John Suchocki is author of Conceptual Chemistry as well as a coauthor of other “conceptual” science textbooks used by colleges and high schools world wide. He obtained his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University, which was followed by a two year postdoctorate in pharmacology at the Medial College of Virginia. He taught chemistry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and then at Leeward Community College where he received tenure and was highly active in the development of distance learning programs and student-centered learning curricula. In addition to authoring textbooks, John teaches as a visiting professor at various colleges including St. Michael’s College, Texas Tech University, and most recently Weber State University. John is founder/CEO of Conceptual Academy an online video-centered science learning platform now used by a growing number of colleges and high schools, including homeschools and co-ops. John is a regular contributor to the SEA magazine featuring meaningful hands-on science activities that can be performed at home.  He maintains the popular Conceptual Academy YouTube channel, which features select Conceptual Academy science video lessons for the general public. He is co-host of the Conceptual Academy Big Picture Podcast series with his wife Tracy, who has a strong background in environmental science and childhood education. On the side John is the author and illustrator of science-oriented children’s books found at Styraki.com. An avid songwriter he also produces music, which can be found through JohnAndrew.net. Mostly, he is the proud husband to Tracy with their three adventuresome children: Ian, Evan, and Maitreya now all within their college years.

“Join us for a conversation about AI’s impact on education and how we can prepare students for an AI-integrated world. Drawing from our work developing a high school AI literacy curriculum, we’ll explore fundamental questions: How do we help students understand what AI actually is versus what it seems to be?

Rather than treating AI as a black box or focusing on technical skills, we’ll discuss how students can look “under the hood” to understand how AI actually works—discovering through hands-on experience that AI learns through pattern recognition rather than genuine thinking. This conceptual foundation helps students recognize both AI’s remarkable capabilities and critical limitations.

We’ll address a central tension many families face: How do we help students use AI as a tool that amplifies their capabilities rather than replaces their thinking? What does it mean to work effectively with AI rather than simply use it? And how do we develop critical thinking when AI can instantly generate polished content?

Bring your questions about helping homeschool students navigate AI’s implications for education, careers, and society.”