Ep. 11 - Tasks Before Apps: Dr. Monica Burns on AI Power Tools, Ethical EdTech & Student Agency

Join hosts David Berner & Jeremy Mikla for a deep dive with Dr. Monica Burns—EdTech consultant, former NYC public school teacher, author of EdTech Essentials: 12 Strategies for Every Classroom in the Age of AI (2nd ed.), and founder of ClassTechTips.com. Monica shares her journey from traditional chalkboards to global keynote stages, her “Tasks Before Apps” philosophy, and practical ways to harness AI in the classroom.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

• Task-First Integration: How to align any tech tool to real learning goals, from quick wins to heavier-lift projects that address your biggest pain points.
• Top AI Features for Educators: Voice-based dictation in ChatGPT, the new Library & Media Organizer, plus the Projects workspace for custom workflows.
• Healthy Hesitation & Ethics: Why acknowledging hallucinations, bias scaling, and environmental impacts is critical—and how to model transparency for students.
• Classroom Activities Without Student Log-ins: Compare keyword-search results vs. AI outputs, fact-check together, and spark discussions without ever opening a chatbot.
• Empowering Student Agency: Use open-ended creation tools (Book Creator, Adobe Express, etc.) to give all learners choice within one consistent platform.
• Engaging Virtual PD: Workshop series best practices, breakout rooms + Padlet living docs, built-in Q&A “office hours,” and follow-up support to keep the learning going.

Resources & Links

• ClassTechTips Blog → https://classtechtips.com
• Easy Ed Tech Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/easy-edtech-podcast-with-monica-burns/id1454190031
• EdTech Essentials (2nd Ed.) → https://www.amazon.com/s?k=EdTech+Essentials+Monica+Burns
• Sign up for Monica’s upcoming ASCD release (summer 2025) → https://classtechtips.com/newsletter