Make America AI Ready: The Stove Isn't Going to Blow Up
31/03/2026 | 1h 30 mins.
Send us Fan Mail The federal government recently launched an AI literacy program delivered entirely by text message. Jake has completed the first five days, and also looked into a network of teachers, HR professionals, and writers and to ask what they thought. The results were predictable in one direction and surprising in another. This episode is less about the program and more about what it exposes: who gets to define AI literacy, what it's for, and what the cost of doing nothing actually looks like. What You'll Hear Why Jake's reaction to a federally branded program shifted once he actually went through it — and what changed his mind The DOL's AI Literacy Framework broken down: five foundations, seven principles, and why the pedagogical thinking behind it is more serious than the branding suggests Nathan's argument that 28% of students being able to describe how an LLM works is a real problem — and why understanding the engine matters even if you never plan to drive The "professional chef critiquing a how-to-boil-an-egg pamphlet" problem, and who the pamphlet is actually for Jake's prediction that the 2026-27 school year is when schools start approaching AI literacy systemically — and what that should and shouldn't mean Why excluding AI from your classroom is becoming harder to defend as a pedagogical choice rather than a protective one The adult literacy statistic that reframes what's actually at stake when we talk about the AI access gap Resources Mentioned Make America AI Ready — Federal SMS-based AI literacy program from the U.S. Department of Labor. Text READY to 20202 to enroll. [beta.dol.gov/ai-ready] U.S. Department of Labor AI Literacy Framework — Five foundational content areas and seven implementation principles for workforce AI readiness. [https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/ten-07-25] Slow AI (Sam Ellingsworth) — Substack publication examining AI adoption at a more measured pace. Recommended reading for the "email problem" analogy. [https://theslowai.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] Quick, Draw! — Google experiment using a neural network to guess your drawings. Referenced as a Day 1 challenge in the Make America AI Ready program. [quickdraw.withgoogle.com/] What Uses More? — Tool for comparing energy and carbon footprint of AI tasks vs. everyday activities. [what-uses-more.com] Stanford HAI — Stanford's Human-Centered AI institute. Referenced for statistics on AI usage by age and the research on AI in classroom settings. [hai.stanford.edu] NCES Adult Literacy Data — National Center for Education Statistics. Nathan cites current figures: 28% low literacy, 29% basic proficiency, 43% proficient — among adults ages 16-65. [nces.ed.gov] Connect & Continue Jake writes about AI in education weekly on Substack. Subscribe at whatteachershavetosay.substack.com Stay curious, stay hopeful, keep learning. Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
Scaffolds Were Always Meant to Come Down
04/03/2026 | 1h 31 mins.
Send us Fan Mail Jake and Nathan just got back from their third Stanford AI + Education Summit — The AI Inflection Point: What, How, and Why We Learn — and a week later, they still can't stop talking about it. In this episode they dig into the tension at the heart of AI in schools right now: how do you protect the human skill development that education exists to build, while letting AI do the things it's actually good at? They get into the AI Assessment Scale, why cheating is the wrong frame, what it means when kids turn to AI for emotional connection, and whether the "perfect tutor" is the answer anyone thinks it is. Honest, critical, and grounded in classroom reality. Referenced in this episode Stanford AI + Education Summit 2026 The fourth annual summit, held February 11, 2026. Full conference on the Stanford HAI YouTube channel. AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) Developed by Mike Perkins, Leon Furze, Jasper Roe, and Jason MacVaugh. Five levels of acceptable AI use — from no AI to full AI with the student as director and evaluator. First published 2023, updated Version 2 in 2024. Adopted by hundreds of institutions worldwide, translated into 30+ languages. aiassessmentscale.com Matt Miller — AI for Educators Source of the 12 cheating scenarios Jake has been using to poll educators across the country. Miller also runs Ditch That Textbook. ditchthattextbook.com Google AI Quests Free, code-free, game-based AI literacy tool for students ages 11–14. Students step into the role of Google researchers solving real-world problems in climate, health, and science. Co-developed by Google Research and the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. Complete lesson plans and teacher guides included. research.google/ai-quests Ethan Mollick — Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (Penguin, 2024) Source of the centaur/cyborg framing. The centaur divides labor strategically between human and AI; the cyborg integrates the two fluidly within the same task. Mollick's Substack One Useful Thing is one of the more practically useful ongoing resources for educators thinking about AI. Co-Intelligence on Amazon Cheating research Jake references "Cheating in the Age of Generative AI: A High School Survey Study of Cheating Behaviors Before and After the Release of ChatGPT" — Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence (2024). Note: Jake mis-attributes this to Stanford — the actual source is below. Key findings: overall cheating volume stayed stable after ChatGPT launched; students who self-reported higher AI competence cheated less; clear boundaries and consequences remained the strongest deterrent. Full study A note on homo technologicus was attributed to Yuval Noah Harari. It circulates in academic commentary on Harari's work but doesn't appear to be a direct Harari coinage. The concept maps to themes in Homo Deus, but we can't confirm the specific term originated there. We're leaving it as spoken and flagging it here. Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
Who Protects the Teacher?
23/04/2025 | 13 mins.
Send us Fan Mail When something lands the right way in a classroom, it doesn’t just teach—it transforms. But in today’s climate, that transformation can come at a cost. In this episode, Jake shares a personal story he's never fully told publicly—about the time a group of parents tried to get him fired for teaching a novel. Not because it was inappropriate. But because it made students think, ask questions, and feel something real. Read the full story on Substack: Teaching What They’re Afraid Of: To ban a book is to fear what students might understand
📰 Hall Pass Headlines tackles a hard truth: Two in five teachers in the UK report being physically assaulted by students. It’s not just about behavior—it’s about a system that’s stopped protecting the people inside it. Read the article: The Times – “Two in five teachers assaulted as classroom violence surges”
Mic Check features a voice message from educator Dr. Scott Petrie on the literacy wars—and what’s actually working in classrooms.
Want more on behavior? Check out this episode: All About That Baseline with Josh Kuersten: 3 Behavior Strategies Every Teacher Should Know Links & Resources Subscribe & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Join the conversation on Substack Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
The Ship of ChatGPTseus: Identity, Authorship, and the Soul of Learning
15/04/2025 | 13 mins.
Send us Fan Mail When the tools, tasks, and teaching all start to change—at what point do we stop and ask: Is this still education? In this mini episode, Jake Carr dives into the ancient thought experiment known as the Ship of Theseus to unpack what's happening in our schools today. From medieval monks copying texts by candlelight to students copy-pasting AI-generated responses, he asks: What makes learning authentic? What planks are we swapping out without realizing it? And what should teachers choose to hold onto? Along the way, Jake connects this to his new book The Skills That Last, offers four actionable strategies for preserving human-centered learning, and shares how his Waldorf background prepared him to teach in this new, high-tech era. Topics Covered: That classic meme: "My mom wrote the paper and I still got a D" The Ship of Theseus and its relevance to education What happens when every part of school is slowly replaced The invisible slope of AI-assisted student work When the work isn’t theirs anymore—and how to spot that moment What authentic learning might look like going forward Why skills like discernment, empathy, and will can’t be outsourced A fresh look at the teacher’s role—not as captain, but as keel Tangible Takeaways: Shift from Policing to Process Let students use AI—but teach them to revise, explain, and own their thinking. Assign What Only They Can Do Personal prompts. Local connections. Real reflection. Make it hard for AI to fake. Slow It Down on Purpose Use oral defenses, Socratic seminars, portfolio walkthroughs, and tools like Snorkl to make thinking visible. Make Your Pedagogy Visible Pull back the curtain. Tell students why you’re doing things the way you are—and what you hope they’ll take from it. Resources Mentioned: 📖 The Skills That Last (Jake’s upcoming book, make sure to subscribe to Substack for announcements and previews) 📝 Teaching at the Speed of Soul – Jake’s latest Substack essay 🗣️ Leave a voice message for the show 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for more essays, questions, and reflections 💬 Join the Conversation: What plank are you holding onto in your classroom? Leave us a voice message at whatteachershavetosay.speakpipe.com or tag Jake on social @MrCarrOnTheWeb. Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
From Tijuana to Top of the Class: A Fifth Grader’s AI Story
08/04/2025 | 10 mins.
Send us Fan Mail A brand-new student walks into a San Diego classroom—fresh across the border, speaking only Spanish. No prep. No warning. Just dropped off mid-morning with a “good luck.” What happened next? It’s the kind of story that reminds us why AI, when done right, can be the ultimate scaffold. In this episode, Jake shares the real story of a fifth-grade student who used Snorkl’s AI-powered translation tools to not only access a classroom assignment—but outperform every other kid in the room. What happened when he got a perfect score? The class—and the conversation—shifted. Key Takeaways: Why AI isn’t isolating students—it’s connecting them How translation tools create equity and engagement Why Lexile-leveling + shared vocabulary = real inclusion Want to share a story like Scott’s? Tap the SpeakPipe link or send us a text (yep, we’ve got that now). Let’s keep lifting up stories that show what’s really possible in modern classrooms. Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more teachers find the show. #AIinEducation #EdTechForEquity #TeacherPodcast #InclusionInClassrooms #StudentVoice #Snorkl #RealTalkEd #snorkl.app
Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
What Teachers Have to Say is a podcast about teaching, AI in education, instructional practice, and teacher identity. Hosted by Jacob Carr and Nathan Collins, it centers real classroom experience, system pressures, and how AI is reshaping learning.No performative edu‑influencer culture. No toxic positivity. Just honest conversations about what’s actually happening in schools.What This Podcast CoversAI in education and classroom useTeaching strategies and instructional design (EduProtocols)Teacher burnout and system designStudent skill development and transferEdTech tools and practical workflowsWho This Podcast Is ForK–12 teachersInstructional coaches and leadersPre‑service teachersEducators exploring AI and EdTechAnyone tired of surface‑level PDWho We AreJacob (Jake) CarrEdTech Coach for a County Office of Education, author, and speaker on AI in education. 15+ years across K–12 (grades 1–12) in diverse settings. Brings a philosophical lens, connects classroom practice to systems, and pushes conversations deeper before landing on something usable.Nathan CollinsHigh school English teacher, dual‑enrollment instructor, and Personalized Learning Teacher in a rural hybrid model. Grounds the show in current classroom reality, student data, and practical constraints. A measured counterbalance to big ideas.What We ExploreAI in Education — A structural shift, not a novelty. Learning, assessment, and independence in an AI‑rich world.Burnout as a System Problem — Not a personal failure. We name the incentives that reward unsustainable work.Instructional Routines That Work — Repeatable structures that lower planning load and raise thinking, repetition, and collaboration.Skills That Transfer — Thinking, communication, adaptability. Not just content.The FormatLong‑Form — Monthly flagship episodes with deep dives, interviews, and debates.Short‑Form — Field notes, solo reflections, headlines, and listener voicemails between major episodes.Your Voice MattersLeave a SpeakPipe voicemail with a question, win, or rant. We feature listener voices in episodes.Beyond the PodcastThe companion newsletter goes deeper: AI in education, teaching strategies, and teacher identity. Free, weekly, and practical.FAQWhat is it about? Teaching, AI in education, and real classroom conditions.Who hosts it? Jacob Carr and Nathan Collins.Is it AI‑focused? Yes, always tied to real practice.How often? Monthly flagship + shorter episodes between.Where to listen? Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.Subscribe and FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyNewsletterStay curious. Keep thinking. Keep showing up.
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