The CanadianED Leadership Show

Dean Shareski
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  • Education
  • Updated Weekly

Dean Shareski interviews leaders from coast to coast to coast discussing innovation, change and the role leaders play in providing Canadian students with a world class education

  1. 5d ago

    What role does AI play in Assessment?

    Dean interviews Dr. Steve Joordens about using AI to address long-standing challenges in education, especially assessment. Joordens argues education is in a paradigm shift and proposes AI-based oral assessments to move beyond multiple choice toward more holistic evaluation of knowledge and skills at scale, potentially supporting mastery learning (“try till you fly”) and reducing reliance on grades. He describes building conversational AI agents (including a “virtual Steve”) that provide 24/7 student support, personalize learning, assist teamwork by acting as a project manager in each group, and simulate scenarios like de-escalation and interview practice, with features such as full-duplex voice, personality, emotions, and reduced sycophancy. They discuss social anxiety, risks of unhealthy attachment to AI, and the need to help students transition to human connection, plus a call for a community of practice to pilot AI assessment across K–12 and beyond. 00:00 Assessment Drives Learning 01:10 Meet Dr Steve Joordens 03:30 How Steve Uses AI 04:35 Three Big Education Wins 05:01 AI Oral Assessments 07:43 Conversational Skills Crisis 09:42 Virtual Steve Office Hours 11:24 Teamwork and Beyond 12:42 Building the AI Platform 13:36 Humanlike Conversation Design 14:26 Personality and Simulations 16:05 Anti Sycophancy and Emotion 17:53 Student Support Beyond Class 21:22 Does It Sound Like Steve 24:06 AI Relationships and Anxiety 27:50 AI Wins in Class 28:32 Phones and Social Connection 31:30 AI Oral Assessment Workflow 33:27 Can AI Grade Fairly 37:24 Mastery Over Grades 40:27 Teachers as Coaches 42:10 Personalized Inclusive Testing 44:19 Advice for K12 Adoption 48:28 Rapid Fire Wrap Up

    What role does AI play in Assessment?

  2. Sep 22

    How Does AI Support or Threaten Rural Education?

    Dean interviews Alberta educator and ed-tech coordinator Michelle Baragar about her 30-year teaching journey and doctoral research on generative AI and teacher workload. Michelle describes major technology disruptions in her career (internet, smartphones, AI), how earlier tools often added layers of work, and why ChatGPT prompted her to pivot her EdD toward workload intensification and whether AI can “claw back” time, illustrated by a teacher generating a stoichiometry retest in under a minute. She shares findings from a survey (29 respondents) and interviews (4 AI-using participants), highlighting an “efficiency and workload paradox”: AI helps with tasks like lesson planning and drafting difficult emails, but creates a verification burden and new integrity challenges, including unreliable AI detection and privacy concerns. They discuss the need for transparent, community-based guidelines, better assessment practices, rural constraints and opportunities, and keeping the teacher-student relationship central while using AI to boost creativity and human connection. 00:00 AI Gives Time Back 03:55 Michelle Teaching Journey 05:48 Minecraft Research Breakthrough 08:46 Tech Promises And Workload 10:08 Three Disruptive Waves 11:39 ChatGPT Shifts The EdD 18:28 Workload Paradox And Verification 28:02 Student AI Fears And Assessment 34:26 Transparency And Community Talk 37:22 Rural Schools Unique Challenges 39:46 AI as Teaching Partner 40:36 Budget Limits and Tool Choices 42:22 Teacher Built AI Tools 43:17 Rural Diversity and Policy Challenges 44:33 No AI Ban Coming 46:19 Classroom Phone Agreements 49:38 Applying Trust to AI 57:07 Assessment and Busting Myths 58:54 AI for Human Connection 01:02:14 Personal AI Wins and Wrap Up

    How Does AI Support or Threaten Rural Education?

  3. Sep 15

    AI Ethics and Education: Where Do We Draw the Line?

    Dean welcomes Professor Christian Muise (Queen’s University computing science) to discuss how generative AI is disrupting education, ethics, assessment, and human interaction. They acknowledge the loss of traditional take-home assessments and the upheaval educators face, arguing excitement about AI should not gloss over real challenges. Christian explains why optimism or pessimism depends on context, how ethical issues have intensified with the recent scale of generative AI (including resource use), and why AI literacy matters differently for everyday users versus decision-makers deploying tools in schools. They explore misconceptions about AI as “truth,” the jagged capability landscape, and the rapid impact on higher-ed assessments, prompting shifts to in-person quizzes/exams and redesigned coursework. They also discuss risks like cognitive atrophy and changing social behavior, while highlighting ways to use AI that strengthen thinking, and Christian shares how he approaches AI with his grade-4 daughter to protect creativity. 00:00 Education Upheaval 00:54 Meet Christian Muise 03:35 Optimism Versus Pessimism 05:07 Ethics Goes Mainstream 07:15 Narrow AI And AGI 09:58 How Generative AI Works 11:58 AI Literacy For Everyone 16:00 Surprises In Education 17:59 Companionship And Psyche 21:47 Process Over Product 22:57 Using AI Without Atrophy 25:17 Course Assessment Redesign 29:27 Education Upheaval Reality 30:23 AI Misconceptions Truth 31:00 Token Generator Limits 32:23 Jagged Capability Curve 34:08 Workflow Atrophy Warning 35:22 K12 District Guidance 39:15 Curiosity Critical Community 41:12 Parenting AI Creativity 45:28 Multidisciplinary Conversations 47:50 Rapid Fire Wrap Up 51:12 Closing Thanks Farewell

    AI Ethics and Education: Where Do We Draw the Line?

  4. Sep 8

    Is Anyone Here from Morden?

    Dean kicks off season six of the Canadian Ed Leadership Show with a nostalgic conversation about his hometown of Morden, Manitoba, and an interview with Western School Division superintendent Steven Jaddock. Jaddock shares his path from teaching and leadership in Dauphin/Mountain View School Division to his first year in Morden, describing the community’s unusual sustained rural growth, increasing diversity, and resulting pressure for new school capacity. They discuss Manitoba’s unique local school taxation, ongoing budget cycles and advocacy for improved provincial funding formulas, and a more open relationship with the current education ministry. Jaddock outlines supports for newcomers through EAL funding, settlement workers, and partnerships, acknowledges challenges of inclusion and limited rural capacity for specialized needs, and previews plans for AI guidelines, expanded technical-vocational learning, learning on the land, and relationship-centered culture. 00:00 Relationships First 00:39 Season Six Kickoff 01:06 Nostalgia for Morden 03:22 Meet Steven Jaddock 03:51 Why Move to Morden 05:13 Community Growth and Diversity 11:03 Leading Through Listening 14:46 Manitoba Education Dynamics 16:21 Funding and Local Taxation 19:24 Government Relations 22:15 Supporting Newcomers 25:25 Inclusion Capacity Challenges 30:47 Partnerships Solve Problems 34:38 AI in Schools 40:46 Five Year Vision 41:37 Tech Voc and Land Learning 44:57 Staff Culture and Purpose 46:51 Rapid Fire Questions 49:42 Hidden Gems of Morden

    Is Anyone Here from Morden?

  5. Jun 9

    What Does Philosophy Have to Do with AI?

    Dean interviews high school philosophy teacher Marcus Blair about how discovering a student had used ChatGPT shifted his initial curiosity into fear and urgency, prompting questions about AI’s impact on classrooms, education, and society. Blair explains how his philosophy background helps him ground AI decisions in critical thinking and ethics, drawing on thinkers like Descartes and approaches like utilitarianism and virtue ethics to move beyond policing toward student integrity. He describes practical classroom systems—AI integration “stamps,” a signed student AI agreement, and QR-code disclosure forms—plus strategic cognitive offloading so students can focus on intended learning outcomes. Blair shares examples including AI-supported reporting followed by in-class ethical judgment, emphasizing standards-based assessment, process-focused writing instruction, reduced homework, and district leadership supporting capacity-building and dialogue. 00:00 Caught Using ChatGPT 01:06 Meet Marcus Blair 03:25 First Encounter Fear 05:30 Existential Classroom Shift 07:23 Why Philosophy Matters 10:53 Integrity Over Policing 12:53 Student Win With AI 14:31 Classroom AI Guardrails 19:20 Cognitive Offloading Example 22:46 Standards Based Assessment 24:51 Process Over Product 27:17 Rethinking Homework 29:43 District Leadership Pride 32:35 Finding Common Ground 35:13 Gratitude And Rapid Fire 37:03 Books Shows Hidden Gems 40:59 Closing Thanks

    What Does Philosophy Have to Do with AI?

  6. May 26

    Do You Just Tweet All Day?

    Ryan Strang on the Evolution of School Communications: Strategy, Storytelling, Crisis, and Trust Dean interviews Ryan Strang, Senior Manager of Communications and Community Relations for Ontario’s Grand Erie District School Board and president/executive director of CASE, about how school communications has evolved beyond “just tweeting” into strategic advising, storytelling, brand ambassadorship, customer service, and crisis management. Ryan describes how social media shifted communications from one-way to fast, two-way engagement, increasing pressure for rapid response and amplifying challenges like polarization and misinformation. They discuss choosing channels based on metrics and audience (including stepping back from X, focusing on Facebook/Instagram, and monitoring/responding on Reddit), balancing playful brand voice with professionalism, and the emerging opportunities and risks of AI—especially around privacy and student images. Ryan shares a career highlight: quickly organizing a maple-syrup outdoor education experience for Syrian newcomer families in Peel, showing communications’ impact through relationship-building and storytelling. 00:00 Comms Role Defined 00:50 Why Comms Emerged 01:28 Meet Ryan Strang  04:28 Beyond Social Media  10:45 CASE Growth Post Pandemic 14:11 Storytelling Versus Risk  19:58 Finding Brand Voice 23:30 Playful Comms Examples 25:50 Snow Day Trust Building 28:40 Big District Complexity 30:06 Strategic Comms Value 30:52 Digital Customer Service 31:54 Choosing Social Channels 33:39 Metrics Over Hype 35:20 Facebook Instagram Reddit 38:44 New Platforms Playbook 40:37 AI Opportunities Risks 44:07 Authenticity Versus Automation 45:28 Career Success Story 47:10 Syrian Families Maple Trip 53:22 Hidden Gems Hamilton Brantford 55:13 Closing Reflections

    Do You Just Tweet All Day?

  7. May 19

    What Is AI Literacy?

    Dean interviews Kate Arthur about what it means for a skill to become a “literacy” and why AI literacy must build on foundational reading, writing, and numeracy alongside access to networks, tools, and skills. Arthur shares her nontraditional education path, 25 years at the intersection of tech, communications, and education, and how classroom moments like students using Siri pushed her to connect literacy with AI’s growing presence. They discuss integrating AI learning across subjects rather than isolating it, the risk of focusing on tools over outcomes like critical thinking, and concerns about widening divides when basic literacy gaps persist. Arthur describes a shift from an attention economy to an attachment economy in generative AI, the ethics of human–machine relationships, and the need to democratize AI knowledge currently concentrated among a few leaders. She also recounts lobbying that secured $6M for youth skills education and emphasizes community-driven change.  00:00 What Makes Literacy  01:06 Meet Kate Arthur 03:06 Kate’s Education Journey 04:57 Stumbling Into AI 07:09 Defining AI Literacy 11:17 Frameworks And Gaps 14:35 Teaching Across Subjects 16:52 Tools Versus Skills 19:17 Best Case AI Future 22:25 Screens Bans And Balance 26:37 From Attention To Attachment 30:33 AI Relationship Guilt 31:39 Depth Versus Shallow 33:11 Humans Versus Chatbots 38:50 Innovation At Risk 40:41 Proudest Career Moments 42:00 Lobbying For Education 45:35 How Lobbying Works 48:45 Leadership And Mentors 54:37 Montreal Hidden Gem

    What Is AI Literacy?

  8. May 12

    What's Good About the Internet in 2026?

    Dean records an on-the-road podcast in Moose Jaw with his friend Alan Levine.. They discuss what’s still good about the internet in 2026, emphasizing curiosity, surprises, creativity, and niche communities that share knowledge, alongside the shift of social media from creation to consumption and parasocial influence. Alan describes teaching curiosity through hands-on activities and the value of low-stakes connection and storytelling. He explains his work at Open Education Global, the roots of open education and OpenCourseWare, its worldwide reach, and how openness supports quality through adaptation, educator involvement, and open pedagogy with students co-creating resources. They also cover Alan’s storytelling tools (Five Card Flickr Stories and PechaFlickr), mixed feelings about AI, and brief personal topics including his Canadian citizenship, reading about AI and photography, favorite shows, and Moose Jaw highlights. 00:00 Internet Still Surprises  01:27Why This Interview Exists 03:47 Coffee Shop Setup 04:19 Family Archives and Voices 05:11 What’s Good Online 07:09 Teaching Internet Curiosity 08:31 Social Media Then Now 11:11 Micro Communities and Fixes 13:23 Becoming Canadian 16:14 Open Education Explained 21:00 Quality and Open Pedagogy 23:36 Digital Storytelling Today 26:55 Beyond Video Storytelling 28:02 Five Card Flickr Stories 30:10 PechaFlickr Improv Talks 33:41 Why These Tools Work 34:41 AI Thoughts and Tradeoffs 37:39 Practical AI Use Cases 42:32 Reading on AI Photography 47:50 Binge Watch Favorites 48:55 Moose Jaw Hidden Gems 50:46 Wrap Up and Thanks

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Dean Shareski interviews leaders from coast to coast to coast discussing innovation, change and the role leaders play in providing Canadian students with a world class education

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