If Education Stays the Same, We’ve Failed: A Conversation with Alana Winnick

AmpED to 11

AI isn’t just reshaping education—it’s calling the whole system into question.

Are we using it to spark innovation and amplify student voices, or just speeding up the same tired assignments we've been recycling for decades?

In this episode of AmpED to 11, hosts Brett Roer and Rebecca Bultsma sit down with Alana Winnick—EdTech Director, podcast host, author of The Generative Age, and low-key superhero—to talk about what real transformation in education looks like when AI is in the hands of students, not just staff.

Alana’s doing the kind of work that makes you stop and say, “Wait... third graders are doing what now?” From kids building custom chatbots to students running PD for teachers, this episode is a wake-up call for anyone still clinging to the old playbook.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

📚 Why “If it’s AI-able, it’s not a good assignment” should be every teacher’s new mantra

📚 How eight-year-olds are giving TED-style talks using AI as their co-pilot

📚 The jaw-dropping AI moment that stopped Alana in her tracks—and what it says about bias in machine learning

📚 What it really looks like to put students in the driver’s seat of innovation

📚 How ignoring AI access in schools is creating a brand new digital divide—and why it matters more than you think

📚 Alana’s game-changing advice for schools: stop making AI a separate initiative

Rebecca’s AI Tip of the Week:

Turn your student-facing chatbot into your teaching assistant.

Whether it’s writing prompts, research questions, or guiding feedback—it’s time to think beyond teacher tools and start building AI experiences for students.

Alana doesn’t hold back—and honestly, neither do we.

🎧 Tune in and get inspired. This one hits all the right nerves.