Using AI in the Classroom Without Losing Your Humanity
With guest Mike Yates
How do you use cutting edge technologies without losing your grip on humanity? Mike Yates, an educator for over a decade, is managing that balance. He's fearless about using technology in innovative ways, like hosting AI-inflected poetry slams in his classroom, but remains focused on building the human relationships that are core to great teaching. In this episode of Future Fluent, Jeremy Roschelle and Betsy Corcoran explore Mike's provocative idea: How something he calls "digital dexterity" could shape the future of AI-infused teaching.
Mike Yates
Mike Yates is a Senior Designer at the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America.
Here’s how he describes his learning journey: “To put it shortly, I'm figuring out where learning is going and pointing Teach for America in that direction. Right now that looks like leading AI for the organization. I run hackathons, design unique and engaging workshops and train our staff to use AI in novel ways to better their work.
“I'm also using AI to reimagine what it means to teach and learn. I do this by leading high-quality AI professional development for educators, designing AI prototypes and partnering with other orgs who are looking to do the same.
“Realizing a bright, innovative and equitable future of learning is why I get up in the morning.”
Mike’s podcast is Schoolish (Spotify). (or Schoolish on Apple podcasts.) That’s the name of his newsletter, too.
Want more? Check out these references from our interview:
Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code by Ruha Benjamin (Here’s the description of her MacArthur Foundation award)
AI & the Future of Us: An Oprah WInfrey Special (with Bill Gates and Sam Altman)
Hip Hop Genius: Remixing High School Education by Sam Seidel
“A Mathematical Theory of Communication” by Claude Shannon (Wikipedia summary; YouTube Summary: Claude Shannon: A Mathematical Theory of Communication)
