Integrate This! Ed Tech Podcast

Dr. Nadine Ebri, CEO of Ebri Education and a 2026 Presidential Leadership Scholar, joins the podcast to share how working with her daughter after an autism diagnosis led her to build an app called Free Indeed, designed to track development and give other parents tools to support their kids at home. Nadine also talks through her Presidential Leadership Scholars project, The Ripple Effect, which trains college students to bring AI literacy to older adults in their communities so no one gets left behind, and her journey from reluctant teacher to Duval County Teacher of the Year finalist, including the long division rap video with her students that went on to rack up over 20 million views. She also shares how she built and led a district-wide Minecraft Education lab focused on cybersecurity and AI. https://ebrieducation.org/ 0:00 – Intro & welcome 1:05 – Nadine's journey: from reluctant teacher to "how do you want to learn?" 6:23 – The leap from classroom to Minecraft Education and beyond 23:35 – How the Duval County Minecraft Lab got started 25:16 – Biggest takeaways from Minecraft Education 28:05 – Building "Free Indeed" with her daughter 32:42 – Becoming a Presidential Leadership Scholar 34:01 – The Ripple Effect: fighting AI scams and building literacy in older adults 45:39 – Lightning round 50:10 – This or that 51:06 – Where to find Nadine & closing thoughts

Jeremy catches up with past Integrate This! guest Jon Laven from Snorkl at the Educators AI Summit at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. In this quick conversation, Jon shares what’s new with Snorkl and how the platform is helping students explain their thinking and receive immediate AI-powered feedback without allowing AI to do the thinking for them. They also discuss cognitive offloading, student voice, purposeful screen time, new Snorkl features including Activity Sets and an upcoming PhET integration, and why asking students to verbally explain their learning can provide educators with a much richer picture of understanding. Jon also shares the Snorkl activity he recommends educators try first and why a classroom full of students talking about their thinking can be a pretty powerful thing. Learn more at snorkl.app.

Jose Gonzalez, a 21st Century Learning Specialist at Compton Unified School District, joins the podcast to share years of hands-on, project-based learning with his students, from building aquaponics systems on trucks and ships to designing a scaled-down interstellar mission in collaboration with a school in Brazil. He talks through how normalizing failure, giving students real problems to solve, and stepping back as "sage on the stage" builds confidence, communication skills, and genuine expertise in his students, many of whom have gone on to present their work on national TV and international stages. Jose also shares stories from taking students to Hawaii and Denver, working through shipping disasters and last-minute repairs, and previews his next big idea: launching student-built can satellites. Stick around for the lightning round, including his class's team song. Connect with Jose: Jose Gonzalez | LinkedIn Explore the Davis MS Projects Here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1alhJOSTPOIC-ol0cdJpSNjtxfFcfHx9XiHoQJPjgeKk/edit?tab=t.0 0:00 – Intro & welcome 1:01 – Jose's path from Cuba to teaching in Compton 3:55 – What drives him to teach in Compton 5:33 – Why project-based learning works 10:02 – The Infy Makers Award and what it made possible 18:31 – Taking students to Hawaii 25:34 – The ISTE presentation and the Brazil spacecraft project 38:27 – Advice for teachers wanting to try this 43:57 – What's next: student-built can satellites 47:00 – Lightning round & this-or-that

AI is changing quickly—but better technology doesn’t automatically mean better learning. In this episode of Integrate This! EdTech, Jeremy Mikla and David Berner sit down with Dan Fitzpatrick, The AI Educator, fresh off the 2026 Back to School AI Summit, to talk about where AI in education is headed and what educators should be paying attention to right now. The conversation moves beyond the basics of “What is AI?” and into the much harder question: How do we think with machines without losing our ability to think without them? Dan shares his perspective on the growing research around AI and student learning, why AI literacy matters, and how the way students use AI may be far more important than simply whether they use it. The conversation also explores the role of student voice, the importance of giving teachers practical strategies they can use immediately, and why schools need to balance the risks of AI with the opportunities it can create. Dan also takes us behind the scenes of the Back to School AI Summit, discusses the rapid evolution of AI agents, and shares the thinking behind The Educator’s AI Guide 2027—a practical, educator-driven field guide designed to help teachers turn ideas into action. Plus, stay for the lightning round to hear about Dan’s personal team of AI agents, his favorite places in the United States, the word he hopes defines his work in education, and the very personal reason AC/DC is his keynote walk-up music. In this conversation: • Moving from AI awareness to meaningful classroom practice • Using AI without outsourcing student thinking • What emerging research tells us about AI and learning • AI literacy for teachers and students • Student voice in AI policies and decisions • Why practical, teacher-led professional learning matters • Balancing AI safety with opportunity • The accelerating pace of technological change • AI agents and what may be coming next • The Educator’s AI Guide 2027 • Amplifying the voices of classroom educators RESOURCES 🔗 The AI Educator: https://theaieducator.io/ 🔗 The Educator’s AI Guide 2027: https://aieducator.tools/2027-educators-guide 🔗 Back to School AI Summit: https://summit.aieducator.tools/

Dr. Nekia Becerra — Education Strategist at Dell Technologies and former classroom teacher, campus administrator, and district leader — joins David Berner and Jeremy Mikla on the Integrate This! EdTech Podcast to talk about what actually matters as AI transforms K-12 education: empathy, design thinking, and preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet. Nekia shares her journey from fourth-grade math teacher to Dell's Global Skilling Program, breaks down the Girls Who Game initiative (built with Microsoft, Intel, and Dell using Minecraft for Education), and explains why "failing fast" and productive struggle are essential skills for both students and teachers navigating AI in the classroom. 🎙 Integrate This! EdTech Podcast is hosted by David Berner and Jeremy Mikla, exploring AI, edtech tools, and instructional strategy for K-12 educators and district leaders. Connect with Dr. Nekia Becerra LinkedIn: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.linkedin.com/in/nekia-t-becerra/__;!!LpKI!jFAhw8KyLaz57cZyvj9nF7MLsPoitMa69BYszxUl9HUDpgTTRbs3PZFQ-RWkUxnZ1yzUAaGgpRg$ Girls Who Game: https://www.dell.com/en-us/lp/dt/girls-who-game Tech Career Circuit: https://techcareercircuit.discoveryeducation.com/ "The best career path isn't always a straight line" (TED Talk) [ted.com]: https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_ellis_and_helen_tupper_the_best_career_path_isn_t_always_a_straight_line