What happens when a K–6 school district designs learning spaces that look more like Stanford than Sesame Street—and asks students to lead the future of work?

In this AmpED to 11 episode, we're joined by the bold and visionary superintendent of Del Mar Union School District, Marisa Janicek, whose leadership journey rewrites what’s possible in public education. From building student-designed AI rubrics and leading student-run conferences to redefining space, time, and trust in elementary learning, Marisa isn’t just adapting to the new era—she’s inviting it in with a megaphone and a blueprint.

After 20 years driving innovation in El Segundo Unified, including co-leading an AI strategy that directly led to students out-innovating adult audiences at major national conferences, Marisa now leads Del Mar: an award-winning district where decentralized libraries, outdoor classrooms, and future-ready pedagogy meet real-world wellness and connection. Her approach isn’t about trends—it’s about transformation.

This episode dives deep into how student agency, ethical AI, and durable human skills (not worksheets) are becoming the benchmark for success—and what higher ed and lagging systems need to do to keep up.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

1. Bold child-first change starts with belief—not budget
2. How El Segundo students out-designed adults with an AI use rubric
3. What happens when 6th graders lead PD for teachers…and win
4. How Marisa uses AI in real life—as a thought partner, not a dictator
5. Designing trust into spaces: why decentralized libraries matter
6. What universities should learn from kindergarteners already living the future

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.

What if AI could actually make your classroom more human?

In this episode of AmpED to 11, we sit down with Jessica Paulsen, President of Innovation and Impact at LEAP Innovations, and Roberto Vargas, Managing Director of IT and Data Systems at Distinctive Schools, to unpack a provocative question: If AI can already do many of the tasks we’ve traditionally assigned in school, what new kinds of learning should we be designing—learning that only humans can shape, feel, and experience?

Jessica and Roberto are at the forefront of human-centered, AI-integrated education. From personalized learner profiles powered by NotebookLM to co-created AI handbooks designed with students, their work isn’t just about adopting technology—it’s about redesigning systems that truly serve kids. We dive deep into how educators can thoughtfully integrate AI while preserving authenticity, amplifying agency, and centering students’ stories.

And we don’t shy away from the hard stuff. We question whether “personalized learning” has gone too far. We push past easy efficiency wins to examine real transformation. And we explore how teacher prep, policy, and mindsets must evolve—fast—if we want equity and humanity to remain at the heart of schools.

What you’ll learn:

1. Bold strategies for integrating AI without losing your humanity
2. Why student co-design and voice is the missing piece in most AI policies
3. How Distinctive Schools is using NotebookLM to build living learner profiles
4. Why data transparency and digital trace ethics must be part of AI rollouts
5. Tangible ways to redesign PD around mindset shifts, not one-off tools
6. How dialogue, storytelling, and even “vibe planning” are the future of learning

Hosted by Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma, this episode will shift how you think about AI—not as a replacement for teachers, but as a power tool for unleashing what makes us most human in the first place.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.

What happens when a heart-to-heart gets a digital co-pilot?

In this bold, boundary-pushing episode of AmpED to 11, Rebecca and Brett dive deep into the tangled intersection of AI and human connection with three trailblazers from the Rithm Project—a visionary effort aiming to preserve humanity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Michelle Culver (Rithm Project founder and former Reinvention Lab lead at Teach For America) is joined by Rithm Fellows Bomi Akarakiri and Cyra Alesha, both powerhouse youth advocates working at the sharp edge of policy, mental health, and emerging tech. Together, they bring passion, clarity, and a whole lot of nuance to one of the most urgent questions in education right now: If AI is becoming a co-author of our relationships, what does that mean for how we connect, collaborate, and care?

The crew doesn’t just talk about this—they play The AI Effect: a provocative card-based game that sparks unflinchingly honest discussion around AI use cases—from romantic chatbots and AI grief companions to whether students should use AI to write friendship speeches. Every round stirs disagreement, vulnerability, and even some unexpected revelations. And that’s the point.

You’ll learn:

1. Bold ways to explore AI's impact on relationships and student well-being
2. How educators and students can use tools like The AI Effect to build critical AI judgment, together
3. Why pretending to be more “human” with AI might actually cost us authenticity
4. What real trust and transparency look like in a world of synthetic friends and smart lenses
5. How to support young people in developing emotional regulation and empathy in an AI era
6. Why “it depends” is the most radical answer in education today

This isn’t your average policy talk or tool review—this is a deep, decidedly human conversation that leaves you feeling more connected, more curious, and honestly, a little more hopeful.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.

Who says AI doesn’t belong at the holiday table?

In this festive, future-forward “11 Days of Xmas” special episode of AmpED to 11, hosts Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma are joined by Amplify & Elevate Innovation insiders Serena Reynolds and Versha Munshi-South for an unfiltered round of rapid-fire AI questions—plus some unexpected hot takes, tech confessions, and painfully relatable truths from parents, former principals, and teenage kids alike.

It’s part AI year-in-review, part prediction party, and part support group for educators on the front lines of the AI evolution. Buckle up.

From Versha’s candid insights on leading innovation while parenting “AI-resistant” teens, to Serena’s Notion automations that would make any productivity nerd weak in the knees, to Rebecca’s bold new use of Gmail agents that literally email her strategic summaries while she’s sleeping—this episode is for anyone thinking: How do I even keep up anymore?

(Wondering what to ditch in 2025? Rebecca serves up the ultimate poetic rant on why AI detectors must die.)

They dive into:

1. Bold visions for AI in 2026—staffing models, literacy requirements, and teen-built study agents
2. Why “the Christmas tree effect” of edtech overload has to stop
3. Rebecca’s mind-blowing automations using Google Workspace agents
4. Equity warning: How kids with access are using AI to personalize learning—and who’s being left behind
5. Why “horizontal” AI learning won’t cut it—and how to teach for vertical transformation instead
6. “When is enough enough?”—The AI spiral we’re all trapped in (and how to get out)

Plus, get the inside scoop on the game that sparked 40,000+ students to weigh in on AI—and why every school leader should be playing it in 2026.

Brett, Rebecca, Serena, and Versha bring the insight, humor, and raw honesty that make AmpED to 11 more than just a podcast. It’s a lifeline for bold educators navigating this messy, magical age of AI.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.

What if the future of education isn’t just about AI, but what it means to be fully, unrelentingly human alongside it?

In this off-the-rails, laugh-out-loud, surprisingly profound episode, Brett and Rebecca sit down with the inimitable Jenn Womble—Chair of the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) and District Administration—and within minutes, they’re talking creatine, hormone-balancing AI spreadsheets, dicey TSA interactions involving supplement Ziplocs, and how to build community in the age of synthetic reality.

Jenn’s energy is unmatched, but so is her perspective on where education needs to go. She dives into why immersive learning, clear AI policy, and student voice aren’t “nice to haves”—they’re the ticket to redesigning schools that actually work for this moment. The crew explores everything from ethical leadership in an era of deepfakes to the dangerous gaps between tech adoption and teacher training. But it’s not all policy and pedagogy. At its heart, this talk is about curiosity, creativity, and audacious optimism.

1. What does student-centered AI implementation really look like?
2. Why do teachers need to know brain science, not just tech tools?
3. How are CTE programs becoming the sleeper stars of future-ready learning?
4. What’s the ethics conversation schools must have now, or risk getting left behind?
5. Which iconic voice would Jen choose to narrate her life, and why it’s not Morgan Freeman

🦾 And yeah, we talk personalized blood work AIs and individually packaged creatine (hint: somebody patent this, please)

This episode also features Rebecca’s AI Tip of the Week on using AI to identify supplement stacks (yes, really), and a live brainstorm on reimagining leadership, learning, and literacy when machines write… but humans still think.

If you’re questioning what’s real, what’s next, or even what’s in your carry-on, this conversation is for you.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.

What if every teacher had a superpower—not to replace them, but to help them thrive?

In this episode of AmpED to 11, we turn up the volume on one of the most practical and pressing questions in the AI-in-education space: How can AI actually empower teachers—in real classrooms, under real pressure—to reclaim their time, elevate their craft, and bring the joy of learning back?

Meet our dynamic duo of guests: Thomas Thompson IV, CEO of Eduaide AI, and Thomas Hummel, Chief Product Officer... and a current middle school science teacher on paternity leave. Yep, Hummel took time away from newborn duties (and sleepless nights) to join this conversation, and we are so glad he did.

Together, these two educators-turned-founders are building AI tools from the inside out—designed in loud, messy, beautiful classrooms by people who actually teach. They’re not chasing shiny gimmicks. They’re fixing real pain points for real teachers… while refusing to compromise on ethics, transparency, or student wellbeing.

This conversation gets real—fast. From hallucinations and hype cycles to facial hair and feedback loops, here’s what you’ll learn:

1. Bold Insight: AI can lower the cost of experimentation—making room for pedagogical creativity, not just administrative efficiency.
2. Hidden Tension: Many districts are adopting AI tools without clear policy, data protections, or purpose—just because they feel they “have to.”
3. Unexpected Truth: AI can lighten the load, but cognitive offloading by novice learners (and novice teachers) is a growing, underexamined risk.
4. Back to Basics: Effective teaching still boils down to timeless practices like retrieval, spacing, and interleaving—and AI can help scale those with care.
5. Guardrails That Matter: From rigorous content moderation to co-designing evaluation tools with Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Eduaide isn’t playing fast and loose with teacher trust.
6. A Glimmer of Hope: AI might just give teachers back the one thing they’re always robbed of—time to focus on relationships, differentiation, and joy.

Brett and Rebecca also share stories from the field, challenge hype-driven narratives, and go deep with the Thomases on what happens when we let pedagogical values—not profit-seeking ventures—drive innovation.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.

What if the solution to the education crisis isn’t another new tool—but a radically different way of thinking?

In this episode of AmpED to 11, Brett and Rebecca sit down with Sabba Quidwai—futurist, researcher, and founder of Designing Schools—for a conversation that’s equal parts AI-infused optimism and bold truth-telling. Sabba doesn’t hold back. From calling out the systemic failures that led to widespread teacher burnout, to critiquing the bandaid tech culture that treats symptoms rather than root causes, she’s here to shake up the status quo with humanity and clarity.

Sabba’s journey from a disconnected student in 2007 to one of today’s most influential voices in AI and education is both deeply personal and powerfully relevant. With stories of leaders transforming entire districts, insights from global travels, and a gut-check on America’s distraction problem, she challenges educators and decision-makers to stop tolerating broken systems—and start designing the future we actually want.

You’ll also hear about Desert Sands’ visionary approach to AI guidance for students, learn why Canva and Google might just be the AI Dream Team for schools, and get a front-row seat to the spark that ignites real change.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why imagination—not just information—is your most powerful asset
• How to shift from AI tools to AI teammates**
• What teachers and leaders are missing about student AI use (and how to fix it)
• A powerful mindset framework that reframes burnout and empowers agency
• What the U.S. education system can learn from schools abroad
• The AI literacy that truly matters (hint: it’s not just prompt engineering)

🎧 Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.

Is AI going to transform education—or compound the gaps we already have?

On this episode of AmpED to 11, we sit down with Aaron Cuny, co-founder of AI for Equity and former school leader, who's working at the front lines of this very question. From his 18 years inside classrooms and school systems to founding a nonprofit helping districts navigate AI with vision and ethics, Aaron brings grounded urgency to a conversation many are still only tiptoeing around.

What’s at stake? Everything from how we train our teachers and select edtech tools, to how we redefine curriculum, equity, and leadership in the age of acceleration. Aaron doesn’t just talk trends—he builds roadmaps. He shares how AI for Equity is helping C-suite education leaders tackle both tactical realities and strategy, and why sustained relationships (not one-off AI 101 workshops) are the key. You'll hear stories from districts like DREAM Charter and Ednovate—one that went all in early, the other that quietly built a culture of innovation from the inside out.

And maybe most provocatively: Aaron argues that without intentional leadership, AI might not close the opportunity gap but widen it. Cue the skeptics? He hears you—and offers practical, human-centered change management strategies for leaders navigating resistant staff.

What you’ll learn:

• Bold leadership starts with ethical clarity—not buzzwords or hype.
• Why tactical know-how is mission critical for AI strategy.
•  How top districts are piloting AI with purpose and accountability.
• The real investment gap: Not tools, but capacity building.
• Change management is 3x more important than any AI tech stack.
• Why Aaron is done with the word “transform”… and what he’s replacing it with.

With hosts Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma guiding the conversation, this episode is both a compass and a call to action.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you’re ready to turn up the volume on what’s possible in education.