Matt Karabinos sits down with Aaron Makelky—former history teacher turned Community & Developer Relations Manager at Descript—to explore the wild, humbling, and often hilarious journey of discovering AI. From a student showing Aaron ChatGPT after a Thanksgiving break to both men leaving the classroom within a month of each other, this episode is a real conversation between two educators who went all-in on AI before it was mainstream. They dig into the "tech lash" in schools, Aaron's powerful "snow globe" analogy for how schools operate, why every staff needs AI scouts, how they're raising AI-literate kids at home, and what vibe coding is really unlocking for everyday people. After this episode, you should be asking yourself, "are you consuming, or are you building?"

Timestamped Show Notes

• 0:00 — Intro: How Matt & Aaron Met — A LinkedIn DM friendship and parallel paths out of teaching
• 2:56 — Aaron's AI Origin Story — A student shows Aaron ChatGPT after Thanksgiving break; he's never the same
• 11:59 — From Classroom to Dev Relations — Aaron describes his new role teaching creators and developers instead of students
• 14:08 — The Snow Globe: Schools & AI — Aaron's analogy for how schools operate in isolation and why that's a problem
• 16:01 — AI, Cheating & Classroom Conversations — Why students are confused about AI cheating rules and what we should be teaching instead
• 16:22 — Raising AI-Literate Kids — Aaron's 8-year-old wants an AI agent; the Ozzy Osbourne AI fact-check lesson; his son as the classroom's AI scout
• 20:15 — Vibe Coding & Building Things — Aaron vibe codes a full summer routine tracking app from handwritten notes in one hour
• 23:58 — Consuming vs. Building: The Final Takeaway — AI puts everyone in one of two categories; which one do you want to be in?

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL.

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

What does it actually mean to use AI responsibly in education? In this episode, host Matthew sits down with educator, author, and automation advocate Jethro Jones to explore the difference between AI that builds you up versus AI that holds you back. Jethro introduces the concept of cognitive equity — using AI to expand what you're capable of — versus cognitive debt — using it to skip the learning that matters. They dive deep into practical frameworks for deciding what to automate, why students aren't really "cheating" with AI (and what we should do about it instead), and what truly meaningful learning looks like. Whether you're a teacher, administrator, or lifelong learner, this conversation will challenge how you think about school, work, and what it means to actually grow.

• 0:00 — Welcome & Podcast Origin Story: Matthew introduces the show and welcomes returning guest Jethro Jones, who's been helping get this podcast off the ground.
• 1:22 — Cognitive Equity vs. Cognitive Debt: Jethro introduces his core framework: AI that expands your abilities creates cognitive equity; AI that circumvents real learning creates cognitive debt.
• 3:12 — Automating the Menial: Real-World Examples: Jethro shares how he built an automatic attendance tool for a driving school — and why the meaning behind a task determines whether it should be automated.
• 6:22 — How to Decide What to Automate: Three frameworks: automate what you procrastinate on, automate what you've already systematized, and reconsider even automating gratitude.
• 17:41 — Teaching Kids to Value Their Work: Matthew asks the big question: if adults can decide what's valuable, how do we help kids do the same?
• 17:44 — Why School Compliance Kills Learning: Jethro argues that school systems have optimized for compliance, not learning — and AI just makes that problem impossible to ignore.
• 19:38 — What Meaningful Learning Looks Like: Jethro clarifies: learning has never been the focus of school — but it should be. He shares three ways to make assignments actually matter.
• 33:53 — Just-in-Time Learning: Why grade-level scope and sequences may be doing more harm than good — and how kids learn best when they need the knowledge most.
• 35:07 — Monday Morning Takeaway: Jethro leaves teachers and administrators with one concrete, actionable thing to do this week.

Guest: Jethro Jones — educator, author, and automation advocate. Find him at @JethroJones on all social platforms and at his new web site Optimization Doc.

Host: Matthew — AI & Emerging Technology Consultant, Central Pennsylvania.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL.

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

In this introductory episode, Jethro welcomes Matt Karabinos as the new host of Artificial Intelligence: Real Talk — formerly A Vision for Learning. Matt shares his background as a recently-practicing classroom teacher and his current work helping schools, educators, students, and administrators make sense of AI in education.

Together, Jethro and Matt explore what makes AI different from past edtech initiatives: it is not just another tool, search engine, or “vending machine.” Used well, AI can become a thought partner that helps teachers reimagine lessons, create new learning experiences, and solve real classroom problems without starting from scratch.

Matt also introduces the mindset behind his CURVE framework, beginning with curiosity. For educators wondering where to start, this conversation offers a simple invitation: be curious, try something small, and let AI help you see new possibilities for teaching and learning.

In this episode

• Matt Karabinos’ move from the classroom into regional AI and emerging technology support
• Why AI in education needs to stay grounded in real teacher experience
• The future direction of Artificial Intelligence: Real Talk
• Moving beyond AI as a search engine or “vending machine”
• How teachers can use AI to reimagine lessons instead of replacing their own expertise
• A practical classroom example: turning a tired morning lesson into an active number-line activity
• Why educators do not need to relearn everything or become technical experts
• Curiosity as the real entry point for using AI well
• Matt’s CURVE framework and the mindset teachers need in this moment
• How sharing your learning publicly can become a professional portfolio

Key takeaways

• AI is most powerful when used as a thought partner, not just a content generator.
• Teachers do not have to throw out what already works; AI can help them adjust, remix, and improve from where they already are.
• The best starting point is not technical skill — it is curiosity.
• Asking AI for multiple options often produces better results than asking for one perfect answer.
• Educators can enter the AI conversation from any level of experience.
• Sharing what you are learning can open doors and demonstrate expertise in ways a résumé alone cannot.

Guest

Matt Karabinos is a former classroom teacher and current emerging technology and project specialist. He supports schools and educators as they navigate AI policy, classroom practice, student use, professional learning, and the broader shifts AI is bringing to education. He also runs student programs and regional competitions, including FIRST LEGO League, Scholastic Quiz League, Reading Competition, and Math24.

Find Matt on TikTok: @MrKAllDay

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL.

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.