EH I PODCAST

Learn how Digital Moment (formerly Kids Code Jeunesse) evolved from a coding education organization to an “accidental”, national leader in AI literacy, reaching over one million youth and 35,000 educators, then explore the profound psychological and societal impacts of non-human intelligence, as well as growing concern over “AI intimacy,” and how we (educators, government, industry and society) can ensure that the next generation is not just efficient users of AI, but critical thinkers who understand the ethical, environmental, and mental health implications of the technology they use daily.

We explore how to move past fearing AI in classrooms, demystifying it for young learners, preserving human values like digital consent, and treating AI as a tool for augmenting critical thinking rather than undermining it.

Delve into rapidly evolving perceptions of AI in education (and in society) as illustrated in Canadian resources, from “it’s cheating” to a more optimistic (but still complex) outlook. Then dive into how we educate when AI will be a pivotal component of adult life for a grade 1 learner today, but also for a 4th year university student about to enter the workforce. Finally, explore what this means for an educator’s approach to prepare the next generation of Canadians.

We discuss whether AI is a passing edtech fad (VR, anyone?) or a radical shift in teaching and learning comparable to the early days of Web 2.0, while also examining West Vancouver School’s structured, “networked” approach to AI that prioritizes innovation, transparency, and human connection.

Are schools moving too quickly? Do we need to better understand how human learning actually works? Are we risking “cognitive offloading,” and weakening our deep thinking? We delve deep into human cognition, the limits of AI as an educational tool, the risks of treating AI adoption as inevitable, the influence of governments and edtech companies on education policy, and much, much more.

Exploring Lakefield College School’s innovative “Two-Lane” assessment model for AI, and how in a world where “the answers are stapled to the back of the test,” the burden is on educators to redesign assessments rather than on students to resist the pull of a tool that creates effortless “flow.”

We discuss four core categories that can help us reframe the use of AI from “something to be policed” to “closing the teacher-student exposure gap through experimentation and literacy”, and how we can treat AI as a tool for augmenting human thinking and deepening knowledge, rather than replacing learning.