Shaping the Future Classroom with Mike McGuckin

Mike McGuckin, a Computer Science Teacher at Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, joins us to share his on-the-ground perspective on navigating AI in education. Mike's passion for technology led him to become the only North Carolina educator in the inaugural AIEDU Trailblazer Fellowship. This experience "skyrocketed" him into a leadership role where he now helps shape AI curriculum and guides fellow educators across the state.   With a background that uniquely blends practical classroom experience with state-level policy work, Mike offers a realistic and hopeful roadmap for integrating AI thoughtfully. In this practical conversation, we discuss how he uses AI as an "idea bouncer" to reclaim time for students, his strategies for teaching AI ethics, and why the future of education depends on preparing both teachers and students for a world of constant change. Highlights: The journey from swim coach to one of North Carolina’s leading voices on AI in education How to use AI as an "idea bouncer" to reduce lesson-planning stress and burnout Practical classroom examples: teaching AI ethics with self-driving cars and building chatbots with students Why "knowing your students" is a more effective AI detector than any software The big question keeping him up at night: What will school look like for his own children in just a few years