Trigger Warning: This episode discusses recent sensitive real-world events, military actions, and the unrest in the region, which some listeners may find distressing or triggering.

This week on The International Classroom, Alex, Drew, and Bodruz sit down for a candid, raw, and necessary conversation about living and teaching through one of the most surreal and frightening weeks in recent memory.

While the sudden onset of unrest in the region brought undeniable anxiety—including firsthand accounts of witnessing military interceptions in the sky—it also highlighted the incredible safety protocols and community strength within the UAE. We discuss the realities of the sudden pivot back to distance learning, how schools are prioritising student and staff wellbeing over strict academics right now, and the unique ways educators are managing the "COVID-era" remote teaching muscle.

But it’s not all heavy. We also share how we are finding normalcy and keeping grounded—from baking cupcakes and playing exploding kittens, to a lighthearted debate on why Drew is currently banned from the "British Dads in Dubai" Facebook group.

This episode is a massive thank you to the community, the school leaders sending out care packages, the government ensuring our safety, and the everyday expats stepping up to look out for one another. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. Step away from the rumor mill, lean on your community, and stay safe.

In this episode we cover:

• The emotional toll and reality of the recent unrest in the UAE.

• How schools and teachers successfully pivoted back to distance learning.

• The importance of prioritising wellbeing and mental health for both students and staff.

• Standout moments of the expat community coming together to support one another.

• Finding humor, routine, and control in times of extreme uncertainty.

#Dubai #UAE #InternationalClassroom #Podcast #DistanceLearning #Resilience #ExpatsInDubai #CommunitySupport

Are you drowning in school admin and disjointed EdTech systems? In this episode of Show Us Your Stack, we sit down with Matthew, a science teacher based in India, who decided to stop waiting for perfect EdTech and started building his own.

Facing teacher shortages, curriculum revisions, and endless data entry, Matthew turned to AI to regain his time. He walks us through exactly how he uses tools like Claude Code and Google Apps Script to bypass strict school firewalls, build custom standards-based grading apps, and automate departmental budgets—all without being a professional software engineer.

If you want to take control of your workload and learn how to safely build AI tools specifically for your school's ecosystem, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The Firewall Workaround: Why building within Google Workspace (Apps Script + Sheets) is the best way to deploy custom apps in restricted school environments.

• The AI Tech Stack: Why Matthew transitioned from ChatGPT to Claude Code for architecting his education tools.

• From Idea to App: The exact workflow for turning a messy spreadsheet into a clean, functional web app for teachers and students.

• Beating Burnout: How investing time in AI up-front can drastically reduce daily administrative fatigue.

Episode Timestamps:

- Introduction to Matthew and the reality of teacher workload.

- Sink or Swim: Using AI for IB Science moderation and data.

- Matthew's workflow: Storyboarding with Claude and coding with Google Apps Script.

- Navigating school firewalls and data privacy with custom apps.

- Building a unified, standards-based grading dashboard.

- The best advice for educators looking to start coding with AI.

Links & Resources:

• Mentioned AI Tools: Claude Code, Google Gemini, Google Apps Script.

• Watch the video version of this interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4W6ja6uoLik

• Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandergray84/

• Discover more episodes and resources: https://www.deepeducationnetwork.com/podcast

Enjoyed the episode? Please leave us a rating and review on Spotify! It helps other educators discover how to leverage tech to improve their classrooms.

Eric Chamberlain spent 25 years in education. Then he lost his job. Instead of sending CVs, he opened a laptop and started building.

Four months later, he'd shipped five apps — including Save Veritas, an oral assessment platform that tackles one of the biggest problems in schools right now: how do you know a student actually did the work when AI can do it for them?

In this episode, Eric walks us through everything — the origin story that started with his wife needing a French speaking app in Kuwait during COVID, the interview with an AI system that sparked the idea, and the technical journey from Bolt DIY frustrations to a robust, multi-assessment platform built on Vercel, Supabase, and the latest AI models.

We get into the real stuff: the tech stack choices, why PRDs and user stories changed everything, how to handle security and GDPR when you're not a developer, the tools that actually work on a bootstrap budget, and why boring, disciplined building beats vibe coding every time.

Whether you're a teacher curious about building your own thing, a solo founder figuring out your stack, or just fascinated by how fast non-coders can ship real products with AI right now — this one's worth your time.

In this episode we discuss:

• The assessment integrity crisis and why oral assessment solves it
• Building on free tiers — Vercel, Supabase, OpenAI, and Google Gemini
• Going from idea to PRD to user stories to shipped features
• Git branching, work trees, and protecting your codebase from AI agents
• Red teaming your own product for security
• Anti-Gravity, Claude Code, and Olama Cloud for budget AI-assisted development
• Aligning with UK DfE AI product safety standards
• The difference between vibe coding and actually building something that works

Connect with us:Alex Gray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandergray84/

Darren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-coxon/

Eric Chamberlain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericchamberlintech/

Teachers keep saying, “I’m not a coder.”Evan Weinberg proves that doesn’t matter.

In the premiere episode of Show Us Your Stack, we break down how Evan built a unit-planning tool using AI — not to replace teaching, but to protect the human parts of the job: the coaching, the feedback, and the relationships.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ The real problem that pushed Evan to build (unit planning chaos + meeting “triage”)

✅ How he uses AI Studio as the simplest “way in” for educators

✅ Why he recommends single-file HTML apps (fast prototyping + built-in version history)

✅ The biggest risk teachers ignore: data + security (CSV uploads, student info, API keys

)✅ A brilliant starter project for beginners: the grouping generator (“Hello World” for teacher tools)

Evan’s message is simple: don’t chase the perfect prompt — start with a problem, ask for an HTML file, and iterate.

About the series

Show Us Your Stack features educators around the world building practical tools with AI — without needing to be computer scientists.

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: comedy duo + what “Show Us Your Stack” is
00:52 Darren’s current build: SEN vector-store chatbot + agents
02:52 Darren’s courses + Learnfolio membership site
04:33 Alex’s update: Duxer v1.1 parent portal + Deep Education Network courses
07:35 Darren’s next builds: AI consultant OS + packaging tools (BYOK)
09:51 Introducing the first guest: Evan Weinberg
10:10 The problem: unit planning gets pushed aside (PBL + no set curriculum)
13:34 The build: from “agents” confusion to a unit planner (Python → JavaScript)
14:39 Tools & workflow: why AI Studio is the easiest “way in”
15:58 Before vs after: meetings move from triage to concrete unit timelines
18:31 Mistakes & version control: single-file HTML downloads
21:10 Classroom example: students building habit apps + file responsibility
22:34 When AI makes things worse: data, security, permissions
25:12 Backends & RLS: why local storage first, lock down row-level security
26:36 Evan’s background: maths → engineering → STEM + learning alongside students
28:35 Debunking the myth: you don’t need to be a CS teacher
28:56 Evan’s “coder origin story”: automating parent-teacher scheduling
31:25 One-sentence advice: start small—describe a problem, ask for HTML, iterate
33:20 Where Evan is: Santiago, Chile + wrap-up

What does it look like when a classroom teacher becomes an EdTech builder — and uses AI to tackle one of the biggest challenges in schools: reading engagement and attainment?

In this episode, Alex Gray sits down with Marc Graham, former teacher and founder of Everybody Reads (formerly Spark Education AI). Marc shares the story behind building an AI-powered reading platform designed to help students see themselves inside what they read — while keeping student agency, appropriate challenge, and data privacy at the centre.

You’ll hear the moment literacy became Marc’s mission, how he moved from teaching into building with no-code tools like Bubble, the biggest “fail-forward” lesson he learned when gamification distracted students from reading, and why the future of AI in education won’t be the flashy tools — it’ll be the ones that feel like good teaching.

Marc also discusses early school pilots, the importance of equity and access in EdTech adoption, and one practical way teachers can integrate AI meaningfully next lesson.

• Marc’s early teaching journey (and the student who shaped his view of literacy)

• Why interest-led reading matters more than “ability”

• Teacher → builder: how Marc started building with Bubble and no-code

• From Spark Education AI to Everybody Reads: what changed and why

• Fail-forward moment: when avatars and coins became a distraction (and what he rebuilt)

• How the platform supports reading-age differentiation + structured comprehension practice

• AI in schools: how to avoid dependency and protect student agency

• Why the best AI tools won’t feel like “AI” — they’ll feel like great learning design

• The biggest barrier to EdTech adoption: equity, access, and opportunity gaps

• A simple “Monday-ready” classroom approach to using AI for literacy

• “Agency comes from choice — not from removing challenge.”

• “The tools that last won’t be the flashy ones. They’ll be the purposeful ones.”

• “Reading isn’t about intelligence — it develops when it’s connected to interest.”

• Website: everybodyreads.org.uk

• LinkedIn: Marc Graham (search “Marc Graham Everybody Reads”)

Follow The International Classroom Podcast on Spotify, and leave a rating so more educators and leaders can find the show.

Question for you: What’s one classroom problem you wish you could build a tool to solve?

In this episode, we cover:Memorable lines:Connect with Marc / Everybody ReadsIf you enjoyed this episode…

What does AI in education look like when it’s implemented with clarity, ethics, and purpose — not hype?

In this episode of The International Classroom Podcast, Alex Gray is joined by Chris Loveday, a senior education leader who has led one of the UK’s most thoughtful and practical AI rollouts in a post-16 setting.

Rather than chasing trends, Chris explains how his college adopted AI and Google Gemini to solve real problems — reducing administrative workload, improving student services, and supporting staff — while keeping humans firmly in control.

This is a grounded, honest conversation about AI leadership, staff trust, digital infrastructure, and the risks of adopting technology for appearances rather than impact.

• Why schools should start with “What problem are we solving?”

• How AI can reduce workload without replacing professional judgment

• The role of Gemini, AI agents, and bespoke solutions in education

• How to introduce AI without overwhelming staff or students

• Ethical concerns, data protection, CO₂ impact, and governance

• Lessons learned from failed experiments — and why that matters

• Preparing students for an AI-driven future responsibly and equitably

AI isn’t a shortcut or a silver bullet. When used well, it’s a long-term, problem-led strategy that strengthens — not replaces — human expertise.

This episode is essential listening for school leaders, teachers, administrators, and policymakers who want to move beyond AI buzzwords and make informed, ethical decisions.

🎙️ Follow The International Classroom for weekly conversations on leadership, learning, and the future of education
💬 Reflect: What is one problem AI could genuinely solve in your setting?

🎧 In this episode, you’ll hear:🔑 Key insight:

Where does real learning actually happen?

In this episode of The International Classroom Podcast, Alex Gray is joined by Harry Titley — secondary school teacher, Head of Year, and Director of Rugby at Burton Rugby Club.

Harry works at the intersection of education and sport, and this conversation explores why teaching and coaching are fundamentally the same craft.

Together, they discuss:

• Why psychological safety underpins all meaningful learning

• The shared leadership principles of classrooms and high-performance sport

• Developing people under pressure — without losing the human side

• Transitioning from player to coach and learning to let go

• How reflection, trust, and belonging shape long-term success

• What modern leaders need to understand now — that they didn’t 10 years ago

This episode is for educators, coaches, leaders, and anyone interested in performance, learning, and human development — wherever that learning takes place.

🌐 Website: https://www.ticproductions.com
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/theinternationalclassroom
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ticpodcast
💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandergray84/

🔗 Connect with The International Classroom

Term 1 is over — and instead of wrapping it up neatly, this episode leans into the reality that teaching is often anything but tidy.

Alex Gray is joined by Drew Owen and Bodruz Jamir for an open, honest conversation about the messy reality of teaching in international schools. From burnout and workload pressure to leadership identity shifts and the growing influence of AI in education, this episode reflects the conversations educators tend to have once the bell stops ringing.

Together, they unpack what this term has demanded emotionally and professionally — and what educators should be thinking about as we look ahead to 2026.

• Why Term 1 often feels heavier than any other part of the year

• Burnout, energy dips, and the pressure to keep performing

• Stepping into — and letting go of — leadership roles

• Email overload, communication systems, and productivity challenges

• AI in education: opportunity, risk, and the importance of domain knowledge

• Why human judgment still matters in an increasingly automated world

• What teachers and leaders should be paying attention to heading into 2026

This isn’t a how-to episode. It’s a shared moment of recognition — the kind of conversation educators have when they finally stop, reflect, and take stock.

If you’re ending a long term, stepping into a new role, or trying to make sense of change in education, this one’s for you.

🎙️ The International Classroom Podcast
📍 Teaching in Dubai. Thinking globally.

In this episode, we explore: