Are You More of What You Value? (AI as the Mirror, Not the Scapegoat)
Most schools I visit have a wall of values: curiosity, integrity, perseverance, belonging. And then there’s the other wall, the invisible one, built from what we praise, what we rush, what we ignore, and what we quietly reward.
Jeremy Utley asks a question that keeps echoing in my head: Are you more of what you value? If we say we value deep thinking but reward speed… what are we actually growing? If we want students who revise and reflect, but we model “good enough, ship it” in adult form… what are they learning?
AI didn’t create cheating, apathy, or disengagement. But it does amplify them. And it also amplifies the opposite: curiosity, craftsmanship, integrity, and ownership. AI is a mirror that makes misalignment easier to see and alignment easier to practice. Seeing it is one thing. To acknowledge what you see is the next step and doing something about the reality is another.
This week’s question isn’t “How do we stop students from using AI?”
It’s: Are we modeling the human behaviors we claim we want?
This issue challenges you to name what you want most from students, colleagues, and leaders and then ask the uncomfortable follow-up: Is that what I’m modeling and doing with my actions every day?
1) The mirror question that changes the whole week
Utley’s framing is painfully simple: if you value something, your time and choices should be making you more of it. AI makes this question sharper because it removes excuses. If a tool can generate output instantly, then what you do with the reclaimed attention becomes the real curriculum. Do you spend it deepening relationships, designing better learning, and reflecting or do you just accelerate the treadmill? If you want students who are curious, honest, and engaged, the first move isn’t surveillance. It’s alignment: model what “learning on purpose” looks like when nobody is grading you.
Read: Are You More of What You Value?
Personal Tie-in
I’m trying to treat my calendar like a lesson plan for my values. If my week teaches urgency and fragmentation, I shouldn’t be surprised when the spaces I enter mirror that.
So What?
Culture doesn’t change with slogans. It changes with what gets repeated, rewarded, and protected.
Try This
Write your top 5 values. Then list the last 10 things you “made time for.” Circle the mismatches.
2) Getting good at AI = reps + an “AI journal” (not prompt hacks)
Mike Kentz’s advice is refreshingly non-glamorous: you get better at AI by using it constantly and keeping an AI journal of what you tried, what surprised you, where it broke, what you’ll do next. That turns AI from a shortcut machine into a deliberate practice of noticing and iteration. It also gives you something powerful to model for students: “I don’t use AI to avoid thinking, I use it to strengthen my thinking and document how I got there.” If we want less cheating and more learning, we have to normalize process, drafts, and reflection (for adults too).
This is something I have been trying to build more intentionally in the learning. Giving enough time and space to experiement for professionals.
Read: This Is How You Get Good at AI
Personal Tie-in
When my AI use is invisible and output-only, others can inherit that vibe. When my AI use is reflective and documented, they can inherit that instead.
So What?
AI literacy isn’t a tool skill, it’s a habit of mind: experimentation with receipts.
Try This
Start an AI journal with three headers: What I tried / What changed my mind / What I’ll do next.
3) The adult version of cheating is “looking busy”
The student behaviors we’re worried about have grown-up equivalents: performative productivity, shallow compliance, and chasing the appearance of competence. AI makes this harder to hide because it can generate the appearance of competence in seconds. That forces a choice: double down on policing, or redesign for values, authentic process, revision, attribution, and meaningful work. One practical way to ground this is to study real implementation patterns instead of hype: what problems are schools trying to solve, what guardrails exist, and what behaviors are being reinforced?
Browse: Google for Education — Customer Stories
Personal Tie-in
I’m practicing saying, “Here’s what I used AI for and here’s what I changed because my judgment kicked in.”
So What?
If we want integrity from students, we have to make integrity visible as adults.
Try This
Share a “before” draft once this week and not just the polished final.
4) Don’t do random AI projects, build an AI roadmap aligned to your values
Tobias Zwingmann makes a compelling argument: AI roadmaps beat AI projects because projects become isolated pilots, while roadmaps force alignment of priority problems, sequencing, ownership, and thresholds for success. For schools, this is the move that protects your values. A roadmap says: “We’re not chasing tools. We’re strengthening specific human outcomes (curiosity, agency, critical thinking, integrity) through specific routines and artifacts.” It also prevents the whiplash of “new tool, new panic, new policy” by centering what matters: learning design and behavior modeling.
Read: Why AI Roadmaps Beat AI Projects
Personal Tie-in
Whenever I feel overwhelmed by AI updates, it’s usually because I’m thinking in tools, not in outcomes.
So What?
A roadmap turns AI from chaos into coherence and coherence is how values become real.
Try This
Pick one value (e.g., integrity). Define one routine and one artifact that proves it (draft history, reflection, attribution, revision notes).
5) A real on-ramp for students: ISTE+ASCD’s AI Innovator Studio
If you’re looking for a structured way to move beyond “AI rules” into “AI creation with purpose,” the ISTE+ASCD AI Innovator Studio is a practical pathway. It’s built around student learning experiences that push toward thoughtful design, problem-solving, and responsible use which is exactly the kind of work that makes “cheating” less relevant because students are creating something that has fingerprints: choices, tradeoffs, iterations, and reflection. If we say we value agency and contribution, students need authentic design challenges and not just AI worksheets.
Explore: AI Innovator Studio
Personal Tie-in
I want more classrooms where students aren’t just “using AI,” but using it to build something meaningful and then explaining their thinking.
So What?
When students design with constraints and ethics, we get real learning and less performative output.
Try This
Use one Studio lesson as a “values lab”: name the value up front, then track where it shows up in student decisions.
6) The Nano Banana “CITY diorama” prompt (a stealth lesson in constraints + craft)
This prompt is fun and secretly instructional. It rewards specificity (format, angle, lighting, perspective) and exposes vague thinking immediately. That’s the lesson: good outcomes come from clear constraints and iterative refinement. It’s also an easy workshop move for Gemini image generation: consistent spec, repeatable results, quick comparison, and lots of “Ohhh… I assumed it would know that.” If you want students to value craftsmanship, don’t just grade the product, celebrate the iterations.
Context: Gemini image generation overview
Personal Tie-in
Play is where people stop fearing “doing it wrong” and start learning fast. This prompt turns AI into a sandbox instead of a shortcut.
So What?
Constraints aren’t limitations. They’re commitments to what matters.
Try This
Run a gallery walk: everyone generates their city, then share one revision that improved it.
Image Prompt
Use this prompt (swap [CITY]):
“Create a hyper-realistic 1080x1080 square render of a human hand gently holding a rounded, beveled miniature display platform showcasing a 3D collectible diorama of [CITY]. Feature its most iconic landmark, small-scale modern and historical architecture, and lush miniature greenery and trees. A bold 3D ‘CITY’ sign is cleanly built into the front edge of the platform. Use a refined, saturated color scheme. Light the scene with soft studio illumination, warm highlights, and subtle depth shadows. Place the composition against a neutral gray gradient backdrop, keeping the same viewing angle and perspective for consistency. Add atmospheric depth, photorealistic textures, and ultra-precise detailing for an 8K quality high-end collectible aesthetic.”
On My Radar (3–8 quick hits)
A strong reminder that “AI fear” often hides a values question: Are You More of What You Value?
Practice over prompt tricks (and the AI journal idea): This Is How You Get Good at AI
Classroom-ready lessons on the future of work: Work in the Age of AI (Day of AI)
A concrete student pathway beyond rules-and-bans: ISTE+ASCD AI Innovator Studio
A strategy lens schools need right now: Why AI Roadmaps Beat AI Projects
A quick prompt thread to skim for creative experimentation: God of Prompt thread
A values-flare post that pairs well with this theme: Vera Cubero on what students need now
Digital Challenge
Pick one value you want more of (curiosity, integrity, agency, focus). Build a one-page AI Roadmap for the next 4 weeks:
1 routine you’ll practice weekly, 1 student artifact that proves the value, 1 reflection question, and 1 “guardrail” for AI use. Keep it small and repeatable.
Analog Challenge
Make two columns on paper: “What I want from students/colleagues” and “What I model when I’m busy.” Circle one mismatch you’re willing to change this week and choose one visible behavior to practice.
One Small Human Thing (optional)
Values aren’t posters.
They’re what survives on the hard days when you’re tired, rushed, and nobody is watching.
Closing Reflection / Question
If your students became more like whatever you modeled this week, what would they become more of?
Links & Further Reading
Research
Work in the Age of AI (Day of AI) — tasks, skills, ethics lens
Google for Education — Customer Stories — implementation patterns in the wild
Tools
Gemini image generation overview — image-gen entry point and examples
God of Prompt thread — prompt inspiration stream
Essays/Posts
Are You More of What You Value? — the weekly mirror question
This Is How You Get Good at AI — reps + AI journal practice
Why AI Roadmaps Beat AI Projects — strategy over pilots
Vera Cubero LinkedIn post — urgency + human skill focus
Coming Soon (no links yet, but just a heads-up)
I’ve got two Google Gemini educator guides in the works:
Gemini for Educators: Classroom & Planning Workflows of practical teacher use-cases (lesson adaptation, differentiation, feedback, communication) with guardrails and example prompts.
Gemini Image & Creative Studio Guide with hands-on image generation (including the “diorama” style prompt), consistency tricks, classroom activity ideas, and a simple “constraints → iteration → reflection” framework.