In this ChatEDU Check-In: Why Your Kids Might Be Jealous of Your Smartphone, Liz explores a new study linking parental screen time to adolescent emotional attachment issues. The study examines how teenagers perceive their caregivers' attentional drift and how that digital distraction impacts family relationships.

Key Takeaways:

A recent survey connects teenager perception of parental screen distraction to higher scores for emotional attachment difficulties.

The survey specifically evaluated how adolescent perception of a caregiver's attentional availability negatively affects their relationship.

The findings reflect correlation rather than causation, meaning insecure teens may simply be more annoyed by their parents' device habits.

Liz’s Two Cents: Parental media use directly influences how connected children feel, prompting school leaders and families to evaluate their own screen habits. Reflecting on attentional drift can help adults model healthier digital balance for students both at home and in the classroom.

Article:

New Study Says Parents’ Phone Use Might Be Giving Kids Attachment Issues Later On

https://bit.ly/4b2usnw

In this episode of ChatEDU, Durable Assessments Improve Attendance and Vibes, Matt and Liz kick it off with a discussion about their upcoming travel schedules, the exciting design of their new studio, and a concerning tech story regarding how hackers are using AI to hallucinate and squat on web domains to host phishing exploits and malware.

The Rundown

Liz discusses the new Google Drive feature that organizes research by pulling in docs, emails, and files without changing their original folder structure.

An overview of the new independent, open-source benchmark designed to evaluate how AI models and consumer applications interact with children. Matt and Liz also look at a critique of the study and a white paper on AI safety from MagicSchool. 

An update on the directive for principals to pause new software purchases until official AI guidance is finalized.

A breakdown of a new, highly affordable AI-dedicated phone in China that removes standard apps like games and browsers to focus on education.

A summary of new legislation in Illinois that expands the state definition of cyberbullying to include AI-generated deepfakes and replicas.

The Beneath the Surface

Matt and Liz recap recent higher ed news and dig into professors moving away from proctored exams and blue books toward durable assessments. Iterative assignments and human-centered projects are driving better attendance and better vibes, shifting classrooms out of a cat-and-mouse game with AI and toward reasoning.

The Bright Byte

The episode concludes with an uplifting report on the development of an AI-driven malaria intelligence system in Nigeria. This platform uses epidemiological and environmental data to shift malaria control from reactive efforts to predictive, precision public health, offering a potential model for fighting other infectious diseases across Africa.

Say hi to Matt on the road:

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools - August 11th

⁠https://members.njais.org/integratedEvents/home/2026-INNOVATION-COLLABORATION-CONFERENCE⁠

RIACTE - August 14th - Sponsored in part by the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing

⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org/event-details/rhode-island-acte-summer-conference⁠

Say hi to Liz on the Road

Bridges Conference 2026 by Starbridge | New York, July 21-22

⁠https://share.google/0Ky8DA4yQbYLQcmWQ⁠

Global Teaching Dialogue | Fulbright Teacher Exchanges

⁠https://share.google/F2CwJdKGIVoe7RIHg⁠

Announcements

Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday

Amazon - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77⁠

Seeing through the Machine – Teaching Bias as an Equity Practice in AI - Dr. Elizabeth Radday - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4ybwkn7a⁠

Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠⁠

Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠⁠

Address Screen Time concerns -⁠ ⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠⁠

Sponsors

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing - ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Links

Phantom Squatting: Phishing via AI-Hallucinated Domains

⁠https://tinyurl.com/m42mtxvv⁠

Drive Projects Replaced My NotebookLM

⁠https://tinyurl.com/yvv6tud2⁠

KORA: Benchmarking AI Child Safety

⁠https://tinyurl.com/bp9nh8ph⁠

AI Companions in Schools

⁠https://tinyurl.com/4j74d6rb⁠

NYC Schools: Pause Ed-Tech Buys

⁠https://tinyurl.com/b29j3dnx⁠

Lenovo's Locked-Down AI Student Phone

⁠https://tinyurl.com/yeyxr4ns⁠

Illinois Takes On AI Deepfakes in Schools

⁠https://tinyurl.com/5h8rjmvv⁠

AI-cademy 2026

⁠https://tinyurl.com/27dephj6⁠

US Students Outsource Writing to AI More Than International Peers

⁠https://tinyurl.com/r26wejvn⁠

CICS Adds AI Concentrations

⁠https://tinyurl.com/yuhkp6sr⁠

Syracuse Launches AI Academic Portfolio

⁠https://tinyurl.com/3eff8u33⁠

Time for Class 2026: The AI Tipping Point

⁠https://tinyurl.com/2pnpa4b9⁠

A Malaria Intelligence System

⁠https://tinyurl.com/mr3dy2dv⁠

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Throttling AI Access, Matt explores how major corporations are actively restricting employee access to artificial intelligence tools to mitigate ballooning operational expenses in this episode. Internal communications from tech, banking, and entertainment firms reveal that companies are forcing employees toward less resource-intensive models to control their budgets. This abrupt shift marks a dramatic reversal from the recent trend of universal corporate deployment.

Key Takeaways:

Major corporations are throttling employee use of AI to curb massive, unpredictable spending.

The financial strain is driven by developers charging based on computational consumption, or tokens, rather than flat-rate fees.

Several prominent tech giants are resorting to complete service terminations and ending legacy access tiers to manage the budget burn rate.

Matt’s Two Cents: Unlike the corporate world, which has experienced a volatile pendulum swing from encouraging employees to "token max" to abruptly cutting off access, the education sector has taken a more measured and strategic approach. School leaders should find reassurance in knowing that because K-12 and higher education operate under different incentives, they have avoided these chaotic cycles, highlighting the value of deliberate, thoughtful integration over reactionary corporate trends.

Article:

Companies Are Throttling Employees’ AI Use Because It’s Too Expensive

https://bit.ly/3STbCct

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Meta contractors posed as teens to prompt rival chatbots on sex, suicide, and drugs, Matt explores a secretive project where contractors used fake underage profiles to test the safety guardrails of competitor AI systems. This initiative involved thousands of explicit prompts directed at OpenAI, Google, and Character.ai to see how they would respond to sensitive content.

Key Takeaways:

Meta contractors created hundreds of unauthorized accounts posing as minors to test rival chatbots against severe topics like self-harm and illegal substances.

The testing strategy involved intentionally forcing systems to bypass their established safety barriers and standards.

Industry experts and the targeted companies noted that this behavior likely violated user agreements and raised questions about whether the project constituted anti-competitive practices.

Matt’s Two Cents: While safety testing is essential for AI development, this specific strategy is deeply concerning and highlights a lack of accountability in the industry. Schools and districts must recognize that relying on company self-policing is insufficient, as the current landscape of AI safety remains inconsistent. We need robust federal standards that provide real oversight and clear expectations to ensure these systems protect students, rather than leaving safety testing to aggressive, unauthorized benchmarking projects.

Article:

Meta Contractors Posed as Teens to Prompt Rival Chatbots About Suicide, Sex, and Drugs

https://tinyurl.com/ycy6mphn

In this episode of ChatEDU, Postcards from ISTE - The Student AI Revolution is Already Here, Matt and Liz open with the perils of being an author, including AI-generated knockoffs flooding Apple Books and Amazon with hallucinated covers and nonsensical content.

The Rundown

Google added short-form vertical AI video to NotebookLM, and Gemini launched study notebooks, which generate a diagnostic quiz from uploaded materials and build adaptive lessons around the results.

As AI automates routine tasks, an op-ed in The 74 argues employers increasingly value durable skills like collaboration and real-time problem solving, and that theater, debate, sports, and student government are where students actually build them.

Lawmakers in 27 states have introduced bills this session covering classroom AI guidelines, guardrails, and AI literacy standards.

The rapid expansion of AI data centers is placing massive strain on energy grids, with some districts forced to dim school lights to manage skyrocketing utility costs during summer heat waves.

The episode examines the environmental costs of AI, noting that many data centers must rely on backup gas turbines during peak grid demand, which contributes to local air quality issues.

The Beneath the Surface

The hosts compare two contrasting perspectives on the future of education. They analyze a Reddit-based study revealing an adversarial ecosystem of mutual distrust regarding academic integrity and student anxiety, and contrast this with the inspirational student-led innovation Liz witnessed firsthand at the ISTE conference in Orlando.

The Bright Byte

The episode concludes by highlighting the Elephant Alert AI early detection system, which uses artificial intelligence to help local villages and forest departments prevent fatal human-wildlife encounters in India.

Say hi to Matt on the road: 

NAESP - July 14th

https://www.naesp.org/events/

AESA - July 15th

https://www.aesa.us/summer-leadership-conference/

New Jersey Association of Independent Schools - August 11th

https://members.njais.org/integratedEvents/home/2026-INNOVATION-COLLABORATION-CONFERENCE

RIACTE - August 14th

https://www.nextgenmfg.org/event-details/rhode-island-acte-summer-conference

Say hi to Liz on the Road:

Bridges Conference 2026 by Starbridge - July 21-22

https://share.google/0Ky8DA4yQbYLQcmWQ

Global Teaching Dialogue | Fulbright Teacher Exchanges

https://share.google/F2CwJdKGIVoe7RIHg 

Announcements

Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday

Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77

Seeing through the Machine – Teaching Bias as an Equity Practice in AI - Dr. Elizabeth Radday - https://tinyurl.com/4ybwkn7a

Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠ 

Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠

Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠ 

Sponsors

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing - https://www.nextgenmfg.org

Links

AI-generated knockoffs of Joanna Stern's book keep appearing on Apple Books

https://tinyurl.com/45ehzuy3

Google NotebookLM expands AI video features with 60-second shorts

https://tinyurl.com/3bjtbtke

In the Age of AI, Everyone Should Be Hiring Theater Kids

https://tinyurl.com/yc4uht2w

Legislative Tracker: 2026 State AI in Education Bills

https://tinyurl.com/3xx4d89j

The AI boom is colliding with a new threat: Severe weather

https://tinyurl.com/59jdbas7

They Welcomed 37 Data Centers to Town. Now Their Schools Have to Dim the Lights to Cut Energy Costs

https://tinyurl.com/2u4z8xtz

Energy Dept. Orders Data Centers to Tap Backup Power

https://tinyurl.com/5xm8wkte

ChatGPT vs Teachers vs Students: Large-Scale Analysis of Generative AI Discourse

https://tinyurl.com/5ez949cu

Elephant alert! AI warning systems aim to avoid deadly clashes

https://tinyurl.com/3n3xe7x3

“In this ChatEDU Check-In: How queer youth navigate AI, Liz explores how LGBTQ+ young people interact with artificial intelligence tools, focusing on their ethical stances and unique use cases." This episode highlights a recent study examining the contrast between queer youth and their peers regarding AI avoidance, privacy, and support structures.

Key Takeaways:

LGBTQ+ youth are significantly more likely to be conscious abstainers, with 34% avoiding AI due to ethical and environmental concerns compared to just 13.5% of their non-LGBTQ+ peers.

When queer youth do use AI, they are more likely to hide their usage from others, a behavior that correlates with higher reported levels of anxiety and isolation.

AI tools often serve as a secondary support system for processing difficult circumstances, acting as a temporary substitute when human networks or healthcare resources feel unsafe or unavailable.

Liz’s Two Cents: The reliance of queer youth on AI for guidance and support is not a testament to the strength of the technology, but rather an exposure of systemic weaknesses in our traditional human networks. For school districts, this highlights a critical need to create safer, more accessible real-world environments and healthcare resources so students do not have to turn to biased automated systems as a fallback for human connection.

Article:

“It’s there when people aren’t” What LGBTQ+ young people are finding in AI, and where they draw the line

https://bit.ly/4wlL3e6

In this ChatEDU Check-In: An Unusual Response to AI in the Classroom, Liz explores a professor's decision to award perfect scores and cancel a final assignment after discovering widespread AI use. The episode highlights the growing tension between authentic student learning and AI detection in education.

Key Takeaways:

A professor gave all students full credit to avoid becoming a punitive detective focused on surveillance rather than teaching.

Outsourcing academic writing to AI deprives students of essential long-term communication, reasoning, and advocacy skills.

The unearned perfect scores were intended as a severe warning about future professional and personal consequences rather than a reward.

Liz’s Two Cents: When grading becomes an adversarial game of AI detection, the core purpose of teaching degrades. If education is treated as a purely transactional exercise where students use shortcuts, educators cannot be expected to care more about the learning process than the students themselves. District leaders must confront how AI integration threatens to shift the focus from genuine feedback to counterproductive policing.

Article:

Professor gives his class perfect scores after realizing most were cheating on their final papers

https://bit.ly/4giwL9E

In this episode of ChatEDU Keeping Student Thinking Visible: Why AI is Making Classrooms Harder (In a Good Way), Matt and Liz kick it off with an informal pop quiz distinguishing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) from Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) and then Artificial Slider Intelligence (ASI-2 - as in burgers). They dive into a study from NPJ Science of Food detailing this new ASI coined by Ethan Mollick where researchers utilized a two-stage generative AI diffusion model to analyze human food data and successfully generate optimized, nutritious, and sustainable burger recipes.

The Rundown

The state passed a comprehensive piece of artificial intelligence legislation establishing a statewide AI academy and a higher education alliance, while requiring every public school district to integrate computer science and AI into its curriculum.

A major sweep of ecosystem updates from Orlando includes new Gemini features like study notebooks and expanded exam prep, alongside fresh Chromebook tool locks and massive google.org funding investments for non-profits like AIEDU.

Spurred by a listener tip and an analytical piece in Wired Magazine, the hosts discuss a growing European movement to establish localized tech platforms and break free from a reliance on American big tech infrastructure.

The Beneath the Surface

High school English teacher and Connecticut Teacher of the Year semifinalist Kate Avcollie joins the show to discuss her classroom strategies for shifting student focus away from simple compliance and toward authentic cognition. She details how she utilizes custom chatbot "Gems" as structured interventions to pressure test student ideas, requiring them to unpack and annotate their logic. This process ultimately makes student thinking entirely visible and elevates classroom rigor during live evaluations like Socratic seminars and shark tank presentations.

The Bright Byte

The episode closes with a positive look at Intercept, a new 500 million dollar philanthropic initiative aiming to eliminate common respiratory infections like colds and the flu. The project relies heavily on advanced AI protein design tools like AlphaFold to engineer specialized molecules and create broad spectrum treatments without harmful side effects.

Announcements

Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday

Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77

Seeing through the Machine – Teaching Bias as an Equity Practice in AI - Dr. Elizabeth Radday - https://tinyurl.com/4ybwkn7a

Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠ 

Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠

Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠ 

Links

The Visible Thinker

thevisiblethinker.com

Generative artificial intelligence creates burgers

https://tinyurl.com/mw4cjy2w

Connecticut AI law could reshape how students learn from kindergarten to college

https://tinyurl.com/5n6nekdp

Google for Education Launch Guide: ISTE Orlando 2026

https://tinyurl.com/37uu4nvk

Google.org is funding three long-term partners on education and AI

https://tinyurl.com/4txc8cax

Patricia Rootsaert

https://tinyurl.com/yc62h3pc

CIV AI

www.civai.eu

Europe Is Fed Up and Wants Its Own AI

https://tinyurl.com/3n8kk24h

Intercept: Ending Respiratory Infections

https://tinyurl.com/mrxxfbk5

In this episode of ChatEDU, Silicon Over Ivy - The Shift from the Traditional B-School MBA, Matt and Liz kick it off with a hilarious look at the "In the Weights" web app, a tool that reveals how people are represented inside AI models when offline. They discover that the app identifies their boss, Jon Costa, as a prominent Brazilian funk singer from Rio de Janeiro known by his stage name, John John.

The Rundown

Overture Games, an after-school program in Chicago and Boston, teaches elementary students foundational AI concepts with paper and pencil instead of screens.

The National Council of Teachers of English released a first-of-its-kind framework guiding ELA educators on critical thinking and ethical AI integration.

A group of UK teenagers trained a private AI model on two decades of past exam papers to predict up to 90% of their national exam questions.

Norway introduced a near-total ban on generative AI for elementary students while allowing cautious, supervised use for secondary learners.

A grant-funded partnership between The College of New Jersey and Mercer County Technical Schools trains high school students in AI and robotics for the workforce.

A German court ruled that Google is legally liable for misinformation appearing in its automated AI search summaries, rejecting traditional free speech protections for the technology.

48 state attorneys general are examining OpenAI regarding model sycophancy and related platform problems for consumers and citizens in the US. 

Anthropic announced a 150 million dollar national fellowship program to place 1,000 early career professionals inside American non profit organizations to expand AI infrastructure.

The Beneath the Surface

Matt talks with MasterClass founder and CEO David Rogier about generative AI and education: how language models are reshaping business, challenging the traditional MBA, and creating new opportunities and risks for organizations.

The Bright Byte

The episode closes with Dr. Francesca Dominici's Harvard National Institute of Health lecture on her lab's foundation model, which merges health records, census data, and US Medicare data to forecast extreme-weather adaptation while reckoning with data-center energy use.

Announcements

Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday

Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77

Seeing through the Machine – Teaching Bias as an Equity Practice in AI - Dr. Elizabeth Radday - https://tinyurl.com/4ybwkn7a

Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠ 

Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠

Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠

Sponsors

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing - https://www.nextgenmfg.org

Links

MasterClass Executive

https://mstr.cl/ExecutiveChatEDU

In the Weights

https://tinyurl.com/4xdktpdh

After-school program teaching kids to use ai without screens

https://tinyurl.com/ya3r7htr

Artificial Intelligence English Language Arts Framework for ELA Teachers in Grades 6-12

https://tinyurl.com/4tsfhsca

How a group of teens might have just used AI to accurately predict this year’s exam questions

https://tinyurl.com/2v5hn2dc

Norway imposes near ban on AI in elementary school

https://tinyurl.com/ynxer75e

TCNJ and Mercer County Technical Schools launch AI and robotics dual enrollment pathway to build New Jersey’s future workforce

https://tinyurl.com/5n8bw5ck

A Court Has Ruled That Google Is Liable for False Statements Generated by AI Overviews

https://tinyurl.com/5akf55xy

OpenAI Investigated by Coalition of State Attorneys General

https://tinyurl.com/bp9c8uv7

Reducing Burden, Increasing Impact

https://tinyurl.com/2sb4yprv

Introducing Claude Corps

https://tinyurl.com/2syyz8rd

AI: Solution or Obstacle for Healthy Adaptation to Extreme Weather Events?

https://tinyurl.com/573f553m

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Teens, Tweens, and AI Part Two: AI Use Outside of School, Matt explores how youth are interacting with artificial intelligence platforms outside the classroom for personal, social, and emotional reasons. The discussion centers on data from the 2026 Common Sense Media study, highlighting both the risks of social isolation and the potential for productive tool use.

Key Takeaways:

Frequent AI use correlates with increased feelings of social isolation among teenagers, suggesting digital platforms may be replacing traditional face-to-face coping mechanisms.

Youth are increasingly bypassing peers and adults, relying on automated systems for personal advice, health queries, and long-term life guidance.

A significant literacy gap exists, as only about one third of students realize AI cannot distinguish between fact and fiction, leading to unearned trust in chatbot accuracy.

Matt’s Two Cents: While schools have heavily focused on creating policies around AI cheating, there is a glaring oversight regarding AI literacy and general digital fluency. District leaders need to recognize that students are turning to AI as life coaches and health advisors without understanding how these systems work. Because nearly half of students have never discussed AI with their families, districts must expand their instructional focus beyond academic integrity to help students critically evaluate AI outputs and safely navigate these tools outside of school.

Article:

A Comprehensive Report on Teens, Tweens, and AI

https://tinyurl.com/f8s35yyz