From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Subscribe to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Are we racing toward an AI future without asking the right questions? Author and ed-tech critic Audrey Watters joins me to show teachers how to hit pause, get thoughtful, and keep classroom relationships at the center.

Rise Vision – Episode Sponsor

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LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast – YouTube

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The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast – Audio

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Stream by clicking here.

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Key Takeaways

• How can we keep the human at the center of AI tools? 🤔
Learning happens in community, not in isolation with software.

• What myths still fool teachers about “personalized” learning? 🧐
Algorithms can shrink—not expand—student voices.

• Where do creative ideas get lost when prompts go wrong? 💭
AI often averages away our best thoughts; students need room to think aloud and refine.

• Why should schools invest in people before platforms? 🏫
Classrooms are for building human capacity, not optimizing data points.

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Links in the Show

• Rise Vision – https://RiseVision.com/10MinuteTeacher
• Audrey Watters’ newsletter “Second Breakfast” – https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/
• Book Teaching Machines: The History of Personalized Learning by Audrey Watters – https://amzn.to/4mJeqmE
• Full show notes – https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e903

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Audrey Watters – Bio as Submitted

Audrey Watters is a writer, scholar, and serial dropout often called “Ed-tech’s Cassandra.” She is the author of Teaching Machines and the Monsters of Education Technology series, and she has spent more than a decade critiquing hype in education technology while advocating for human-centered learning. Audrey lives in New York City with her husband Kin and their dog Poppy.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



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