In this episode, I sit down with Austin Levinson, Director of Learning at Mega Minds and a former educator with over 20 years of classroom experience. We dig into what’s missing in education right now—especially in CTE and career pathways—and why certifications alone aren’t enough.

We talk about critical thinking, adaptability, workforce readiness, and immersive AI simulations that go far beyond videos, worksheets, or “edtech for edtech’s sake.” Austin shares how Mega Minds is using 3D environments and AI characters to give students realistic, high-stakes experiences—from healthcare triage to AI ethics to job interviews—while keeping teachers at the center of the work.

If you care about real learning, transferable skills, and preparing students for a future that keeps shifting, this conversation is for you.

🔑 Key Topics We Cover

• Why critical thinking can’t be taught directly—and what can develop it

• The difference between compliance-based learning and real workforce readiness

• What CTE programs do well—and where they’re still falling short

• Why videos and slide decks aren’t enough for career exploration

• How immersive AI simulations create tension, decision-making, and real learning

• Teaching skills like triage, adaptability, communication, and judgment safely

• AI ethics through lived experience, not lectures

• Why failure, replayability, and reflection matter more than right answers

• Supporting ELL students, neurodivergent learners, and accessibility through AI

• • Keeping humans at the center while using technology intelligently

  
  

  🧠 Big Takeaways

• • Students don’t remember worksheets—they remember experiences

  • Certifications matter, but durable skills matter more

  • Not all screen time is equal

  • Feedback needs to be immediate, human, and actionable

• • Career exploration should help students say “yes,” “not yet,” or “definitely not”
  • AI works best when it supports teachers, not replaces them

• 🔗 Learn More About Austin & Mega Minds

  
  

• • 🌐 Website: https://gomegaminds.com

  • 💼 Connect with Austin on LinkedIn: Austin Levinson

  🎧 Who This Episode Is For

  • CTE teachers and directors

  • STEM, tech ed, and special area educators

  • School and district leaders

  • Anyone questioning whether current systems are truly preparing students

  • Educators looking for real solutions, not shiny tools

  
  

In this episode of the Tech Ed Clubhouse Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Marialice Curran to unpack one of the most important—and most misunderstood—topics in education today: mental health.

What starts as a conversation about digital citizenship quickly turns into a powerful discussion about language, stigma, masculinity, school culture, and why mental health needs to be treated like physical health—something we actively train, track, and support.

Marialice shares her personal journey into the mental health space, her work with Same Here Global, and how a simple shift in language—from “us vs. them” to “five in five”—can completely change how schools, communities, and individuals show up for one another.

This isn’t a surface-level conversation. It’s honest, human, and long overdue.

• Why “1 in 5 have mental illness” is the wrong message

• The Same Here Global philosophy: five in five of us have mental health

• How language shapes stigma in schools and society

• Why mental health should be treated like going to the gym

• The “Gym for the Brain” model and what it looks like in schools

• Masculinity, vulnerability, and the unique mental health challenges men face

• How sports, coaching, and education intersect in powerful ways

• Why proactive mental health work beats crisis response every time

• Simple ways teachers can support students tomorrow—without new programs or mandates

Mental health isn’t something some people have.
It’s something all of us live on a spectrum with—every single day.

When schools change the language, normalize the conversation, and model regulation instead of compliance, everything shifts: culture, trust, and learning.

• Same Here Global: https://www.samehereglobal.org

• Contact Mary Alice: marialice@samehereglobal.org

• Instagram: @dr_mbfxc

• Same Here Scale App: Available via Same Here Global

• Teachers and school leaders

• Coaches and athletic directors

• Counselors and support staff

• Parents and caregivers

• Anyone who believes schools should be more human

If this conversation made you pause, reflect, or feel a little more seen—you’re not alone.

Same here.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a review—it helps more educators find conversations like this.

We talk a lot about fixing education.

But what if teaching isn’t broken?

In this episode of The Tech Ed Clubhouse, I explore the idea that we’re standing at the beginning of a Renaissance in education—a shift away from scripts, compliance, and performative engagement, and back toward the human craft of teaching.

Drawing parallels to the early Renaissance at the end of the Middle Ages, this episode unpacks:

• how schooling quietly became more about obedience than judgment

• why teachers are feeling tension between what they’re told to do and what they know works

• what the first Renaissance actually looked like before the masterpieces

• how today’s classrooms mirror that same uncomfortable, hopeful transition

• and where tools and AI fit—using the printing press as a guide

This isn’t a call for new programs or shiny tools.

It’s a call to reclaim professional judgment, trust human thinking, and teach like a Renaissance human—right now, even while the old systems are still in place.

If you’ve felt like something in education doesn’t quite fit anymore…
this episode will give you language for why.