The most important EdTech skill might not be knowing which tool to use. It might be knowing when technology can actually help.

New apps, platforms, and AI tools will always compete for your attention. Trying to keep up with all of them isn't realistic—and it isn't necessary. What educators need is a way to recognize opportunities, think critically about technology, and decide whether a tool will actually make learning or work better.

That's the idea behind the Anytime EdTech Mindset.

In Episode 270, Chris Nesi introduces a practical framework built around seven ideas: Ask, Notice, Your Learners First, Try, Iterate, Make Meaning, and Evolve.

This isn't about using more technology. It's about using technology with purpose.

Whether you're facing a classroom challenge, looking to improve a workflow, considering a new AI tool, or simply wondering if there's a better way to do something, this episode gives you a framework you can return to anytime.

Because you don't need to know every tool.

You need a better way to think when a new tool, challenge, or opportunity comes your way.

• How to stop chasing every new EdTech tool and focus on real problems instead.
• Why anytime does not mean all the time when it comes to technology.
• How to identify what you're actually trying to accomplish before searching for a tool.
• Why observation matters before trying to solve a classroom or workflow problem.
• How to put learners—not features or trends—at the center of technology decisions.
• Why starting small can make trying new technology less intimidating.
• How to learn from imperfect first attempts instead of abandoning an idea too quickly.
• How to determine whether technology actually improved learning or simply added technology.
• When to keep, change, or abandon a tool or approach.
• How the ANYTIME framework can help you approach future EdTech challenges with confidence.

Teacher Hive — teacherhive.app

Bring the app you've built with AI. Teacher Hive gives it a home.

Browse hundreds of apps made by teachers, or add your own. Paste the HTML from ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, or drop in a link, and Teacher Hive makes it easy to use with a class, keep for yourself, or share with other teachers.

Bee There by Tony Vincent — apphive.us/there

A QR code scanner for classrooms. Reads the screen from across the room and opens links automatically. Show the code again for anyone who missed it. No ads, nothing collected.

High school chemistry teacher Tara Altherr joins the podcast to explain how she's helping students use AI as a thinking partner instead of a shortcut. From classroom assignments that encourage students to challenge AI's responses to practical strategies for maintaining authentic learning, Tara offers a thoughtful perspective on what responsible AI integration can look like today.

Whether you're AI-curious or already experimenting with tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, this conversation will leave you with practical ideas for helping students think more deeply—not less.

The biggest change coming to education might not be another AI chatbot—it could be schools creating their own technology.

As AI makes software development more accessible than ever, educators are beginning to rethink their relationship with traditional EdTech vendors. Could the future belong to schools building solutions designed by educators, for educators?

Chris shares a free NASA resource that turns satellite imagery into a creative classroom activity.

AI is everywhere in education—but clarity isn’t.

I’m joined by Derek Tranchina, creator of TrafficLiteEdu, to unpack one of the biggest challenges schools are facing right now: not whether to use AI, but how to use it well. The real issue isn’t the tools—it’s the confusion around expectations, boundaries, and purpose.

Derek shares how the TrafficLiteEdu framework helps schools bring clarity to AI use through a simple, practical approach—giving educators and students a shared language for what’s acceptable, what’s not, and what falls somewhere in between.

If your school is struggling with mixed messages, inconsistent policies, or hesitation around AI, this conversation will help you cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters.

Because in the end, it’s not about banning or embracing AI—it’s about being clear.