There's no opt-out button for AI. That's the reality Valerie Brock, Curriculum Lead at Day of AI, brings to this conversation, and it changes how we think about AI literacy in K-12.
In this episode, Dr. Fonz sits down with Valerie to unpack what AI literacy actually means (hint: it's not prompt engineering), why early childhood classrooms belong in this conversation, and how Day of AI is building developmentally appropriate, tool-agnostic curriculum that's now reaching students in Australia, Rwanda, Taiwan, New Zealand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and beyond.
Valerie draws on 13 years as a New York City special education teacher and six years with NYC's Computer Science for All initiative to explain how accessibility, UDL, and real classroom experience shape every lesson her team creates. She also shares the stories behind Day of AI's NYC Public Library pilot, the family toolkits built with Common Sense Media, and the new AASA fellowship putting superintendents at the center of AI rollout.
Whether you're a teacher, a school leader, a curriculum designer, or a parent trying to figure out where to start, this episode gives you the language, the framework, and the free resources to move forward.
🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
✅ Why AI literacy is about how AI systems work, why they fail, and when not to use them
✅ How to have developmentally appropriate AI conversations from kindergarten through 12th grade
✅ The difference between AI literacy and AI outsourcing
✅ How Day of AI's Program Hubs are scaling globally
✅ Why superintendents belong at the center of AI rollout
✅ How to bring AI literacy to families, libraries, and communities
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome to My EdTech Life
01:20 Meet Valerie Brock
02:30 From NYC classrooms to Day of AI
05:00 What Day of AI actually is
06:30 The "opt out" button doesn't exist
09:30 Accessibility, UDL, and designing for every learner
13:30 What AI literacy really means
17:00 The fear teachers bring to PD
19:00 The NYC Public Library pilot
20:45 Why kindergartners can handle this conversation
24:30 How Day of AI decides what's developmentally appropriate
30:00 Program Hubs around the world
35:00 The AASA superintendent fellowship
40:00 How to get started with Day of AI
45:00 Valerie's AI kryptonite and billboard message
🔗 CONNECT WITH VALERIE
🌐 Day of AI: https://dayofai.org (https://dayofai.org/)
💼 LinkedIn: Valerie Brock
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