Mic Drop 2025: We Stopped Asking What Can We Do With AI, and Started Asking What Is AI Doing to Us?

This year-end review of the AIR GPT podcast captured how the creators of the SAMR, TPACK, Triple E SETI, and Gen AI frameworks wrestled with what AI really means for teaching and learning—not in the abstract, but in the day-to-day reality educators are living right now. They talk openly about the promise of AI and the unease it creates, from the rise of AI-driven school models like Alpha School to the growing idea of pedagogical debt—the shortcuts we take today that may cost students later. Along the way, we question how much trust to place in AI, what it means for creativity, and how policy often lags behind classroom reality. Throughout the discussion, one theme keeps resurfacing: teacher agency matters. AI can support meaningful learning, but only if it’s used thoughtfully. This year, the group seemed to shift its focus from what we can do with AI to looking more closely at what AI is doing to us. Related Channel: Listen to Air GPT Listen to all 2025 Mic Drop Episodes Related Resources: A Tool That’s Crushing Creativity | MIT Study: Your Brain on ChatGPT | World Bank Study: From Chalkboards to Chatbots | The Policies or Guidelines Survey | SAMR | The SETI Framework | TPACK | Triple-E | The GenAI-U Framework BRN-X: Gen AI Podcast Lab Dr. Punya Mishra (punyamishra.com) is the Associate Dean of Scholarship and Innovation at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. He has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, two Master’s degrees in Visual Communication and Mass Communications, and a Ph.D. in Educational psychology. He co-developed the TPACK framework, described as “the most significant advancement in technology integration in the past 25 years.” Dr. Caroline Fell Kurban is the advisor to the Rector at MEF University. She was the founding Director of the Center of Research and Best Practices for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at MEF University and teaches in the Faculty of Education. She holds a BSc in Geology, an MSc in TESOL, an MA in Technology and Learning Design, and a PhD in Applied Linguistics. Fell Kurban is currently the head of the Global Terminology Project and the creator of the GenAI-U technology integration framework. Dr. Liz Kolb is a clinical professor at the University of Michigan and the author of several books, including Cell Phones in the Classroom and Help Your Child Learn with Cell Phones and Web 2.0. Kolb has been a featured and keynote speaker at conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada. She created the Triple E Framework for effective teaching with digital technologies and blogs at cellphonesinlearning.com. Dr. Puentedura is the Founder and President of Hippasus, a consulting practice focusing on transformative applications of information technologies to education. He has implemented these approaches for over thirty years at various K-20 institutions and health and arts organizations. He is the creator of the SAMR model for selecting, using, and evaluating technology in education and has guided multiple projects worldwide. Dr. Helen Crompton is the Executive Director of the Research Institute for Digital Innovation in Learning at ODUGlobal and Professor of Instructional Technology at Old Dominion University. Dr. Crompton earned her Ph.D. in educational technology and mathematics education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel ill. Dr. Crompton is recognized for her outstanding contributions and is on Stanford’s esteemed list of the world’s Top 2% of Scientists. She is the creator of the SETI framework. She frequently serves as a consultant for various governments and bilateral and multilateral organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, on driving meaningful change in educational technology.