When a superintendent told Babak Mostaghimi, “I think we’re Blockbuster Video, and Netflix is coming,” it became a warning, and an invitation, to rethink education before the future arrived.

In this episode, Babak joins Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma to explore why improving the existing school system is no longer enough. He breaks down LearnerStudio’s three horizons of education, from the industrial factory model to a future designed around human flourishing, agency, and lifelong learning.

They also unpack the growing tech clash in education: nostalgic humanists who want to remove technology altogether, techno-nihilists who want to automate everything, and the human-centered middle way between them. From screen time and AI literacy to creativity, collaboration, data sovereignty, and the skills students need for an uncertain future, the conversation asks a bigger question: Are we using AI to deepen humanity, or replace it?

Midway through, Babak takes over as host and puts Brett and Rebecca in the hot seat.

What you’ll learn:

• The three horizons of education, and why reform can only go so far
• Why changing the architecture matters more than adding new content or tools
• How the “swim, snorkel, scuba” framework explains different levels of AI literacy
• Why blanket screen bans and unrestricted technology use both miss the point
• How schools can design for agency, lifelong learning, and human flourishing
• Why the right questions may be more useful than one standardized AI policy

Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation about redesigning education for the world students are already entering.