AI in the Classroom – Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype. This daily podcast explores what responsible AI in the classroom really looks like for teachers, school leaders, and district administrators. Each episode translates the latest AI news, research, and policy debates into clear, practical insight — what's changing, why it matters, and what to do next. I use AI as a thinking partner in preparing each episode, because the best way to talk honestly about AI in education is to work with it openly.
Co-Founder & Chief Academic Officer, Newsela
dan.cogandrew@newsela.com
How To Get Students To Want To Do The Heavy Lifting
In this episode we explore Dan Rockmore’s New Yorker essay, “Should the Classroom Be More Like the Gym?” and its argument that schools should value the process of learning as much as the final product. What can physical training teach us about student motivation, feedback, and the role of AI?
Topics covered:
Why learning should resemble physical training
The problem with grading final products
Immediate feedback versus delayed grades
Mastery learning and the expectation of proficiency
AI-generated assessments and teacher judgment
Sports and performance as curriculum models
The difference between practice and busywork
AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype.
Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela.
Have a story we should cover? Reach us at podcast@newsela.com (mailto:podcast@newsela.com)
Source:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/should-the-classroom-be-more-like-the-gym?
15 Oct 2026
Why One Teacher Built an AI Chatbot That Lies to Students
In this episode we explore how Mike Yates, Vice President of AI and Emerging Technology at Teach For America, is helping educators rethink teaching and learning with AI. From a Michigan algebra teacher who built a chatbot that deliberately lies to students to a Houston teacher using AI to overcome language barriers, we discuss what meaningful innovation looks like in real classrooms.
We examine the tension between growing resistance to Big Tech and the possibilities AI creates for teachers. Through examples from across the country, we consider how technology can strengthen human relationships, support professional expertise, and change the way educators approach their work.
Topics covered:
An algebra chatbot designed to deceive
Catching AI errors as homework
Translation tools that deepen student relationships
Younger teachers resisting Big Tech
AI professional development beyond basic training
Teacher expertise versus technological automation
Innovation grounded in real classroom needs
AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype.
Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela.
Have a story we should cover? Reach us at podcast@newsela.com (mailto:podcast@newsela.com)
Sources:
https://publicaisummit.org/keynote/the-homework-machine/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-yates/
13 Oct 2026
Bring the Hard Part Into Class
In this episode we explore a Wall Street Journal investigation into Google's expanding AI presence in schools. We examine the tension between protecting students' independent thinking and giving teachers enough time to observe, guide, and respond to that thinking.
Topics covered:
Google's AI features and growing school backlash
The hidden costs of effortless AI answers
Bringing cognitive struggle back into classrooms
Jennifer Haber's approach to in-class writing
Observing student thinking beyond finished essays
The limits of real-time teacher feedback
Individual writing needs versus whole-class instruction
Structure, student voice, and writing development
AI in the Classroom Daily helps educators make sense of AI without the hype.
Hosted by Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Newsela.
Have a story we should cover? Reach us at podcast@newsela.com (mailto:podcast@newsela.com)
Sources:
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/google-ai-gemini-education-schools-1ec0972a
https://newcurrent.substack.com/p/you-cant-turn-off-googles-ai-search
https://www.marshallmemo.com/issue.php?I=5f1a21736feea8b43c16aa30cf54ee21#One
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