In this episode, we sit down with Amanda Otero, a trusted instructional leader who works at the intersection of AI in education, digital citizenship, and district-level policy. Amanda shares how she helps schools build practical, human-centered guidelines for AI, and why supporting students starts with meeting them along a spectrum of skills, needs, and confidence.

We dive into how thought partnership strengthens good teaching, the role of policy in shaping safe and ethical AI use, and the importance of grounding technology decisions in principles rather than fear. And yes… we even talk about the classic line, “I don’t talk to robots,” and how educators can move beyond that mindset.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, tech coach, or leader shaping school-wide AI practices, this conversation delivers clarity, encouragement, and plenty of real-world examples from Amanda’s work.

Links:

Amanda on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-otero-14768720b/

Amanda's Dueling AI's Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1an0d4W8ouDrNTMwLxJPlSofOXWjmra3z7h7OrWnIwi4/present?slide=id.g10a2ff05e56_1_238

Amanda's Dueling AI's Resource Hub: https://sites.google.com/apps.district196.org/dueling-ais/start?authuser=0