The Next Word on AI in Education

This episode of our Thriving Matters Podcast is with one of Australia's leading voices about the thoughtful adoption of AI in education. Matthew Esterman is highly respected as an educational leader and AI education consultant who co-founded Educators Intelligence with Class Cover. Matt shared his journey from teaching to AI consultancy, explaining how his perspective on AI shifted after experiencing a heart attack in 2024 at age 40, which prompted him to explore new opportunities outside of schools. We discussed the current state of AI implementation in education, with Matt noting that while AI has been present for four years, many schools are still in experimental phases and lack systematic approaches. Our conversation covered student perspectives on AI, with Matthew sharing examples of both negative views (including concerns about cheating) and positive uses (such as neurodiverse students using AI for translation and research). Matt shared his thoughts on the current state of AI implementation in schools, noting that while AI has been present for about four years, adoption varies significantly across different organizations and individuals. He emphasized that young people are already using AI whether formally discussed in schools or not, and highlighted the need for secure enterprise-level solutions to protect student data. When asked about Australia's social media ban for under-16s, Matthew supported the approach, comparing it to other health-related regulations like smoking bans and seatbelt requirements, while acknowledging that parents still have responsibility in enforcing these rules despite existing workarounds. We also covered Matt's work in educational leadership development, including one-off engagements, partnerships with schools, and the newly launched Educator Intelligence platform in collaboration with ClassCover. The platform offers courses on AI implementation in education, including topics like AI First Aid, assessment architecture, and workload reduction. Matthew expressed particular appreciation for the collaborative experience with ClassCover in developing the platform. Matthew shared insights about young people's diverse views on AI, ranging from skepticism and hope to worry about future opportunities. He described a student's frustration with perceived hypocrisy in how AI was used in school, highlighting the need for better conversations about AI's appropriate use. Matthew also shared a positive example of a neurodivergent student who uses AI as a learning tool to translate and understand educational materials. He emphasized the importance of engaging students, staff, and parents in discussions about AI's role in education and highlighted recent efforts to address these topics in schools. If you have enjoyed this conversation with Matt, remember to share and subscribe so you don't miss other extraoadinary "thriving" leaders and shakers!   To Connect with Matt: LI: linkedin.com/in/mesterman URL: nextwordnow.com Email: [email protected]   To Connect with Carrie: LI: linkedin.com/in/carriebenedet URL: carriebenedet.com  Email: [email protected]