ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast

In this ChatEDU Check-In - Peer Influence and AI Adoption, Matt explores how social capital and colleague-to-colleague sharing drive generative AI integration more effectively than top-down mandates. The episode highlights that because AI requires users to redesign their own unique workflows, traditional formal training often fails to capture the practical, real-time adjustments needed for true mastery.

Key Takeaways:

A new assessment from ETS, Futurenav Adapt AI, has been launched to create a standard for evaluating how educators recognize, navigate, and ethically implement generative technology.

Despite nearly all districts utilizing some AI tools, a significant training vacuum exists, leaving the majority of teachers to teach themselves basic terminology and prompt engineering on their own.

Relying on the individual initiative of motivated teachers to vet AI tools creates operational and legal risks, especially since only two states currently require districts to have a formal AI policy.

Matt’s Two Cents: While standardized assessments could provide helpful data for custom professional development, we must avoid the "one size fits all" trap. A teacher’s required AI skill set varies wildly by discipline and grade level, and ultimately, these skills must map directly to district priorities. Whether the goal is improving seventh-grade writing or achieving broad AI literacy for a portrait of a graduate, teacher training must be targeted rather than generalized to be truly effective.

Article Link:

https://hbr.org/2026/03/peer-influence-can-make-or-break-your-ai-rollout

Sponsored by: Eduaide.Ai

Eduaide is an amazing tool built by teachers for teachers where good ideas become great lessons. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠.

In this episode of ChatEDU, From Student to CEO: Building the Campus AI Ecosystem, Matt and Liz explore the intersection of AI, hospitality, and higher education. They begin with the story of "Patty," a Burger King AI assistant that monitors employee headsets to ensure they use polite language. The discussion then shifts to the logistical challenges of managing AI "memories" and the profound impact of AI literacy in schools today.

The Rundown

A revisit of the framework featuring six human-centric roles. The hosts invite listeners to participate in a survey to provide feedback on these roles.

An update on the ISTE and ASCD global challenge and free lessons that empower students to use AI for solving real-world problems.

A meta-prompt to export your ChatGPT data and context so you can move your personal preferences and history to Claude.

Jerry Crisci shares a tip for using Google Search AI to automatically generate study guides in Canvas mode.

A report covering a Google Gemini wrongful death suit while highlighting AI voice immersion risks and the need for better guardrails.

Nearly 80% of high school teachers now provide lessons on using AI-based tools responsibly.

Beneath the Surface

Matt interviews Kavitta Ghai, the co-founder and CEO of Nectir. Kavitta explains how her experience as a neurodivergent student led her to solve "time poverty" on campus. Nectar has since scaled to 116 community colleges, serving 2.1 million students. The platform provides grounded, 24/7 support for academics, financial aid, and career coaching by integrating directly into the Learning Management System.

The Bright Byte

This week's Bright Byte features ten startups leveraging AI for social impact. Notable examples include Rainforest Connection, which uses bioacoustic monitoring to stop illegal logging, and the Okwafo Foundation, which provides offline AI tools to help West African farmers identify crop diseases.

Announcements

Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday
ASCD:⁠ ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠⁠
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77
Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw

Our six-week AI Micro-Credential course launching this spring in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University. Group discounts are available at www.skills21.org/ai/micro.

EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email [email protected] to bring it to your district. ​​⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠

Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here -⁠ ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠

This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Links

Profile of an AI-Ready Graduate Survey⁠
https://tinyurl.com/5fjbhuh8

The Work is the Workshop
https://tinyurl.com/24fdxh79

Nectir AI: nectir.ai

Burger King AI monitors employee manners
https://tinyurl.com/mr2548t7

Profile of an AI-Ready Graduate
https://tinyurl.com/yx5wuk5d

AI Innovator Studio
https://tinyurl.com/mta8k5zf

Switch to Claude without starting over
https://tinyurl.com/bdfw2vvv

Anthropic Academy Courses
https://tinyurl.com/4bnxmb5e

Google Sued for Wrongful Death Over Gemini AI Chatbot
https://tinyurl.com/bdducfnw

Are AI Literacy Lessons Now the Norm?
https://tinyurl.com/bdezk57t

10 startups using AI for social and environmental impact
https://tinyurl.com/3e63453t

Jerry Crisci: Google AI Study Plans Now in Canvas
https://tinyurl.com/ts3663c4

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Google's AI Training Investment, Liz explores a massive three-year partnership between Google, ISTE, and ASCD to provide AI training to six million educators across the United States. This initiative represents one of the largest private educational investments in decades, specifically targeting hands-on experience with tools like Gemini and NotebookLM.

Key Takeaways:

Google is partnering with ISTE and ASCD to provide AI professional development to all K to 12 and higher education faculty in the U.S.

This large-scale private initiative fills a void left by the closure of the federal Office of Educational Technology and a lack of national guidance.

Critics suggest these programs may serve as customer acquisition campaigns that prioritize specific vendor tools over objective, evidence-based pedagogy.

Liz’s Two Cents: While the involvement of a single vendor raises some questions about commercial influence, the practical reality is that schools need immediate support! Not to mention that so many schools already have Google’s FERPA compliant AI tools at little or no cost. With federal resources stalled, this partnership provides an essential bridge to digital literacy, ensuring that teachers are not left to navigate the complexities of AI integration without a foundational roadmap.

Link to article:
https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-new-google-partnership-a-sizable-investment-in-ai-for-teachers/

Sponsored by: Eduaide.ai | AI Created for Teachers. Where Good Ideas Become Great Lessons. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off at eduaid.ai (Code: CHATEDU).

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The AI College Counselor, Liz explores how families are increasingly turning to chatbots to navigate the complex and overwhelmed college admissions landscape. This shift highlights a growing reliance on digital tools to fill the gap left by high student to counselor ratios in public schools.

Key Takeaways:

AI provides 24:7 virtual support for routine tasks like researching tuition and identifying reach schools, offering a sense of control in a system where human guidance is often limited.

The convenience of these tools is undermined by the risk of hallucinations, where chatbots fabricate scholarship details or provide overly optimistic assessments of admission chances.

While effective for technical data organization and brainstorming, technology cannot replace the introspection and human self-awareness required to determine a true institutional fit.

Liz’s Two Cents: The shift toward AI counseling highlights a desperate need for equity in a system where human guidance is often a luxury. However, we must be wary of algorithmic reassurance replacing the hard, necessary work of student self-discovery.

Sponsored by: Eduaide.Ai Built by teachers, for teachers, Eduaide is an AI-powered workspace designed for real classroom planning. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at https://www.eduaide.ai.

In this 100th episode milestone of ChatEDU, Major Shift - Durable College Majors in 2026, Matt and Liz dive into a rapidly shifting landscape where AI drives government policy, corporate restructuring, and student behavior. The hosts also discuss a surreal exit interview between Anthropic and its retiring Opus 3 model.

The Rundown

Anthropic vs. DoD: Anthropic is labeled a national security risk after refusing unrestricted military use, while OpenAI moves in to secure classified government contracts.

Block’s AI Layoffs: Jack Dorsey cuts 4,000 jobs at Block, citing AI as the primary tool allowing for smaller, flatter, and more efficient teams.

The Einstein Agent: A controversial tool that autonomously logs into Canvas to watch lectures and submit work, sparking a major crisis in academic integrity.

Edia’s Creative Funding: An AI attendance platform in Albany County is being funded by revenue from school bus safety camera fines.

The Rhithm Project: A new strategy to reach 10 million people to combat relational displacement and keep human connection at the center of youth development.

Pew Teen Study: New data shows 54% of teens use AI for school, with 59% reporting that AI cheating is now a regular occurrence in their schools.

Beneath the Surface: The Major Shift

The hosts analyze a Federal Reserve Bank of New York study on the 2026 labor market. While engineering remains a top earner, Computer Science is seeing a hiring hangover, and high touch fields like Nursing and Special Education show the most stability.

The Bright Byte

Insights from the Stanford Education AI Summit highlight how AI is bridging the digital divide through ASL translation and scalable tutoring for low connectivity environments.

Announcements

Come join us! AI in Education: Spring 2026 Conference.
https://www.skills21.org/event-details/ai-in-education-spring-2026-conference

Follow us on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/@ChatEDUEdAdvance

Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday
ASCD:⁠ ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠⁠
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77
Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw

EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email [email protected] to bring it to your district. ​​⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠

Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here -⁠ ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠

This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠⁠

Links

Model deprecation commitments for Claude Opus 3
https://tinyurl.com/3d4wnuf8

The whole thing was a scam
https://tinyurl.com/yrt7wemj

What Jack Dorsey’s Block Layoffs Mean for the Job Market at Large
https://tinyurl.com/327mmdw7

AI reshaping JPMorgan Chase’s workforce as bank plans ‘huge redeployment’
https://tinyurl.com/7dwf95h5

Agentic AI Can Complete Whole Courses for Students. Now What?
https://tinyurl.com/5cjsp662

Edia Implementation and Reimbursement Plan
https://tinyurl.com/526nfjsk

Building Toward a Tipping Point
https://tinyurl.com/3bspztny

How Teens Use and View AI
https://tinyurl.com/2s429bdm

College majors that have the highest earning potential and lowest unemployment rates
https://tinyurl.com/yetn8wcn

Revenge of the English majors
https://tinyurl.com/58kvvjwr

2026 Stanford AI+Education Summit
https://tinyurl.com/yehj7enw

Fluttering Creations
https://www.flutteringcreations.com/