Copilot in Schools: Privacy, Policies, Prompting Tips & the Real Limits of AI for Teachers

In this episode of Teacher’s AI Café, Kane sits down with a Western Australian Digital Technologies teacher to explore what artificial intelligence is really doing to coding, classrooms, and professional judgment. From the frustrations of AI rewriting perfectly good code to the practical realities of rolling out Microsoft Copilot in a school setting, the conversation moves beyond hype and into lived experience. They touch on data privacy, age restrictions, staff professional learning, and the growing question of whether schools should commit to a single, trackable AI platform. At its core, this episode asks a critical question for educators: how do we embrace powerful new tools while ensuring that teacher expertise, responsibility, and discernment remain firmly at the centre?00:00 Welcome to Teacher’s AI Cafe (what this show is about)00:24 Meet David: his teaching & edtech journey01:37 From coding hype to AI-assisted coding in class03:29 Vibe coding reality check: refactoring, bloat & breaking changes06:14 Will AI replace developers? The job-market debate07:09 Private school AI rollout: early exploration, privacy & platform trials09:55 Microsoft vs Google vs Apple: platform lock-in and the AI arms race17:27 Copilot in school: age rules, blocking other tools & safety tracking19:31 Staff PD wins & hilarious Copilot fails (Word doc image, “don’t want to talk”)24:04 Using AI wisely: environmental impact and when not to bother25:07 When AI Edits Go Sideways: Knowing When It’s the Wrong Tool25:36 Can Copilot Actually Make a Decent PowerPoint? (Gamma vs NotebookLM)27:26 Free vs Paid Copilot: Document Access, Exports, and Real-World Limits28:25 School Rollout Plan: Termly PD, AI ‘Brews’, and a Monthly Newsletter30:51 Students & Staff on the Same Platform (and the ‘Use Copilot’ Moment)33:28 Advice for Teachers Starting with AI: Begin with What Your School Provides35:27 AI for Health & Fitness: Great Ideas, Dangerous Overconfidence42:38 Teacher Expertise First: Verification, Ownership, and Smart Classroom Use45:02 Wrapping Up: Staying Critical, Hype vs Reality, and What’s NextSubscribe the the newsletter for podcast cheatsheetsFind the YouTube version of this hereGo to this Facebook group to access the cheatsheethttps://www.facebook.com/groups/learnaiforteachers/Email: [email protected] to you by: https://learnaiquickly.com/