Thinking with AI: AI Literacy, Critical Thinking & the Future of Education | Nick Potkalitsky

𝗜𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿—𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁? As AI becomes part of everyday learning, educators face a critical challenge: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘐-𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥? In this episode of the Skilling Future Podcast, AI literacy specialist, educator, and author 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗸𝘆 explores one of the most important questions in education today: How do we teach students to think with AI instead of letting AI think for them? Drawing from his work with schools, districts, and educators across the United States, Nick shares practical insights on 𝗔𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆, 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗜. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀: ✅ What schools are getting right—and wrong—about AI adoption ✅ Why AI literacy is more than learning prompts and tools ✅ How students can develop critical thinking in an AI-rich world ✅ The difference between AI dependency and AI-supported learning ✅ Why policy and governance matter before implementation ✅ The future of assessment in the age of AI ✅ How educators can preserve student voice, agency, and creativity ✅ What responsible AI use looks like in schools today One idea from this episode stands out: 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗜𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀. The challenge for educators is helping students understand where that thinking should happen. Whether you're a teacher, school leader, curriculum designer, EdTech professional, or parent, this episode offers a thoughtful and balanced perspective on navigating AI in education responsibly. 🎧 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Are schools teaching students how to use AI—or how to think with it? 🎙 Featuring 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗸𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗸𝘆 AI Literacy Consultant | Instructor | Researcher Hosted by Andy Lucchesi Co-Founder, Skilling Future 📌 Learn more about Skilling Future Website: https://skillingfutureai.com/ LinkedIn:   / skilliing-future   YouTube:    / @skillingfuture   Facebook:   / skillingforfuture   Email: skillingforfuture@gmail.com and info@skillingfutureai.com