Download Podcasts as MP3
Search for a podcast, browse episodes, and download MP3 files directly from the publisher's website. Transcripts included when available.
Episodes from My EdTech Life
Strategy Beats the Tool in AI for Schools ft. Karle Delo | My EdTech Life 365
What happens when a former curriculum director becomes an AI strategist for an entire state? You get the kind of zoomed-out view most of us in education never get to see.In this episode, I welcome back my good friend Karle Delo, AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual, for a real conversation about what's actually working in school districts, what's flopping, and what the secret AI culture in your building probably looks like right now.Karle works with districts across Michigan, helping them build AI guidance, professional learning, and integration plans. She's seen the speedboats, the...
Why AI Won't Save a Classroom Without Curiosity ft. Olivia Odileke | My EdTech Life 364
What if the missing ingredient in your classroom isn't a new tool, a new curriculum, or another PD session, but curiosity itself?In this episode, I sit down with Olivia Odileke, founder of Spark Curiosity EDU, Education Week contributor, and creator of the Spark Curiosity GPT Coach. Olivia brings an industrial engineering background into the world of education, and her perspective on how we teach, how we evaluate, and how we use AI in classrooms is one you don't want to miss.We get into why so many teachers are burning out trying to cover...
What AI Can't Replace in Instructional Design ft. Jonathan De La Cruz | My EdTech Life 363
AI can write your design doc. It can build your storyboard. It can draft your script, your rubric, your assessment, your video outline, and half of your e-learning module before lunch. So what's left for the instructional designer?According to Jonathan De La Cruz, everything that actually matters.Jonathan is an instructional designer at a supply chain company and at a Plano, Texas startup building an AI-assisted learning management system. But before all of that, he was a music educator. He worked at DePauw University and Indiana University. He played mariachi on weekends, jazz combos...
The Human Edge: Smarter Decisions in the Age of AI ft. Cheryl Strauss Einhorn | My EdTech Life 362
What happens to your judgment when AI starts answering before you finish the question?In this episode, Dr. Fonz sits down with Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, founder of Decisive, decision-sciences educator at Cornell and the University of Miami, and author of the new book The Human Edge: Smarter Decisions in the Age of AI (Cornell Publishing, May 8th). Cheryl spent over a decade as an investigative journalist at Barron's, where her bearish company stories halted stock trading, shut down companies, and once helped send a CEO to ten years in prison. That work taught her something every educator...
If You Live on Earth, You've Been Opted Into AI ft. Valerie Brock | My EdTech Life 361
There's no opt-out button for AI. That's the reality Valerie Brock, Curriculum Lead at Day of AI, brings to this conversation, and it changes how we think about AI literacy in K-12.In this episode, Dr. Fonz sits down with Valerie to unpack what AI literacy actually means (hint: it's not prompt engineering), why early childhood classrooms belong in this conversation, and how Day of AI is building developmentally appropriate, tool-agnostic curriculum that's now reaching students in Australia, Rwanda, Taiwan, New Zealand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and beyond.Valerie draws on 13 years as a New...
The #1 AI Governance Mistake Schools Are Making ft. Betsy Cooper | My EdTech Life 360
Episode 360: The #1 AI Governance Mistake Schools Are Making ft. Betsy CooperWhat's the biggest mistake schools are making with AI right now? According to Betsy Cooper, it's not taking it seriously from day one. In this episode, Dr.Alfonso sits down with Betsy Cooper, Founder and Executive Director of the Aspen Policy Academy, for a powerful conversation on the AI governance decisions quietly reshaping schools — and what educators, leaders, and parents can do about it.Betsy brings a one-of-a-kind perspective shaped by her work as a former DHS attorney, her time leading the UC Berkeley Ce...
No CS Background. Below Poverty Line. Now Learning Quantum ft. A.M. Bhatt | My EdTech Life 359
What happens when you take public high school students with zero computer science background — 87% of whom are below the federal poverty line — and put them in one of only two quantum computing programs for high schoolers in the entire nation?That's exactly what A.M. Bhatt and his nonprofit DAE are doing in Connecticut, and the results are challenging everything we think we know about education reform, student potential, and what it really means to prepare young people for the future.In this episode of My EdTech Life, host Dr. Alfonso Mendoza sits down with A.M...
How Two 19-Year-Olds Are Fixing Reading & Writing with AI ft. Almar & Max | My EdTech Life 358
They’re Only 19… And Already Rethinking EducationWhat happens when two 19-year-olds look at education and say… this isn’t working?In this episode, I sit down with Almar Tishenko and Max Litvinenka, two young founders building Reading Rooms, a platform designed to rethink how students read, write, and receive feedback in the age of AI.This isn’t about replacing teachers.This is about giving them time back, strengthening critical thinking, and using AI the right way.🚀 What You’ll Learn•Why delayed feedback is hurting student learning•How Reading...
Giving Student Voice a Stage ft. Tim Belmont | My EdTech Life 357
Student voice is one of the most powerful forces in education — but only when it has a real stage. In this episode, Dr. Fonz welcomes back returning guest Tim Belmont, Language Arts teacher and Technology Coordinator at Lyndhurst High School in New Jersey, for a rich conversation on what it actually means to give students an authentic voice — and the innovative project he built to make that a reality.Tim breaks down how he integrates podcasting into his Public Speaking and Advanced Public Speaking classes, why choice and personal connection are the secret ingredients to genuine student expr...
Safe AI for Kids: How Chatperone Protects Your Child ft. Caleb Hurd | My EdTech Life 356
In this episode, Dr. Alfonso sits down with Caleb Hurd, founder of Chatperone, an AI chat platform built specifically to keep kids safe online. As a father of two and a 20-year tech industry veteran, Caleb built Chatperone not for investors or school district contracts, but for his own children first. What started as a personal solution has become a mission to give parents and educators peace of mind in a world where AI chatbots are already in the hands of our kids.From the Character AI controversy to COPPA compliance gaps, Caleb and Dr...
Podcasting in 2026: Grow Your Show with AI & Descript ft. Aaron Makelky | My EdTech Life 355
Dr. Alfonso sits down with Aaron Makelky of Descript to unpack the real future of podcasting beyond vanity metrics, beyond over-polished edits, and beyond the AI hype.This conversation is a masterclass for creators, educators, and entrepreneurs who want to amplify their voice without burning out.From workflow wisdom to sponsorship strategy to the rise of hyper-niche podcasts, Aaron delivers practical insight with zero fluff. If you’ve ever wondered whether your downloads are “enough,” whether video matters, or how AI fits into authentic storytelling, you won't want to miss this one.Chapte...
Ready to Lead With AI ft. Dr. Kip Glazer | My EdTech Life 354
Four years after ChatGPT changed everything, schools are still treading water.In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Kip Glazer, principal of Mountain View High School, home of Google, and author of Ready to Lead With AI: A Practical Guide for School Leaders. Dr. Kip has been in this conversation since 2015 and she is bringing ALL of that experience to the table.We talk about why the AI cheating conversation is failing our students, what questions every school leader should be asking vendors before letting ANY tool into their school, and why the real...