What Teachers Have to Say
What Teachers Have to Say is a podcast about teaching, AI in education, instructional practice, and teacher identity. Hosted by Jacob Carr and Nathan Collins, it centers real classroom experience, system pressures, and how AI is reshaping learning.
No performative edu‑influencer culture. No toxic positivity. Just honest conversations about what’s actually happening in schools.
What This Podcast Covers
- AI in education and classroom use
- Teaching strategies and instructional design (EduProtocols)
- Teacher burnout and system design
- Student skill development and transfer
- EdTech tools and practical workflows
Who This Podcast Is For
- K–12 teachers
- Instructional coaches and leaders
- Pre‑service teachers
- Educators exploring AI and EdTech
- Anyone tired of surface‑level PD
Who We Are
Jacob (Jake) Carr
EdTech Coach for a County Office of Education, author, and speaker on AI in education. 15+ years across K–12 (grades 1–12) in diverse settings. Brings a philosophical lens, connects classroom practice to systems, and pushes conversations deeper before landing on something usable.
Nathan Collins
High school English teacher, dual‑enrollment instructor, and Personalized Learning Teacher in a rural hybrid model. Grounds the show in current classroom reality, student data, and practical constraints. A measured counterbalance to big ideas.
What We Explore
AI in Education — A structural shift, not a novelty. Learning, assessment, and independence in an AI‑rich world.
Burnout as a System Problem — Not a personal failure. We name the incentives that reward unsustainable work.
Instructional Routines That Work — Repeatable structures that lower planning load and raise thinking, repetition, and collaboration.
Skills That Transfer — Thinking, communication, adaptability. Not just content.
The Format
Long‑Form — Monthly flagship episodes with deep dives, interviews, and debates.
Short‑Form — Field notes, solo reflections, headlines, and listener voicemails between major episodes.
Your Voice Matters
Leave a SpeakPipe voicemail with a question, win, or rant. We feature listener voices in episodes.
Beyond the Podcast
The companion newsletter goes deeper: AI in education, teaching strategies, and teacher identity. Free, weekly, and practical.
FAQ
What is it about? Teaching, AI in education, and real classroom conditions.
Who hosts it? Jacob Carr and Nathan Collins.
Is it AI‑focused? Yes, always tied to real practice.
How often? Monthly flagship + shorter episodes between.
Where to listen? Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.
Subscribe and Follow
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- Newsletter
Stay curious. Keep thinking. Keep showing up.
What Teachers Have to Say
It's Not One More Thing! Computer Science For All Educators with BCOE
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Jake & Nathan are joined by Tracey Allen, Janet Brownell, and Anna Johnson from the Butte County Office of Education to talk about the future of Computer Science in schools. BCOE has been innovating in the sphere of EdTech integration in Northern California for years and has a VERY successful, cutting-edge library model with their EdTech Exchange so that all educators and all students can access creative, innovative, and engaging EdTech tools to use in their classes.
Did you know there are "new" Computer Science state standards in California that you may not even be aware of? We talk Seasons of CS, EWIG, CS First, and the CSTA to find resources and professional development opportunities to integrate EdTech in ALL classrooms and subject areas in ways you might not expect. Computer Science can transform your entire workflow, even as an ELA teacher! Join this crew to dig into why Computer Science IS NOT just one more thing.
Resources mentioned:
Seasons of CS | California's Year-Round Computer Science (CS) Professional Learning Program
BCOE Educational Technology Exchange
Register Here! for the Spring in CS Summit (Redding, CA)
(05:30) CS is for Everyone
(18:00) CSTA Resources
(19:00) CS First with Google
(21:00) Tips from an EdTech Coach
(24:00) Computer as a Tool
(25:00) Coding Robots in ELA
(28:40) Minecraft Farms
(29:00) Basic CS Skills Across Content Areas
(32:00) Transcend Your Lesson
(35:00) EdTech Exchange Library Model
(42:40) Importance of Libraries
(44:00) CS is in Everything
(46:30) Where are we headed?
(49:00) Future Careers with CS
(50:45) Seasons of CS
(52:15) Natural Language as Coding Language
(59:30) CS in SPED with Piper
(60:01) Next year?
Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay
Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
My EdTech Life
My EdTech Life
Rebel Teacher Alliance
Rebel Teacher Alliance
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
Cal Newport
