In this episode of Integrate This!, we sit down with Sabba Quidwai for a thoughtful conversation about what schools are getting right — and wrong — about AI. Sabba shares how her own journey from classroom teacher to innovation leader has shaped the way she thinks about technology, agency, and the future of learning.

We dig into why schools need a compelling story for AI before they ever start with tools, why educators should stop thinking of AI as just a generator and start seeing it as a teammate, and how systems can use AI to scale strong instructional practices instead of just chasing the latest app.

Sabba also talks about coding as a new literacy, why voice may become one of the most important interfaces for learning, and how schools can better prepare students for a world where human and machine collaboration is becoming the norm.

This episode is full of big-picture thinking, practical insight, and a strong reminder that the future of AI in education has to stay deeply human.

Links:

• Designing Schools Podcast: https://designingschools.org/podcast/
• Designing Schools Website: https://designingschools.org/
• Sabba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabba-quidwai/

In this episode of the Integrate This EdTech Podcast, hosts David Berner and Jeremy Mikla sit down with Vera Cubero, Emerging Technologies Consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Vera shares her journey from middle school teacher to one of the lead architects of North Carolina's statewide AI guidelines — one of the first four states in the nation to publish them. The conversation covers building multi-stakeholder AI policy, training teachers on AI tools, the importance of living documents over rigid policy, AI literacy for students and families, concerns about deepfakes and companion chatbots, and what's coming next.

Connect with Vera:

Cubero Consulting: https://hen-rhombus-rerj.squarespace.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veracubero/

NCDPI AI Guidelines: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U-AwwwBg7glJ4ZDlcKVzARuFRPWwUWzqRN2rOgT9zlA/edit?tab=t.0

What does meaningful professional learning look like in an age of AI?

In this episode of Integrate This Conversation, Jeremy Mikla and David Berner explore how schools can support educators as AI becomes a bigger part of teaching, learning, and leadership. They discuss what teachers are asking most, the concerns that keep surfacing, and the strategies that make AI-focused professional learning more useful, practical, and human-centered.

Along the way, they talk about AI literacy, academic integrity, redesigning assessments, hands-on learning, personalized PD, Gems, the Human-AI-Human approach, and what the future of AI professional learning may look like for teachers, coaches, and integrationists.

This episode is a thoughtful, grounded conversation for educators who want to move beyond the hype and focus on what actually helps.