In the final episode of this podcast series on AI in Education, Dr. Chad Gestson and Dr. LeeAnn Lindsey chat with Lauren Owens and Lindsey McCaleb about where teachers can go from here — where to begin, where they can find guidance, resources, and additional professional development for using AI with confidence.

Dr. Gestson and Dr. Lindsey are both a part of the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy, a part of Northern Arizona University, while Lauren Owens is the director of information technology for Agua Fria HS District and Lindsey McCaleb is the principal of an online school in the Balsz School District.

Lauren and Lindsey share how they have started to work with AI in their schools and districts and the discussions they’ve had with school leaders and teachers to move toward using AI. They reflect on the process of planning, implementing, and assessing when integrating any new technology or change initiative. 

Today’s episode also focuses on how policy creation, at the state or district level, can be much slower than how quickly technology is developing. Dr. Lindsey shares how only nine U.S. states have developed some guidelines for AI use in schools. The Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy has been working to add Arizona to that list of states and will soon be releasing an AI guidance document to help inform state, district, and school policies.

That guidance document will be available on May 13 at nau.edu/aiee/azai with a corresponding webinar, "GenAI Guidance for Arizona K-12 Schools," on May 15 from 3 to 4 p.m. To sign up to receive the webinar link, click here.

Learn more about the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy at this link and about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Ready to see how AI can improve your work and impact student learning? In this third part of our series on AI in Education, we’ll dive into some AI tools you might consider trying in your teaching.

In our last two episodes, we explored a bit of history of artificial intelligence and contemplated if using AI is cheating. Today, we look at what we can actually do with AI.

Guest host Dr. Chad Gestson focuses on the heart of teaching and learning. He and Dr. LeeAnn Lindsey chat with Dr. Michele Wilson and Alec McDaniel about best practices for using AI to impact student learning. Dr. Wilson spent 38 years working within education systems and is now an education consultant. Alec is an educational technology specialist in Florence Unified School District.

They both share about what makes them excited about AI and talk about what “good use” of AI in the classroom looks like before they explore several of the tools they encourage educators to check out and consider how they might support their work. They also discuss the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and Arizona Technology in Education Association (AZTEA) as great resources to learn more about using AI.

Here are links to the tools and resources referenced in this episode:

• T-PACK Framework

• SAMR model of technology integration

• MagicSchool AI: magicschool.ai

• Diffit for differentiating: diffit.me

• Forbes article, “The Hot, New High-Paying Career Is an AI Prompt Engineer”

• ChatGPT

• Other large language models like Gemini, Google Bard, or Copilot

• SchoolAI: schoolai.com

• Curipod: curipod.com

• Canva’s Magic Tools

• Adobe Express

• Khanmigo: khanmigo.ai

• Skipit: skipit.ai

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

In this second part of our four-part series on AI in Education, guest host Dr. Chad Gestson asks the question that is on many educators’ minds: “Is AI cheating?” He and Dr. LeeAnn Lindsey talk to Arizona Dr. Punya Mishra about academic and professional integrity, and why AI should be a catalyst to rethink “plagiarism” and “cheating."

Dr. Gestson and Dr. Lindsey are both a part of the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy, a part of Northern Arizona University, while Dr. Mishra is associate dean of scholarship and innovation and professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. 

Dr. Mishra broadens the conversation to talk about what cheating is in general and how we approach assessment. The discussion about AI and cheating is an opportunity to talk deeply about how we evaluate learning, he shares. That connects to a larger conversation about the purpose of the preK-12 education system, he explains.

The three also talk about the role of agency and autonomy in learning. They also discuss the need for a class like the Theory of Knowledge class that is a part of the International Bacalaureate program for students to better understand the creation and sharing of ideas.

Learn more about he Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org. 

As artificial intelligence tools have become far more accessible in the past year, “AI” has become a major conversation for not just schools and education but in all aspects of life. That’s why we’re diving into discussions about AI in education in this four-part series with guest host Dr. Chad Gestson, executive director of the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy, and Dr. LeeAnn Lindsey, strategic planning director of the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy.

In this episode, Dr. Gestson and Dr. Lindsey set the stage about how they became personally interested in this work, the discussions they’ve heard across Arizona, and why the new Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy is focusing on AI.

Dr. Gestson also gives an overview of how AI came to be where it is today, where it’s going, and what that can mean for Arizona schools and workplace development. Alan Turing published the first significant paper on AI in 1950, launching a focus on this new field before it entered an “AI winter.” Then, an influx of new AI tools and robots launched in the 2000s and has continued momentum. He also references the seven stages of artificial intelligence and talks about four branches of AI that listeners should be aware of: 

• generative AI tools like ChatGPT

• Natural language processing like Alexa, Siri, or other smart speakers

• AI-powered robotics like Roombas

• Robotics process automation like Timely for creating school master schedules

Vince Yanez, the Helios Education Foundation’s senior vice president of community engagement and strategic partnerships, then joins the podcast to discuss the role of AI in workforce development. He and Dr. Gestson discuss how AI will eliminate or alter some jobs while also introducing new jobs. They also discuss what it looks like to prepare students in the midst of this emerging future.

Subscribe to 3Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be ready for the next episodes in this series.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

It’s been an exciting last few months for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Today, 3Ps in a Pod host Juliana Urtubey talks with CEO Peggy Brookins about recent National Board news and conversations.

Peggy shares about the vision and work of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the benefits of National Board Certification for educators and their students. She also reflects on how both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate introduced resolutions in January 2024 that recognize “the importance and contributions of National Board Certified Teachers” (NBCTs) and reflects.

More than 3,500 educators certified as NBCTs in December 2023, more than 700 than the previous year. Peggy talks about some of the dynamics that have led to that increase, including expanding the process to newer teachers and incentives at the state and district levels.

Peggy also talks about the need to better retain quality teachers and how National Board Certification can be a part of addressing that need. She speaks to how networks of NBCTs across the country are helping both advance National Board Certification and also lead in addressing the current challenges in education.

In this episode, Peggy references the Learning Policy Institute’s research and tool that calculates the cost of teacher turnover in a school or district.

If you’re interested in starting your National Board Certification journey, visit azk12.org.

When Dr. Jennifer Robinson first attended the Arizona K12 Center’s annual Teacher Leadership Institute, she was the only one from her district but connected with other “lone wolves.” She learned there but has since found even more value in bringing a team to this annual summer conference. 

She shares with 3Ps host Paula about how she brings a variety of personnel from her school with her to Teacher Leadership Institute and how they synthesize their learning together and also share with the rest of their school together. Dr. Robinson reflects on the power of stepping away from the usual routine and connecting with other districts and those outside of education to transform your thinking about your work.

Learn more about this year’s 19th Annual Teacher Leadership Institute at azk12.org/TLI.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Julia King Pool joined us last season to talk about the psychology behind the concept of burning in rather than burning out. In this episode, she continues that conversation by sharing specific strategies for approaching some difficult scenarios you might have encountered.

Hosts Juliana and Marlys ask Julia several questions about stressful scenarios educators often find themselves in. These include difficult conversations with a student’s parent, balancing creativity and autonomy with a scripted curriculum, and not feeling supported at school.

Julia provides research-backed steps for these situations and also talks through strategies to help educators’ wellbeing all around. She references Sabine Sonnentag’s work around recovering from the workday in talking about how educators can work toward balance. Sonnentag outlines four aspects to help recover from a workday, including psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery experiences, and control. Julia talks with Juliana and Marlys about the variety of ways those might look for an individual.

This episode also references this RAND research report and also Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. 

Learn more about Julia King Pool’s work at BurninMindset.com or by connecting with her on LinkedIn.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

National Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education and provides numerous benefits to teachers, students, and schools. Today, 3Ps in a Pod host Donnie talks with four educators from Litchfield Elementary School District about how they have structured and grown their support for National Board Certification candidates to, in turn, better support students.

Joining us from Litchfield Elementary School District are New National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) Sarah Beyer; National Board candidate Norma Coria; and Allison Paterno, NBCT, and Miriam Wilson, NBCT, two National Board candidate support providers.

Miriam and Allison share about the support they received when they were going through the National Board Certification and how that inspired them to build out more support for others in their district. They reference how both COVID and the Arizona K12 Center’s National Board Academy pushed them to be creative in how they provide support. They share the ways support can look, including providing time for candidates to work on their components and stipends for NBCTs in the district.

All four share about why they pursued National Board Certification, and they reflect on the impact the process has had on them as individual educators and on students and their district.

Learn more about National Board support in Arizona at azk12.org. Attend this summer’s Arizona National Board Academy to help expand your district’s National Board support. Learn more and register at azk12.org/nbacademy2024.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

If you’re a teacher, you’re a dendrite grower, according to today’s guest Dr. Marcia Tate. Growing dendrites is a piece of brain science Dr. Tate shares in many of her books and workshops to help educators understand the context of brain-based teaching and learning.

Dr. Tate talks with 3Ps host Josh about how, after years working as a teacher and an administrator, she learned about the brain science behind teaching and wanted to share that understanding with others. She has now been in education 49 years and has taught about half of million people as an educational consultant.

Along with other tips and snippets about brain-based teaching, Dr. Tate shares a few of her favorite strategies, including incorporating movement and music, into the classroom.

Josh also invites Dr. Tate to share about her most recent book, Happy Teachers, Happy Classrooms, which she wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic. This book addresses how to avoid burnout and increase teacher health and wellness.

Dr. Tate has been facilitating the Arizona K12 Center’s events for beginning teachers through this school year and will also be the lead facilitator at this summer’s Beginning Teacher Institute. Learn more about the 4th Annual Beginning Teacher Institute: Great Minds Don’t Think Alike at azk12.org/BTI24.

Learn more about Dr. Marcia Tate’s work at developingmindsinc.com.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

You may know the Arizona Educational Foundation or AEF as the home of the Arizona Teacher of the Year program and the Arizona State Spelling Bee. In this episode, you’ll hear from Kim Graham, CEO of AEF, about the work of the Foundation and how she approaches her work leading these efforts.

Kim shares how she moved from studying theater to teaching high school English to working in arts education to leading the Arizona Educational Foundation. She shares with Daniela about the specific programs AEF hosts but also the intention behind all of that work. Kim explains how AEF’s offerings “primarily provide a stepping stone toward excellence for educators, administrators, and students. Or, they shine a spotlight on the great work being done in schools or by educators and administrators.”

On a more personal level, Kim shares about what brings her joy through her work with AEF and how she attempts to recharge to be able to continue the work of the Foundation.

Learn more and follow AEF’s work with these links:

• AEF’s website

• 2023 AEF Annual Impact Report

• AEF Donors

• AEF’s Facebook page, Instagram page, X (formerly known as Twitter) page, and LinkedIn page

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Here at the Arizona K12 Center, we’re big proponents of reflecting on your practice. But what does it mean to be a reflective practitioner and how do we use that reflection to not be the end goal but a tool to generate change in ourselves and our learners?

Dr. Kevin Roessger, associate professor of adult and lifelong learning at the University of Arkansas, has focused his work in quantitative research methodologies and adult learning theory. In this episode, he talks with host Paula about what led to this interest and the research he has done in critical reflection or reflective practice.

Dr. Roessger emphasizes how reflection is often thought of as the end goal when that is truly a tool in the process of continued growth. He shares about what reflection truly is – our “remembering self” retelling and framing the experiences of our “experiencing self.”

In this episode, Paula also references her conversations with The Learning Scientists in previous episodes of 3Ps in a Pod. Dr. Roessger also mentions a recently published article in the Adult Learning journal, “Assessment Strategies for Reflective Learning in the Workplace: A Pragmatic Approach.”

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.