EdTechnical

Owen Henkel & Libby Hills

Hosted by EdTechnical co-founders Libby Hills (CEO) and Owen Henkel (Research Director), the EdTechnical podcast explores AI in education through a research-grounded lens.

Each episode, Libby and Owen ask experts to help educators sift the useful insights from the AI hype. They ask questions like: how does this actually help students and teachers? What do we actually know about this technology, and what is just speculation? And (importantly!) when we say AI, what are we actually talking about?

Beyond the podcast, EdTechnical also invests in promising AI edtech companies and conducts applied research to inform real-world product and investment decisions.

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S5 · E5
Today · 35 min
How are teachers using AI?
In this episode, Libby and Owen speak with Joanna Cannon, senior fellow at the Walton Family Foundation, where she supports a growing body of research on how teachers and students are using AI. Measuring how teachers adopt AI is not straightforward. Joanna says the figures shift depending on what is asked and how AI is defined. The widely reported time savings of using AI come with significant caveats. And although AI can remove certain biases from grading, it introduces fresh risks of its own. When is reaching for AI appropriate, and when does it feel misplaced? Bio Joanna Cannon is a senior fellow with the Walton Family Foundation, where she works with the K-12 education team, including on a portfolio of research on how AI is being adopted by teachers and students. Joanna holds a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago. Previously, she was chief operating officer at the education non-profit PENCIL and chief strategic officer for the Division of Talent, Labor and Innovation at the New York City Department of Education. Links Walton Family Foundation, Education Program Gallup and Walton Family Foundation research on teacher AI use and time savings Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S5 · E5
August 20 · 30 min
Notes from the Festival of Learning: The future of AI in education
In this episode of EdTechnical, Owen reports back from the Festival of Learning in South Korea, the annual gathering that brings together academics in AI, education, learning sciences, and human-computer interaction. Owen takes the pulse of the field through four conversations at the Festival. He speaks with a Cornell professor, a funder at the Gates Foundation, an early-stage startup founder, and a researcher at Google DeepMind. The community has stopped asking simply whether generative AI is good or bad for learning, and started asking where to use it, where not to, and how to build around it. Guests Rene Kizilcec is a Professor at the Department of Computing and Information Science at Cornell University and a general chair of the 2026 Festival of Learning. His work looks at how to use technology effectively and responsibly to support student learning. Bryan Richardson works on the K12 education program at the Gates Foundation, where he focuses on helping AI models get better at education. He is part of a newly launched, pooled AI infrastructure fund backing open source tools and benchmarks for education. Maya Bialik is founder of QuestionWell, an AI tool that helps teachers create and refine instructional materials. She is also a PhD student at Boston University, and author of Irreplaceable: How AI Changes Everything (and Nothing) in Teaching and Learning. Kevin McKee is a research scientist on the AI for Education team at Google DeepMind, where he leads assessments and evaluations of Gemini and other large language models in real world educational settings. Links The Festival of Learning 2026 Owen’s research on LLMs’ ability to interpret and grade handwritten student work Further reading from the conversations: Catching The Correct Answer Trap by Moiz Imran and Sahan Bulathwela From Untamed Black Box to Interpretable Pedagogical Orchestration by Nizam Kadir Research by QuestionWell Eedi and Google DeepMind math tutoring research in the UK Gemini Guided Learning study with Fab AI in Sierra Leone Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S5 · E3
July 30 · 35 min
AI Pre-Mortem: Getting Ahead of AI's Risks in Education
In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Rebecca Winthrop, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she directs the Center for Universal Education. Rebecca and her team recently ran a ‘pre-mortem’ on generative AI in education: rather than waiting years for the evidence to settle, they conducted a yearlong study on the risks it poses to students, and what we can do now to prevent them while making the most of the benefits. Drawing on focus groups, a thorough review of studies, and a forecasting panel, the report paints a striking picture: as things stand, the risks of generative AI for children's learning and development outweigh the benefits. Rebecca explains the risks are foundational, undermining the trust, independent thinking, and resilience that children need in order to benefit from AI. A key distinction runs through the conversation: risks tend to come from wide AI use, where children have open-ended, unscaffolded conversations with tools not designed for them, while benefits come from narrow, intentional use integrated into teaching with vetted content. Bio Rebecca Winthrop is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of its Center for Universal Education, where she leads the Brookings Global Task Force on AI in Education. She advises governments, policymakers and international institutions on education and previously led education work for displaced and conflict-affected communities. She is a co-author of the report A New Direction for Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect. Links Research Report by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education: A New Direction for Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect Brookings Institution Center for Universal Education: https://www.brookings.edu/topics/education-2/ Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
July 9 · 33 min
England's Bet on AI in the Classroom
Libby is on maternity leave, so Hermione Thompson steps in to guest co-host this episode alongside Owen. Hermione is AI and EdTech lead at Purposeful Ventures and previously advised on education policy inside the UK Prime Minister’s Office at 10 Downing Street. Owen and Hermione sit down with Minister Olivia Bailey, the UK Department for Education minister responsible for AI in schools, for a conversation on where AI in education is headed. Bailey believes government should actively shape this space rather than sit back. Through the government's AI Tutoring Tools Pioneer Programme, up to eight companies will be selected to co-design curriculum-aligned AI tutoring tools directly with schools. Trials start this summer, and a national rollout is targeted for 2027, potentially reaching 450,000 disadvantaged pupils a year. Bailey says these coming tools are fundamentally different from a generic chatbot that gives children the answers without engagement or challenge. She explains how they are thinking about the tension between personalized AI and managing a classroom of 30 kids who need to study the same topic. The government's approach is to test and learn different approaches to see how children get the learning benefits normally associated with a real-life personal tutor. Bio Olivia Bailey is a junior minister at the UK Department for Education, responsible for early years, school food, and digital/AI policy. Before Parliament, she worked in public policy for the Labour Party, advised Keir Starmer as Leader of the Opposition, and worked across think tanks and public opinion research. She now leads the department's AI Tutoring Tools Pioneer Programme and its AI safety standards for schools. Links DfE announcement: Edtech and AI companies invited to help build safe AI tutoring tools https://www.gov.uk/government/news/edtech-and-ai-companies-invited-to-help-build-safe-ai-tutoring-tools-for-disadvantaged-pupils ⁠Programme detail via AI.gov.uk: AI Infrastructure for Education https://ai.gov.uk/our-work/education/ Schools Week coverage, including union reaction: DfE invites bids from AI tutoring pilot partners https://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-invites-bids-from-ai-tutoring-pilot-partners/ Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S5 · E1
June 18 · 43 min
Should We Be Embracing Cognitive Offloading?
This season EdTech founder Libby Hills and AI researcher Owen Henkel continue to speak with leading researchers, practitioners and educators on the EdTechnical podcast series about the cutting edge of AI in education. They will break down complex AI concepts into non-technical insights to better understand what the research says and help educators sift the useful insights from the AI hype. In the first episode of a new season of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Sam Gilbert, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. Sam is one of the leading researchers studying ‘cognitive offloading’, the use of tools and technologies to support thinking and memory. Are tools like ChatGPT making us cognitively weaker? Humans have been offloading for thousands of years in ever-advancing ways: supporting memory through written notes, calculators, GPS, and large language models. There is a difference between losing specific information we've offloaded and losing underlying cognitive abilities. The distinction matters for thinking about AI's impact on learning and education. “We need to build up foundational abilities, and then offloading is very useful after we’ve acquired them”, Sam says. Sam Gilbert Sam Gilbert is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London (UCL), where he leads the Metacognition and Executive Functions Group. His research focuses on memory, cognitive control, metacognition, and cognitive offloading. He is widely recognised for his work on how people use external tools and technologies to support thinking and memory. Links Cognitive Offloading (Risko & Gilbert, 2016): Cognitive Offloading - PubMed UCL Metacognition & Executive Functions Group: Metacognition & Executive Functions | UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
May 7 · 16 min
AI That Acts: What “Agents” Mean for Classrooms
In this EdTechnical short, Libby and Owen unpack ‘AI agents’ and what they mean for education. Agents are large language models connected to tools and workflows that are allowed to take actions like searching, summarising, and completing multi-step tasks. Recent progress comes from the combination of stronger models and better systems for connecting agents to external tools, enabling more complex and autonomous outputs. Applying agents to education brings a tension between flexibility and reliability. Agentic systems can be useful for teachers, who operate across varied contexts and need adaptable support. For students, especially in structured learning, too much flexibility can reduce clarity and introduce inconsistency. This matters because effective learning depends on structure and progression. The value of agents in education depends on how well they are applied to the specific task and learning goal. Links: OpenClaw & Moltbook: The viral story of AI agents building their own Reddit-like social network https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/30/openclaws-ai-assistants-are-now-building-their-own-social-network/ Claude Research Mode: Anthropic's explainer on deep research https://www.anthropic.com/news/research Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
April 23 · 26 min
Voice AI Is Listening. But Is It Actually Hearing? (Recorded Live at SXSW EDU 2026)
At this year's SXSW EDU, Owen joined a panel on what it takes to make voice AI for assessment work in classrooms. In this live recording of the session, the panelists untangle how voice AI works, and what testing this technology with kindergartners looks like in rural Georgia. They explain why the distinction between capturing what a student said versus what they meant matters enormously for literacy assessment and why questions of privacy, equity and model bias are not afterthoughts but design requirements. Where does voice AI genuinely open up new possibilities in education, and where is the evidence still thin? The other panelists were Patti Ura, Director of Learning Technology Research at Digital Promise, Amelia Kelly, VP of Data Science at Curriculum Associates and former CTO of Soapbox Labs, and Kristen Hoff, Head of Measurement at Curriculum Associates. Links: Soapbox Labs, now part of Curriculum Associates Digital Promise OpenAI Whisper, the open source speech-to-text model Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S4 · E4
March 26 · 12 min
A Teddy Bear That Talks Back?
In this EdTechnical short, Libby and Owen test a conversational plush toy to understand more about AI-powered toys designed for young children. Recent research from Cambridge shows that preschool-aged children can form rapid emotional connections with social robots like these, even when the responses from the robot are inconsistent. Children’s experiences with AI toys are shaped by voice and real-time interaction. Could highly responsive, frictionless AI systems in toys influence children’s expectations of human relationships? Libby and Owen discuss the difference between shared, supervised play and extended solo interaction with the toy, which may be less advisable. As the technology continues to improve, the key challenge becomes how these tools are introduced and used in early childhood environments. Links: BBC Article: AI toys for children misread emotions and respond inappropriately, researchers warn Cambridge study on AI toys in early childhood AI chatbots and the “empathy gap” in children Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S4 · E3
March 12 · 33 min
AI broke take-home assignments. Can it fix them too?
In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Panos Ipeirotis, Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, about his experiment using AI to run oral exams in university courses. As generative AI makes it easier for students to outsource written assignments, educators are asking whether traditional take-home assessments still measure real understanding. Panos introduced AI-mediated oral assessments after noticing a mismatch between high-quality written submissions and weak classroom discussion. In the new system, students answer questions from a voice agent that probes their understanding of the material and their own work. Panos tells Libby and Owen how the exams work, including an AI “council” of language models that evaluates transcripts and produces detailed feedback. What does this approach reveal about the future of assessment? Could AI make oral exams scalable in higher education, and even improve fairness and grading consistency? Links: Panos Ipeirotis – NYU Stern Faculty Profile NYU Professor Uses AI-Run Oral Exams to “Fight Fire with Fire” Article: The case for oral assessment in the age of AI Guest Bio Panos Ipeirotis is a Professor of Information, Operations and Management Sciences at NYU Stern School of Business. His research focuses on data science, AI, and human-AI collaboration. In addition to his academic work, he experiments with practical applications of AI in education, including new models of assessment that combine oral exams with AI-based evaluation. Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S4 · E2
February 26 · 13 min
Why AI Can't Automate Just the "Boring" Parts of Teaching
In this EdTechnical Short, Libby and Owen explore how AI might reshape teaching through the lens of the “weakest link” theory from economics. They discuss the possibility of full job replacement, partial task automation, and productivity gains for teachers. Automation often shifts the composition of work rather than eliminating roles, as with bank tellers and radiologists. In schools, planning, grading, diagnosing student understanding, classroom management, and relationship-building are tightly interconnected. Automating one component may reallocate time, but complexity is not neatly reduced. AI can already perform isolated teaching tasks. What happens to the education system when those tasks are embedded in a deeply relational profession? Links: Michael Kremer (1993), The O-Ring Theory of Economic Development David Autor (2015), “Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation” Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S4 · E1
February 12 · 35 min
Are Roboteachers Coming? (Probably Not)
In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Kristyn Sommer, a developmental psychologist and child robot interaction researcher. Together, they explore how young children learn through imitation, why physical presence matters for learning, and what the so-called robot deficit reveals about engagement, psychological safety, and learning outcomes. Kristyn explains where robots can support learning, where they fall short, and why many assumptions about roboteachers are far ahead of the evidence. They also discuss the practical realities and the ethics of educational robotics, and why robots are more likely to support teachers than replace them anytime soon. Links: Can a robot teach me that? Children’s ability to imitate robots Preschool children overimitate robots, but do so less than they overimitate humans When is it right for a robot to be wrong? Children trust a robot over a human in a selective trust task Bio Kristyn Sommer is a developmental psychologist and child-robot interaction researcher whose work explores how young children learn from and with social robots. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology, where she investigates how children’s social, emotional and behavioural engagement with robotic teachers affects learning and development. Her research also examines individual differences in how children relate to and trust robots, and how these insights might inform more supportive, evidence-based uses of educational technology. She is also a Jacobs Foundation Research Fellow focused on foundational work in children’s learning with robot companions. Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S3 · E7
Dec 11, 2025 · 36 min
Adding It Up: Dan Meyer on Math, Tech & AI Scepticism
In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen sit down with Dan Meyer: math educator, EdTech innovator, and self-proclaimed “token AI sceptic”. Dan’s rare mix of classroom experience and product design insight gives him a unique perspective on how technology intersects with real classrooms. He shares what the classroom teaches him about student engagement, the challenges teachers face, and why motivation is deeply social - which EdTech can overlook. They dig into how AI can support creativity and connection, why great math teaching starts with inviting and developing, and where “AI guy” might be missing the point. Plus, Dan reveals the AI project he’s excited about and what it means for teachers. Links: TeacherTapp survey on teacher AI use EdTechnical’s forecasting competition - deadline 16 December Bio Dan Meyer taught secondary maths to students who didn't like secondary maths. He has advocated for better maths instruction on CNN, Good Morning America, Everyday With Rachel Ray, and TED.com. He earned his doctorate from Stanford University in maths education and is the Vice President of Teacher Growth at Amplify where he explores the future of maths, technology, and learning. He has worked with teachers around the world, calls Oakland home, and taught eighth graders there yesterday. Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S3 · E6
Nov 26, 2025 · 16 min
How Revolutionary is Alpha School?
In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen look at Alpha School, a model that started as a micro-school in Austin, Texas, and is now expanding. At its core, Alpha condenses academic learning into a morning block where students work largely independently using software, supported by guides rather than traditional teachers. Afternoons are reserved for enrichment and life skills. Libby and Owen discuss the appeal of this approach , the evidence behind mastery-based learning, and the big questions about scalability and cost. Is this a breakthrough for education or just a well-designed version of ideas we’ve seen before? Join them for a brief dive into Alpha School’s model and what it could signal for future learning models. Links: Alpha School’s white paper A parent review of Alpha School A Wired article about Alpha School EdTechnical’s forecasting competition Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
Nov 13, 2025 · 32 min
Back to the Future: Two Years on with Daisy Christodoulou
In this episode Libby and Owen are joined by Daisy Christodoulou MBE, EdTechnical’s very first guest from two years ago. Daisy is Director of Education at No More Marking and a leading voice in assessment. Daisy, Owen and Libby reflect over what’s changed in the two years since that first episode, including Daisy’s own views about the opportunities for AI use in assessment. Daisy shares what her team has learned through their recent experiments with AI work, including how falling model costs are unlocking new possibilities, and why human-in-the-loop systems are essential. Links EdTechnical website Making Good Progress?: The future of Assessment for Learning paperback by Daisy Christodoulou No More Marking Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S3 · E4
Oct 30, 2025 · 15 min
Guardrails and Growth: California’s AI Safety Push
Millions of students now study with AI chatbots. There are growing concerns about what happens when vulnerable teens form emotional bonds with AI. Tragic teen deaths have sparked intense debate about how to protect young people from AI systems that blur the line between tool and companion. California just drew the first regulatory lines—but they're messy and educational AI is caught in the middle. In this short episode, Libby and Owen discuss the trade-off between building guardrails for safety, and achieving ambitious goals. This matters beyond California: when the state that's home to OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic sets the rules, this has consequences for classrooms everywhere. Links SB 243 Text: Companion Chatbots AB 1064 Veto Message Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S3 · E3
Oct 16, 2025 · 38 min
Is social media really destroying teen mental health?
In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Candice Odgers, a psychologist and researcher studying how online experiences influence children's mental health. They revisit the debate around social media and teen wellbeing, questioning the claims that social media use has caused rising rates of depression and anxiety. Candice calls for a more careful reading of the evidence and cautions against rushing into restrictive policies that may have unintended consequences or divert attention from more effective interventions. Candice also shares early findings from her recent research into AI in education. She finds surprisingly limited use of AI among young people, and mixed perceptions around what counts as cheating, which shapes how these tools are received. Notably, she found no clear socioeconomic divide in AI engagement, raising questions about how these tools might be designed to support more equitable learning. They discuss the challenge of designing rigorous studies in this space and the need for thoughtful, evidence-informed approaches to both social media and AI. Links: Adaptlab - Adaptation, Development and Positive Transitions Lab NYT Article: Panicking About Your Kids’ Phones? New Research Says Don’t Bio Candice Odgers is the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California Irvine. She also co-directs the Child & Brain Development Program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the CERES Network funded by the Jacobs Foundation. Her team has been capturing the daily lives and health of adolescents using mobile phones and sensors over the past decade. More recently, she has been working to leverage digital technologies to better support the needs of children and adolescents as they come of age in an increasingly unequal and digital world. Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S3 · E2
Oct 2, 2025 · 18 min
Why AI Detectors Don't Work for Education
In this episode of Ed-Technical, Libby and Owen explore why traditional AI detection tools are struggling in academic settings. As students adopt increasingly sophisticated methods to evade AI detection - like paraphrasing tools, hybrid writing, and sequential model use - detection accuracy drops and false positives rise. Libby and Owen look at the research showing why reliable detection with automated tools is so difficult, including why watermarking and statistical analysis often fail in real-world conditions. The conversation shifts toward process-based and live assessments, such as keystroke tracking and oral exams, which offer more dependable ways to evaluate student work. They also discuss the institutional challenges that prevent widespread adoption of these methods, like resource constraints and student resistance. Ultimately, they ask how the conversation about detection could lead towards more meaningful assessment. Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S3 · E1
Sep 18, 2025 · 37 min
Rewiring the Brain: Reading, AI and the Science of Literacy
In this first episode of EdTechnical Season 3, Libby and Owen speak with Dr. Jason Yeatman from Stanford University about how the brain learns to read, the power of better assessment, and a broader look at how AI is beginning to reshape our relationship with reading itself. They touch on the science behind reading as a learned skill, the surprising overlap between visual and auditory processing, and the challenges schools face in teaching it well. ROAR (Rapid Online Assessment of Reading), a free online reading assessment tool developed by Dr. Yeatman’s lab, comes up as a practical way schools are identifying literacy gaps and supporting students at scale across the US. They reflect on what reading looks like in an AI-driven world in which technology can surface information instantly, reflecting that literacy remains essential for engaging with complexity, understanding detail, and maintaining equal access to opportunity and participation in society. Links ROAR (Rapid Online Reading Assessment) – Welcome to ROAR! Journal Article: The Virtuous Cycle between Education and Neuroscience, by Jason D. Yeatman and Maya Yablonski, published in Mind, Brain and Education (August 2025) Bio Dr. Jason Yeatman is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education and Department of Psychology and the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Stanford University. He earned his PhD in Psychology, focusing on the neurobiology of literacy and brain imaging methods to study learning and plasticity. As director of the Brain Development and Education Lab, his research aims to uncover how children learn to read, how this process differs in those with dyslexia, and how to design effective literacy interventions using structural and functional neuroimaging to explore how reading instruction shapes brain development. Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S2 · E26
Aug 14, 2025 · 37 min
Assessment in Education: To AI or Not to AI?
In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with assessment expert Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor at UCL Institute of Education, about how formative assessment and AI are reshaping classroom practice. Dylan brings decades of experience in educational research and teacher development to a timely conversation about what works, what doesn’t, and what’s next for assessment. They cover: Why formative assessment remains underused despite its proven impact How AI is reshaping summative assessment and teacher workload The limits of AI in delivering meaningful feedback Rethinking homework in the age of AI Oral exams, conversational assessment, and the future of grading The potential for AI to shift the teacher-student dynamic for the better Links Book: Student Assessment: Better Evidence, Better Decisions, Better Learning Dylan and others explore how assessment can be redesigned to better support learning and decision-making in schools. Podcast episode: Formative Assessment, AI, and the Future of Teaching Dylan discusses how AI can support teacher growth and formative assessment, while cautioning against overreliance on tech. Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.
S2 · E25
Jul 17, 2025 · 15 min
Is ChatGPT Rotting Your Brain?
In this short, Libby and Owen digest a recent MIT study attracting a lot of attention, ‘Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt When Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing’. The study looked at how using tools like ChatGPT for writing essays affects people's brains and writing abilities compared to using search engines or just their own thinking. Is there a potential trade-off between making writing easier in the short term, but harming cognitive abilities and learning over time? This question is especially salient for students who are in the earlier stages of developing their essay writing skills. Link: Your Brain on ChatGPT Join us on social media: BOLD (@BOLD_insights), Libby Hills (@Libbylhhills) and Owen Henkel (@owen_henkel) Listen to all episodes of EdTechnical here: https://boldscience.org/podcasts/edtechnical/ Subscribe to BOLD’s newsletter: https://bold.expert/newsletter Stay up to date with all the latest research on child development and learning: https://bold.expert Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Pia Schmoeckel for content production.

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