Dear colleagues,
These are the AI-related thought pieces I have found valuable in the past month or so.
The first one is good for either listening or viewing. It's called “How Will AI Change Education?” There are a million low-quality thought pieces on this topic, but what I respect about this video is that he actually understands and explains how learning and thinking work. THEN he gets into potential applications for AI in education, and the core dilemma he lands on by the end is, “How do we force learners to care about learning?”
That, in my view, IS the core question that faced us prior to AI and faces us today. Except that he's wrong to ask how to force learners to care — you can't do that. But you can cultivate care. We really need to push into cultivating a genuine care for learning in our students. MGCs are a good foundation, but they won't magically help students value the (often laborious) work of learning.
(Also, here's an article that riffs the video.)
The second one is also good for viewing or listening — an interview/conversation between journalist Ezra Klein and edu-thinker Rebecca Winthrop. They get into broader concerns regarding parenting, educating younger vs. older students, etc. I found good food for thought. I liked the advice somewhere in there of NOT simply using AI to use AI. Gotta understand what it is, what it helps with, what it hurts, etc. — just like with social media.
The third one is short and punchy. The speaker is a big name in math education (I think?) and he speaks from a deep understanding of how humans and learning and thinking work. He's pretty sassy about all of the bold-faced claims being made about AI in education right now — a skepticism I find sane and healthy.
And finally, here's one with Tristan Harris (he's featured prominently in The Social Dilemma documentary, which my school showed to 9-11 graders this year after state testing). Harris gives a warning about AI that is not that different from the warnings he gave about social media. This one (unlike the others) is not specific to education but short and worthwhile nonetheless.
My Take
Schools around the nation are hopping onto the AI bandwagon recklessly. We use arguments like, “We've got to get our kids using AI because this is what their future jobs will require.”
Frankly, this is misguided. I say that because:
- AI's rapid adoption and improvement is strong proof that we don't know the future (just two years ago, I wrongly argued that AI ain't no thing but a chicken wing; two years before that, I only knew about AI from being a sci-fi nerd).
- AI use, like critical thinking, is not a generic skill but is dependent on a user's understanding of the domain they are using AI in. We want our students to become as smart and capable and good as they can become. AI doesn't diminish that objective; rather, it increases its importance and urgency.
I'll delve a lot deeper into this topic in my upcoming AI workshop. It costs whatever you think is fair; you can register here.
Please come!
Teaching right beside you,
DSJR
nicoleandmaggie says
I’ve been telling my colleagues that AI is like a calculator. You have to have a mastery of the subject matter before you know if it’s being used correctly.