My EdTech Life

Is critical thinking becoming a lost skill in the age of AI? In Episode 352 of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso Mendoza sits down with Melissa Morgan , Founder of Coraltalk , to explore why conversation, not content consumption, is the key to real learning. This episode dives deep into why oral assessment, dialogue-based learning, and conversational AI may be the most effective way to combat AI-assiste...

Why EdTech Usage Doesn’t Equal Impact ft. Dr. Paula Cushanick  In this episode of My EdTech Life, I sit down with Dr. Paula Cushanick, known as Dr. C on TikTok , to unpack one of the most misunderstood ideas in education technology: EdTech usage does NOT equal impact. Districts often measure success through logins, minutes, and usage reports because they’re easy to pull. But Dr. Cushanick’s resear...

In Episode 350 of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso “Fonz” Mendoza sits down with Lindy Hockenbary (LindyHoc) , a K–12 EdTech advisor, strategist, and professional learning leader known for helping teachers make technology work for real learning. This conversation goes straight to the issues educators actually face, the “one more thing” overload, AI misconceptions, and how to move beyond AI detectors to...

How Mega Minds Brings Real-World CTE to Classrooms ft. Eric Tao & Austin Levinson | My EdTech Life 349 In Episode 349 of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso “Fonz” Mendoza sits down with Eric Tao , Founder & CEO of Mega Minds , and Austin Levinson , veteran educator and learning designer, to unpack how immersive AI-powered simulations are reshaping Career and Technical Education (CTE). This conver...

Career and Technical Education is often overlooked, misunderstood, or siloed. In this episode of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso Mendoza sits down with Tisha Richmond , veteran CTE educator and author of The Magical CTE Classroom , to unpack what meaningful, joyful, and real-world CTE learning actually looks like. Tisha shares her journey from the classroom to edtech and back again, why CTE teachers f...

In this episode of My EdTech Life, Jeff Riley breaks down the mission behind Day of AI and the work of MIT RAISE to help schools, districts, families, and students understand artificial intelligence safely, ethically, and with purpose. Jeff brings 32 years of experience as a teacher, counselor, principal, superintendent, and former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education. His transition to MIT RAI...

Today on My EdTech Life, I sit down with Kyle Sumrow , educator, developer, and Director of Outreach and Development at Tech My School, to break down Relief Roster , a powerful substitute management and volunteer coordination system designed to streamline the entire sub process for schools. Kyle shares how Relief Roster solves the daily scramble schools face with substitutes, onboarding, schedulin...

Inside the UK’s Big Adobe Express Movement ft. Sean McLaughlin | My EdTech Life 345 In this conversation, I sit down with Sean McLaughlin , Adobe for Education’s UK Community & Partnerships Lead, to explore how Adobe Express , guided creativity, and purposeful AI are reshaping teaching and learning across the UK.  From live lessons with Dom & Merit, to outreach programs with Manchester Uni...

How CTE Really Works for Students ft. Dr. Joey Mendoza | My EdTech Life 344 CTE is changing fast. Certifications, digital skills, pathways, tutoring, attendance, career pipelines—there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Joey Mendoza , a South Texas educator and freshly-minted doctoral researcher who has worked across classrooms, regional service centers, EdTe...

How AiDigiCards Help Kids Learn AI Safely ft. Amber Ivey | My EdTech Life 343  In Episode 343 of My EdTech Life , I sit down with Amber Ivey to explore AiDigiCards , a new screen-free way to introduce kids to AI literacy, curiosity, and critical thinking. Amber breaks down the journey from her AI-for-adults work, to her children’s book AI Meets AI , to her new hands-on learning system for kids age...

How AI Is Transforming School Technology Planning ft. Robbie Cobbs | My EdTech Life Ep.342 In this episode of My EdTech Life , I sit down with Robbie Cobbs , the founder of Tech My School and creator of Tech Plan Genie , a groundbreaking platform built by tech directors for tech directors. We talk about how school leaders can create meaningful, data-driven technology plans that bring their vision...

 Teaching in an AI World ft. David L. Jackson | My EdTech Life Ep. 341  In this episode of My EdTech Life, Dr. Fonz Mendoza sits down with David L. Jackson of Digital Promise to talk about how educators can slow down, refocus, and bring humanity back to teaching in an AI-driven world. David shares insights from the upcoming Elevating Innovation: Thinking in an AI World conference, a research-based...

Episode 340: La Lucha Productiva en el Aula con Austin Levinson Bienvenidos a otro episodio de My EdTech Life , con tu anfitrión, el Dr. Alfonso “Fonz” Mendoza , donde exploramos las conversaciones que conectan la tecnología, la educación y lo humano.  En este episodio, tengo el honor de conversar con Austin Levinson , educador, economista y Director de Aprendizaje en MegaMinds, una plataforma inm...

  Episode 339: Merissa Sadler-Holder | Teaching with Machines  In this episode of My EdTech Life , Dr. Fonz Mendoza talks with Merissa Sadler-Holder , founder of Teaching with Machines . Merissa shares her journey from French teacher to AI consultant and shows how educators can embrace AI without losing their voice, creativity, or purpose. They discuss what human-centered A I really means in the c...

Captivate Your Classroom with Dr. Marc Isseks In this episode of My EdTech Life , I sit down with Dr. Marc Isseks , author of Captivate , to explore how educators can break free from “cognitive entrenchment” and rediscover what it means to truly engage learners. Marc brings over 30 years of classroom, curriculum, and leadership experience, and his insights will challenge the way you think about te...

 La IA no reemplaza al maestro con Pedro Aparicio En este episodio de My EdTech Life , converso con Pedro Aparicio sobre un tema que nos toca a todos: el papel real de la IA en el aula y el rol insustituible del docente. Desde la mirada de Latinoamérica, Pedro nos comparte cómo la tecnología puede ser una aliada cuando se usa con intención, verificación y presencia humana. Hablamos del retroceso p...

The Business of You with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio In this episode of My EdTech Life , Dr. Fonz Mendoza sits down with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio to explore their book The Business of You . They share how students, educators, and professionals alike can begin running their lives like a well-led company—by becoming the CEO, CMO, HR, and CFO of their own story. We also talk about adap...

Peel Back Education with April Braithwaite   Educators are the backbone of society, yet their stories often go unheard. In this episode of My EdTech Life , I sit down with April Braithwaite , founder of Peel Back Education , a new project dedicated to telling the authentic stories of teachers. April shares how a late-night reflection sparked her mission to capture educator journeys in writing, giv...

  Research First Approach to AI Tools with Short Answer In this episode of My EdTech Life , I sit down with Adam and Alexa Sparks , the husband-and-wife founders of Short Answer , a writing platform built to strengthen peer-to-peer learning and classroom dialogue. We dive into their journey from classrooms and Stanford labs to building an edtech startup that puts pedagogy first. Adam shares how a...

 AI in Schools: Strategy Over Shiny Tools with Kyler Cheatham When it comes to AI in school districts, rushing in without a clear why can cost millions, crush teacher buy-in, and derail your entire tech strategy. In this episode of My EdTech Life , I sit down with Kyler Cheatham , a system architecture expert in AI and predictive analytics, to break down what districts are getting wrong and how to...

AI Optimism with Becky Keene In this episode of My EdTech Life , I sat down with author, educator, and thought leader Becky Keene to unpack her new book AI Optimism . We tackled everything from AI literacy and data privacy to the SAMR model, edtech skepticism, and what it really takes to shift classroom practice forward, not with hype, but with intention. Becky shares her “AI Optimism” framework,...

  Learning, Agency, and EdTech | Erik Parsons In this episode of My EdTech Life , I reconnect with the brilliant Erik Parsons, better known as The PhDad  on TikTok , for a bold conversation on what really matters in education. We dig into behaviorism vs. developmentalism, and how too many classrooms are still operating on compliance over collaboration. From Chromebooks as babysitters to the over-p...

Digital Portfolios, Feedback Culture, and Rethinking Readiness with Tisha Poncio and Rick Butterworth In Episode 330 of My EdTech Life , I sit down with Tisha Poncio and Rick Butterworth , authors of Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders . This conversation is all about transforming classrooms by prioritizing neurodiversity, digital portfolios, and building real-world readiness through entrepreneur...

Ep.329 Building with Purpose with Eduaide In this episode, I welcome back two familiar voices: Thomas Thompson and Thomas Hummel, the powerhouse team behind Eduaide. AI. This isn’t just another conversation about AI. It’s a grounded, honest discussion on what it means to build tech for teachers, by teachers. We talk growth, grit, and grounded design. From their classroom beginnings to becoming one...

AI in Schools: Innovation or Illusion? | Ep. 328 with Job Christiansen Is AI making classrooms smarter—or just noisier? In this episode of My EdTech Life , I sit down with Job Christiansen, a fellow cautious advocate, educator, and instructional technology specialist, to ask the hard questions about AI’s role in education. From privacy concerns to the illusion of “safe use,” we unpack what most ed...