Week in Edtech 6/25/25: MIT Study on AI Sparks Brain-Rot Fears, Cheating Scandal in Debate Nationals, Teachers Sound the Alarm on LLMs, and More! Feat. Sarah DeWitt of PBS KIDS & José Francisco Ochoa Ordóñez of Academia del Océano

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Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell for a thought-provoking summer edition of Week in Edtech, featuring headline debates on AI in education, a rare look into PBS KIDS’ funding crisis, and grassroots innovation in ocean learning from Ecuador.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:03:16] MIT study raises alarms about AI's impact on student thinking
[00:07:42] AI cheating scandal hits national debate championships
[00:12:33] Teachers vent frustration as AI disrupts classroom dynamics
[00:14:45] Educators face a crossroads: ban AI or embrace it as a teaching tool

Plus, special guests:

[00:19:09] Sarah DeWitt, SVP & General Manager of PBS KIDS, on funding cuts, educational media, and AI experiments in public broadcasting
[00:41:38] José Francisco Ochoa Ordóñez, Co-founder of Academia del Oceano, on democratizing ocean education through hybrid EdTech in Latin America

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Chapters

1. Week in Edtech 6/25/25: MIT Study on AI Sparks Brain-Rot Fears, Cheating Scandal in Debate Nationals, Teachers Sound the Alarm on LLMs, and More! Feat. Sarah DeWitt of PBS KIDS & José Francisco Ochoa Ordóñez of Academia del Océano (00:00:00)

2. MIT study raises alarms about AI's impact on student thinking (00:03:47)

3. AI cheating scandal hits national debate championships (00:08:13)

4. Teachers vent frustration as AI disrupts classroom dynamics (00:13:04)

5. Educators face a crossroads: ban AI or embrace it as a teaching tool (00:15:39)

6. Sarah DeWitt, SVP & General Manager of PBS KIDS, on funding cuts, educational media, and AI experiments in public broadcasting (00:20:03)

7. José Francisco Ochoa Ordóñez, Co-founder of Academia del Oceano, on democratizing ocean education through hybrid EdTech in Latin America (00:42:32)