Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
In this episode, I speak with the profound Dwayne Matthews. Dwayne brings such a dynamic perspective to the why schools were established in the first place, to the mind blowing technology we don't even comprehend, and cognitive opportunities we can harness when leveraging not just artificial intelligence, but human intelligence as we navigate the quickly changing world around us.
Here is just a short of some of his accomplishments from his LinkedIn profile
Innovation Evangelist, and Future of Education Strategist. I help governments, school boards, independent schools, educators, parents and students understand and create transformational opportunities for the future of education and work.
Future of Education segment expert on Canada's national breakfast show, CTV's Your Morning and The Marlyn Denis Show
XPRIZE Education Domain Brain Trust advisor, focused on the Global Visioneering of a bold and audacious XPRIZE for future focused global education.
Former XPrize Connect Advisory Board member: The XPrize Connect Future of Learning Lab created a vision of an equitable and sustainable future for education and technology, and helped young learners around the world reach their full potential.
Former education lead at The Faubert Applied Research Centre (ARC), a non-profit research centre dedicated to studying and furthering cognitive human performance potential.
Recipient of the BAIE Trailblazer in Innovation Award presented by the CIO of BMO.
Former President of NeuroEdX
Former Executive Director at Technology Intelligence firm (gathered intelligence on disruptive and novel clean technology for Fortune 500 companies)
Former Venture Partner of Yet2 Ventures secondary fund (Canadian technology and fund scouting)
Former exclusive Canadian partner to the world's largest open innovation marketplace (Tech scouting of new and novel future technologies for Fortune 500 companies. Created partnerships between SME and Fortune 500 companies)
Former member of core strategic planning team for one of the best international private schools in South America (Helped with the design and implementation of inquiry based learning curriculum)
Former junior chairperson at inner city school in the Toronto District School Board
Former teacher (9 years as a teacher, two of those in Peru and the rest in Canada)
Keynote speaker on the future of education
LISTEN NOW:
Direct Link: coffeechug.simplecast.com/episodes/187
Apple Podcast – Find this episode and all the previous episodes on Apple Podcast
Spotify – Find this episode and previous episodes of the show on Spotify!
YouTube –
CHALLENGES & GOALS
Dwayne's main challenge revolves around bridging the gap between education and innovation. His goal is to create opportunities for his son, peers, and their age group.
We discuss how technology has become a commodity that no longer amazes us due to its ubiquity. The focus should be on what we aim to accomplish with it.
Conversation emphasizes the importance of leveraging open innovation processes to build a system that can effectively utilize AI for educational purposes.
SURPRISING TAKEAWAYS
Despite being recognized as an expert in certain fields, Dwayne feels uncomfortable with the term, emphasizing that he's just scratching the surface of knowledge.
Highlighting the concept of cognitive surplus created by technological advancements which provides an opportunity for individuals to direct their attention towards productive activities if they choose so.
Believes in revisiting past teaching methods that couldn't be scaled due to technological limitations at the time.
EMERGING PATTERNS
Lifelong learning and curiosity
Viewing technology as a tool for achieving specific goals rather than an end in itself
Emphasis on reflection and adaptation
Leveraging current technologies to transform teaching methods
Importance of purpose-driven initiatives augmented by technology
KEY MOMENTS
"I'm just somebody that's terribly curious about the future of education and its connection point to the future of economic life."
"I realized that if you wanted to create a really unique perspective, you have to really look at the intersection or perpendicular points of ideas."
"Technology gets really good when we forget that it's technology and it just feels like regular life."
RESOURCES
LinkedIn Profile
His website
In this episode, I speak with the profound Dwayne Matthews. Dwayne brings such a dynamic perspective to the why schools were established in the first place, to the mind blowing technology we don't even comprehend, and cognitive opportunities we can harness when leveraging not just artificial intelligence, but human intelligence as we navigate the quickly changing world around us.
Here is just a short of some of his accomplishments from his LinkedIn profile
Innovation Evangelist, and Future of Education Strategist. I help governments, school boards, independent schools, educators, parents and students understand and create transformational opportunities for the future of education and work.
Future of Education segment expert on Canada's national breakfast show, CTV's Your Morning and The Marlyn Denis Show
XPRIZE Education Domain Brain Trust advisor, focused on the Global Visioneering of a bold and audacious XPRIZE for future focused global education.
Former XPrize Connect Advisory Board member: The XPrize Connect Future of Learning Lab created a vision of an equitable and sustainable future for education and technology, and helped young learners around the world reach their full potential.
Former education lead at The Faubert Applied Research Centre (ARC), a non-profit research centre dedicated to studying and furthering cognitive human performance potential.
Recipient of the BAIE Trailblazer in Innovation Award presented by the CIO of BMO.
Former President of NeuroEdX
Former Executive Director at Technology Intelligence firm (gathered intelligence on disruptive and novel clean technology for Fortune 500 companies)
Former Venture Partner of Yet2 Ventures secondary fund (Canadian technology and fund scouting)
Former exclusive Canadian partner to the world's largest open innovation marketplace (Tech scouting of new and novel future technologies for Fortune 500 companies. Created partnerships between SME and Fortune 500 companies)
Former member of core strategic planning team for one of the best international private schools in South America (Helped with the design and implementation of inquiry based learning curriculum)
Former junior chairperson at inner city school in the Toronto District School Board
Former teacher (9 years as a teacher, two of those in Peru and the rest in Canada)
Keynote speaker on the future of education
LISTEN NOW:
Direct Link: coffeechug.simplecast.com/episodes/187
Apple Podcast – Find this episode and all the previous episodes on Apple Podcast
Spotify – Find this episode and previous episodes of the show on Spotify!
YouTube –
CHALLENGES & GOALS
Dwayne's main challenge revolves around bridging the gap between education and innovation. His goal is to create opportunities for his son, peers, and their age group.
We discuss how technology has become a commodity that no longer amazes us due to its ubiquity. The focus should be on what we aim to accomplish with it.
Conversation emphasizes the importance of leveraging open innovation processes to build a system that can effectively utilize AI for educational purposes.
SURPRISING TAKEAWAYS
Despite being recognized as an expert in certain fields, Dwayne feels uncomfortable with the term, emphasizing that he's just scratching the surface of knowledge.
Highlighting the concept of cognitive surplus created by technological advancements which provides an opportunity for individuals to direct their attention towards productive activities if they choose so.
Believes in revisiting past teaching methods that couldn't be scaled due to technological limitations at the time.
EMERGING PATTERNS
Lifelong learning and curiosity
Viewing technology as a tool for achieving specific goals rather than an end in itself
Emphasis on reflection and adaptation
Leveraging current technologies to transform teaching methods
Importance of purpose-driven initiatives augmented by technology
KEY MOMENTS
"I'm just somebody that's terribly curious about the future of education and its connection point to the future of economic life."
"I realized that if you wanted to create a really unique perspective, you have to really look at the intersection or perpendicular points of ideas."
"Technology gets really good when we forget that it's technology and it just feels like regular life."
RESOURCES
LinkedIn Profile
His website

![217: AI Without Freaking Out or Falling Asleep with Rebecca Bultsma
Episode Summary
In this episode, I talk with AI strategist, communicator, and ethics researcher Rebecca Bultsma.
Rebecca is known for helping people understand AI “without freaking out or falling asleep.” From her farm near the Montana Canada border, she brings a grounded, practical perspective to the chaos of generative AI.
We dive into misconceptions, practical use cases, the importance of skepticism, and why human connection still matters in an AI-driven world.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by AI or unsure where to begin, this episode is a perfect place to start.
What We Talk About
Rebecca’s journey from communications into AI and ethics research.
The moment in 2022 when ChatGPT changed the conversation about AI.
Misconceptions: why AI is not a fad, and why it matters for everyone.
Quick wins with generative AI from reading terms & conditions to learning through NotebookLM.
Her mantra: “Never trust a large language model.” What that means and why human oversight is non-negotiable.
The risks of over-trusting AI when it feels “human.”
Opportunities in strategy: using AI for pattern-finding, scenario testing, and persona-building.
Practical advice for staying safe: separating personal/work accounts and turning off data training.
Why experimenting with Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini is the best starting point.
Rebecca’s daily workflow: from AI-powered health stacks to automations that save brainpower.
Final advice: control the controllables, start small, and build confidence step by step.
Access the Show
All platforms & past episodes: https://coffeeforthebrain.com/podcasts/
Direct Link to This Episode:
Listen & Subscribe:
[Apple Podcasts] | [Spotify] | [YouTube] | [Simplecast]
Resources & Links
Rebecca’s website: rebeccabultsma.com (speaking, workshops, resources)
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebecca-bultsma (active posts on AI ethics, policy, comms)
X (Twitter): @rebeccabultsma — “AI awe + rational anxiety” stream and resource drops
TikTok: @rebeccabultsma (short takes on AI, comms, and ethics)
Instagram: @commsrebecca (communications + AI insights)
Highlighted Posts (good primers for listeners)
“POV: You’re the ‘AI ethics’ person and not freaking out about LinkedIn’s data use.”
Nuanced take on platform data and practical risk framing (great for comms leaders). LinkedIn
“Never trust an LLM” in practice.
Threads/posts where she pushes for human review, disclosure, and trust-building. Pair with her SchoolCEO feature. Apptegy
Defining AI ethics as a philosophical puzzle.
Reflective post that shows her influences and systems lens. LinkedIn
AI learning resources roundup.
Shareable list of podcasts, newsletters, books, and courses, great on-ramp for teams. X (formerly Twitter)
Webinar: Navigating AI Tools in Schools.
Concrete strategies for K-12; sets expectations for ethical adoption and practical wins. risevision.com
Courses & Tools Mentioned:
OpenAI Academy – Free ChatGPT classes
Google AI on Coursera – AI 101 course
Anthropic Academy – Free Claude courses
NotebookLM – AI-powered research synthesis
The Boring Report
GPT - JobsGPT by SmarterX
Zapier - https://zapier.com/ai
Episode Quote
“Anything you can’t do well, or you feel overwhelmed by have generative AI help you. That’s what it’s amazing for. It can be that external brain when you need it.”
– Rebecca Bultsma
Support the Show
If this episode helped you, share it with a colleague and leave a review. It helps more educators and leaders find the show. 217: AI Without Freaking Out or Falling Asleep with Rebecca Bultsma](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Zy8PZgsBJbs/mqdefault.jpg)







![218: Teaching What Can’t Be AI’d with John Camp
A fast, energizing conversation with Camp (a.k.a. John Camp), Head of Teaching & Learning at New England Innovation Academy (NEIA). It was so fun to chat with someone who I have not met or talked to before and found someone with similar energy and thinking about teaching and learning. We dig into building a startup school, designing a competency-based “mash-up” grading system, and the courage it takes to break invisible rules while still preparing students for “what comes next.” We also trade notes on AI, why classrooms should maximize human-to-human connection, and simple, teacher-doable “ruckuses” you can try tomorrow.
What We Talk About
Camp’s path to NEIA and why he still teaches while leading (modeling the work)
Courage as the catalyst for change in any system, at any scale
Competency-based assessment as a school-wide skill map (transfer across humanities, science, math, Innovation Studio)
“Linear school” in a nonlinear world and how AI can help us blow up the old schedule logic
Walking the fine line: college-prep and “what-comes-next” prep (love this framing)
Keeping innovation alive after year 1: support systems, permission to try (and fail), and tapping teacher passions
Workflow talk: using ChatGPT to organize brainstorms; Google Classroom paired with “Otis” for competencies; protecting life balance
Teach what can’t be AI’d: discourse, idea-to-idea connection, and real human presence in the room
One small “ruckus” for tomorrow: break the pattern with a 10-minute gallery walk or other quick shift that re-energizes learning
Access the Show
All platforms & past episodes: https://coffeeforthebrain.com/podcasts/
Direct Link to This Episode: https://coffeechug.simplecast.com/episodes/218
Listen & Subscribe:
[Apple Podcasts] | [Spotify] | [YouTube] | [Simplecast]
Resources & Links
Tiny Experiments Book
NEIA Profile: John Camp: https://neiacademy.org/team/john-camp/
Camp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/campsm/
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (referenced in the discussion with link to my blog post)
Alpha School: (referenced in AI discussion)
Highlighted Posts (good primers for listeners)
Why human-to-human discourse beats screen-staring (ties to “teach what can’t be AI’d”).
Quick wins to break the invisible rules (small, classroom-level ruckuses).
Episode Quote
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Maya Angelou
and
We don’t just think outside the box, we act outside the box. Camp
and our love for Neil Postman
Teach children something about the art and science of asking questions.
Question-asking is the most significant intellectual tool human beings have.
Support the Show
If this episode helped you, share it with a colleague and leave a review. It helps more educators and leaders find the show. 218: Teaching What Can’t Be AI’d with John Camp](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bES66UQYE2c/mqdefault.jpg)
