Season Kickoff: GAMEIS Recap, AI in Higher Ed, & GaETC 2026 Announcements

Lee Green and Clint Winter are back to officially kick off the new season of _GaETC: The Podcast_! In this casual season opener, Lee and Clint catch up on summer travels, including Clint’s solo trip down to Savannah for GAMEIS and Lee’s upcoming trip to Chicago for Google’s AI and Higher Education Symposium. They also dive into major announcements for *GaETC 2026*, including keynote speaker Malcolm Mitchell, featured speakers Tony Vincent and Dr. Tyler Tarver, the return of Creator's Row, and the launch of Goosechase for conference-wide gamification. KEY HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS * * * * Behind the Scenes: Wood paneling debates and setting the vibe. Summer Concert Recaps & Upcomings: Stained, Train, Barenaked Ladies, Beck, and Peter Buck in Athens. GAMEIS Recap: Clint breaks down key takeaways on technology leadership, cybersecurity, and earned certifications (CoSN's CETL). AI in Higher Ed & Classroom Workflows: Lee previews his Google Chicago trip and shares how he uses custom notebooks as teaching assistants. Ethical & Infrastructure Realities of AI: Discussing environmental impacts, local small language models, and AI phone scams. GaETC 2026 Speaker Announcements: Keynote: Malcolm Mitchell (Valdosta native, Super Bowl Champion, literacy advocate, and founder of Share the Magic Foundation). Featured Speaker: Tony Vincent (http://learninginhand.com). Featured Speaker: Dr. Tyler Tarver (http://TarverAcademy.com). Creator's Row Lineup: Early confirmations including Greg Walkup (Forsyth), Amanda Triplett (Dalton City Schools), and TR Deanon (Modern Classroom Project). Gamifying the Conference Floor: Bringing back Goosechase for active missions and leaderboards. EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES GaETC Conference Registration: https://conference.gaetc.org/ Tony Vincent's Resources: http://learninginhand.com Dr. Tyler Tarver's Resources: http://TarverAcademy.com Malcolm Mitchell's Literacy Work: https://www.readwithmalcolm.com