Awe And Despair

A teacher I work with described her relationship with AI tools in two words: awe and despair. She wasn’t resistant. She wasn’t technophobic. She was genuinely fascinated — and completely overwhelmed. At the same time.I understood exactly what she meant. And then I realized my response to her had answered the practical question on the surface while leaving the deeper one untouched. She wasn’t asking how to use AI more efficiently. She was asking something harder: what happens to me, as a teacher, in this new world?In this episode I talk about that gap — and share the three-part workflow I actually use in my own teaching, built around one principle: intention before the tool.In this episode:* The moment a teacher’s two words stopped me mid-scroll and made me question my own advice. * Why the same AI tool feels like liberation to some teachers and suffocation to others — and why that gap has nothing to do with technical skill. * The principle that changed how I use AI: intention before the tool. * Three concrete applications from my own classroom practice — syllabus and TBL lesson planning, essay feedback at scale, and assessment gap analysis. * Why teacher overwhelm with AI is not a personal failing but a structural signal. And the one question worth sitting with before you open any AI tool this week.Chapter Markers:0:00 — The comment that stopped me1:36 — Welcome to Pedagotech for English Teachers 3:12 — A workshop, a forum, and two words I couldn’t shake 6:39 — Intention Before the Tool8:20 — Application 1: Syllabus and TBL lesson planning from the course book10:10 — Application 2: Essay feedback at scale11:41 — Application 3: Assessment gap analysis and reporting14:49 — What overwhelm is really telling us17:32 — Outro and where to find moreIf this episode resonated:Share it with one teacher who you think needs to hear it. And subscribe to Pedagotech for English Teachers wherever you listen to podcasts — new episodes drop regularly on teaching, learning, and what it actually takes to do this work well.Pedagotech for English Teachers is hosted by Marcelo Hosannah — EFL teacher, instructional coach, and Google Certified Trainer based in Brazil. Get full access to Pedagotech For English Teachers at pedagotechenglish.substack.com/subscribe