Living On The Edge of Chaos

Designing Trustworthy AI in K‑12: NASA, Ethics, and Teacher Voice with David Lockett


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Top Takeaways
  1. Start where you are, start small. Reverse engineering and cross‑curricular alignment build admin buy‑in and teacher confidence.
  2. Make it hands‑on. Robotics, geospatial data, drones, and art integrations hook curiosity and translate AI into the real world.
  3. Bake in ethics and trustworthiness. Teach students to question data flows, wearables, and terms of service without doom and gloom.
  4. Broaden participation intentionally. Recruit widely, guarantee tool access, and position students as peer experts to level the field.
  5. Use your teacher voice. Join listening sessions, meet reps, ask questions, and shape AI policy and funding.
Chapters / Timestamps
  • 00:00 – Welcome & why this conversation now
  • 01:51 – David’s current roles + new workforce development announcement
  • 04:00 – From classroom to national initiatives (Einstein Fellow, 3C at Duke)
  • 05:44 – Teacher fears, mindset, and the power of perspective
  • 08:31 – NSF AI Institutes (AVO): design, prompts, trustworthiness
  • 10:50 – NASA partnerships & a new grant (AI + drones)
  • 13:32 – Entry points: reverse engineering; cross‑curricular buy‑in & PD
  • 17:20 – Secret sauce: collaboration, robotics + data + art
  • 20:55 – Broadening participation: recruiting, access, student experts
  • 24:08 – Teaching ethics & trust: classroom modules and what “trust” means
  • 26:55 – Wearables, privacy, and reading the ToS
  • 28:08 – Policy & advocacy: funding, privacy, and meeting your reps
  • 31:57 – Getting started: PLNs (ASCD, ISTE, NSTA, NASA) and vendor curricula
  • 35:58 – Teachers: your everyday practice is worth sharing
  • 41:39 – Full‑circle moment: Python in MS → PhD data science today
  • 44:38 – Where to find David + final advice

Note: Timestamps are approximate based on the raw recording.

Resources & Mentions (add links)
  •  
    • Meharry Medical College — School of Applied Computational Sciences (SACS)https://sacsmeharry.org/ 
    • NSF AI Institutes Virtual Organization (AVO)https://aiinstitutes.org/
      (Overview of all institutes: https://www.nsf.gov/focus-areas/ai/institutes)
    • White House OSTP Listening Sessions (AI Bill of Rights process overview) — https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/listening-to-the-american-people/
    • NASA STEM Engagement — Learning Resourceshttps://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/
      NASA EXPRESS (weekly STEM newsletter)https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-express/
    • NASA Student Opportunities (HS challenges, programs, field trips)https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-stem-opportunities-activities/
      NASA Internships (HS/college)https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/internship-programs/
    • Hands-on NASA STEM activities (technology/aeronautics)https://science.nasa.gov/learn/lessons-and-activities/
    • Reverse engineering AI in the classroom (ISTE feature on David Lockett)https://iste.org/blog/building-ai-student-creators-meet-artificial-intelligence
    • Meharry SACS — Trustworthy AI in Medical Systems (NSF CAP project)https://sacsmeharry.org/taims/
      Ethics overview (PDF)https://sacsmeharry.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Ethics.pdf
      Use case: Ethical & Trustworthy AI (PDF)https://sacsmeharry.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_Use-case-trustworthy-AI.pdf
    • PLNs: ASCD — https://www.ascd.org • ISTE — https://www.iste.org • NSTA — https://www.nsta.org
    • Tynker × NASA: Moon-to-Mars coding activitieshttps://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/nasa-return-to-moon
      NASA page: Host an Hour of Code with Tynkerhttps://www.nasa.gov/stem-content/host-an-hour-of-code-on-the-moon-with-nasa-and-tynker/

Connect with David:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_davidjlockett/

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

X/Twitter https://x.com/DavidJLockett/status/1843755067306086451

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Living On The Edge of ChaosBy Aaron Maurer

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