When I first heard the buzz about AI in education, I admit—I was skeptical. Not because I feared the tools, but because I feared how they might be used to further widen gaps between access and equity, purpose and product. But Matt Miller’s AI for Educators (2023) challenged me to look again. It isn’t about replacing teachers—it’s about restoring their capacity to do what matters most: connect, create, and care.
In fact, this call to reimagine learning aligns directly with what I uncovered in my action research study, Lyrics & Lines: Exploring How Pop Culture, Music, and Social Commentary Influence Teacher Perspectives and Instructional Practices (Lawson-Fountain, 2025). That work explored how multimodal texts—especially music and social commentary—can enhance student voice, engagement, and critical literacy. Embracing AI tools doesn’t mean abandoning that mission. It means amplifying it.
Before the book, there was the blog. Miller’s award-winning Ditch That Textbook has long been a beacon for educators like me—those who are committed to innovating instruction without abandoning authenticity. His blog inspired the heart behind this book, and that heart beats for one thing: making teaching work for real classrooms.
AI as a Co-Teacher, Not a Replacement
Miller (2023) reminds us that AI should never replace the human elements of teaching—it should support them. He writes, “Let AI handle the grunt work. Let us do the heart work” (p. 89). This resonated deeply with both my instructional coaching practice and the findings from Lyrics & Lines. During the study, teachers reclaimed joy and relevance when they leaned into multimodal texts like music, poetry, and pop culture. With the right approach, AI tools like MagicSchool or Diffit can amplify those same experiences—extending access, deepening differentiation, and re-centering engagement (Lawson-Fountain, 2025).
I’ve worked alongside teachers who used AI to streamline lesson planning and feedback, freeing up time and cognitive load to focus on culturally responsive instruction. One even used ChatGPT to remix song lyrics into student-friendly prompts, bridging curriculum with identity and relevance.
From Digital Trickery to Digital Transformation
There’s a big difference between tech integration that dazzles and tech that delivers. Miller (2023) warns against “digital trickery”—flashy tools with no depth—and instead urges educators to pursue meaningful transformation. That happens when tools align with student identity, agency, and voice.
In Lyrics & Lines, teachers found that pairing lyrics with historical texts or media clips sparked conversations that traditional textbooks couldn’t touch (Lawson-Fountain, 2025). Now, with the thoughtful integration of AI, that work can go even further. I’ve helped colleagues use Canva’s Magic Write and other AI platforms to co-create graphic organizers, formative assessments, and quote cards that support multimodal literacy while honoring cultural relevance. The goal? To deepen—not dilute—student thinking.
🎯 Try it: Use Magic Write or ChatGPT to generate three essential questions from a song lyric related to your current unit. Let students respond through Flip, a meme, or a mini podcast.
When we design for engagement—not compliance—students show up differently.
The Ethics of Empowerment
It’s not enough to use AI. We must use it critically. That includes asking who created the dataset, whose voices are missing, and how our students are taught to engage with digital tools as readers, writers, and thinkers. Amerstorfer and Freiin Von Münster-Kistner (2021) stress the importance of student-teacher relationships and emotional engagement, which AI can never replicate but can support through strategic use.
Lyrics & Lines revealed what I already knew in my bones: culturally responsive instruction is a matter of justice. When we help students see themselves in texts—whether it’s through Nas, Nikki Giovanni, or neural networks—we affirm that their stories matter. AI can help us get there faster. But only if we bring our full selves—our discernment, ethics, and empathy—to the table (Lawson-Fountain, 2025).
Where AI Meets Activism
As educators, we often stand at the crossroads of innovation and tradition. The temptation is to automate. But the invitation is to innovate—with purpose.
Miller’s framework helped me reimagine what’s possible. So did seeing the shift in teacher practice through my study. When given space, support, and tools, teachers didn’t just “try AI”—they transformed how students experienced writing, reading, and argumentation (Lawson-Fountain, 2025).
As one teacher reflected: “Using song lyrics in my classroom gave my students access points to skills they used to avoid. AI gave me time to lean in and respond differently.”
Want to Learn More About Multimodal Instruction?
Explore the graphic below created using Canva + AI Magic Design, illustrating how AI supports multimodal learning grounded in culturally responsive practices. As Razgatlıoğlu and Ulusoy (2022) noted, poetic and artistic texts provide natural opportunities for creativity and fluency in ways traditional instruction often overlooks.
Figure 1. Multimodal Learning in Action: A Blend of Lyrics, AI, and Literacy. Illustration designed using AI to reflect the integration of AI tools (MagicSchool, Canva, ChatGPT) with culturally responsive instruction.
Final Thoughts: Tomorrow's Glasses
I’ve come to believe AI isn’t the enemy of education—it’s the invitation. But it demands courage. Courage to reimagine what writing, thinking, and teaching can look like. Courage to challenge inequity by ensuring all students—not just the tech-privileged—get to use tools that prepare them for the world they’re inheriting.
We have to put on tomorrow’s glasses. AI is here to stay. Rather than dismiss or fear it, we must embrace the possibilities it offers us as educational practitioners—to create dynamic classrooms that cultivate emerging leaders. Our students will be competing with AI for jobs. The workforce they’re heading into will demand a high level of digital literacy, creativity, and application. That work starts with us.
So here’s your call to action:
- 🎤 Try one AI tool this week—not to replace your expertise, but to enhance your brilliance.
- 🧠Invite students to co-construct, co-write, or co-critique with AI as a co-author.
- 📢 Keep asking: Does this tool support student voice, identity, and joy?
When we pair human heart with artificial intelligence, that’s when education transforms.
References
Amerstorfer, C. M., & Freiin Von Münster-Kistner, C. (2021). Student perceptions of academic engagement and student-teacher relationships in problem-based learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 713057. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713057
Lawson-Fountain, S. (2025). Lyrics & lines: Exploring how pop culture, music, and social commentary influence teacher perspectives and instructional practices in secondary classrooms [Unpublished action research study]. University of Montevallo.
Miller, M. (2023). AI for educators: Learning strategies, teacher efficiency, and student engagement with artificial intelligence. Ditch That Textbook Publishing.
RazgatlıoÄŸlu, M., & Ulusoy, M. (2022). The effect of activity-based poetry studies on reading fluency and creative writing skills. International Journal of Progressive Education, 18(3), 226–243. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2022.439.15
Shonterrius, your post beautifully reframes AI as an “invitation to innovate,” not a threat to who we are as teachers. I really appreciated the way you described AI as a co-teacher, not a replacement. That shift in mindset is so powerful, and honestly, freeing! Like you, I’ve found that AI can help shape my messy ideas into meaningful lessons that spark student engagement and creativity.
ReplyDeleteI also loved how you connected AI to culturally responsive, multimodal instruction. Your capstone’s focus on music and social commentary reminded me of Ladson-Billings’ (1995) work in culturally relevant pedagogy, which I told you way back when we were posting introduction videos on Facebook is an important thing I try to keep in my teaching. She notes, “Culturally relevant teachers utilize students’ culture as a vehicle for learning” (p. 161). You model that beautifully: centering student voice while also holding space for challenge and growth! As she also reminds us, “Culturally relevant teaching requires that teachers attend to students' academic needs, not merely make them 'feel good’” (p. 160). I think you present AI usage here in a way that strikes that balance.
Your reflections also called me to passage from our book in Chapter 6. Matt Miller (2023) said he wrestles with the ambiguity of creating with AI: When we use AI in our work, is it still authentically us? He ultimately says yes, that if the final product still reflects our voice, values, and intent, then it is us (pp. 94–95). We’re not handing over the reins, we’re just gathering inspiration in new ways, right?
Thank you for such an honest and inspiring take. I’ve really enjoyed working and learning alongside you this term!
References
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into Practice, 34(3), 159–165. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1476635
Miller, M. (2023). AI for educators. Dave Burgess Consulting.
Shonterrius,
ReplyDeleteI don’t even know where to start—you made so many thoughtful points in your blog! I appreciate your focus on using technology in a meaningful way as opposed to simply looking for the flashy tools that can look impressive but don’t have much substance (Miller, 2023). Poth (2024) argues a similar point, noting that “[u]sing technology for technology’s sake or because it’s the latest hot trend is never the best path” (p. 68). I also appreciate your emphasis on the need to pay close attention as we use AI, looking for biases, inequity, and hallucinations. Poth (2024) addressed this in her book, also, and I’m glad to see that authors are addressing the importance of responsible and ethical use. Chen (2023) notes that genAI tools typically use language that does not accurately reflect the diverse nature of our students. Assistant professor of education Sarah Levine correctly stated that “this overwhelming gap fails to foster an equitable environment of connection and safety for some of America’s most underserved learners” (as cited in Chen, 2023, para. 24). We can and must do better. Our students deserve that!
References
Chen, C. (2023, March 9). Ai will transform teaching and learning. let’s get it right. Stanford HAI. https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-will-transform-teaching-and-learning-lets-get-it-right
Miller, M. (2023). AI for educators: Learning strategies, teacher efficiency, and student engagement with artificial intelligence. Ditch That Textbook Publishing.
Poth, R. D. (2024). How to teach AI: Weaving strategies and activities into any content area. International Society for Technology in Education.
I enjoyed reading your blog about artificial intelligence. I agree that AI is here to stay and it is not going to go away. It is going to keep growing, and it will start to be able to see more of it included in everything. The college of education states that AI will "foster critical thinking" (College of education, 2024). This will help the students to be prepared for what they may be doing in their future. AI may be difficult for teachers to get the hang of, but it is important for them to practice using it. This will help your students to know how to use it also. This will also help your students to understand how to safely use AI.
ReplyDeleteReference
College of education. (2024, October 24). Ai in schools: Pros and cons. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. https://education.illinois.edu/about/news-events/news/article/2024/10/24/ai-in-schools--pros-and-cons