ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Safe AI Vibe Coding, Liz explores how Imagi and Lovable bring safe AI vibe coding to the K-12 classroom. Backed by $4.5 million in seed funding, Imagi is integrating with Lovable to give schools subsidized access to advanced software development capabilities. This approach equips educators and students to move beyond passive AI consumption and actively build practical, real-world tools.

Key Takeaways:
Imagi secured $4.5 million in seed funding to expand its K-12 reach and integrate software development capabilities via Lovable.

Students and educators are leveraging these tools for practical applications, including auto-translating lesson plans into 15 languages and building fully functional business websites.

Built-in safety features include content filtering, instructor training, and compliance with COPPA, FERPA, and GDPR to block data retention and model training on student activity.

Liz’s Two Cents: Schools must shift focus from misconduct and cheating concerns toward actively guiding students to build with AI rather than passively consume it. Balancing frontier vibe coding capabilities with strict safety guardrails allows districts to unlock student innovation and prepare them for future workforce demands.

Article:
Edtech platform raises $4.5M to help teach students how to vibe code
https://tinyurl.com/edv628nw

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Don't shame your teens on their AI use, Liz explores the growing gap between teenage AI usage and their willingness to discuss it openly with adults. When schools and parents respond with restrictive measures or accusations, students hide their tech habits, missing out on crucial adult mentorship and guidance.

Key Takeaways:
Restrictive bans and fear of judgment drive student AI use underground, removing opportunities for adults to offer guidance.

Most young people turn to AI for personal support without proactive guidance from parents or educators, who largely focus only on academic integrity enforcement.

Engaging youth with open curiosity helps them build critical discernment, healthy boundaries, and self-regulation skills in an AI-saturated world.

Liz’s Two Cents: Criticizing and penalizing AI usage halts meaningful dialogue and fails to curb the behavior. District leaders and educators must shift from punitive policies to open curiosity, creating safe spaces for students to discuss how and why they use technology so schools can effectively guide their digital literacy and emotional well-being.

Article:
Don’t shame your teens about their AI use
https://tinyurl.com/ym7jkrnw
https://www.therithmproject.org/

Uncover how AI is transforming education publishing, navigate screen time policies, and meet a viral tech raccoon!

Before diving into AI and edtech, Matt and Liz break down the viral internet sensation of Jimothy, a Seattle raccoon with short spine syndrome who inspired a developer to create a retro eight-bit video game.

The Rundown

Sally the Robot Paused: A New York school district puts its controversial humanoid classroom robot pilot on hold following community pushback.

Gemini Notebook Collections: Google rolls out top-level navigation and collection folders to help users organize their numerous notebooks.

ISTE Releases Stretch: The organization announces the broad release of its specialized educator chatbot trained exclusively on vetted materials.

Human Intelligence Certificate: An academic proposal suggests students prove unassisted thinking through in-person tasks before integrating AI into studies.

Substack AI Detection: Substack partners with Pangram to help readers identify AI-generated text in published posts.

North Carolina Screen Time Guidance: The state issues purpose-driven framework guidelines rather than hard hourly limits for student devices.

Schools Beyond Screens Moratorium: A national coalition calls for a complete generative AI moratorium across all school districts.

Student Advocacy in Washington: A high school student argues that schools must actively teach practical civic advocacy skills to help youth shape legislation.

Beneath the Surface

Low and Slow: Avoiding the Hype with Alexandra Walsh Alexandra Walsh, Chief Product Officer at Amplify, joins Matt and Liz to discuss how a major educational publisher thoughtfully balances innovation and quality. She explores internal AI workflows, teacher-mediated tools like discussion moments, and the vital importance of maintaining human connection in classrooms.

Bright Byte

Engineers have successfully tested a forty-gram autonomous micro drone designed to track and eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes mid-air using ultrasonic sensors and AI software.

Say hi to Matt on the road: 

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools - August 11th
https://members.njais.org/integratedEvents/home/2026-INNOVATION-COLLABORATION-CONFERENCE

RIACTE - August 14th - Sponsored in part by the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing
https://www.nextgenmfg.org/event-details/rhode-island-acte-summer-conference

Announcements

Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday
Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77

Seeing through the Machine – Teaching Bias as an Equity Practice in AI - Dr. Elizabeth Radday - https://tinyurl.com/4ybwkn7a

Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠

Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social

Address Screen Time concerns - skills21.org/ai/screenshift

Sponsors

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing - https://www.nextgenmfg.org

Links

Beneath Surface with Alexandra Walsh
https://amplify.com/
LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/fyxczf62

8-Bit 'Jimothy': Viral Sensation Gets a Video Game
https://tinyurl.com/2ez4z4c7

NY Classroom's Humanoid Robot Meets Backlash
https://tinyurl.com/bddm7m53

Google Is Fixing the Biggest Problem With Too Many Gemini Notebooks
https://tinyurl.com/ykh7tfch

Stretch, ISTE's Chatbot, Is Ready to Go
https://tinyurl.com/ydvhmf4w

Students Should Prove They Don't Need AI Before Using It
https://tinyurl.com/5tesaru3

Substack is adding an AI detection feature
https://tinyurl.com/aeyyb3yb

New DPI screen guidance stops short of time limits
https://tinyurl.com/2786k9v4

Screen Time Guidelines Shift as Research Grows More Nuanced
https://tinyurl.com/3t7tek8r

Students can shape policy. Why don't schools show them how?
https://tinyurl.com/yzthbkwr

A Drone That Hunts Mosquitoes
https://tinyurl.com/y95hcycy

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Deep Fake Epidemic, Matt explores a report from Common Sense Media on teenagers and AI-generated sexual content." This research marks the third summer report from Common Sense Media examining digital safety risks facing youth. It details how manipulated imagery is impacting adolescents across mainstream social channels.

Key Takeaways:
Nearly half of all teenagers report encountering AI-generated explicit content, most often by accident while scrolling mainstream platforms.

A significant number of adolescents have personal experience with deepfake imagery featuring peers or people they know in real life.

While most teens express deep concern about non-consensual deepfakes, only 20 percent have ever discussed AI-generated sexual content with an adult.

Matt’s Two Cents: District and school leaders must take proactive action by updating student handbooks and board policies to address deepfakes, following state legislative efforts such as Illinois requiring deepfakes in district cyberbullying policies. Beyond policy implementation, schools must prioritize open conversations with students to bridge the communication gap and help mitigate digital safety risks.

Article:
Teens and Explicit Deepfakes in the Age of AI
https://tinyurl.com/5a4mvhtr

In this ChatEDU Check-In: MLB BANS AI, Matt explores Major League Baseball banning real-time AI programs in team dugouts. Major League Baseball restricted dugout iPads to prevent teams like the New York Mets from using custom software to guide live game strategy. The decision highlights an ongoing debate across sports and education on whether real-time technology enhances or undermines decision-making.

Key Takeaways:
MLB disabled custom tabs on dugout iPads to block real-time AI tools from recommending live pitch calls and substitutions.

The New York Mets heavily invested in custom pitch-selection AI, which drew league attention and triggered the broader crackdown.

Players and managers expressed surprise over real-time tech influence, though many acknowledge organizations must adapt to emerging technology or risk falling behind.

Matt’s Two Cents: While sports leagues may try to carve out tech-free environments, real-time AI decision support is already commonplace across industries like health, aviation, and education. School leaders should focus on identifying the right tools for informed decision-making and teaching users to navigate AI fallibility rather than attempting temporary bans.

Article:
MLB restricts dugout iPad use to prevent AI help with strategy. Ottavino says Mets were involved
https://tinyurl.com/mpjca3z5