In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer welcomes Greg Kessler, Professor of Innovative Learning Design and Technology at Ohio University, to explore the evolving intersection of language education, technology, and cultural context. Drawing on more than two decades of international consulting—with the U.S. Department of State among many partners, alongside universities, ministries of education, and NGOs worldwide—Greg shares how teachers can integrate new tools without losing the human and cultural heart of learning.

They trace the evolution of educational technology—from pre-internet classrooms and early chatbots like ELIZA to today’s AI-driven tools—revealing how innovation often cycles back with new accessibility and scale. The conversation centers on teacher and learner autonomy, authentic technology use, and how educators worldwide can adapt tools to fit their cultural contexts. Greg’s reflections highlight a timeless principle: technology should amplify learning, not replace it.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The early roots of AI in language education and what’s truly new about today’s tools
• How to identify technology that adds authentic value versus “digital noise”
• Using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for meaningful language practice
• Teacher and learner autonomy across different cultural settings
• Avoiding “cognitive bypass” when using AI in EFL and language learning
• The promise of virtual and augmented reality for global collaboration
• Innovation as a mindset: turning educational challenges into opportunities

Guest Bio:
Greg Kessler is Professor of Innovative Learning Design and Technology at Ohio University. He has worked with educators across more than 40 countries to promote meaningful technology integration in English language teaching. His research focuses on teacher autonomy, AI, and the evolution of computer-assisted language learning.

Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning, an international education company delivering experiential learning that builds global competency. A former classroom teacher, Seth is passionate about exploring how global learning and mindful innovation can transform education.

Episode Links:

• Greg Kessler on LinkedIn

• Greg Kessler’s Google Site

• Our Next Reality: How the AI-powered Metaverse Will Reshape the World by Alvin Wang Graylin and Louis Rosenberg

Guest: Chris Brida, District Administrator, Career & Technical Education (CTE), Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate at Portland (OR) Public Schools.

A returning guest, Chris is building systems-level, boundary-spanning partnerships that tie K–12 CTE to real pathways in higher ed, industry, and community—while bringing AI into both the classroom and the collaboration process.

Episode Summary:
CTE isn’t “shop class” anymore. Chris Brida returns to map how AI is reshaping CTE on two fronts: AI in CTE (a cross-cutting skill every pathway needs) and AI for CTE (a co-pilot for partnership design and management). He explains “boundary spanning leadership”—innovation that happens in the gray space between systems—and shows it in action through the Albina D-Lab, a seven-year pipeline linking Portland Public Schools and Portland State Engineering to community partners serving Black student excellence. We also dig into student aptitudes, why literacy looks different in CTE (think schematics and blueprints), and why deeper, interdisciplinary learning is the antidote to anxiety about a fast-changing world.

Key Topics:

• AI in CTE vs. AI for CTE—and why both matter now
• Boundary spanning leadership as a template for real partnerships
• The Albina D-Lab: a systems-level model for equity and engineering pathways
• Student aptitudes, durable skills, and invention education
• Deeper learning and the end of siloed “90 minutes of math”

Resources Mentioned:

• Advance CTE (national career clusters; AI as cross-cutting)
• Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition (statewide clean energy pathway)
• Albina Vision Trust
• Portland State University — College of Engineering
• MESA (engineering, human-centered design)
• The Lemelson Foundation (invention education)
• PPS Center for Black Student Excellence

Connect with Chris Brida:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Banyan Global Learning:

• banyangloballearning.com

If this conversation sparked a new way of thinking, share it with a colleague or leave a review—more educators will find what’s possible when learning goes global.

In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer welcomes back Aaron Baughman—AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual—to explore what’s changed in K–12 AI and what’s working in real classrooms. With clear, passionate urgency, Aaron makes the equity-centered case that AI can fix what’s broken in K-12 schools—if we do it right: use tools and policies that protect students, empower teachers, and unlock truly personalized, student-paced learning.

Key Topics Discussed

• Equity First: Why AI can level the playing field for under-resourced schools if implemented thoughtfully.
• Personalized, Student-Paced Learning: Moving beyond static lesson plans to interest-aligned tasks and dynamic scaffolds.
• Cognitive Bypass, Prevented: Designing AI-supported tasks that keep students thinking, drafting, revising, and reflecting.
• Data Into Action: Turning chat logs and interactions into real-time grouping, targeted re-teaching, and MTSS support.
• New Classroom Capabilities: Safe simulations (e.g., CTE scenarios) that create high-feedback, low-risk practice.
• Policies That Enable Innovation: Keep board policy nimble; set local procedures; vet vendors; minimize data.
• PD That Sticks: Building teacher capacity from AI-curious to AI-confident with practical, classroom-first coaching.
• Digital Citizenship 2.0: Teaching skepticism and verification in the era of deepfakes and multimodal AI.

Guest Bio

Aaron Baughman is AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual. On loan from his position as Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services at Northville Public Schools, he now supports districts statewide in implementing safe, effective AI practices that center equity, privacy, and pedagogy.

Host Bio

Seth Fleischauer is the founder of Banyan Global Learning and an advocate for global, digital, and cultural competencies in education. Through live virtual programs and thought leadership, he helps students and educators explore the interconnectedness of people, cultures, and systems.

Episode Links

• Michigan Virtual AI Lab (educator, student/parent, and admin guides)
• Tools Mentioned: SchoolAI, Brisk Teaching, Curipod, Snorkl
• Previous Conversation with Aaron (earlier Make It Mindful episode)
• Conversation with Aaron's colleague on Seth's other podcast, Why Distance Learning?: #63 The Human Side of Systems Change with Dr. Tovah Sheldon

Host Links

• Banyan Global Learning — meaningful global learning experiences that prepare students across the globe for success in an interconnected world.