NeuraPoints CEO Jared McClure explores how cognitive frameworks make AI a partner that enhances, not replaces, human thinking.

Educator Dawn M. Bailey joins Just Thinking to discuss how NeuraPoints helps teachers and students navigate content, cognition, and connections in an AI-driven learning landscape.

Dr. Amy Alzina explores how educators can balance innovation, AI, and project-based learning to deepen engagement, cultivate lifelong learners in parents and students, and support teachers.

Dr. Amy Alzina explores how educators can balance innovation, AI, and project-based learning to deepen engagement, cultivate lifelong learners in parents and students, and support teachers.

Leaders from Learning Forward Texas discuss how transformational professional learning can support teachers, address certification gaps, and prepare students for a changing future.

International EdTech leader Al Kingsley explores how AI, critical thinking, and kindness can redefine what makes a “good school” in the 21st century.

On Just Thinking, Dr. Don Hooper explores how educational leaders can apply Power Thinking to embrace augmented intelligence, recharge their leadership, and leave a legacy of wisdom in the age of AI.

Dawn Bailey explores how metacognitive teaching strategies can empower educators to foster critical thinking, transferable skills, and lifelong learning in today’s rapidly evolving classrooms on Just Thinking.

As the educational landscape rapidly evolves—shaped by advances in communication technology, growing mental health awareness, and post-pandemic classroom dynamics—one key question persists: How can we better connect with and empower both educators and students in the classroom? The stakes are high: studies show that teacher-student relationships directly impact student motivation, academic success, and long-term well-being.

Dr. Minh Tran joins Just Thinking to explore the path, pressure, and purpose behind a life in cardiac care and the decisions that save lives.

Jared McClure and Dr. David Hyerle join Just Thinking to explore how NeuraPoints and AI can support critical thinking in education.

Frank Ramirez explains how active engagement fuels connection, achievement, and future-focused thinking in today’s schools on Just Thinking.

As federal funding hangs in the balance, California’s rural school districts face a stark challenge: how to maintain essential services amid the uncertain future of the Secure Rural Schools Act. Originally established to offset declines in timber revenue from federal lands, the Act has become a lifeline for hundreds of districts. But after failing to gain reauthorization in 2024, many schools now confront steep budget cuts—some losing up to 20% of their funding.

Education technology is currently at a critical standpoint. While schools are increasingly integrating digital tools into learning, there’s also a growing awareness highlighting the amount of screen time students are exposed to with a possible solution of removing technology from classrooms. Per a 2022 study by JAMA Network, the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the time that school-aged children spent on screen time and it increases every year. But are bans and restrictions the answer, should there be a revamping on teaching students how to use technology responsibly and creatively? These questions are tackled in this episode of Just Thinking… with Kevin Dougherty. Host Kevin Dougherty, Chief Strategy Officer at 806 Technologies, spoke with Dr. Karla Burkholder, deputy director of Texas Education Technology Leaders and a veteran in the education technology space. Together, they discussed the role of technology in modern learning, the pushback against classroom tech, and the need to equip students with critical digital literacy skills. A few key points from the episode covered: How digital literacy is now a fundamental skill alongside math, science, and other subjects because students engage with technology a lot. A case for why banning technology isn’t the solution and instead educators should focus on teaching students how to use it responsibly. As AI and automation reshape many industries and the general workforce, problem-solving, discernment, and digital creativity should be prioritized. Dr. Karla Burkholder is the deputy director of Texas Education Technology Leaders. She has dedicated her career to advancing education through technology. Burkholder started as a business education teacher in Plano ISD in 1984 before moving into instructional technology leadership. She has witnessed the evolution of classroom tech having had many decades of experience, from floppy disks to cloud computing and AI. She has a lot of experience in digital transformation and instructional strategy.