Technology and ethics: AI and the classroom

Technology and ethics: AI and the classroom

Author: Ethical Schools September 29, 2025 Duration: 1:03:26

Robbie Torney, director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media, analyzes teachers' use of AI. We focus on AI teaching assistants, their uses and abuses, and how teachers' judgment and skills remain central. We discuss the need for school- and district-wide education and policies on using AI in teaching and learning.

 

Overview

Intros

Common Sense media and its AI work

Evaluation principles for AI risk

What teachers use AI for

What happens with users’ data

AI teacher assistants, risks, and advantages

AI and cultural sensitivity

AI as assistive or adaptive technology

Recognition of AI as enhancements not replacements?

Special risks of AI teacher assistants for IEPs and behavior plans

How teachers can protect against “invisible influence” risks

AI and complex historical events such as California missions or slavery

“Tools,” “functions,” and prompts

Four specific steps teachers should take when using teacher assistants

Purchasing AI: Consultation and training

Role of school boards, administrators, and state departments of education

Legislation to protect students

Importance of discussion of values and ethical questions

Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this conversation. 

References

Common Sense Media AI Initiatives: click here

 

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear


Conversations about education often focus on test scores and curriculum, but there’s a deeper layer that truly shapes a student’s experience. Ethical Schools digs into that layer, exploring what it means to build a learning community grounded in integrity and care. Each week, hosts Amy and Jon sit down with educators and innovators who are actively reimagining schools. You’ll hear specific, grounded discussions about the practical work of creating environments where every student feels safe and respected. The dialogue frequently addresses how to support young people dealing with trauma, moving beyond theory to share actionable strategies that teachers are using right now. More than just problem-solving, this podcast highlights how to empower students themselves to become advocates and changemakers in their own communities. It’s a series that connects philosophy with daily practice, looking at the social and cultural structures within schools through a lens of ethics. For anyone invested in the future of education-whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or simply a concerned community member-this podcast offers a thoughtful and necessary perspective on the foundational values that make education meaningful.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 240

Ethical Schools
Podcast Episodes
Opening up: Recreating schools as a community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:00
Drs. Landon Mascareñaz and Doannie Tran, co-authors of “The Open System: Redesigning Education and Reigniting Democracy,” talk about co-creating and co-producing school initiatives with parents and community members. “Op…
Surveillance in school: Invasive technology, junk science [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:00
We speak with Albert Fox Cahn and Sarah Roth of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, or S.T.O.P., about the increasing use of surveillance technology to track students. Claiming their technology can predict who…
Inquiry and interpretation: Learning US history from primary sources [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:15
We speak with Lee Schere, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Office of K-16 Initiatives of CUNY about the Debating U.S. History Program, an inquiry-based curriculum and teacher learning program. Students learn that…
School district battles: Protecting education from bans [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:50
We speak with Mike Gottesman, founder of New Jersey Public Education Coalition (NJPEC), a grassroots organization that educates and activates NJ citizens in school districts to protect the integrity of schools from conse…
Towards the school you want to see: Plan, Act, Reflect, Repeat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:28
We speak with Justin Cohen, whose work focuses on the intersections of education, race, privilege, and public policy. Cohen’s recent book is Change Agents: Transforming Schools From the Ground Up. He looks at ways a facu…
Challenging credentialism: An alternative vision of education [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:30
We speak with Arlene Goldbard, writer, visual artist, speaker, social activist and consultant, whose most recent book is “In the Camp of Angels of Freedom: What does it mean to be educated?” An autodidact from a working-…
Restorative Justice: Cultivating cohesive communities [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:00
We speak with Sarah Eblen and Reginald Berry Jr., former middle school teachers and now district coordinators for the restorative justice program in the Kansas City Public Schools. Eighty percent of RJ is community build…
Intersections: Supporting Black LGBTQIA+ students [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:27
We speak with Dr. David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, NBJC, about the challenges faced by Black LGBTQIA+ students. Most young people at this intersection live in the South among other…