Kick off your school year with AI strategies from ISTE’s Richard Culatta, community-building tips from Principal Brian Kulak, and storytelling magic from teacher and author Jessica Pack — plus urgent news from Common Sense Media about AI companion apps.
Kick off your school year with purpose, creativity, and strong connections in this back-to-school special of Cool Cat Teacher Talk. Three inspiring guests share actionable strategies that combine authentic learning, gold standard project-based learning, and the skills needed to prepare AI-ready graduates:
- Richard Culatta (CEO, ISTE + ASCD) explains how to rethink authentic assessment, address bias in AI, and balance human + AI strengths to build future-ready learners.
- Brian Kulak (Principal, Author) offers simple, high-impact ways to build strong school culture from day one — from learning and using every student’s name to modeling restorative practices and mobile desk leadership.
- Jessica Pack (California Teacher of the Year, Author of Moviemaking in the Classroom) shares how moviemaking in the classroom fosters student voice, storytelling for learning, and creative voice and choice projects that deeply engage students.
We also open the episode with urgent news from Common Sense Media about synthetic relationships in AI social companion apps — why they pose an “unacceptable risk” for kids under 18, and how educators can start conversations that protect students.
Highlights include:
- Actionable Tips for AI-Ready Classrooms: Richard Culatta’s strategies for equipping students with human skills that thrive alongside AI tools.
- Engaging School Culture from Day One: Brian Kulak’s name-based connections, rolling desk approach, and visible leadership model.
- Creative Learning through Storytelling: Jessica Pack’s first-week movie-making projects and AI-powered creativity with Adobe tools.
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Back-to-School Like a Pro: AI Ready Students, Strong Culture & Engaged Learning
Listen to the Podcast
Links in this Show
Upcoming Webinar
The FETC Back to School Webinar this upcoming thursday, August 14 – you can register here – https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5021079/32B297F7286F4247B5E0F5A84053A7E7?partnerref=FETCSpeaker_Shares
News & AI Safety Links
Educational Resources Mentioned
Vocabulary from This Episode
We are including the vocabulary to help both preservice teachers and others realize the context in which words are used to provide materials for learning in this rapidly changing space.
AI-Ready Graduate – A student equipped with human skills like creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving, enhanced by ethical and effective AI use.
Authentic Assessment – Evaluation that mirrors real-world tasks and skills, such as multimedia projects, portfolios, or problem-solving challenges.
Authentic Learning – Learning experiences rooted in real-world relevance, allowing students to apply knowledge in meaningful, often interdisciplinary contexts.
Bias in AI – Systematic tendencies in AI outputs that can reflect stereotypes, incomplete data, or programmed perspectives, requiring human oversight.
EdTech Index – A curated database or evaluation tool for vetting educational technology products for safety, efficacy, and instructional value. https://edtechindex.org/
Gold Standard Project-Based Learning – A framework by PBLWorks that incorporates key design elements: challenging problem or question, sustained inquiry, authenticity, student voice and choice, reflection, critique and revision, and a public product. https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl/gold-standard-project-design
Mobile Desk Leadership – A school leadership style where principals forgo a fixed office to interact directly with staff and students throughout the building.
Moviemaking in the Classroom – An instructional strategy where students plan, script, film, and edit videos to demonstrate understanding, often integrating storytelling, collaboration, and technology skills.
Project-Based Learning (PBL) – A teaching method where students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects, requiring sustained inquiry and critical thinking.
Restorative Practices – Approaches to discipline that focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships, rather than solely punishing misbehavior.
Self-Protective Bias* – AI’s tendency to filter or omit information that could harm the perception or survival of the AI system or its creators. (I couldn’t find a term in my research that AI researchers use unless it is omission bias or alignment-driven omission bias” or “information suppression bias in AI” but if the mission of AI is to protect itself then I guess it could be a form of alignment-driven omission bias. Whatever the case, it is significant to be aware when you are doing work on AI that AI can tend to bias the output more positively.)
Storytelling for Learning – The use of narrative structure to help students connect emotionally with content, improve retention, and communicate ideas effectively.
Student Voice – The active engagement of students in shaping their learning experiences, often through choice, agency, and leadership in projects.
Sycophant Bias* – AI’s inclination to agree with user statements rather than provide critical or challenging perspectives. (Some AI developers call this the “yeasayer effect” and others call it sycophancy in LLM’s.)
Synthetic Relationships – Interactions with AI designed to mimic human connection, but lacking authentic mutual understanding or empathy.
Voice and Choice – Giving students decision-making power in their learning, which fosters ownership, motivation, and deeper engagement
*I have noted two words that I used and have researched but haven’t really found an “official” term for in the research. I’m sure some who know more than I do will let me know the official terminology, for now, I’m including these so it more accurately defines what I’m saying when I use these terms in the show.
Guest Bios as Submitted
Richard Culatta
As the CEO of ISTE+ASCD, Richard Culatta is focused on creating the next generation of innovative learning leaders. Richard has also served as the Chief Innovation Officer of the state of Rhode Island and was appointed by President Barack Obama to lead the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. His book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World (Harvard Business Publishing) aims to help create conditions for healthy tech use at home and school.
Blog: https://www.innovativelearning.com/
Twitter: rculatta
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rculatta/
Brian Kulak
Brian Kulak is in his 26th year in education. For the first fifteen, he taught English and journalism at his alma mater in New Jersey before joining leadership in 2014. Brian has written two books: Level Up Leadership: Advance Your Edugame (2019) and The Hot Seat: Real Teenage Answers to Life’s Real(ly) Hard Questions (2025), both with Edumatch Publishing. Each blends his unique, anecdotal writing style with a commitment to providing educators with ready-to-use strategies and activities to remind us that we are all connected.
His work has been featured on Edutopia, in Educational Viewpoints, and in Stories in EDU. Brian has also presented on teaching, learning, and leadership at conferences such as NJAMLE, NCTE/CEL, and at various Edcamps. Brian is a baseball fanatic, a Pearl Jam aficionado, and a devoted family man. He lives in New Jersey with his two children.
Blog: https://www.briankulak.net/
Twitter: @bkulak11
Facebook: Brian Kulak
Linked In: Brian Kulak
Podcast: So I don’t have a podcast, but I do run a weekly IG Live on Thursdays @ 8. On it, I connect with former students who participated in the Hot Seat when they were in my class.
Jessica Pack
As a middle school teacher for 20 years and a California Teacher of the Year (2014), Jessica has continually worked to redefine what learning looks like in her classroom. Jessica is the author of “Moviemaking in the Classroom” published by ISTE.
As an Adobe Innovator, she is an advocate for creativity and storytelling, demonstrated by the original content her students regularly publish for a global audience. Jessica is also an ISTE Community Leader who co-hosts two podcasts: The Edge ISTE Community Leader podcast and Storytelling Saves the World.
Blog: http://www.jessicapack.com
Twitter: @Packwoman208
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-pack-827a10268/
Podcast: ISTE+ASCD’s The Edge Community Leader Podcast https://istetheedge.buzzsprout.com/
Storytelling Saves the World Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/storytelling-saves-the-world/id1480027684
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