In a rural North Carolina school district, two instructional technologists felt like they were building the plane as they flew it through the pandemic. Then, they were approached with piloting Merlyn, the first-of-its-kind AI assistant for teachers. They were hesitant: “I didn’t want to be the pilot for it [Merlyn], because we were already building a plane and now you guys just landed another heavy piece of equipment.”

Today, they report even their most skeptical teachers can’t teach without it: “She said, ‘You are not leaving this room until you get this fixed.’” From keeping students on task to organizing Google Drives, teachers have found Merlyn to be a true teaching support, rather than another app with bells and whistles.

How did their relationship with Merlyn and innovation change from “kicking and screaming” to believing? And what can other instructional technologists learn? Listen to our host, Levi Belnap, unpack their journey.