"I Don't Even Like Calling It Claude" ft. Dr. Carol Fletcher | My EdTech Life 369

A college student let an AI chatbot complete his entire research project. When his professor asked him to explain it, he couldn't. That's the story that opens this episode with Dr. Carol Fletcher, Director of EPIC (Expanding Pathways in Computing) at UT Austin's Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), where she leads research and professional development in STEM+CS education across the state.

Carol doesn't hold back. She calls the "AI will do it all, kids don't need to learn to code" messaging coming out of corporate America "fascinatingly irresponsible." She breaks down research showing AI chatbots agree with users roughly 15 times more than a human would, and explains why she refuses to call any chatbot by a human name in front of students. We also get into why "just ban it" isn't working. 100% of kids in her conference's student panel said they're using AI, even in schools where it's prohibited. That's created a real adversarial relationship between students and teachers over AI accusations.

Carol brings a rare mix of perspectives to this conversation. She's a former middle school teacher, an elected School Board Trustee for 18 years, and the founder of WeTeach_CS, one of the largest computer science teacher professional development programs in the country. That program is where a lot of this episode's optimism lives: real, statewide, teacher-facing work that's been building AI and CS literacy in Texas classrooms long before this became a headline issue.

Then we go deep on policy. Carol chaired the Texas AI in Education Task Force behind a new white paper, and the numbers are sobering. Texas is one of only five states with no formal AI guidance for K-12, even though 86% of districts report teachers are already using it. She walks through the task force's recommendations and a red-light/yellow-light/green-light framework any district can start using now.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Learning Stalls and AI's Role
09:56 The Importance of Computer Science Education
19:57 The WeTeachCS Summit: Building Community and Empowering Educators
29:58 AI in Education: The Risks of Over-Reliance
35:48 The Need for AI Guidance in K-12 Education
39:53 Navigating AI Messaging in Education
42:46 Recommendations for AI Integration in Texas Education
46:06 Practical Steps for Districts to Implement AI Policies
52:02 WeTeachCS: Supporting Educators in AI Literacy

Connect with Dr. Carol Fletcher & WeTeach_CS:
🔗 weteachcs.org
📰https://tagide.com/blog/llm/the-anatomy-of-a-learning-stall/

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