Cool Cat Teacher Talk

Honest Conversations About AI: The Need for Truth

Are we being honest about what AI is really doing in our classrooms? Two leading thinkers say the conversation most of us need to have isn't happening yet. MIT's Justin Reich and philosopher Dr. Christian Miller join Vicki Davis for Season 6's Big Picture Conversations series, exploring one of the most pressing questions in education today: What does honesty about AI actually look like — in research, in classrooms, and in ourselves? In this episode, you'll learn: * Why the AI in education research base is thinner than most people realize — and what teachers should do in the meantime (hint: become a micro-experimenter) * Why domain knowledge matters more than ever when students use AI — and how handing off cognitive work too early may shortcut the learning that matters most * What The Homework Machine podcast found when it interviewed 90+ teachers and 30+ students about what AI is really doing in K-12 classrooms * What 30 years of research on honor codes can teach us about AI integrity policies — and why they work * The personal honesty question Dr. Christian Miller poses to every teacher: Are you honest with yourself about how you're using AI? * How to open the honest conversation about AI in your own school and classroom — and why it starts with the teacher Show notes and a comprehensive list of research and sources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/honestai [https://www.coolcatteacher.com/honestai] 👉 If this show has made you a better teacher, please take a moment to leave a rating and review. It helps more teachers find the show!

Traveling With Students — Five Teachers Who Took the Leap

Five teachers — from Laredo to Denver to rural Colorado — share what really happens when you take students traveling. The fundraising. The quiet student who finds his voice. The FFA kids in Irish pastures. The principal who watches a student "come to life" on a Boston trip. After 20 years of leading student trips around the world, Vicki Davis brings together five educators who say the same thing: travel changes lives. In this episode, you'll learn: * How a teacher in a high-poverty Title I district makes international travel happen for her 8th graders * Why curriculum-aligned trips create classroom moments that last for years * How a rural Colorado ag teacher and FFA advisor took 10 FFA kids to dairy farms in Ireland * Practical tips: passport copies, the 10-minute "buffer zone," chaperone strategy, and why you need a med kit * What a school principal looks for when choosing a travel partner Show notes: coolcatteacher.com/travel [https://www.coolcatteacher.com/travel] If this episode helped you, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts — reviews help other teachers find the show. This episode is sponsored by EF Educational Tours. Learn more at eftours.com [https://www.eftours.com] and their STEM tours [https://www.efexploreamerica.com/STEM] and Career and Technical education tours [https://www.eftours.com/ready].

What AI Can't Do: Being Beautifully Human

In the age of AI, what can machines never do? Communication. Emotional intelligence. Real editing. True connection. This episode explores what makes us beautifully, irreplaceably human—featuring a rhetoric expert on why your body language speaks louder than words, a master editor on why AI can't do what humans do with craft, and educators who've rejected technology to reclaim human-centered learning. What AI Can't Do: Being Beautifully Human. Show notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/beautifulhuman [https://www.coolcatteacher.com/beautifulhuman]

Vibe Coding, Agentic AI, and What Schools Must Teach Now

What if you could describe exactly what you want and let AI write the code? That's vibe coding—and it's transforming how teachers create classroom tools. In this episode, Vicki Davis talks with 5th-grade teacher and 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Donnie Piercey about vibe coding in action, explores agentic AI with producer John Davis (including Vicki's 18+ custom Claude Cowork skills), and covers the critical AI literacy and cybersecurity lessons schools must teach NOW with EdTech consultant and author Rachelle Dené Poth. In this episode, you'll learn: - What vibe coding is and how to use it for classroom printables, newsletters, and games - Why AI is eliminating entry-level jobs and what that means for K-12 curriculum - How to implement agentic AI in your workflow (email triage, meal planning, show production) - Cybersecurity essentials: ransomware in schools, phishing, password safety, and VPN usage - What schools MUST teach: file management, professional vocabulary, computational thinking, and digital discernment Show notes: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/vibecoding [https://www.coolcatteacher.com/vibecoding]

STEAM Classroom Ideas That Work: 9 Experts Share What's Real

STEAM classroom ideas that actually work — from AI literacy to garden-based science. Nine expert educators share hands-on strategies you can use in your classroom this week. This is Part 2 of the STEAM Super Series on Cool Cat Teacher Talk. In this episode, you'll learn: - How Code.org's Hour of AI gives every teacher a free starting point for AI literacy — including unplugged activities with no computers needed - Why a student who never engaged in traditional math built a working scale model of a TI-84 calculator — and what that means for project-based learning - How Stephen Ritz grows 50,000 pounds of vegetables indoors with students in the South Bronx - How Fortnite Creative (with no guns) becomes a physics lab where gravity is 3x stronger than Earth's - How Desmos sliders give students instant visual feedback on math relationships Full show notes, guest bios, and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/steamaction [https://www.coolcatteacher.com/steamaction] Part 1 — The STEAM Mindset: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/steammindset [https://www.coolcatteacher.com/steammindset] Featured guests: Karim Meghji (Code.org), Tinashe Blanchet, Stephen Ritz (Green Bronx Machine), Dr. Erin Krupa, Karen Bosch, Andrew Vanden Heuvel, Dan Meyer (Amplify/Desmos), Adrian Gordon, Terra Tarango (Van Andel Institute for Education) Sponsored by: Van Andel Institute for Education and their Educator's Studio. Use COOLCAT to get 50% off. All opinions are that of each guest and not that of the sponsor. Hosted by Vicki Davis | coolcatteacher.com