AI Literacy is the Floor, Judgment is the Ceiling | Ep. 97

In this episode of ChatEDU (AI Literacy is the Floor, Judgment is the Ceiling), Matt and Liz examine whether judgment tops AI literacy, touch on AI-packed Super Bowl ads, a satirical AI book, and “OpenClaw,” then dive into the news.

The Rundown

Time Studios and Darren Aronofsky have launched "On This Day," a high-fidelity AI-animated series bringing 1776 to life for the semi-quincentennial.

India has become Google’s largest AI test bed, shifting to a decentralized, teacher-driven model for 247 million students.

Google Classroom is adding built-in recording tools for multimedia feedback and student oral or code submissions.

Matt and Liz highlight NotebookLM’s “pencil” for custom slides and infographics as Gemini tests ChatGPT chat imports.

Unsealed court docs show Google plans to leverage its 80% school hardware share to lock in lifelong users.

The duo explores Genie 3, where descriptive "gamer language" is used to define physics, friction, and even the perspective of the poison in Hamlet.

The “Godfather of AI” backs Alpha School’s model: two hours of AI-driven mastery in the morning, freeing afternoons for workshops.

A University of Adelaide study finds AI tutors can spot math anxiety through typing, deletion, and hesitation patterns.

Matt and Liz argue the humanities are future-proof and showcase a Gem that analyzes student chats for the 4 C’s.

Why markets shed $300 billion in a week: fears that AI “vibe coding” could replace giants like Salesforce and Adobe.

NWEA has released a comprehensive directory of tools for formative assessment, from Kahoot to Edpuzzle, posing a challenge for future "vibe coders."

EdSafe warns schools about AI companions’ “artificial intimacy” and urges removing empathy-mimicking features from edtech bots.

Beneath the Surface

Matt and Liz examine the “AI Paradox”: if AI handles entry-level work, how do leaders build judgment? They argue students need digital maturity, not just how to use AI, but when and why.

Bright Byte

NASA’s JPL used Claude to plan the first AI-driven Mars rover route, cutting Perseverance’s planning time in half across a 500,000-variable simulation with minimal human tweaks.

Announcements

Celebrate our 100th episode: ⁠skills21.org/chatedu100⁠

Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday

ASCD: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77

Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw

EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠

Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here - ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠

This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Links

On This Day in 1776

https://tinyurl.com/bd45ufmf

India Scaling AI in Education

https://tinyurl.com/mr36r5ws

Record directly in Google Classroom

https://tinyurl.com/bdt9e4ta

Google adds Video Overviews

https://tinyurl.com/3bysbruw

Google Eases ChatGPT-to-Gemini Switch

https://tinyurl.com/3suv2ejm

Google Eyes Students as Future Users

https://tinyurl.com/24tbaehd

Prompting Smarter with Genie 3

https://tinyurl.com/48mmspcv

AI Pioneer Hails School’s AI Strategy

https://tinyurl.com/43ptthrp

AI That Reads Math Anxiety

https://tinyurl.com/mvjpszts

Why AI Makes the Liberal Arts Invaluable

https://tinyurl.com/3nsrcb2s

The SaaS-Pocalypse Has Begun.

https://tinyurl.com/mvmzarkb

75 Digital Tools for Formative Assessment

https://tinyurl.com/ye2yksc2

Entry-Level Jobs Need a Residency Model

https://tinyurl.com/mrdpcb2t

S.A.F.E. BY DESIGN

https://tinyurl.com/us6n2djs

AI Is Changing How We Build Judgment

https://tinyurl.com/2j7r5sbe

States Press On With AI School Rules

https://tinyurl.com/ytjk4fns

Teach Digital Maturity, Not Just Literacy
https://tinyurl.com/48hysc4v

Claude AI Takes the Wheel on Mars

https://tinyurl.com/murz85z4