What we learned from teachers at Sydney’s Day of AI
AI in Education Podcast
We kick off Series 17 with a multi-interview episode! Recorded live at the , this episode brings together three educators who are reshaping teaching, assessment and student learning in real classrooms with AI. You’ll hear from at on how teachers are building shared “Brains” in NotebookLM to save time, improve differentiation and support pedagogy, while reducing workload by more than 50 hours a week across staff workflows. from shares how AI is opening new creative possibilities for students and teachers alike, and why schools needed to guide students toward using AI well rather...
info_outline
The Castlereagh Moment: Education at a Turning Point with AI?
AI in Education Podcast
This week’s episode explores a defining moment for education in the age of AI. Fresh from a week of major events in Sydney, including the Microsoft AI Summit, Dan and Ray unpack the newly released Castlereagh Statement - a collaboration between 70+ education leaders calling for urgent change across schools, universities, and training systems. Their message is clear: education isn’t ready for the speed and scale of AI disruption. But that’s only part of the story. We’re also seeing a growing pushback on technology in classrooms, with schools limiting screen time and universities...
info_outline
From Classroom to Impact: How Dawn Knight Uses AI to Help Students Thrive
AI in Education Podcast
In this episode, we’re joined by , a sustainability lead and specialist support educator working with deaf students in a UK secondary school (). Dawn shares how she’s using AI in simple, practical ways to make learning more accessible - not just for students with additional needs, but for everyone in the classroom. From generating transcripts and differentiated resources to using AI as a planning “checklist,” Dawn explains how these tools are helping her save time and reinvest it where it matters most: supporting students directly. The conversation explores how technology originally...
info_outline
Australia’s AI moment: Fast adoption, slow policy, big questions
AI in Education Podcast
In this episode, Dan and Ray explore how AI is rapidly reshaping education, workplaces, and policy - often faster than institutions can respond. They unpack new guidance from NSW’s NESA on student AI use, highlighting the growing tension between rules, real-world behaviour, and the need for clearer, more consistent policies across education systems. The conversation expands globally with insights from the 2026 Stanford AI Index Report, revealing that while over 80% of students are already using AI, formal education and policy frameworks are struggling to keep pace. The distinction between...
info_outline
Jocelyn Brewer - How schools and parents rethink student wellbeing in the age of AI
AI in Education Podcast
In this episode, Dan and Ray are joined by psychologist and cyber psychology expert , founder of , to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing education today: how schools and parents can support student wellbeing in an AI-driven world. Jocelyn introduces the concept of “” - a more balanced, intentional approach to technology use that moves beyond simplistic ideas like screen time limits. Together, they explore how young people are already using AI for everything from homework to navigating friendships, often in ways adults don’t fully understand. The conversation dives into the risks...
info_outline
Inside the latest AI in education research: tutors, bias, and impact
AI in Education Podcast
This week’s episode dives into a wave of new research shaping how AI is actually being used in education. We explore what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to AI-generated feedback, including why blended, “hybrid” feedback may be the most effective approach - and why more feedback doesn’t always lead to better outcomes. The conversation then turns to one of the most important emerging issues: bias in AI systems. From subtle differences in tone to stereotyping based on student characteristics, the research highlights why educators need to be cautious about the data they provide...
info_outline
UnBlooms: Tina Austin on thinking well with AI and rethinking Bloom’s
AI in Education Podcast
joins Ray and Dan for a wide-ranging conversation about what AI adoption really looks like in US education beyond the hype, the headlines and the endless frameworks. Tina is an educator, consultant, policy adviser and the founder of GAInable. She works with schools, colleges and faculty teams on responsible AI adoption. In this episode, she shares how her work evolved from teaching bioethics and AI ethics into supporting educators across the US as they grapple with policy, privacy, assessment, tools, and changing classroom practice. The conversation explores the fragmented reality of AI in...
info_outline
AI News: the future of work we’re not ready for
AI in Education Podcast
In this AI News episode, Dan and Ray explore the fast-moving reality of AI in the workplace - and why many of us might not be as prepared as we think. They unpack a striking story of a KPMG partner fined for using AI to cheat on an AI ethics course, raising questions about assessment, responsibility, and what “cheating” even means in an AI-enabled world. The conversation then shifts to a growing trend: organisations and universities rolling out AI tools like Copilot at scale, and what this means for equity, productivity, and expectations in the workplace. Dan and Ray also dive into new...
info_outline
Stephen Heppell on Building Smarter Schools in the Age of AI
AI in Education Podcast
Professor joins Dan and Ray for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of schools, assessment, and learning in the age of AI. Stephen reflects on more than four decades of innovation in education technology — from early experiments with AI and HyperCard through to today’s generative AI systems. Drawing on work around the world, he shares stories from radical learning environments including beach schools, post-hurricane classrooms in the Cayman Islands, and experimental learning spaces designed with students themselves. A central theme of the episode is the growing gap between how...
info_outline
From Classrooms to Careers: The New AI Skills Race
AI in Education Podcast
In this news-packed episode, hosts Ray and Dan explore Purdue University’s bold new requirement for all graduates to demonstrate AI competency; and the strategic partnerships between Harvey.ai (the specialised system for the legal profession) and universities in Sydney, Oxford and Chicago. The conversation turns to the "first in the world" move by the University of Manchester to provide Microsoft 365 Copilot to 65,000 students and staff - paying homage to the legacy of Alan Turing. A highlight of the episode is the deep dive into "vibe coding"— the phenomenon of non-programmers using AI to...
info_outlineIn this special end-of-year episode, Ray and Dan unwrap the biggest moments, ideas, guests, and breakthroughs that shaped AI in education in 2025. From standout tools to unforgettable interviews, they look back at a year defined by rapid change, bold experimentation, and extraordinary people driving meaningful impact.
[If you want to see, rather than just hear, this episode, then come over and join us on YouTube at https://youtu.be/IhGwPPuWA4o - this episode is a visual treat with bonus Dad humour]
They reveal their AI Product of the Year (NotebookLM), the worst offenders in AI hype, and their most loved - and most hated - research papers. And then they revisit the year’s most-downloaded episode, celebrate exceptional system-level leadership from Brisbane Catholic Education, and honour powerful student voices from Caitlin and the All Hallows’ cohort.
The awards extend to professional learning champions Lee Barrett & Prem Radhakrishnan, Indigenous perspectives with Peta-Anne Toohey, and reflective insights from Carlo Iacono on what it means to stay human in an AI-saturated world.
Finally, Ray and Dan name their overall winners of 2025 - and map out the essential episodes to revisit over the holidays.
Full Awards list
- AI in Education Product of the Year: Notebook LM
- Research Paper of the Year: "Heads we win, tails you lose: AI Detectors in Education" from Mark A Bassett et al.
- Most downloaded Episode of the Year: “Learning Designers Meet AI” with Minh Huynh & Cory Dal Ponte
- K–12 Leadership & Vision Award: Leigh Williams and team at Brisbane Catholic Education
- Best AI Professional Development Work: Lee Barrett & Prem Radhakrishnan
- Award for "Voices Representing a Billion people": To the students we had in Series 12, especially Caitlin, and Abby, Abby, Miranda, Eloise, Charlotte, Annie
- Most Nerve-Wracking Interview / Indigenous Voice Award: Peta-Anne Toohey
- Making AI Human Award: Carlo Iacono
- Researcher of the Year: Dr Anna Denejkina
Runners Up
People not on the podcast this year, but who we feel have been influential in the AI in Education community
- Community Leaders in AI & Education: Simone Kirsch & Julianne Peloche; Sarah Ratner & the A-I-E-O-U team
- Education Leader Runner-Up of the Year: Jason Lodge
And finally, Winner of Winners
Dan’s pick: Leigh Williams from Brisbane Catholic Education
Ray’s pick: Students in general