Podcast from KU’s FLITE Center helps teachers navigate classroom AI tools

LAWRENCE — With the number of artificial intelligence tools growing and changing by the day, Lisa Dieker, director of the Center for Flexible Learning through Innovations in Technology & Education (FLITE), and Maggie Mosher, assistant research professor and global keynote speaker in AI, wanted to provide an up-to-date, accessible and reliable resource for teachers who may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and tools offered. To this end, Dieker and Mosher created a free podcast series called “AI Advocates” to inform teachers about artificial intelligence tools for the classroom.   

“We've been in schools working with teachers in different districts to transform education using AI, and the thing we hear the most frequently is, ‘I don't know what's out there to help my students,’” Mosher said. “We wanted to provide something to help educators start a little at a time without feeling overwhelmed. AI changes so quickly. Often, by the time an episode comes out, the tool has already gone through multiple reiterations. That's how quickly AI progresses.” 

FLITE, a center within KU’s Achievement & Assessment Institute, introduces and creates new technologies in education to improve learning and performance outcomes. As AI tools become more available and accessible to the public, FLITE researchers are looking at how AI can help teachers and students in the classroom.  

In each podcast episode, Dieker and Mosher explore a different AI tool and its benefits, drawbacks, safety, privacy considerations and classroom uses. The episodes include only the necessary information so that teachers can get the information quickly, keeping in mind their busy schedules. 

“We've really tried to make it digestible. In five minutes or less, we tell you about a tool we've used and what we like about it,” Dieker said. “We've also really tried to focus on tools that are free or at least tools that you can try out for free and then make your decision from there.” 

Dieker said that AI is not meant to replace teaching and human connections between educators and students; rather, the tools are meant to make their jobs easier by facilitating some of the behind-the-scenes administrative work teachers must do, such as creating visuals, condensing information and creating presentations.  

“A lot of people worry that transforming and integrating technology is going to take more time, but what we've found is it gives teachers back the time that they would have spent on administrative tasks,” Dieker said. “AI gives teachers back that time so that they can then spend their time building relationships with students, which is where we know powerful education happens.”  

Dieker and Mosher also hope to see some of the highlighted AI tools benefit students with disabilities and make learning more accessible by helping teachers better serve all students.  

“Students with disabilities shouldn't be singled out because they have a disability. Using a team-teaching approach with AI in the general education classroom can ensure every student’s needs are met without causing teacher burnout. AI provides the possibility for students to individualize their own education,” Mosher said. “When teachers need additional support to quickly individualize content, they can consult AI tools to ensure timely access to content on ideas to effectively teach specific skills to individual students all within the same classroom.” 

An “AI Advocates” journal to accompany each podcast episode is also in the works. It will feature a step-by-step process for using the tool covered in that episode. The journal and the video version of each podcast episode, currently available on YouTube, will give listeners various ways to receive the information.  

“AI Advocates” is available on KU ScholarWorks and numerous podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.  

Dieker will be exploring more about AI’s use in special education in her Fall 2025 SPED 598 course, Artificial Intelligence for ALL: Educational Applications, and Mosher will continue training teachers in K-12 schools throughout Kansas in partnership with the Center for Reimagining Education (CRE), which assists Kansas educators in exploring AI tools to begin thinking about how to reimagine teaching and learning.