Hello, educator. I’m Vicki Davis.
Teacher and instructional technology leader since 2002 · Podcast and radio/TV host · Education keynote speaker · Mom of three
I’m a teacher just like you — still in school every day in Georgia, working with students and teachers across computer science, digital film, and AI. Everything I share comes from real classrooms with real teenagers, not from a stage somewhere. I built this site to be helpful. So whatever brought you here, let me point you in the right direction.
A teacher who builds. A builder who teaches.
I’ve been teaching since 2002 and blogging at Cool Cat Teacher since 2005. My husband and I have three children — two with learning differences. So I had to learn how to reach every kind of learner long before reaching every learner became a slogan. That work shapes everything I make.
I love this profession. Teaching is fun. It’s also hard. I use AI in my classroom, but I don’t agree with every use of AI, and I want to protect kids and their futures. I’m not blindly pro-AI. I’m not stubbornly anti-AI. I’m pro-learning. Pro teacher. Pro student. Pro-fessional (Ok sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
In 2023 I started teaching AP Computer Science Principles. The course allows AI, so I had to learn how to use it well. I also had to learn how to teach kids to use it well. I knew programming, but I didn’t know much about Python, the language we teach. So I learned alongside my students, using AI as my own learning tool while teaching them to do the same.
AP Computer Science Principles pass rate — using AI to teach AI
I used AI to learn Python alongside my students, then taught them to use AI the same way: as a learning partner that made them stronger, not a shortcut that made them weaker. The result was a 2-year 100% pass rate against a national average around 64%.
This is the story I tell on every keynote stage — because it’s proof that the right framing of AI plus good teaching wins.
I bring a rare dual perspective to education media. I’m a working teacher / Instructional Technology Coach and a media entrepreneur who uses technology to build and run my own business. Before teaching, I was a general manager for a cellular market covering 13 counties in South Georgia. (And in between I was a stay at home Mom for 7 years, something that was hard but filled me with great joy! I ran my own training business in the 1990s teaching teachers and businesspeople how to use the internet when it was still dial-up. I’ve been through every shift from Web 1.0 to AI — which is part of why I’m uniquely qualified to help teachers navigate what comes next.
Students, ISTE representatives, and educators at the Flat Classroom Conference I co-planned in Doha, Qatar. My classroom — nicknamed Masterpiece Theater — has connected with students across continents.
My students in Dubai, UAE.
🎤 Book Me to Speak
I keynote and lead workshops around a dozen times a year. I keep it lower on purpose so I can stay close to students, interview leaders from around the world on my shows, write books, serve my teachers as Instructional Tech coach, and bring back what’s actually working in real classrooms. That’s the difference my audiences notice.
Featured speaker, FETC 2026 and ISTE 2026. I’ve been invited to speak in Russia, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Beijing, and Doha, and at Harvard, Princeton, Google, and Microsoft (and pretty much most edtech conferences in the US with the exception of a few.) I’ve judged the Global Teacher Prize since its inception. I customize every keynote based on two things: a deep read of your audience, and what is happening in classrooms, research, and technology right now. I want to be practical, encouraging, helpful, and funny (if I can be. Some things I talk about aren’t funny but others, they just are.)
Most-requested topics
Currently presenting at FETC 2026:
- Beyond the AI Hype: Purposeful Pedagogy that Gets Results
- 50+ AI/EdTech Tools and Teaching Tips to Transform Your Classroom
- Empowering Digital Storytelling: From Pitch to Publish
- AI and EdTech SuperShare (multi-speaker format I facilitate — increasingly popular at conferences)
Other most-requested topics:
- Making AI Work for You (Not Against You)
- How to Use AI to Improve Learning, Not Undermine It
- Steps for Effective Prompting and Iteration with AI
- 12 Habits of Top 21st-Century Teachers
- Differentiating Instruction with Technology
- 7 Steps to Flatten Your Classroom
- 7 Steps to Global Collaboration
- How to Reinvent Writing in Your Classroom
Format options: opening keynote, spotlight, breakout, workshop, school-opener PD, virtual keynote.
Opening keynote at NCTIES.
🤝 Sponsor a Show That Reaches Decision-Makers
Cool Cat Teacher media reaches the people who actually drive K–12 purchasing decisions: classroom teachers, IT leaders, administrators, and policymakers. The audience is built on twenty years of trust — and sponsors get coordinated visibility across podcast, blog, newsletter, radio/TV, and social.
Past sponsors include Google, Microsoft, and PowerSchool.
Why brands sponsor Cool Cat Teacher media
- Trusted voice. 24 years in K–12 education. Working educator, not a pundit.
- Multi-channel synergy. Sponsors appear across podcast, newsletter, blog, radio/TV, and social — not just one ad slot.
- Verified Nielsen reach. Per-station audience figures sourced through Hype Media Global. WDJY 99.1 FM Atlanta is direct Nielsen Arbitron measurement (Spring 2025: 631,600 metro Atlanta cumulative reach).
- Growing footprint. 14 FM affiliates and 13 TV markets by Q3 2026, including five NPR/public-radio FMs (NYC, Indianapolis, Tallahassee, Dallas) and three UK stations (BBC Radio Ulster, Cardiff, LBC London).
- AI-search asset. AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews) cite the Cool Cat Teacher Blog as a source — driving qualified traffic. January 2026 pageviews up 302% YoY.
Standard packages start at $1,000 (single podcast episode) and go to $10,000 (premier multi-channel bundle). Custom packages available. All sponsorships follow the Cool Cat Teacher Code of Ethics — full FTC disclosure, vetted partners only, and audience trust comes first.
📬 Subscribe — Free, Helpful, Classroom-Ready
I make four free things every week. Pick the ones that fit how you like to learn:
🎙️ The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast
934 episodes. Nearly 8 million downloads. Top 5% of podcasts worldwide. Every episode features a remarkable educator sharing a classroom-tested idea in ten minutes.
📺 Cool Cat Teacher Talk
Weekly 58-minute education show on FM radio, public-access TV, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms. Practical EdTech and AI insights for teachers, leaders, and parents.
📰 Classroom Matters Newsletter
The signal from the noise on EdTech and AI for busy teachers. Two to four times a month. 9,300+ subscribers. 46% open rate (industry average is 20–25%). No fluff. Subscribe inline below — no extra clicks needed.
✏️ Cool Cat Teacher Blog
Classroom-tested posts since December 2005. Over 100,000 unique readers a month. Cited by AI search tools because the content is real teaching, not SEO filler.
Free book: 10 Habits of Bloggers That Win
I wrote this for educators who want to start (or restart) a blog that actually reaches their community. It’s free.
Relate to Educate. Innovate Like a Turtle.
Working alongside a student.
One of my students collaborating with her group in Beijing.
“Relate to Educate” is the heart of my teaching. Building relationships comes first — because when students know you care, they’re ready to learn. This isn’t just intuition; decades of educational research show that connection precedes effective learning.
I believe in wisdom-guided middle paths in education, especially with technology. AI has a place, but not every place. It’s a powerful tool we have to supervise closely and use wisely.
My daily classroom practice is built on:
- Formative assessment so I can pivot when students disengage
- Gold Standard Project-Based Learning
- Authentic learning experiences that connect to students’ lives
- Technology that enhances — never replaces — human connection
I also believe innovation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. I teach a sustainable approach I call Innovate Like a Turtle — small consistent steps over a long enough timeline beats heroic burnout every time.
Popular reading from the blog
If you’re new here, these are the posts teachers come back to most:
My students in Mumbai, India — connecting classrooms across continents.
🏆 Honors That Shape This Work
Two-Time STAR Teacher Award (2024, 2025) — selected by my school’s STAR Student (the highest-scoring senior on the SAT) as the teacher who most influenced their academic success. That recognition means the most to me, because the student chooses it.
Media features
Featured in USA Today (2022), LA Times (2024), EdTech Magazine, Intelligent Enterprise Leaders Alliance (2025 cover story), and on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Contributing writer at Edutopia. Named one of Twitter’s Top 10 Rockstar Teachers by Mashable.
USA Today — “Giving Teachers and Students the Tools They Need to Succeed.”
Intelligent Enterprise Leaders Alliance — “The Future of Education Technology for K–12.”
📚 Reading That Travels with Me
I wrote these
- Reinventing Writing (Routledge)
- Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds (Pearson)
Six books that shaped my teaching
- The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong — the first book I buy new teachers
- Teach Like a PIRATE by Dave Burgess — bringing passion and creativity to every lesson (listen to my interview with Dave)
- Project-Based Learning books by Suzie Boss — the gold standard for deep, creative classroom work (listen to my interview with Suzie)
- Atomic Habits by James Clear — how I build classroom routines and coach students to do the same (listen to my interview with James)
- Multipliers by Liz Wiseman — how I mentor students and fellow teachers
- Greater Than Yourself by Steve Farber — the philosophy of making the hill bigger
Click a cover to see it on Amazon.
What I Do for Fun
When I’m not teaching or making content, you’ll find me with my family. I might be making homemade sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls, paddling a ducky down white-water rapids, singing in choir, or running a half marathon with my sisters. I love to read, laugh, play, travel, and meet new people.
I have some precious girls I’ve mentored over the years. I’ve watched many of them grow up. I keep teaching when I can be helpful — wherever I happen to be.
🎧 Where to Find the Shows
The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast
934+ episodes. Top 5% worldwide. Subscribe on your favorite app:
Cool Cat Teacher Talk
Weekly 58-minute education show on FM radio, public-access TV, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms:
My Books
If you’d like to support the work, my books are on Amazon (affiliate links):
Quick Answers
Who is Vicki Davis?
Vicki Davis is a K–12 teacher and instructional technology leader in Georgia, host of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast (a top 5% education podcast worldwide) and Cool Cat Teacher Talk (a weekly education radio and television show), and an education keynote speaker. She has been teaching since 2002 and writing the Cool Cat Teacher Blog since 2005. She is the author of Reinventing Writing (Routledge) and Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds (Pearson).
What does Vicki Davis speak about?
Vicki is most often booked to keynote on artificial intelligence in K–12 classrooms, educational technology, project-based learning, classroom innovation, global collaboration, and how to teach in the AI era. Her most-requested topics include “Making AI Work for You (Not Against You),” “How to Use AI to Improve Learning, Not Undermine It,” “50+ Tools You Can Use Tomorrow,” and “12 Habits of Top 21st-Century Teachers.”
How do I book Vicki Davis to speak at my education conference?
Submit a booking inquiry through the Cool Cat Teacher booking form. Vicki delivers around nine to ten keynotes per year so she can stay close to students. She is a featured speaker at FETC 2026 and ISTE 2026 and has spoken at conferences in the United States, Russia, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, India, and at Harvard, Princeton, Google, and Microsoft.
How do I sponsor the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast or Cool Cat Teacher Talk?
Sponsorships reach an audience of approximately one million weekly listeners and viewers across radio and television affiliates, plus a top 5% K–12 education podcast and a 9,300+ subscriber newsletter at a 46% open rate. Request the media kit and sponsorship information to receive current rates, packages, and availability. Brands like Google, Microsoft, and PowerSchool have sponsored.
What is the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast?
The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast is a top 5% K–12 education podcast hosted by Vicki Davis since 2017. It features 934+ episodes of remarkable educators sharing classroom-tested ideas in ten minutes. The show has nearly 8 million lifetime downloads with listeners across more than 100 countries.
Where can I listen to Cool Cat Teacher Talk?
Cool Cat Teacher Talk is a weekly 58-minute education show on FM radio, public-access television, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Audible, and Deezer. By Q3 2026, the show airs on 14 FM affiliates and 13 TV markets, including stations in Atlanta, New York, Los Alamos, Indianapolis, Tallahassee, Dallas, Berkeley, Denver, San Francisco, Detroit, and London (UK).
How do I subscribe to Vicki Davis’s newsletter?
The free Classroom Matters Newsletter goes to 9,300+ educators two to four times a month with classroom-ready EdTech and AI insights. The newsletter has a 46% open rate, well above the 20–25% education industry average.
What books has Vicki Davis written?
Vicki Davis is the author of Reinventing Writing (Routledge) and Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds (Pearson Publishing). She is also a contributing writer at Edutopia and was featured in Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat (3rd edition) for the Flat Classroom Project, which received the ISTE Online Learning Award in 2007.
Let’s Stay in Touch
Whatever brought you here, here’s the shortest path forward:
Short bio: Vicki Davis has been a teacher and IT director since 2002 in Georgia. She has been blogging at the Cool Cat Teacher Blog since 2005 and hosting the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast since 2017. Cool Cat Teacher Talk airs on radio, public-access TV, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms. Vicki has spoken in more than a dozen countries, judged the Global Teacher Prize since its inception, and was featured in Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat. She is a featured speaker at FETC 2026 and ISTE 2026.
Never miss an episode
Get the 10-minute Teacher Show delivered to your inbox.
