The loudest voices on AI in education sit at the edges, and almost nobody who teaches every day lives out there. Matt Miller calls the place they actually live the sensible middle, and this episode makes the case for it. Hosts Ryan Lufkin and guest co-host Jody Sailor talk with the creator of Ditch That Textbook, a high school Spanish teacher of more than twenty years and the author of seven books, about what changed when he stopped assigning workbook pages, why he went back to the classroom after eight years away, and what he thinks has to stay human while the ground shifts.
In this episode:
Ditching the textbook was never about hating textbooks, and Matt describes replacing the questions at the end of the chapter one at a time until he needed the book so rarely he stopped reaching for it.
The promise of AI is easiest to see in a Spanish 1 class of 31 students, where Matt can deliver strong whole-group instruction and still not get meaningful personalized feedback to every kid.
Cognitive offloading worries Matt as much as it worries families, and he recounts a district parent survey that came back saying, in a variety of ways, that they're afraid AI will make their kids stupid.
Time is the barrier teachers name out loud, though Matt points to comfort as the one nobody mentions.
Asking students what they think is the move that requires no permission from anyone, and Matt walks through the four-step conversation from AI Literacy in Any Class that gets honest answers instead of self-preservation.
The one-room schoolhouse kept the entire curriculum inside one teacher's head, and Matt traces how every innovation since has pulled learning away from that center, which is why he argues the question worth asking now is what only a human brings.
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AI Literacy in Any Class by Matt Miller
What is Educast 3000?
Ah, education…a world filled with mysterious marvels. From K12 to Higher Ed, educational change and innovation are everywhere. And with that comes a few lessons, too.
Each episode, EduCast3000 hosts, Melissa Loble and Ryan Lufkin, will break down the fourth wall and reflect on what’s happening in education – the good, the bad, and, in some cases, the just plain chaotic. This is the most transformative time in the history of education, so if you’re passionate about the educational system and want some timely and honest commentary on what’s happening in the industry, this is your show.
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