AI in the Classroom - Daily

AI in the Classroom – Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype. This daily podcast explores what responsible AI in the classroom really looks like for teachers, school leaders, and district administrators. Each episode translates the latest AI news, research, and policy debates into clear, practical insight — what's changing, why it matters, and what to do next. I use AI as a thinking partner in preparing each episode, because the best way to talk honestly about AI in education is to work with it openly.Co-Founder & Chief Academic Officer, Newseladan.cogandrew@newsela.com

AI in the Classroom - Daily is a education podcast hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, with 132 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Dan Cogan-Drew hosts AI in the Classroom - Daily, a education show with 132 episodes published.

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  Episode #137

  The College Board Is Redesigning AP for the AI Era

  Oct 2, 20268 minS1

  In this episode we explore three stories that reveal just how differently schools are beginning to respond to AI, from redesigning major courses and assessments, to confronting parent concerns about AI tutors, to using AI behind the scenes to rethink school transportation. Topics covered include: The College Board redesigning AP Computer Science Principles to incorporate generative AI, machine learning, data ethics, and a new AI-focused performance task Why AP Seminar is changing its approach to writing and AI The growing mismatch between school assignments and the AI-enabled world students are entering SFUSD’s use of the AI-powered reading tutor Amira How one New York school district is using AI to optimize bus routes in real time Why some of the least controversial uses of AI in schools may be happening far outside the classroom AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype. Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela. Have a story we should cover? Reach us at podcast@newsela.com Sources: https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/new-college-board-research-ap-teachers-push-guardrails-and-support-genai-reshapes-classroom https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/2026/09/25/pst-sf-amira-ai-in-schools/ https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/frontier-schools-n-y-turn-to-ai-for-bus-routing

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  Episode #136

  How One High School Is Rethinking AI, Assessment, and Student Thinking

  Oct 1, 202631 minS1

  In this episode we explore what it looks like when a school leader decides to take AI seriously, without letting the technology dictate what good teaching and learning should become. We sit down with Vinnie Murray, Principal of Dominican High School for a conversation about Dominican’s evolving approach to AI. We also explore the tension Vinnie is seeing in his own students: many are skeptical of AI even as they continue to use it. Topics covered include: • How Vinnie moved from experimenting with ChatGPT to leading a school-wide AI strategy • Why teacher buy-in may matter more than getting everyone to the same level of enthusiasm • What student surveys at Dominican reveal about changing attitudes toward AI • How the conversation is shifting from “AI and cheating” to assessment and instructional design • How teachers can make student thinking more visible when work happens outside the classroom • How the school’s values are shaping decisions about when students should use AI AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype. Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela.

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  Episode #135

  What the “AI in Action” Report Says About AI in Classrooms

  Sep 30, 202611 minS1

  In this episode we explore what educators are actually seeing when AI-powered tools move from demos and headlines into real classrooms. Drawing on Instruction Partners’ recent “AI in Action” learning tour, we examine what seems to be working, what clearly isn’t, and why the difference may have less to do with whether a product uses AI than with how that AI is designed and deployed. Topics covered include: • What remains central as AI tools become more capable• What researchers observed about AI’s ability to take the pedagogical lead• Why some AI tools may be worse than paper and pencil• The problem with general-purpose chatbots• Why browser lockdowns and academic-integrity policies may only be the beginning• What happens when AI arrives at school through students’ everyday devices• The design principle behind some of the strongest AI-supported learning experiences observed on the tour AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype. Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela. Source: https://ailearningtour.instructionpartners.org/insights/overall-takeaways

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  Episode #134

  The Difference Between Engagement and Learning

  Sep 29, 202624 minS1

  In this episode we explore how to tell whether educational technology is actually helping students learn. We sit down with Dr. Nicole Barnes, a learning scientist at the American Psychological Association, to unpack a new APA report on children, adolescents, and educational technology. Topics covered include: Why “engagement” can be a misleading measure of learning The difference between clicking, completing, and understanding What generative AI may change about productive struggle in the classroom How teachers can sequence AI use so student thinking still comes first What age-appropriate AI guardrails might look like What learning science can contribute to decisions schools are already making about AI AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype. Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela. Source: https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/childrens-adolescents-learning-educational-technology.pdf

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  Episode #133

  What Makes an AI Tutor Actually Work?

  Sep 28, 202611 minS1

  In this episode we explore what AI tutoring looks like when the goal is to recreate some of the things effective human tutors actually do. Using the AI tool Ello as a case study, we examine a framework drawn from high-dosage human tutoring: understanding what a student partially knows, recognizing when it’s time to shift gears, and building enough of a relationship that the learner wants to keep going. Topics covered: What separates an AI tutor from an AI “teacher” Three moves that effective human tutors make How AI can listen for a child’s partial understanding Why responsiveness and latency matter for student engagement The role of emotion and relationship in tutoring What happens when children become attached to an AI character The guardrails developers are building around those relationships The growing tension between school restrictions and AI adoption at home AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype. Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela. Sources: https://humanistxyz.substack.com/p/what-it-takes-to-build-an-ai-teacher https://www.ello.com/

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