📝 Episode Summary: In this back-to-school conversation, Bob Hutchins sits down with Tim Howes to explore how schools can embed AI literacy into the core of teaching and learning—without losing the skills, creativity, and human connection that make education meaningful.

Together, they tackle questions on what belongs on a “must teach” list when AI can already perform so many traditional academic tasks, and how to ensure AI literacy isn’t siloed off as a tech elective. They discuss the importance of transferable skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability, as well as emerging competencies such as prompt engineering, evaluating AI outputs, and blending human judgment with AI-generated insights.

The discussion also dives into the balance between AI-assisted learning and friction-rich, manual experiences that build resilience, the role regional service centers like ACES can play in shaping state and national AI priorities, and how today’s first-graders might graduate looking very different from today’s seniors.

🔍 Topics Covered:

What to prioritize on the “must teach” list in an AI era

Why AI literacy should live alongside—and within—core subjects

Skills that will gain importance because of AI, not in spite of it

Prompt engineering as a foundational literacy skill

Evaluating and interpreting AI outputs with a critical eye

Balancing AI-assisted learning with productive struggle

The role of service centers in piloting curriculum and influencing policy

A vision for the AI-literate graduate of the future

🧠 Key Quotes:

“AI shouldn’t be a siloed tech skill—it’s an appliance we’ll use in every discipline.”

“Prompting well is just asking better questions—and that’s a skill we’ve always needed.”

“We can use AI to create more manual learning experiences, not fewer.”

📌 Who It’s For: Educators, administrators, policymakers, curriculum designers, and anyone shaping the future of learning in the age of AI.

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

ACES Innovation and AI initiatives

AI literacy integration models for K–12

Federal AI literacy funding announcements

Prompt engineering strategies for educators