Low & Slow - Avoiding the Hype with Alexandra Walsh (Amplify) | Ep. 121

Uncover how AI is transforming education publishing, navigate screen time policies, and meet a viral tech raccoon! Before diving into AI and edtech, Matt and Liz break down the viral internet sensation of Jimothy, a Seattle raccoon with short spine syndrome who inspired a developer to create a retro eight-bit video game. The Rundown Sally the Robot Paused: A New York school district puts its controversial humanoid classroom robot pilot on hold following community pushback. Gemini Notebook Collections: Google rolls out top-level navigation and collection folders to help users organize their numerous notebooks. ISTE Releases Stretch: The organization announces the broad release of its specialized educator chatbot trained exclusively on vetted materials. Human Intelligence Certificate: An academic proposal suggests students prove unassisted thinking through in-person tasks before integrating AI into studies. Substack AI Detection: Substack partners with Pangram to help readers identify AI-generated text in published posts. North Carolina Screen Time Guidance: The state issues purpose-driven framework guidelines rather than hard hourly limits for student devices. Schools Beyond Screens Moratorium: A national coalition calls for a complete generative AI moratorium across all school districts. Student Advocacy in Washington: A high school student argues that schools must actively teach practical civic advocacy skills to help youth shape legislation. Beneath the Surface Low and Slow: Avoiding the Hype with Alexandra Walsh Alexandra Walsh, Chief Product Officer at Amplify, joins Matt and Liz to discuss how a major educational publisher thoughtfully balances innovation and quality. She explores internal AI workflows, teacher-mediated tools like discussion moments, and the vital importance of maintaining human connection in classrooms. Bright Byte Engineers have successfully tested a forty-gram autonomous micro drone designed to track and eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes mid-air using ultrasonic sensors and AI software. 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 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 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 Beneath Surface with Alexandra Walsh https://amplify.com/ LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/fyxczf62 8-Bit 'Jimothy': Viral Sensation Gets a Video Game https://tinyurl.com/2ez4z4c7 NY Classroom's Humanoid Robot Meets Backlash https://tinyurl.com/bddm7m53 Google Is Fixing the Biggest Problem With Too Many Gemini Notebooks https://tinyurl.com/ykh7tfch Stretch, ISTE's Chatbot, Is Ready to Go https://tinyurl.com/ydvhmf4w Students Should Prove They Don't Need AI Before Using It https://tinyurl.com/5tesaru3 Substack is adding an AI detection feature https://tinyurl.com/aeyyb3yb New DPI screen guidance stops short of time limits https://tinyurl.com/2786k9v4 Screen Time Guidelines Shift as Research Grows More Nuanced https://tinyurl.com/3t7tek8r Students can shape policy. Why don't schools show them how? https://tinyurl.com/yzthbkwr A Drone That Hunts Mosquitoes https://tinyurl.com/y95hcycy