In this episode of Make It Mindful, host Seth Fleischauer welcomes Karle Delo, AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual and one of EdTech Magazine’s Top 30 IT Influencers to Follow in 2023, for a deeply practical conversation about how students actually use AI.

With 14 years of experience as a science teacher, tech integration specialist, and curriculum director, Karle brings a grounded, student-centered perspective to AI literacy—one shaped by direct conversations with learners, classroom observations, and her work helping publish Michigan Virtual’s Student Guide to AI.

Together, Seth and Karle explore what real AI literacy looks like in classrooms: how students are experimenting, where they’re already sophisticated, and what teachers need to know to prevent cognitive bypass while building authentic agency. The episode highlights the role of intentionality, the power of desirable difficulty, and why students must be positioned as co-designers and leaders in shaping the future of AI in education.

Key Topics Discussed

• How students actually experience AI
  Why the most insightful conversations about AI often come from learners—not adults.
• Intentionality and the habit of noticing
  Practical strategies for helping students recognize where AI shows up in daily life—especially in the places they least expect.
• Preventing cognitive bypass
  What students lose when AI removes the “desirable difficulty” essential for learning, and how AI can serve as a coach rather than a shortcut.
• The gym metaphor for AI use
  Why relying on AI to “lift the weights for you” undermines learning—and how to shift toward AI as a trainer, not a replacement.
• Sophisticated student use cases
  From quizzing themselves to vibe-coding entire debate-coaching tools, students are using AI in ways many adults have never considered.
• AI literacy, privacy, and data awareness
  Plain-language guidance for students: what’s safe to type, what’s never okay, and how platforms infer far more than we think.
• Maintaining human relationships at the center of learning
  Why AI feedback is powerful only when paired with teacher guidance, identity development, and student voice.
• Creativity, boundaries, and student agency
  How formulaic assignments—not AI—may be what stifles creativity, and why students must help shape the norms around healthy AI use.

Guest Bio

Karle Delo is an AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual with over 14 years of experience in public education. A former science teacher, technology integration specialist, and curriculum director, Carly was recognized by EdTech Magazine as a Top 30 IT Influencer to Follow in 2023. She recently helped publish Michigan Virtual’s Student Guide to AI and leads statewide work on AI literacy, student voice, and practical implementation strategies for schools. She shares resources and insights at @CoachKarle on social platforms.

Host Bio

Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning and a former classroom teacher with extensive experience in global education, digital literacy, and live virtual teaching. He hosts Make It Mindful and Why Distance Learning?, where he explores how emerging technologies and human connection shape modern learning.

Episode Links

• Michigan Virtual AI Hub: https://michiganvirtual.org/ai

• Michigan Virtual Student Guide to AI: https://michiganvirtual.org/ai/students

• Follow Carly: @CoachKarle on all platforms

In this special bonus episode, host Seth Fleischauer unpacks a surprising insight from his recent conversation with Dr. Chandler Chang of Therapy Lab: an AI “scribe” that listens to therapy sessions and supports teens between appointments. Yes, it raises privacy flags. Yes, it feels futuristic. But if we can suspend disbelief and concerns for a moment, the implications could be huge.

Seth explores how this same model could transform coaching, advising, and teaching:
- What if an advisor’s best insights were available to students 24/7?
- What if overloaded professors or mentor teachers could extend their presence through a trained AI assistant?
- What if PLCs, leadership groups, or even families could capture their collective wisdom and make it accessible on demand?

He even shares a deeply personal experiment—training an AI on years of emails from his late father to approximate his voice when he needed advice.

This episode wrestles with the big tension: Are AI tools expanding our humanity, or eroding it? Helping us connect, or helping us avoid connection?

And it sets the stage for the next full conversation with Karle Delo, who brings a ground-level look at how students are actually using AI in classrooms today.

In this episode of Make It Mindful, host Seth Fleischauer welcomes back to the podcast Dr. Chandler Chang—clinical psychologist, child and adolescent specialist, and founder of Therapy Lab—to explore how young people are navigating mental health, technology, and growing up in an always-on world. With a practice built around time-limited, evidence-based therapy plans (sometimes called “bite-sized therapy”), Chandler shares why shorter, structured interventions can open doors for people who might otherwise avoid or disengage from traditional therapy.

The episode offers a grounded, human perspective on how therapy, technology, and education overlap—and how mindful design can keep young people at the center.

Key Topics Discussed

• Why “bite-sized therapy” works for many people and how brief interventions are backed by research
• What the rise of “cringe” reveals about self-reflection, social anxiety, and cognitive biases
• How discomfort and exposure can build adolescent resilience
• The emotional load teachers carry and the role of boundaries in creating safety
• Inside Therapy Lab’s new AI companion: scribing sessions, personalized reminders, and closed-loop privacy
• Hallucinations, safety escalations, and keeping AI therapeutically grounded
• Anthropomorphizing AI: risks, developmental considerations, and responsible use with teens
• How teens experience online vs. offline communication—and why emotional check-ins matter
• Short-form media, dopamine, and helping young people recognize their own internal states

Guest Bio

Dr. Chandler Chang is a clinical psychologist specializing in child and adolescent mental health and the founder of Therapy Lab, a practice built around time-limited, evidence-based therapeutic plans. She leads a team integrating clinically-trained AI companions into therapy to expand access, enhance continuity of care, and support teens between sessions. Chandler holds advanced training in brief interventions and is committed to helping families navigate the intersection of mental health and modern technology.

Host Bio

Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning, an international education organization delivering experiential and distance learning programs that build global competency. A former classroom teacher, Seth explores how mindful innovation—across psychology, technology, and global learning—can strengthen education systems and support the wellbeing of young people.

Episode Links

Therapy Lab — therapylab.com
Email Chandler — chandler@therapylab.com
Contact Therapy Lab — info@therapylab.com

In this rewind episode of Make It Mindful, we revisit one of our most popular episodes. Host Seth Fleischauer welcomes Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan, a speech pathologist and educational consultant, to delve into supporting executive functioning. Building on the previous conversation with Mitch Weathers in episode #49, this episode explores how executive functioning challenges impact social, academic, and functional life skills and discusses practical strategies for supporting students beyond the classroom.

Dr. Karen will be returning to the show in a few episodes. If you'd like specific topics covered in that episode, please DM host Seth Fleischauer on LinkedIn.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Understanding executive functioning as a set of cognitive processes like time perception, self-talk, and future pacing.
• How Tier 1 interventions can support students across all tiers by creating a collaborative, scaffolded environment.
• The importance of visual supports, episodic memory, and modeling self-talk for building executive functioning skills.
• Balancing standardized assessments with dynamic, portfolio-based approaches to better diagnose and support students.
• Strategies for addressing common challenges, like resistance to new tasks, and teaching students to develop self-motivation and planning skills.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan is a speech pathologist with over 14 years of experience in schools. She specializes in supporting related service providers, special education teams, and educators in fostering executive functioning, language, and literacy skills. She is the host of the De Facto Leaders podcast and the creator of resources at Dr. Karen Speech and Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan.

Episode Links:

• Explore resources on executive functioning at Dr. Karen Speech.
• Listen to Dr. Karen’s podcast, De Facto Leaders, at drkarendudekbrannan.com/de-facto-leaders-podcast/
• Sign up for the Executive Functioning training at drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership
• Download Dr. Karen's Executive Functioning Implementation Guide for School Teams at drkarendudekbrannan.com/efguide

Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning, an international education company delivering experiential learning that builds global competency. A former classroom teacher, Seth is passionate about exploring how global learning and mindful innovation can transform education.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review and share it with a friend. As always, thank you to our editor, Lucas Salazar.

In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer welcomes Greg Kessler, Professor of Innovative Learning Design and Technology at Ohio University, to explore the evolving intersection of language education, technology, and cultural context. Drawing on more than two decades of international consulting—with the U.S. Department of State among many partners, alongside universities, ministries of education, and NGOs worldwide—Greg shares how teachers can integrate new tools without losing the human and cultural heart of learning.

They trace the evolution of educational technology—from pre-internet classrooms and early chatbots like ELIZA to today’s AI-driven tools—revealing how innovation often cycles back with new accessibility and scale. The conversation centers on teacher and learner autonomy, authentic technology use, and how educators worldwide can adapt tools to fit their cultural contexts. Greg’s reflections highlight a timeless principle: technology should amplify learning, not replace it.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The early roots of AI in language education and what’s truly new about today’s tools
• How to identify technology that adds authentic value versus “digital noise”
• Using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for meaningful language practice
• Teacher and learner autonomy across different cultural settings
• Avoiding “cognitive bypass” when using AI in EFL and language learning
• The promise of virtual and augmented reality for global collaboration
• Innovation as a mindset: turning educational challenges into opportunities

Guest Bio:
Greg Kessler is Professor of Innovative Learning Design and Technology at Ohio University. He has worked with educators across more than 40 countries to promote meaningful technology integration in English language teaching. His research focuses on teacher autonomy, AI, and the evolution of computer-assisted language learning.

Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder and president of Banyan Global Learning, an international education company delivering experiential learning that builds global competency. A former classroom teacher, Seth is passionate about exploring how global learning and mindful innovation can transform education.

Episode Links:

• Greg Kessler on LinkedIn

• Greg Kessler’s Google Site

• Our Next Reality: How the AI-powered Metaverse Will Reshape the World by Alvin Wang Graylin and Louis Rosenberg

Guest: Chris Brida, District Administrator, Career & Technical Education (CTE), Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate at Portland (OR) Public Schools.

A returning guest, Chris is building systems-level, boundary-spanning partnerships that tie K–12 CTE to real pathways in higher ed, industry, and community—while bringing AI into both the classroom and the collaboration process.

Episode Summary:
CTE isn’t “shop class” anymore. Chris Brida returns to map how AI is reshaping CTE on two fronts: AI in CTE (a cross-cutting skill every pathway needs) and AI for CTE (a co-pilot for partnership design and management). He explains “boundary spanning leadership”—innovation that happens in the gray space between systems—and shows it in action through the Albina D-Lab, a seven-year pipeline linking Portland Public Schools and Portland State Engineering to community partners serving Black student excellence. We also dig into student aptitudes, why literacy looks different in CTE (think schematics and blueprints), and why deeper, interdisciplinary learning is the antidote to anxiety about a fast-changing world.

Key Topics:

• AI in CTE vs. AI for CTE—and why both matter now
• Boundary spanning leadership as a template for real partnerships
• The Albina D-Lab: a systems-level model for equity and engineering pathways
• Student aptitudes, durable skills, and invention education
• Deeper learning and the end of siloed “90 minutes of math”

Resources Mentioned:

• Advance CTE (national career clusters; AI as cross-cutting)
• Oregon Clean Energy Workforce Coalition (statewide clean energy pathway)
• Albina Vision Trust
• Portland State University — College of Engineering
• MESA (engineering, human-centered design)
• The Lemelson Foundation (invention education)
• PPS Center for Black Student Excellence

Connect with Chris Brida:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Banyan Global Learning:

• banyangloballearning.com

If this conversation sparked a new way of thinking, share it with a colleague or leave a review—more educators will find what’s possible when learning goes global.

In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer welcomes back Aaron Baughman—AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual—to explore what’s changed in K–12 AI and what’s working in real classrooms. With clear, passionate urgency, Aaron makes the equity-centered case that AI can fix what’s broken in K-12 schools—if we do it right: use tools and policies that protect students, empower teachers, and unlock truly personalized, student-paced learning.

Key Topics Discussed

• Equity First: Why AI can level the playing field for under-resourced schools if implemented thoughtfully.
• Personalized, Student-Paced Learning: Moving beyond static lesson plans to interest-aligned tasks and dynamic scaffolds.
• Cognitive Bypass, Prevented: Designing AI-supported tasks that keep students thinking, drafting, revising, and reflecting.
• Data Into Action: Turning chat logs and interactions into real-time grouping, targeted re-teaching, and MTSS support.
• New Classroom Capabilities: Safe simulations (e.g., CTE scenarios) that create high-feedback, low-risk practice.
• Policies That Enable Innovation: Keep board policy nimble; set local procedures; vet vendors; minimize data.
• PD That Sticks: Building teacher capacity from AI-curious to AI-confident with practical, classroom-first coaching.
• Digital Citizenship 2.0: Teaching skepticism and verification in the era of deepfakes and multimodal AI.

Guest Bio

Aaron Baughman is AI Strategist at Michigan Virtual. On loan from his position as Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services at Northville Public Schools, he now supports districts statewide in implementing safe, effective AI practices that center equity, privacy, and pedagogy.

Host Bio

Seth Fleischauer is the founder of Banyan Global Learning and an advocate for global, digital, and cultural competencies in education. Through live virtual programs and thought leadership, he helps students and educators explore the interconnectedness of people, cultures, and systems.

Episode Links

• Michigan Virtual AI Lab (educator, student/parent, and admin guides)
• Tools Mentioned: SchoolAI, Brisk Teaching, Curipod, Snorkl
• Previous Conversation with Aaron (earlier Make It Mindful episode)
• Conversation with Aaron's colleague on Seth's other podcast, Why Distance Learning?: #63 The Human Side of Systems Change with Dr. Tovah Sheldon

Host Links

• Banyan Global Learning — meaningful global learning experiences that prepare students across the globe for success in an interconnected world.

In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer welcomes back to the podcast Dr. Trevor Soponis—educator, researcher, and founder of the Sustainable Learning Projects—to explore how to make professional development more impactful for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. Drawing on years of observation and coaching across continents, Trevor shares how he helps teachers in Taiwan increase student speaking opportunities while balancing progressive and traditional approaches. The conversation highlights what sustainable teacher support looks like in cross-cultural contexts and why teacher-driven strategies create lasting change.

Key Topics Discussed:

• How Trevor’s classroom observations in Taiwan reshaped assumptions about classroom management and student readiness to learn
• Why teachers often overestimate student talk time—and strategies to shift the balance toward more student speaking
• The cultural contrasts between U.S. progressive pedagogy and traditional Asian classroom norms
• Using structured professional development to surface teacher-driven strategies, including deeper explorations of “turn and talk”
• Practical tools like whiteboards, open-ended questions, and accountability systems that foster authentic language use
• The power of the PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycle for teacher-led continuous improvement
• Lessons learned about providing hybrid and remote coaching support across time zones
• Why sustainable teacher coaching is a “hill to die on” for Trevor, and how it combats burnout and turnover

Guest Bio:
Dr. Trevor Soponis is an educator, researcher, and founder of the Sustainable Learning Projects. With a background spanning classroom teaching, university partnerships, and district-level leadership, Trevor now supports schools around the world with professional learning that is teacher-centered, sustainable, and transformative. He is a longtime collaborator with Banyan Global Learning, supporting teachers both in-person and remotely. Trevor is most active on LinkedIn.
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Host Bio:
Seth Fleischauer is the founder of Banyan Global Learning and an advocate for global, digital, and cultural competencies in education. Through live virtual programs and thought leadership, he helps students and educators explore the interconnectedness of people, cultures, and systems.

Episode Links:

• Sustainable Learning Projects
• Previous episode with Dr. Trevor Soponis (Episode 13 of Make It Mindful)

Host Links:
Seth Fleischauer’s Banyan Global Learning provides meaningful global learning experiences that prepare students across the globe for success in an interconnected world.