understand themselves, they will be more prepared to set their own goals, advocate for their needs, and engage in learning with purpose.
6. Introduce Real-World Problem Scenarios
One of the most exciting ways to build future-ready skills is through project-based learning based on real-world issues. Even in the first few weeks of school, you can get started by suggesting scenarios like:
A local water crisis that needs data analysis and a communication plan
A new social media platform that students must market ethically
A schoolwide challenge to reduce waste or carbon emissions
These activities tie directly to critical thinking, civic engagement, and applied learning which gives students a chance to make meaningful connections between what they know and where they live.
7. Create Space for Reflection and Metacognition
Helping students understand how they learn and not just what they learn is a game-changer.
In the classroom, build in short reflection prompts such as:
“What challenged you today?”
“What’s one mistake that taught you something?”
“How did you show persistence?”
“What did you try that was new?”
“What is something that you could do better tomorrow?”
Use tools like Padlet, Wakelet, a mind-mapping tool, even podcasting tools or traditional notebooks like I did years ago, to give students a space to share their voice during their learning journey. Over time, these reflections can shape stronger self-regulation, grit, and ownership.
The start of the school year is a time when culture is built, expectations are set, and curiosity is at its peak. It’s also when students begin to decide:
“Is this a place where I will be welcome?”
“Will I improve over the year? “Will my ideas matter?” “Can I shape my future here?”
Classrooms should be a space that reflect the world our students are preparing for, and not the world that we grew up in. The future is a place where AI literacy, collaboration, ethical thinking, creativity, and resilience are woven into our classrooms, starting from the first day and continuing throughout the year. It just takes one step forward to begin.
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
Schools have experienced an increase in the number of cyberattacks over the past year. Cybersecurity attacks can include data breaches, ransomware, and phishing, all of which disrupt learning. These can result in compromised sensitive personal information, disrupt the learning environment, and, at times, bring a high financial burden due to the need to investigate the attack, add network security, restore files, or make payments to recover the encrypted files stolen in a ransomware attack. We are all susceptible to these attacks and risk having our personally identifiable information (PII) shared with others without even knowing.
With these challenges, schools must take steps to safeguard data and implement policies and best practices for cybersecurity. This can involve everyone in the school:
Administrators and IT can work together to create comprehensive cybersecurity policies that outline expectations for staff and students. These policies should include topics like password strength, data protection, and acceptable use of technology.
Schools should provide ongoing training for all staff on cybersecurity best practices and incident response procedures.
Classroom teachers can guide students in creating strong passwords and teach them about the risks of phishing, malware, and other risks.
Students can protect themselves by creating strong passwords, closely evaluating sites and links, and asking for help if they are unsure about an email or a website.
By having clear policies in place and conducting regular audits of digital tools, educators can protect themselves, students, and students’ families from these risks.
Continue reading the article on Edutopia, where it was originally posted.
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
We had a great turnout for our recent webinar and a great panel! Read more here and check out the recording.
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a concept for the future—it’s transforming classrooms everywhere. The sudden and widespread availability of powerful AI tools has left many educators with a mix of excitement and apprehension. How can we, as educators, prepare our students for an AI-driven future? How do we harness the potential of these tools while carefully and consistently navigating their pitfalls?
These were the central questions addressed in a recent webinar, “The AI-Ready Educator: Preparing Teachers for the Future of Learning,” hosted by ThriveinEDU and Imagi-Labs. The session brought together a panel of experts, including educator, author, and attorney, Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth, who moderated a powerful conversation with panelists Alana Winnick,Beatrice Ionascu, and Ken Shelton about the intersection of computer science, computational thinking, AI, and ethics in modern education.
“We’re not here because we’re experts—we’re here because we’re learners,” said Poth, who has spent the past eight years working with AI in education. “This is a conversation. We’re figuring it out together.” This insightful conversation provided a roadmap for educators looking to become AI-ready.
Understanding the Fundamentals
Before exploring the practical applications of AI in the classroom, it’s essential to understand what AI is. As Beatrice explained, AI systems are designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as pattern recognition, language processing, and decision-making, all of which are fueled by data. Ken Shelton further clarified that ‘not all AI is the same,” breaking it down into three types: reactive, predictive, and generative. While we’ve been interacting with reactive AI (like spell check and email spam filters) and predictive AI for years, it’s the recent explosion of generative AI that has captured our collective attention.
Understanding these distinctions is the first step toward developing a nuanced approach to AI in education. A blanket policy to “block all AI,” as Ken pointed out, is not only impractical but also counterproductive, as it would mean eliminating tools we rely on daily. Instead, the focus should be on using these systems effectively and responsibly.
From Educators to Empowerers
The panel opened with introductions from four leaders who are not only immersed in educational innovation but also actively working to shape its future.
Alana Winnick, Educational Technology Director and Data Protection Officer at Pocantico Hills Central School District in New York, emphasized the need for purpose-driven integration of AI. “I also started a program called Students for Innovation, which empowers students to advocate for change in their schools,” she shared. With a book and podcast on generative AI, Winnick has centered her work on amplifying student voices in tech spaces.
Beatrice Ionascu, co-founder and CTO of Imagi, echoed the importance of inspiring student curiosity. “I truly believe that technology education is the key to creating a better world,” she said. “At Imagi, our mission is to make computer science and AI literacy as essential and accessible as reading and math.” With a background in engineering, product design, and education, she brings a unique perspective to building tools that connect students, especially girls, to technology through creative coding.
The Imperative of AI Literacy
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the concept of “AI literacy.” Ken Shelton offered a comprehensive definition: “AI literacy means knowing, understanding, and using AI in smart and safe ways. It helps people ask good questions about how AI works, how it helps or hurts others, and how it can change or impact the world around us.”
Alana Winnick provided a practical framework for fostering AI literacy in students, assigning them two critical roles: the “detective” and the “DJ”. As detectives, students must be on the lookout for bias and misinformation, understanding that AI is not a magical, infallible source of truth. This is a crucial skill, especially in a world where AI-generated content can be convincingly inaccurate. As DJs, students are encouraged to “remix” AI-generated content, infusing it with their own thoughts, ideas, and voice, ensuring that their work remains a reflection of their own learning and creativity.
The Irreplaceable Human Element
One of the most pressing concerns for educators is the fear that AI will render their roles obsolete. The panelists, however, were unanimous in their belief that the human element in teaching is not only irreplaceable but will become even more critical in an AI-integrated world. Beatrice painted a stark picture of a “dystopic future” where learners are isolated with machines, a vision that underscores the fundamental need for human connection in education.
Ken Shelton passionately argued that AI cannot and should not replace the meaningful interactions that are the bedrock of effective teaching and learning. He cautioned against “cognitively offloading” the human aspects of education to AI, emphasizing that these systems don’t know our students’ individual needs, dreams, and challenges. Alana added that AI, when used thoughtfully, can actually enhance the human element by automating tedious tasks, freeing up teachers to focus on what they do best: building relationships, fostering a positive classroom culture, and providing individualized support. Poth agreed that when using AI in her classroom, she guides students on how to use it for enhancing learning and engages in more conversations and interactions with students because of the time that can be saved when using these tools.
The Role of Computational Thinking
While discussing AI and various important topics, we also emphasized the importance of computational thinking (CT) as a foundational skill for AI readiness. CT includes logic, pattern recognition, decomposition, and abstraction—core elements that help students understand how computers “think” before they ever write a line of code.
Panelists agreed that you can’t fully understand AI without understanding the process of problem-solving that goes into it. Computational thinking is the gateway to coding and beyond.
Winnick added, “We’re seeing kids jump straight to AI tools, but they still need to understand how algorithms are structured, how data works, and how to identify problems worth solving. AI doesn’t replace thinking—it amplifies it when used responsibly.”
AI as a Tool for Creation—not Just Consumption
One key takeaway was that AI should be positioned as a tool that supports students as creators, not just consumers. This shift requires educators to rethink traditional computer science instruction.
“We want students to code, but also to see how AI can help them prototype faster, solve problems differently, or iterate creatively,” Ionascu explained. “That’s why we need to teach both the fundamentals and how to critically use AI tools.”
The panel discussed how students can use AI to generate code, explore new ideas, or debug faster—but only if they’ve first learned the structure and logic of programming.
Ethics Must Be Front and Center
Beyond skills and tools, panelists emphasized that students need to learn how to use AI responsibly, and this starts with intentional discussions about ethics.
“We can’t wait until something goes wrong to start talking about ethics,” said Winnick. “Students need to understand bias, privacy, and the societal impact of AI from the beginning.”
Ionascu added, “In our work at Imagi, we try to normalize conversations about ethics early on. It’s not a separate unit—it’s woven into every experience with technology. Students should be asking, ‘What could go wrong?’ Who is this helping? Who might it harm?”
Shelton also highlighted the role of educators in modeling ethical inquiry. “We don’t need to have all the answers, but we do need to show students how to ask the right questions.” Shelton’s work related to equity is well-known, and his book “The Promises and Perils of AI in Education: Ethics and Equity Have Entered The Chat,” which he co-authored with Dee Lanier, is a great resource for educators.
Practical Strategies for Educators
The webinar also offered classroom-ready strategies to help educators bridge the gap between foundational computer science and AI-enhanced learning:
Use block-based coding (like Scratch or Imagi) to introduce logic before jumping into text-based languages.
Incorporate AI exploration tools (such as ChatGPT or Google’s Teachable Machine) to show how models are trained.
Encourage journaling or reflection prompts about ethical dilemmas related to AI tools.
Introduce AI early, but always in tandem with skill-building and reflection.
Poth emphasized, “It’s not about having a perfect curriculum. It’s about giving students opportunities to explore, experiment, and reflect.”
Preparing Educators to Prepare Students
At its core, the panel’s message was clear: educators themselves must become AI-literate if they’re going to prepare students for an AI-driven world.
“We have to do the work of learning ourselves,” said Winnick. “That means experimenting with tools, joining communities, reading critically, and being honest with students when we don’t know something yet.”
Ionascu reinforced this, noting that teacher curiosity is contagious. “When students see educators exploring and asking thoughtful questions, it empowers them to do the same.”
As the conversation closed, panelists left attendees with words of encouragement: It is an opportunity to rethink what we teach, how we teach it, and how we prepare students to lead in the future.
The message of the evening was one of hope, responsibility, and action. As AI continues to evolve, so too must our approach to teaching. By grounding our work in computational thinking, ethical reasoning, and curiosity, we can help students not only adapt to the future but shape it. To learn more about the panelists, see below the video. To sign up for our next webinar, register here.
BookThe Promises and Perils of AI in Education: Ethics and Equity Have Entered The Chat.”
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
Educators must stay informed, current, and ahead of the game (if possible) when it comes to emerging technologies. This means fostering the development of AI literacy skills. Being AI literate means more than knowing the basics about the technology or understanding relevant terms such as machine learning and algorithms. Literacy involves knowing the uses of AI in the world and being aware of the ethical considerations involved with its use. AI literacy should focus on developing skills to critically evaluate information and content generated by AI as well as to identify misinformation. Teachers should also know how to use AI in safe, ethical, and responsible ways and model this use for students.
Getting Started Teaching AI Literacy Skills
Introducing AI concepts at an earlier age gives students the opportunity to build their knowledge and skills over time—with younger students, starting with the basics of AI, such as focusing on where we see it in daily life. Begin with key definitions, and find resources that have been vetted and are safe for student and educator use. Several organizations provide a wealth of resources for educators, including ready-to-run lessons.
Modeling AI use in the classroom: As we teach students about AI, we can engage them in activities where they evaluate images, text, or videos to decide whether they are AI-generated or real. I have used game-based learning tools, such as Quizizz AI, to quickly create a quiz to check students’ understanding of the concepts covered, or Eduaide.Ai, to make a gamified activity or lesson related to AI literacy.
Continue reading on Edutopia.
About Rachelle
Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.
She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.
Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, Coding, AR/VR, and more for your school or event! Submit the Contact Form.
Follow Rachelle on Bluesky, Instagram, and X at @Rdene915
**Interested in writing a guest blog for my site? Would love to share your ideas! Submit your post here. Looking for a new book to read? Find these available at bit.ly/Pothbooks
************ Also, check out my THRIVEinEDU PodcastHere!
Join my show on THRIVEinEDU on Facebook. Join the group here.
Learning as I go: Reflections & lessons learned 