In this episode, Alex interviews four educators to define both what metacognition is, and how AI might support this impactful practice. The guests who appear in this episode are listed below in the order of their interviews.

Ochan Kusuma-Powell is an internationally respected educator, consultant, Cognitive Coaching trainer, and author whose work has shaped how schools around the world understand learning, thinking, and inclusion. With a career spanning the United States, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Indonesia, and Malaysia, she brings a deeply global perspective to how students learn—and how teachers can help them think about their own thinking. A defining part of her professional identity is her role on the original Design Team that founded Next Frontier Inclusion, a pioneering organization that helped shift the conversation around learning support in international schools. Ochan also co-founded Education Across Frontiers and is the co-author of influential books such as The OIQ Factor, Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Teacher, and How to Teach Now. She is known for blending research, storytelling, and practical strategies that help educators create classrooms where all students experience belonging, challenge, and cognitive stretch.

Ty Urquhart is a Middle School counselor working at Shanghai American School, Puxi.

Victoria Hoult is an experienced instructional coach, curriculum coordinator, and educational leader with a career that spans New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Korea. She joined Korea International School Jeju in 2022 as the Middle School Instructional Coach and Curriculum Coordinator, and now serves as the Director of Teaching and Learning. Victoria’s leadership is grounded in genuine relationship-building and a commitment to creating a collaborative, uplifting culture where every voice is valued. She is deeply invested in empowering educators — equipping them with the tools, structures, and confidence they need to grow and succeed. Her approach is shaped by reflective coaching, data-informed decision-making, and intentional, thoughtfully designed curriculum that supports meaningful learning for all students.

Rachel Kalish has an MA in Ed Leadership and is currently serving as a Curriculum and Instruction Coach at Korea International School, Jeju. She can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-kalish-04982a220/

In this four-part episode, Alex has an interview with five different guests who share their insights on using AI to meaningfully help students to write. Key ideas that emerge: grading chats can be fun and insightful, writing is a form of thinking, process and product are important, it's possible to write with AI and still know your content, and much more. Below are the details about this episode's guests:

Mike Kentz is an award-winning educator and former journalist with 15 years' experience across teaching and news media. He is a TEDx Speaker and the founder of AI Literacy Partners, a professional development and curriculum design firm that aims to build AI literacy in educators and students through high-quality instructional materials. His work in AI and Education has been featured in The Harvard AI Pedagogy Project, EdSurge, The Writing Across the Curriculum Repository from Colorado State University, The Wall Street Journal, and more. He lives in Morristown, New Jersey, with his wife, son, dog, and cat.

With over 27 years dedicated to advancing educational excellence, Eileen Heller serves as an Education Consultant for Professional Learning at ESU #3, supporting 18 diverse school districts across Omaha’s metro communities. Her career journey—from sixth-grade classroom teacher to technology specialist, instructional facilitator, and instructional technology trainer for Omaha Public Schools, as well as adjunct instructor for multiple higher education institutions—has equipped her with a deep understanding of how to design and sustain impactful systems of professional learning. Her varied experience has led her to focus on building effective professional learning systems. She is committed to supporting educators’ growth through collaboration and encouraging self-directed solutions that improve student outcomes.

Chase Heller is beginning his freshman year of high school and enjoys staying actively involved in both his school and community. He serves on the student council and volunteers whenever possible. Passionate about athletics, Chase runs cross country and plays soccer, consistently working to improve his fitness and teamwork. In his free time, he enjoys walking his dog Lucky, swimming, playing with his brother McKennon, and spending time with friends and family.

Amelia King is the Director of Digital Transformation at one of the UK’s leading independent schools, where she helps educators navigate new technologies without losing sight of deep learning and student wellbeing. With a Master’s in Smart EdTech and Co-Creativity, she has researched how students think when using AI, sharing her findings at international conferences and through her widely read newsletter for educators. Amelia mentors colleagues worldwide, teaches her “Thinking with AI” course, and speaks regularly about the need to blend artificial and human intelligence in education. Known for translating academic research into practical classroom strategies, she is passionate about ensuring that technology lifts attainment, deepens learning, and protects the well-being of both students and teachers. Learn more about her work at amelia-king.com.

Andrew Easton is an education speaker, author, and consultant specializing in personalized learning, artificial intelligence in education, and learner engagement strategies. He serves as the Digital Learning Coordinator for Nebraska’s Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council, supporting schools across the state with innovative technology integration. A former classroom teacher with more than a decade of experience, Andrew has delivered over 50 conference presentations and 125 professional development sessions for educators across the U.S. and Canada. He is the author of Empowered to Choose: A Practical Guide to Personalized Learning and the host of The Good Life EDU Podcast, where he explores the latest ideas shaping the future of teaching and learning.

In today's episode, Alex has a chat with Jeremy Willette, Leslie Henry, and Brenna McCandless, three library and information specialists. In the episode, we explore how we can help kids find accurate information in the age of AI. Below you can find information about the guests:

Brenna McCandless: Brenna has been a pre-K through grade 12 librarian for 15 years and has lived and worked in the United States, Malaysia, China, and more. She is also knowledgeable about designing materials, AI in education, and more!

Leslie Henry: Leslie Henry is her 36th and final year in education. She has worked as both a French teacher and a librarian in Canada, Russia, Indonesia and China. Leslie celebrates the sense of community and safety that libraries provide. Her passion is children’s literature. She marvels at the magic and joy that a picture book can bring to children of all ages! Leslie is the cross-river librarian at Shanghai American School.

Jeremy Willette: Jeremy Willette discovered a love and appreciation for libraries as a kid growing up in rural Maine. In addition to being a frequent visitor at the nearby town library, he volunteered for years at the one in his school. Since then, he has become an international educator working for over 20 years in the USA, Brazil, Hungary, India, and China…and has helped other generations of people love the library too, from infants to adults. An avid traveler, foodie, and library advocate, Jeremy is the Library Coordinator at Shanghai American School.

In this episode Joellen Killion joins the podcast and talks about what impactful feedback could look like as a practice as well as what it could look like in the age of AI.

⁠Joellen's Book on Feedback (link)⁠

About Joellen

Joellen Killion champions educator learning as the primary pathway to student success. She serves school systems, schools, regional, state, and national agencies within the U.S. and abroad as a consultant and learning facilitator. She is senior advisor to Learning Forward and formerly was its deputy executive director. Joellen leads, facilitates, and contributes to a number of initiatives related to examining the link among curriculum; leadership; quality instruction; professional development; and student learning. She has over 30 years of experience in curriculum development and implementation and planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of professional learning at the school, system, state, national, and international level. She was the recipient of the Don Deshler Leadership Award and the Adams County District 12 Merit Award. She serves on the advisory board for the Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools and is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal on Mentoring and Coaching in Education.

Joellen is a frequent contributor to education publications. Her books include What Works in the Middle; What Works in the Elementary Grades;, and What Works in the High School; Teachers Who Learn Kids Who Achieve: A Look at Model Professional Development; Assessing Impact: Evaluating Professional Learning, 3rd edition; Collaborative Professional Learning Teams in School and Beyond: A Tool Kit for New Jersey Educators; Taking the Lead: New Roles for Teacher and School-based Coaches; The Learning Educator: A New Era in Professional Learning; Becoming a Learning School; Coaching Matters; The Feedback Process: Transforming Feedback for Professional Learning.; and Elevate School-based Professional Learning. She authored and co-authored numerous papers, articles, reports, and workbooks such as PDK’s EDge, The Changing Face of Professional Development; A Systemic Approach to Elevating Teacher Leadership; and resources associated with the Transforming Professional Learning for Common Core Implementation initiative. She serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education. Her particular interests are collaborative learning teams, coaching educator success, evaluation and program audits, standards for professional learning, policy to support professional learning, and comprehensive planning and implementation of high-quality, standards-based, results-focused professional learning.

In this episode, Alex and Kim Cofino chat about the "other side" of AI-- Kim likens her experiences with social media to AI and gives us some thoughts on how we proceed as we integrate AI into our lives more and more.

Kim has been an educator in international schools since August 2000. Having lived and worked in Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan, Kim has had a variety of roles in international schools, including (her favorite) instructional coach. Kim is the host of the #coachbetter podcast, and frequently speaks and writes about the power of coaching to sustain change in schools. In addition to her work in education, Kim is also a competitive powerlifter, currently on the Thai National Team as the 63kg M1 representative for Thailand. Based in Bangkok, Kim is the Founder and CEO of Eduro Learning, where she supports educators and schools to develop sustainable and successful instructional coaching programs. Kim is also the Executive Director and Founder of the Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools (AAICIS). Learn more about Kim and Eduro at: https://www.edurolearning.com.

In this episode Alex interviews Jason Prohaska from ESF, Hong Kong. Jason spoke at 21CL and had a breakout session titled "The Digital Divide" on how tech affects boys differently than girls.

Jason's Bio

Jason Prohaska serves as the Educational Technologies Lead at the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong, developing strategic direction for technology integration across their network of 22 schools and 18,000+ students. He specializes in creating foundational frameworks for educational technology governance, ethical AI implementation, and digital citizenship while chairing the Educational Technologies Network.

With over a decade of experience at Renaissance College Hong Kong and previous roles at German Swiss International School, Jason focuses on empowering educators and school leaders through professional development and strategic guidance. He holds numerous certifications including Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Teacher.

From his LinkedIn: "I am an experienced educational leader focused on integrating technology to transform teaching, learning, and leadership. At the heart of my leadership philosophy is a belief that technology and STEM education should always serve people—empowering students to lead with creativity, ethics, and purpose."

Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonprohaska/

In this episode Alex sits down with Holly Clark and Steven Chang. The provocation to get our conversation started is: "how can we use AI as a super power like Iron Man rather than something that makes us helpless like in the film WallE?"

Holly Clark is the author of "The AI Infused Classroom," and a leading global strategist for AI in education, guiding schools and districts through the integration of AI best practices and policies. As an acclaimed international speaker, bestselling author, and co-host of The Digital Learning Podcast, she draws on her trailblazing experience in one of the first 1:1 classrooms in the nation, to empower educators to adopt AI-enhanced blended learning.

Guest Bios:

Holly's influence on the educational landscape echoes in her other acclaimed books, "The Google Infused Classroom", "Chromebook Infused Classroom", and “The AI Infused Classroom”, which are esteemed resources for educators globally. She is a Google Certified Innovator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and a National Board Certified Teacher. Her passion is for helping teachers find their blended learning and AI genius and learn to create and design unforgettable learning experiences. Connect with Holly on all social media via @HollyClarkEdu or visit her blog at hollyclark.org

Steven Chang was former Corporate VP of Tencent and CEO, Greater China of a global advertising agency. He is a coach and consultant for Business application, transformation, strategy formation and marketing solution of new technology, new business model and China Internet ecosystem.

In today's episode Alex interviews three incredible educators on a panel. We chat about a hot topic in the education world at the moment-- AI and assessment. The team discusses their personal and professional backgrounds, roles, and expertise in relation to AI and assessment, with a focus on the need for a shift from traditional teaching methods to more student-centered approaches. They also critiqued external standardized tests and emphasized the importance of developing durable skills that are transferable and relevant in the modern world. The conversation ended with plans for future communication and collaboration, including the possibility of a follow-up session and the inclusion of a creative writing project in the podcast.

Jennifer DeLashmutt has over 25 years of teaching and leadership experience in the United States and Asia. For the last ten years, she has served as an elementary principal and PK-12 Director of Curriculum and Professional Learning in Hong Kong ( HKIS) and Bangkok (ISB). Her background in curriculum, instructional practices, and assessment spans both primary and secondary years. She is devoted to ensuring that all learners are empowered members of their learning communities and they feel safe and valued. Jennifer is a design thinking leader who is future driven and diligently stays curious! She is an educational consultant with Novak Education. In our episode she mentions:

• ⁠Katie Novak and Catlin Tucker - Embracing AI⁠

• ⁠LUDIA Chatbot on Poe⁠

Dr. Shannon Doak is an Edtech and Innovation Leader. Speaker, Author, Lucky Father and husband, #AI Enthusiast, #PoeCreator #CoffeeLover, and #HomeBarista | He is currently the Director of Technology at Nanjing International School. Some helpful links from Shannon are:

• ⁠This is the book by Dr Sonny Magana⁠

• ⁠This Grade School Offers AI-Only Classes, No Teachers Involved⁠

• ⁠How a new Arizona school will use AI to teach students in 2-hour models⁠

Walk into many schools today and you'll find a system as outdated as a sundial at NASA - not because educators aren't innovating, but because the system itself needs reimagining. John Nash partners with school leaders to close the gap between where education is and where it needs to be. John doesn’t treat school transformation like making microwave popcorn - push a button and pray. John’s approach is more like brewing the perfect cup of coffee: methodical, intentional, and guaranteed to wake people up. Drawing from 30 years in the trenches of education reform, he shows school leaders how to use design thinking to fundamentally rethink how schools work. As founding director of the University of Kentucky's Laboratory on Design Thinking, he helps transform traditional institutions into dynamic learning environments where students drive their own education. His approach on design thinking and generative AI has caught the attention of everyone from the U.S. State Department, to district superintendents, to international schools. His book "Design Thinking in Schools" (Harvard Education Press) gives leaders a tested blueprint for turning bold ideas into meaningful change.

In today's episode, I sit down with three incredible educators: Amelia King, Vera Cubero, and Dr. Shannon Doak. We explore the idea of whether or not AI is a support or a hindrance to one's creativity.

You can all three of my guests on Linked In.

Finally, at the end of the episode, I share a song that I made as a collaboration with AI: I uploaded a finished song, remade it for several hours, and then mixed/looped/edited the output. I hope you enjoy the episode!

In today's show, we will be discussing Generative AI and productive cognitive struggle in schools. Alex's guests are listed below.

Kath Murdoch is an experienced teacher, author, university lecturer and popular consultant who has worked for many years in schools throughout the world. With a focus on early childhood and primary education, she is widely respected as a leader in the field of inquiry based learning and integrative curriculum in which she has taught, researched and published for over 30 years.

Kath began her professional life as a classroom teacher in Melbourne, Australia. Her fascination in how students' constructed their understandings - and her interest in the way questions and big ideas could drive curriculum soon led to a passion for integrative and inquiry based methodologies. This passion has become a career-long focus for teaching, research and writing and the methodologies in which Kath's specialities are now central to curriculum frameworks in many parts of the world - including the popular International Baccalaureate, PYP program.

Kath's professional development offerings are diverse. They range from intensive partnerships with schools to develop inquiry programs and practices over several years through to one-day workshops for beginning or experienced inquiry teachers. Whether in her hometown of Melbourne or on the other side of the world, working with a team or speaking to a packed auditorium Kath's style is refreshingly practical, inclusive and always connected to the real world of teaching. More on Chapter's site.

Nick Soentgerath is a Technology Learning Coach at Yokohama International School. Prior to working in education he was a consultant for Apple Inc in Canada and has since taught for a variety of international schools in Macau, Shanghai, and Japan. He is currently completing his Masters in Educational Technology with the University of British Columbia. Nick is passionate about learning and technology and very excited to see how AI will help push education into new areas. 

James Abela works at Garden International School as the Director of Digital Learning and Entrepreneurship. He has worked in computing since 1998, first, in industry then in education, then Garden International School. In 2012, he helped to create the UK computing curriculum, was an author of the Compute-IT series of books, and is now an author of the new IB Diploma Computer Science book (OUP). He is the founder of the Southeast Asia Computer Science Teachers Association (SEACSTA). He has received numerous awards, including Best Corporate Website (FTSE 100), 21st Century Teacher of the Year 2014, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, BETT Trailblazer in Inclusion Award Nominee, Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award Finalist 2023, and Replit Mini Curriculum Jam 2022 Winner. His students have gone on to prestigious universities, including Harvard, Cambridge University, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Imperial, and UCL.

Host: Alex McMillan is a High School Tech Coach with over a decade of experience in education and a background in commercial photography/advertising. Co-author of “Designing for Understanding” and “Saigon Artbook”, Alex loves to integrate design and technology to enhance teaching and learning. His interests include digital music, Generative AI, photography, drones, and volcano hunting. He frequently speaks at conferences like 21st Century Learning HK, ISTE, and Vietnam Tech Conference about AI and other edtech-related themes. Connect with Alex on Twitter/X: @MrAlexEdTech or visit⁠ www.Alexmcmillan.co⁠.