LSI’s FCR-STEM InSPIRE Team Attended Google AI Educator Academy
Florida State University’s InSPIRE initiative is expanding its artificial intelligence education pathway following an invitation for members of LSI’s FCR-STEM InSPIRE team to participate in the Google AI Educator Series: CTL Academy at Google headquarters.
The academy brought together higher education leaders responsible for teaching, learning and professional development to explore the transformational potential of AI in education. Through train-the-trainer preparation, strategic discussions and collaborative planning, participants examined how institutions can support educators in using AI thoughtfully, responsibly and effectively.
LSI’s Carrie Meyers, Jim Reynolds and Robert Hanna, who lead the development of InSPIRE’s AI education pathway, attended on behalf of FSU InSPIRE. Their combined expertise in education, artificial intelligence, STEM content and instructional design will help translate this unique experience into advanced professional learning for teachers throughout Northwest Florida.
“It was an incredible honor for the FSU InSPIRE team to be invited to Google headquarters and learn directly from leaders working at the forefront of artificial intelligence and education,” said Meyers, Director of Education and Workforce Talent for FSU InSPIRE. “This opportunity places FSU InSPIRE and Northwest Florida at the leading edge of AI education. By bringing this knowledge directly back to our teachers, we are giving Northwest Florida a distinct educational and workforce advantage over other regions in Florida and across the nation.”
FSU InSPIRE will apply the knowledge, tools, and strategies gained through the academy to the development of AI200 and other advanced courses in its professional learning pathway for Northwest Florida educators. Building upon AI101 and AI102, the next courses will integrate advanced AI applications, instructional pedagogy, STEM content and Google’s Gemini tools to help educators design innovative, future-focused learning experiences.
“Artificial intelligence becomes especially powerful when it moves beyond the screen and helps teachers create opportunities for students to investigate, design, build, test, and improve,” said Jim Reynolds, an FSU InSPIRE AI pathway leader. “We will combine what we learned through the Google AI Educator Series with meaningful, hands-on STEM activities that strengthen teachers’ content knowledge and help them connect AI to authentic problem-solving.”
The next series of courses will help educators use Gemini tools to enhance lesson planning, resource development, instructional differentiation, student inquiry and creative problem-solving. Teachers will explore how AI can support the development of engaging student experiences while keeping educators’ professional expertise, subject-area knowledge and instructional judgment at the center of the process.
The courses will also emphasize responsible AI use, critical evaluation of AI-generated information and the thoughtful alignment of instructional resources with Florida standards, local priorities, and emerging workforce needs.
“Northwest Florida educators will benefit from direct access to advanced ideas and applications emerging from one of the world’s leading technology companies,” said Robert Hanna, an FSU InSPIRE AI pathway leader. “By helping teachers understand Gemini and other AI tools, then apply that knowledge through purposeful, hands-on STEM activities, we can strengthen classroom instruction and provide students with richer learning experiences that build critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and other skills needed for the future workforce.”
A central focus of the advanced courses will be helping teachers co-design locally relevant educational resources that extend beyond what is available through traditional curriculum materials. Educators will use AI as a collaborative planning tool to create standards-aligned lessons, hands-on investigations and authentic learning experiences connected to Northwest Florida’s communities, industries and workforce opportunities.
This localized approach is especially important as the region expands its capacity in aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, robotics, data science and other technology-driven fields. Preparing students for these opportunities begins with ensuring that teachers understand technologies shaping the future of work and can connect those developments to meaningful classroom experiences.
“Teachers are essential partners in workforce development,” Meyers said. “When educators can connect classroom learning with emerging technologies and regional career opportunities, students are better prepared to contribute to Northwest Florida’s future. This investment in our teachers strengthens the region’s ability to compete for talent, industry growth, research opportunities and future economic development.”
The new courses will enhance FSU InSPIRE’s progressive AI pathway, which has already provided more than 300 educators with AI-focused professional learning and continues to offer increasingly advanced opportunities to strengthen their AI literacy, instructional practice, STEM knowledge and ability to prepare students for an AI-enabled future. The pathway also supports InSPIRE’s broader mission to connect K-12 education, postsecondary pathways, university programs and regional workforce needs.
By bringing insights from the Google AI Educator Series back to Northwest Florida, FSU InSPIRE is helping ensure that the region’s educators are not simply responding to advances in artificial intelligence. They are prepared to make informed decisions about how AI can support teaching, strengthen learning experiences, and contribute to workforce preparation.
About FSU InSPIRE
FSU InSPIRE is a regional initiative focused on strengthening education, research, and workforce pathways across Northwest Florida. Through partnerships with K-12 schools, state colleges, universities, military organizations, and regional industries, InSPIRE prepares educators and students for opportunities in aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other high-demand fields.