Learning, Agency, and EdTech | Erik Parsons

In this episode of My EdTech Life, I reconnect with the brilliant Erik Parsons, better known as The PhDad on TikTok, for a bold conversation on what really matters in education. We dig into behaviorism vs. developmentalism, and how too many classrooms are still operating on compliance over collaboration.

From Chromebooks as babysitters to the over-promise of AI-powered personalized learning, we question the transactional mindset that keeps students locked out of agency. Erik shares how improvisational theatre, playground culture, and student discourse can reshape how we think about learning and how the classroom should feel more like a community than a factory.

We also break down the risks of cognitive offload when students rely on AI to do the thinking for them. Are these tools helping or harming? What does it really mean to teach with students, not to them?

Whether you’re a K-12 teacher, higher ed faculty, or policy maker, this episode challenges you to stop, think, and ask yourself: Are we preparing learners or performers?

00:00 – Welcome Back, Erik Parsons: The PhDad Returns
02:45 – The Story Behind "The PhDad" and TikTok Content
06:00 – Behaviorism vs. Developmentalism Explained
12:30 – The Power of Play, Agency, and Classroom Discourse
18:00 – What Developmentalism Looks Like in a Tech-Rich Classroom
24:00 – Are We Managing Students or Empowering Them?
30:00 – When Tech Becomes a Distraction Instead of a Tool
35:15 – Rethinking the Teacher's Role in EdTech
38:30 – Improvisation in Learning: From Theater to Classroom
43:00 – Personalized Learning or Programmed Learning?
48:20 – What Happens When Students Only Care About the Grade
51:00 – The “Banking Model” of Education and Why It Fails
55:00 – The Real Dangers of AI: Cognitive Offload and Student Dependency
01:01:00 – Supporting Neurodivergent Students with Ethical AI
01:05:00 – Final Thoughts: From Performers to Learners

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