#384 Why Great Teachers May Have the Best AI Strategy

Dr. Darren Pulsipher (0:00)

Welcome to Embracing Digital Transformation. Before we dive in, I wanted to personally thank you for listening. Many of the ideas we discuss on this show inspired my new book, AI Augmented Teams. If you're looking for practical ways to combine human expertise and AI to achieve better outcomes, I think you'll find it valuable. Learn more at padar.ai.books. That is paidar.ai.

Now, let's get started with the show.

Casey Cooney (0:30)

And that was, we saw what happened when we just put kids on computers to learn. It was a disaster. The engagement, the disengagement, I should say, the lack of learning, the isolation, the mental health problems, all of that. And I think now as we enter the age of AI, I think that's a really important lesson to hold onto.

I love AI I love AI. and it's helping me in so many ways, but it's so important that we're keeping the learning and that human social process at the center as we move forward.

Dr. Darren Pulsipher (1:02)

Why this matters to you. Every organization is being pushed to use AI faster, but speed alone does not create capability. The real question is whether AI helps your people think more clearly, learn more quickly, and deliver better judgment under pressure. If your teams treat AI like a shortcut, you will get polished work without depth. If they use it well, you can improve feedback, raise expectations, and free people for higher value work. Let's hear how that plays out in the classroom and what it means for leaders everywhere.

Welcome to Embracing Digital Transformation. This is Dr. Darren. On this episode, AI Literacy and Human Judgment, what leaders should learn now with Casey Cooney, California Teacher of the Year.

Casey, welcome to the show.

Casey Cooney (1:53)

Thank you for having me.

Dr. Darren Pulsipher (1:55)

Hey, we had quite the time in DC. We were both sitting in with the Workforce Acceleration Board for Cal State University. And interesting topic. And we sat next to each other and we just struck up a conversation and said, I have to have you come on the show because we talked about so much fun things, and AI's impact on the Workforce.

But before we get started, everyone knows that listens to my show. I only have superheroes on the show. And every superhero has a background story and an origin story and a secret identity. But let's hear your background story. We'll get to your secret identity later.

Casey Cooney (2:35)

Yeah, my background story is I'm a teacher, 23, 24 years now in the high school classroom, as well as 14 years in higher ed at National University as a professor of Ed. And I just started working with ASU, helping them build out their new California Teacher Credential Program. So I designed five classes in their new program, and then we're going to be doing some professoring for them as well. And then, so I'm a teacher. I was fortunate enough to be selected as the 2024 California Teacher of the Year, which completely changed my life in so many ways. And father of two amazing boys, husband.

And I think that's probably the secret identity somewhere in there. And but I actually started in business. I had with a business degree. But my full backstory is I'm a teenage cancer survivor, my childhood cancer survivor. And when I got through all that, obviously it was my teachers who were so impactful. So I got the business degree, got the great job in Los Angeles at one of the studios of marketing.

And I decide, you know what, I want to give this a try. So I quit, and I started subbing, and I loved it, and I've never looked back.

Dr. Darren Pulsipher (3:56)

That is amazing, to move from business into... In the teaching... Some people would say, well And I was like, well, that's a step down. Because the pay is a lot less. You don't get paid a lot as a high school teacher.

So yeah, that's, I mean, but you're following. What's the right word? It's almost like a call, a calling for you, right?

Casey Cooney (4:19)

Yeah, I think I found my calling 100% and and I love it. And I think I'm attuned to this profession, like I'm well equipped for it. But then I've worked my butt off and I'm a bit of a perfectionist and it's constant. It's a constant. You know, people don't realize how difficult it is. I love what you said about that as a step down. It's so, you know, maybe it's not hard to be a teacher, but it's really hard to be a great teacher. It's a constantly dynamic process and every single facet of it. Because you're working with humans and the humans change every day, every year.