Exploration AI: Beyond the Algorithm

Show Notes: Season 2, Episode 1 – Case-by-Case & AI in Education with Dan Fitzpatrick
Hosts: Courtney Groskin & Dr. Matt Moulton
Guest: Dan Fitzpatrick (Educational Advisor, Author, and AI Specialist)
Episode Overview: Courtney and Matt launch Season 2 with a new recurring segment, "Case-by-Case," where they apply their ETHOS framework to real-world AI news in education. Later in the episode, they welcome guest Dan Fitzpatrick, author of The AI Classroom, to discuss how AI is shifting the role of educators and why preserving human connection in the classroom is more crucial than ever.
Key Topics & Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome Back & Summer Recaps
Courtney and Matt catch up on their summer breaks and announce the start of Season 2.
00:54 – Case-by-Case: ETHOS Quick Dive
Framework Overview: Explanation of the ETHOS framework (Ethical, Transparent, Human-centered, Opportunity-focused, Safe).
Case Study: A news story out of Philadelphia (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) highlighting AI used as a learning partner for language practice rather than a teacher replacement.
Discussion: How AI can build student confidence, reduce pressure in the classroom, and align with human-centered AI integration.
05:07 – Interview with Dan Fitzpatrick
Background: Dan shares his path from secondary teacher and school leader in the UK to international AI consultant and author.
AI as an "Entourage": Using the analogy of Taylor Swift’s team, Dan explains how AI should act as a supportive entourage that amplifies a student's or teacher's authentic voice, not replaces it.
The Evolving Role of Teachers: Why AI will make human connection, empathy, and emotional intelligence even more vital in education.
Systemic Support: How school leadership can create space for teachers to be more human by leveraging AI to reduce administrative burdens.
Preparing Students: Discussing the critical skills students need for an AI-driven workforce.
Notable Quotes
"When you engage with this technology in a meaningful way, it pushes you to your most critical thinking... [AI] should amplify the voice of the student, not replace it."
— Dan Fitzpatrick
"In a world where technology is ubiquitous, people are going to value the human side even more."
— Dan Fitzpatrick
Resources & Links Mentioned
Book: The Educators Guide to AI 2027 Dan Fitzpatrick
News Article: CBS News feature on Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s AI language learning initiative

Hosts Courtney, Matt, and Jason reflect on Season 1 highlights — from giving away 650 AI books and a lively summit to celebrating student-powered classroom wins at Northridge Elementary. They discuss bringing ethos and transparency into classrooms, share the new School AI Chrome extension for teachers, and invite educators to summer PD and a year-long AI Collaborative to continue learning and planning for Season 2.
May PDF

In this episode of Exploration AI, hosts Courtney Groskin and Dr. Matt Moulton talk with St. Vrain instructional coordinators Casey Luker and Temple Hayles about practical blended learning strategies and thoughtful AI integration. They highlight a Student-Powered AI Challenge winner and explain how AI can be a thinking partner—supporting student metacognition, formative assessment, and teacher planning.
Listeners will hear classroom examples (elementary writing feedback, teacher-driven grouping, Schoology discussions), the Blended Remix PD model, and quick steps like flipping your agenda horizontally into stations to create more student choice and deeper learning.
 
April PDF
 

 
Courtney and Matt reflect on the energy from the recent AI Summit, where nearly 250 St. Vrain educators gathered to explore practical, human-centered AI integration. A highlight was Dr. Catlin Tucker’s keynote, emphasizing that AI should empower, not replace, educators, with a strong focus on metacognition and purposeful implementation.
The team shares key trends from summit feedback, including a shift from curiosity to capability, renewed momentum, and important conversations around K–3 foundations, differentiation, accessibility, and the Ethos Framework.
🎉 Student-Powered AI Challenge Winner: Mary Ann Dempsey (Mead Elementary)Her students used AI as a thinking partner — not a shortcut — to strengthen their Young AmeriTowne campaign speeches through guided questioning and structured feedback.
Special guest Hannah McDonald, SVVSD Teacher of the Year and AI graduate student at Purdue, shares how she uses AI to solve real classroom challenges. Her entrepreneurship students used AI as a brainstorming partner, generating 200+ ideas while still evaluating and refining the work themselves.
The big takeaway: Keep humans at the center. Use AI to deepen thinking, spark collaboration, and create more space for meaningful learning.
Join us next month for another conversation beyond the algorithm.
 
 
View the March PDF Here 

Episode Overview
As AI tools become more common in classrooms, questions around safety, privacy, and ethics are more important than ever. In this episode, Courtney and Matt sit down with Jason Kelsall and Patrick Coniway from District Technology Services to unpack the “S” for Safety in the district’s ETHOS framework.
Together, they explore how AI tools are vetted, how student data is protected, and what safeguards are in place to ensure responsible, transparent, and ethical AI use across the district.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
🔐 How Student Data Is Protected
What a data privacy agreement is—and why it matters
Why district-approved tools offer protections that personal accounts do not
How DTS works with vendors to safeguard student and educator data
🧠 How AI Tools Are Evaluated
The role of the Codex review process
How tools are reviewed for privacy, security, instructional alignment, and compliance
Why transparency in generative AI systems is non-negotiable
🧪 “Red Teaming” AI Tools
What red teaming is and how DTS stress-tests AI tools before approval
How teams attempt to “break” tools to identify risks like misuse or prompt injection
Why hands-on testing matters just as much as vendor promises
✅ District-Approved AI Tools
Why SchoolAI is approved for K–12 student use
How Gemini is approved for staff and high school students
How tools like Canva and Adobe Firefly are monitored as AI features are added
🔄 Ongoing Review & Vendor Feedback
How DTS monitors AI features added to existing tools
Why some tools are approved, some paused, and others declined
How the district provides feedback to vendors to improve safety and transparency
🌟 Student-Powered AI Challenge: February Spotlight
Matt highlights February’s Student-Powered AI Challenge winner:
A Longs Peak Middle School teacher used Gemini as a technical partner to build interactive Desmos activities
AI reduced technical barriers, allowing the teacher to focus on pedagogy
Student engagement increased, and learning clicked—proving AI works best when it supports instruction, not distracts from it
📣 Upcoming Event: AI Summit
Keynote: Catlin Tucker
Date: Saturday, February 21
Perks: Free breakfast, lunch, hot chocolate, prizes
Doors open: 8:15 a.m.This is your last chance to register and save your spot.
Final Takeaway
AI innovation moves fast—but safety, transparency, and intentionality must lead the way. This episode highlights the thoughtful systems, partnerships, and safeguards working behind the scenes to ensure AI serves students and educators responsibly.
February PDF 
 

Episode Overview
In this episode, Courtney Groskin and Dr. Matthew Moulton explore the “O” in ETHOS—Opportunity Focus, highlighting how AI can expand learning pathways for students while strengthening the human-centered work of educators. From blended learning models to real-world, student-driven AI projects, this conversation showcases how intentional AI use creates meaningful opportunities across St. Vrain Valley Schools.
🏔️ AI Summit Spotlight: Dr. Catlin Tucker
The hosts kick off the episode by inviting listeners to the AI Summit with Dr. Catlin Tucker, happening Saturday, February 21 at Skyline High School.Attendees can expect:
Sessions led by curriculum coordinators, administrators, learning leaders, and AI Champions
A keynote from Dr. Catlin Tucker
Free breakfast, lunch, and swag
Dr. Tucker’s blended learning models exemplify Opportunity Focus by creating flexible pathways, prioritizing small-group instruction, and giving teachers more time for feedback, connection, and responsive instruction. Her work demonstrates how AI can support—not replace—teachers by opening space for deeper learning and stronger relationships.
🌟 Student Opportunity in Action: AI-Powered Learning at Longmont High
The episode celebrates Paulina Hansen, world language teacher at Longmont High School and winner of the January Student-Powered AI Challenge. Paulina uses School AI tools to enhance learning in her Spanish for Spanish Speakers classroom by:
Generating visual diagrams as mentor texts
Providing sentence starters as scaffolds to support writing development
Using AI assistants for low-stakes, communicative language practice
Her intentional use of AI builds student confidence, fluency, and independence while modeling how educators can recognize and act on opportunity.
🤖 Guest Spotlight: Mai Vu, AI Program Manager
Courtney and Matt welcome Mai Vu, AI Program Manager at the Innovation Center, who shares insights into her teaching and student project teams. Mai’s work centers on:
AI literacy for students
Real-world problem solving
Project-based learning through the AI Youth Competition
Students have tackled challenges ranging from environmental conservation and robotics onboarding to skincare selection for teens and increasing adoption rates for animals through the Humane Society. Each project reflects authentic learning driven by student voice, purpose, and impact.
🧠 Preparing Students for an AI-Ready Workforce
Mai discusses how she intentionally builds durable skills such as:
Critical thinking
Communication
Reading and writing
Executive functioning
By focusing on human-centered competencies, students learn how to “AI-proof” their skill sets and understand that success in an AI-rich future depends on responsibility, adaptability, and strong foundational habits.
Closing Thoughts
This episode reinforces that opportunity-focused AI use empowers students, supports teachers, and keeps human connection at the center of learning. From classrooms to competitions, St. Vrain continues to model what thoughtful, ethical, and opportunity-driven AI integration can look like.
🎧 Don’t miss next month’s episode, where the conversation continues with the S in ETHOS: Safety.
 
January PDF 

Episode:  Human-Centered AI, Classroom Innovation & Preparing Students for the Future
Hosts: Courtney Groskin & Dr. Matt MoultonGuest: Dr. Diane Lauer, Chief Academic Officer, St. Vrain Valley Schools
🌟 Episode Overview
In this December episode, Courtney and Matt kick off the month with energy, updates, and a powerful conversation about what it means to keep humans at the center of AI in education. They highlight innovative classroom practices, celebrate educators, preview the upcoming AI Summit, and talk about how schools can prepare students for a future where AI is ever-present.
🔔 Highlights & Key Segments
➡️ St. Vrain AI Summit — February 21
A district-wide, free event for educators, leaders, and staff to explore real-world AI applications in education.
Hosted at Skyline High School
Featuring keynote speaker Dr. Catlin Tucker
Free lunch, prizes, and professional learning credit
Opportunities for hands-on learning, collaboration, and inspiration
🏆 December Student-Powered AI Challenge Winner: Alyssa McEvoy
The hosts celebrate Alyssa McEvoy, a 3rd-grade teacher at Eagle Crest, for her innovative vocabulary lesson using Gemini Storybook.Why she won:
Centered students in the creative process
Used collaborative whiteboards and precise vocabulary
Taught effective prompting skills — in third grade!
Blended offline thinking with digital creation intentionallyAlyssa receives $100 toward her classroom wish list.
Educators can apply monthly using the link on the December PDF.
🧡 Guest Interview: Dr. Diane Lauer — The “H” in ETHOS: Human-Centered
Dr. Lauer joins the podcast to unpack what it means to be human-centered in an AI-enabled district.
Key ideas:
The human should always be in the driver’s seat
AI should serve as a tool—not the decision-maker
Intentional use matters: educators choose when to use AI and when not to
Durable life skills (critical thinking, leadership, citizenship) remain essential
Teachers should explore AI personally to deepen their professional practice
Modeling curiosity and self-discipline sets the tone for students
Dr. Lauer shares her own practice: scheduling 15 minutes a week to try a new AI tool—whether for work or even baking Christmas cookies.
📰 AI in the News: Longmont Times-Call Article Recap
Matt highlights an article by Judith Kohler, “Navigating the Fast-Changing World of AI.”
Takeaways from CSU Global’s experience:
Students feel pressure to stay relevant in rapidly evolving fields
AI is transforming—not eliminating—most careers
Repetitive tasks may be automated, but human interpretation and decision-making remain central
Economic factors, not just automation, drive workforce changes
AI literacy is becoming a basic requirement for future-ready careers
Courtney connects this back to St. Vrain's mission: giving students a strong competitive advantage by preparing them with ethical, critical, and creative AI skills.
Reflection questions based on the article will be included in this month’s PDF.
💭 Final Reflection
The episode closes with a powerful question for educators:“How can I support students in preparing for a future-ready workforce?”
The hosts express gratitude for St. Vrain teachers and excitement for what’s ahead. 
 
December PDF
 

November PDF