In this episode, I chat with Crystal Uhiren, an instructional technology facilitator and certified Apple Learning Coach, about keeping student thinking at the center of AI use. You’ll also hear practical, low-prep strategies like the two-minute idea sort, mid-class progress pit stops, and screenshot check-ins that build accountability without adding to your workload. If you want to embrace AI while protecting the productive struggle that helps students actually learn, this episode has you covered!
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Tips for Keeping Student Thinking at the Center of AI
- Stay excited about AI while holding onto the classroom strategies you already know work.
- Shift your focus from grading the finished product to making the learning process visible.
- Try the two-minute idea sort: have students brain dump, then rank and sort their ideas into good, better, and best.
- Pick one or two low-prep strategies and use them consistently, because simple ideas only build a real classroom routine when they become a habit.
SPONSORED BY my free study guide for EdTech Essentials
This episode is sponsored by my free study guide for EdTech Essentials: 12 Strategies for Every Classroom in the Age of AI. If your team is planning a book study or PLC this fall, the study guide gives you ready-to-use discussion prompts and reflection questions so you don’t have to build everything from scratch. It’s a digital download, so you can share it with your whole group in seconds. Head to ClassTechTips.com/studyguide to grab your free copy! Check it out here >>
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EPISODE RESOURCES
- Connect with Crystal Uhiren on X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube & TikTok
- Check out Crystal’s Edutopia profile & articles
- Wear the Student Hat: Perspective in Practice (Crystal Uhiren’s book coming Fall 2026)
- Wayground (Interactive supplemental learning)
- Padlet (Online discussion tool)
- Padlet TA (AI-powered tools for teachers)
- 4 Fun Activities to Teach Students About AI Chatbots (Podcast Episode)
- AI Virtual Field Trips: 10 Ways to Take Students Around the World (Blog Post)
- Creating Uncheatable Assessments in the Age of AI with Michael Hernandez (Podcast Episode)
- 10 Ways to Use AI for Book Studies in Your Classroom (Blog Post)
