Getting Smart Podcast

Catching Up: Ambient AI, Alpha School, and The Educator of the Future

Oct 3, 2025
Dive into the future of education as two hosts discuss revolutionary concepts like Alpha School’s innovative two-hour AI-driven learning. Discover the nuanced role of ambient AI in everyday life and its implications for assessment. They explore how relational intelligence can enrich learning experiences and ponder the balance between structured education and real-world exploration. With insights on personalized education and gamification, this conversation offers a captivating glimpse into the evolving landscape of teaching and learning.
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ANECDOTE

Students Build 'Boosties' Startup

  • Students in McAllen ISD created "Boosties" gummy energy bites to replace unhealthy energy drinks.
  • The project came from an Uncharted Learning incubator and combined entrepreneurship with a local market problem.
INSIGHT

Relational Intelligence Must Be Taught

  • Brookings research shows AI companions can reduce loneliness for some but increase it for others.
  • The hosts argue schools must train teachers in relational intelligence to keep technology from displacing human connection.
INSIGHT

NAEP Reveals Civic Literacy Gap

  • NAEP results reflect deficits in higher-order reading and critical thinking, not just basic decoding.
  • Nate frames this as a call to teach civic and media literacy to help students analyze fast-moving digital claims.
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