#54 Why Most AI-Powered Teaching Misses the Mark (and How to Do It Right) with Vriti Saraf

🚨 “AI won’t replace teachers, but it will change what great teaching looks like.” 🚨

Educators are being pushed to adopt AI—but is it actually making teaching better? Too often, AI in education is used for efficiency rather than transformation, leaving teachers feeling like they’re just automating tasks instead of improving learning.

🎧 In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer sits down with Vriti Saraf, founder of Ed3 DAO, to tackle the real impact of AI on teaching and learning. Instead of using AI to churn out generic lesson plans, how can educators harness it to deepen student engagement, critical thinking, and global collaboration?

Key Takeaways:

✅ AI should enhance great pedagogy, not just automate bad teaching.

✅ The danger of cognitive offloading—how relying on AI too early can weaken essential teaching and learning skills.

✅ Why first-year teachers shouldn’t start with AI-generated lesson plans—and how to integrate AI thoughtfully instead.

✅ The “City of Learning” vision: What if an entire city became a classroom, powered by AI-driven learning experiences?

✅ The Portrait of a Teacher project: How AI might redefine who teaches and how we measure great teaching.

💡 PROBLEM → SOLUTION → ACTION

AI can be an incredible tool—but only if it’s used with intention. If you’re an educator wondering how to prepare students for a world where AI is everywhere, this episode is for you.

About Today’s Guest:

Vriti Saraf is the founder of Ed3 DAO and K20 Educators, pioneering the integration of AI, digital identity, and Web3 into global education. She works at the intersection of pedagogy and emerging technology, helping schools worldwide reimagine how learning happens.

Episode Links:

 • Ed3DAO

 • Vriti’s Substack

 • Vriti Saraf on LinkedIn

Host Links:

 Seth Fleischauer’s Banyan Global Learning provides meaningful global learning experiences that prepare students across the globe for success in an interconnected world.

Creators & Guests

SF

Host

Seth Fleischauer

What is Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning?

Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning is the podcast for globally-minded educators seeking thoughtful conversations about how education can adapt to an ever-changing world. Your host is Seth Fleischauer, former classroom teacher turned founder of an international learning company specializing in the teaching of global learning. Each episode features educational changemakers whose insights lead to practical solutions as we explore the interconnectedness of people, cultures, and systems and how these relationships shape transformative ideas in education.