I teach my students that in the AI era, critical thinking comes first.

When I started teaching 25 years ago in India, classroom technology meant learning basic computer navigation. Today, as a middle school technology teacher in California, the landscape looks very different.

Today, Gemini helps me tackle lesson planning and differentiated instruction in a fraction of the time, keeping my prep secure in Google Drive.

For my middle schoolers, seeing AI in action helps remove the fear of the unknown. I always remind them: AI only mirrors human design. Real power comes from our ability to reason, question, and keep our own critical thinking first.