The Complete 180 Conference is a 3-day virtual instructional reset for teachers and school leaders to stabilize performance in the final stretch; with clarity, consistency, and less mental load.

I’m presenting an AI in edu keynote session on Day 2 of the event!

It includes on-demand sessions for teachers AND leaders; workbooks to interact with content; evening live keynote sessions; post-event content, and more.

The Complete 180 Conference is hosted by Daryl Williams Jr. — author, speaker, and a catalyst for educational transformation.

📚 New AI resources this week

1️⃣ Real-Time Data Shows Exactly How Students Use AI on School Technology (via Education Week) — New data reveals that about 1 in 5 student AI interactions involve problematic use (cheating, bullying, etc.), giving leaders concrete insight into where guardrails are most needed.

2️⃣ More Middle and High Schoolers Are Leaning on AI for Homework (via K-12 Dive) — Highlights rapid adoption alongside a major research gap—only a small fraction of studies actually measure impact, signaling uncertainty leaders must navigate.

3️⃣ More Teachers and Students Are Using AI — Even as Concerns Grow (via Phys.org / The Conversation) — Reports widespread adoption (~85% of teachers using AI) while noting that policy and training are lagging behind usage.

Last week’s poll: What's the most important "hidden lesson" students learn through our tech modeling?

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Persistence and adaptability (5)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Humility ("I don't know everything") (7)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Critical thinking and troubleshooting (27)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Emotional regulation (0)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Other ... (1)

Humility: I don't believe that critical thinking and troubleshooting are hidden at all when we model tech. The ability to admit "I don't know how this works but let's learn together" is something that benefits students far more. — S. Skifton

Critical thinking and troubleshooting: We become a good example to the students when we have to think through a situation. Being calm and not freaking out when something difficult hits us is a good thing. — T. Applegate

Critical thinking and troubleshooting: If students see teachers questioning AI output rather than simply being awed by it, they pick up on that skepticism and can gain critical questioning skills. — L. Crunk

Other …: We should be modeling integrity through transparency. By modeling responsible and professional tech use and being vocal about how and why we use specific tools, we set a high bar for our students. — R. Joslyn

What’s a topic you’d like to see covered here? Hit REPLY to this email and let me know.

Have you done anything you’d like to share with the AI for Admins community? Hit REPLY and let me know.

Would you like to write a guest post to support and equip AI for Admins readers? Hit REPLY and let me know.

🗳 Poll: Your school’s AI PD

Instructions:

Why our tech PD has failed — and how to save it

Over the last 15-ish years, desktop and laptop computers have made their way into schools and classrooms. iPads. Chromebooks. Tablets. Even iPod Touches at one point.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and closed schools all over the world, it felt like we had two types of schools when it comes to tech …

At the time, I was serving as a bit of a “virtual tech mentor” through my videos, live streams, newsletters and blogs for teachers all over the world who were struggling to keep learning going. (My website traffic tripled during the pandemic — and then never got back to those heights again.)

Sadly, I noticed something …

The teachers at schools that had been 1:1 for a while? They were just as clueless on remote, digital teaching as the ones who had just gotten their devices a week prior.

At the time, I thought: “It shouldn’t be this way, right? Teachers at those 1:1 schools certainly have gotten a grasp on this technology and how to use it meaningfully by now, right?”

Nope.

Now, granted, there were (and are) fantastic teachers using technology to augment and support learning in incredible ways — doing things that would never be possible …

But most of the teachers I met at that time — and have met since?

Their main use of the devices is to type in documents. Watch videos. Fill in digital worksheets with PDF annotation tools.

The same stuff we did before tech — only now delivered with tech.

In Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR model, this isn’t redefining education (the R in SAMR) or even modifying it (the M) in new and transformative ways.

We’re stuck in augmentation — handy tech features that lightly support doing the same old work — and substitution, doing the same stuff as before but now with technology.

In this way, technology is just an expensive pencil. Nothing different or innovative that levels up teaching and learning. Just using tech to do the same stuff.

Lots of these traditional require students to recall information …

In the past, we could get away with this because, in a way, it did show us whether students had learned or not.

Today, though, that way of assessing students is slipping through our fingers.

Here's the problem …

We are still using yesterday's assessments to assess today's students.

We should be using assessments to see whether students have learned and what we should do to keep learning on the right track.

However, when students turn in and assessment and it doesn't actually assess the learning that's going on in their brains, we have a choice to make …

In our minds, as we read those two options, I think we know which one is the sensible choice.

Here's the disconnect that I think is at the heart of this whole problem…

Teachers don't know what to do. That's because, foundationally, lots of them have no idea what truly causes students to learn.

They are really good at doing classroom activities and assignments that we have done forever.

But if we ask them why they work — or why they don't work — lots really don't have an answer.

In professional development, especially in technology professional development, The divide between using technology and doing solid pedagogical instruction has become huge. That chasm is so wide that it's too far a leap for lots of teachers anymore.

Our professional development — especially our technology professional development — has largely failed teachers.

(And honestly? As someone who has provided professional development full-time for more than a decade, I hold my fair share of the blame. I had no malicious intent. I just didn't know what I didn't know at the time.)

As a wave of AI technology sweeps across schools and school districts worldwide, this is our time to step up and do better.

We can't fall into the same trap that snared us before.

PROBLEM #1: An Education Week survey in the fall reported that 50% of educators had received at least one professional development session about artificial intelligence.

Fall 2025.

Almost three years since ChatGPT was released to the world (November 2022).

At least one PD session.

That means that the remaining ones have had ZERO.

Teachers are dealing with student misuse and overuse (and cognitive offloading) on a daily basis. They’re using AI to generate lesson plans and instructional materials — without any understanding of the accuracy and bias and context issues it creates.

PROBLEM #2: According to an aiEDU survey, the overwhelming majority of teachers think PD should include AI. It’s an unmet need.

Why?

PROBLEM #3 (and this is the biggest one): Lots of that PD is incredibly tech-focused.

(I feel some blame for this because I’ve delivered this kind of PD for years in my career. I’ve changed my ways, but I feel some responsibility.)

If all of this I’ve laid out is true — teachers lack a foundation in instructional basics, they’re lacking in AI PD, and their tech PD doesn’t connect to instruction — then what do we do?

This might seem counterintuitive, especially with AI coming on as fast as it is right now (with pressure not to fall behind).

I think we double down on providing teachers with PD on solid instruction and pedagogy.

Let’s go back to basics.

And, honestly, let’s use AI to help personalize and tailor it to teachers’ unique needs. (Using AI through a critical, careful lens to mitigate bias and accuracy, of course.)

In my professional development sessions, teachers often ask: “How would I do that in fourth grade? How can I do this in math? What about science? Or health and PE?”

Because I’m one person, I can’t sit with each teacher and come up with a gameplan. (And honestly, because I haven’t taught their classes, I’m not always qualified to do that.)

AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can give them that initial burst of ideas that align with best instructional practices. Then, afterward, teachers can collaborate with their content area / grade level teammates to see what they found — and if it’s any good.

This is something I’ve worked hard to do in my workshops and presentations, especially over the last 5+ years.

I’ve started asking hard questions, like:

It can’t just be “this new app is awesome.” (Personal preferences don’t move the needle — unless there’s evidence behind them.)

It can’t just be “the kids will be so engaged.” (First of all, what does “engaged” really mean — and does it lead to better learning?)

And it can’t just be “it’s the wave of the future and it’s not going anywhere … so you gotta embrace it!” (There’s an element of future-readiness, but our job is still to teach students so that they learn.)

Teachers crave concrete connections to the classroom and their teaching. They want to know that tech and PD sessions are going to be relevant and helpful.

The better those connections, the better outcomes we’ll see in their classrooms.

It all comes back to solid instruction and pedagogy.

If you facilitate PD, your teachers need you to make those connections.

And if you plan PD (but don’t facilitate it), find folks that can make those direct connections between solid teaching and tech.

In a world that’s becoming more saturated with AI by the day, we’re going to need those solid pedagogical foundations more and more.