About me
Emery Mitchem is a middle school science teacher in Portland, Oregon with 20 years of experience focused on helping students make sense of the natural world through inquiry and the Next Generation Science Standards, with the understanding that the goal is not just covering content but creating situations where students are actively building understanding through questioning and interaction. More recently, that work has expanded into AI in the classroom, where he has explored how these tools can move beyond novelty into something that actually supports learning, including building classroom chatbots and vibe-coding a JRPG-style science review game to increase engagement and feedback. One of the challenges that has emerged is helping students recognize that these tools are not neutral, which has led to ongoing conversations about bias in generated outputs and the need to critically evaluate what AI produces. This becomes important because it shifts students from passive users to active thinkers, and the larger focus remains on how AI can deepen student thinking while expanding access in ways that are meaningful. Outside of the classroom, he can hopefully be found surfing the Oregon coast, though when conditions or life don’t cooperate, he is just as likely to be spending time with his family.
