Week in Edtech 6/25/25: MIT Study on AI Sparks Brain-Rot Fears, Cheating Scandal in Debate Nationals, Teachers Sound the Alarm on LLMs, and More! Feat. Sara DeWitt of PBS KIDS & José Francisco Ochoa Ordóñez of Academia del Océano
Description
Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell for a thought-provoking summer edition of Week in Edtech, featuring headline debates on AI in education, a rare look into PBS KIDS’ funding crisis, and grassroots innovation in ocean learning from Ecuador.
✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:03:16 ] MIT study raises alarms about AI's impact on student thinking
[00:07:42 ] AI cheating scandal hits national debate championships
[00:12:33 ] Teachers vent frustration as AI disrupts classroom dynamics
[00:14:45 ] Educators face a crossroads: ban AI or embrace it as a teaching tool
Plus, special guests:
[00:19:09 ] Sara DeWitt, SVP & General Manager of PBS KIDS, on funding cuts, educational media, and AI experiments in public broadcasting
[00:41:38 ] José Francisco Ochoa Ordóñez, Co-founder of Academia del Oceano, on democratizing ocean education through hybrid EdTech in Latin America
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