Reinventing Education: Mike Yates on AI and Innovation at Teach for America

There aren’t many people who’d voluntarily pursue a career in a field they grew up disliking. But that’s exactly what Mike Yates did. Now a Senior Designer at the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America, where he leads AI initiatives, Mike joined Dr. Cristi Ford to chat about his experiences growing up as the child of an educator, why he’s so passionate about using technology to improve teaching and learning and why he believes all educators should be actively engaging with AI tools.

In this episode, Cristi and Mike discuss:  

Mike’s role at Teach for America and work with AI initiatives.
Mike journey from disliking school to getting involved in education
The importance of AI dexterity over literacy
How educators can use AI to solve specific problems
Advice for educators on how to upskill in AI

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