Watch Mike and Webs show you exactly how to transform familiar activities into powerful learning experiences. No judgment, just practical help.
If you’ve got filing cabinets full of lessons that used to work, or if you’re handing out worksheets while quietly wishing there was something better, this episode is for you.
In the debut of Hoodlums Over Everything, instructional architects Mike and Webs take a 2005 dinosaur worksheet from the American Museum of Natural History and ask: “How could we make this amazing for today’s students?”
Not because the original was bad. Because the world has changed dramatically, and our lessons can evolve too.
You’re Not Alone in “Photocopy Land”
Mike opens by sharing his own teaching story. His first year in 2005, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, with no internet access, raggedy textbooks, and limited resources. That worksheet made perfect sense then.
But today? Students have smartphones, instant access to paleontologists on YouTube, AI tools that can answer questions, and the ability to connect with museums worldwide.
The opportunity: What if we could take that same dinosaur content and give students real detective work? Connections to local museums? Chances to create something meaningful for authentic audiences?
A Framework for Upgrading What You Already Have
The video walks through their practical approach:
First, they audit the lesson using Phil Schlechty’s design qualities, not to shame it, but to identify specific opportunities for improvement:
Could students connect this to their actual community?
Are there clear learning targets students can own?
Could the work serve a real audience beyond getting graded?
Where could we add student choice within the required content?
Then, they show you how to redesign it using their LIFT framework with AI assistance:
Lead with your professional judgment about what matters
Integrate the tools available to you (even basic ones work)
Focus by having AI ask you the right questions
Transform through trying and reflecting
The key insight: AI isn’t there to do your job. It’s there to be a thought partner that helps you see possibilities you might have missed while juggling 150 students and a million responsibilities.
From Worksheet to Wonder: A Real Example
In the video, they demonstrate exactly how that dinosaur worksheet could become:
Partnership with your local natural history museum
Students investigating which dinosaurs actually lived in your area
Creating educational resources for younger students or community members
Using both analog tools (footprint measurements) and digital platforms (sharing findings)
Building portfolios that show real growth, not just completed assignments
Webs, who’s completing her PhD in learning sciences, brings the research perspective while Mike shares decades of classroom reality. Together, they show what’s actually possible within your existing constraints.
This Is an Invitation
Maybe you’re new to project-based learning and not sure where to start. Maybe you’re drowning in required curriculum and can’t see where there’s room to innovate. Maybe you’ve tried “engaging” activities before and they fell flat.
The Intelligent Hoodlums are here to help. They’ve created free resources (checklists, templates, frameworks) specifically designed to meet you where you are.
In this episode, you’ll find:
The complete Pedagogical Experience Checklist you can use on any lesson
Live demonstration of AI-assisted co-design (not auto-pilot)
Honest talk about balancing innovation with required standards
Why student autonomy and teacher scaffolding aren’t opposites
How to create authentic audiences even with limited resources
You’ve Got This (And We’ve Got Your Back)
The video is practical, specific, and rooted in real classroom experience. No educational jargon marathons. No impossible suggestions that require unlimited budgets or administrative approval you’ll never get.
Just two educators who believe teachers deserve better tools, students deserve more engaging learning, and that small, thoughtful changes can make a massive difference.
Ready to see what’s possible? Watch the full episode above.
Want to try it yourself? Grab the free resources at theintelligenthoodlums.com
