Dear colleague,
The exciting news is below this post.
If you've never seen DALL-E 2, you ought to take 15 minutes and head down its wormhole. I've done a few things in the past ten years that have felt a bit like peaking at the future — trying on my brother's VR headset thing; test-driving a Tesla down the Las Vegas strip — but nothing comes close to this. To me, it's more impressive than ChatGPT. (And to me, it might be here for a shorter amount of time given it's the massive reliance it has on pre-AI copyright laws around fair use.)
So basically, DALL-E 2 (link) is an AI system that can create realistic images and art based on the prompt you give it.
The crazy word in that sentence is create. In about 15 seconds, it turns prompts you type into images that (most of the time) make visual sense.
E.g.,
A chipmunk dunking a basketball depicted as an expressive oil painting:
A cup of coffee that is a portal into a different dimension:
A cup of coffee dunking a basketball in the style of vaporwave:
I mean, it's bonkers. A computer made those images. In 15 seconds. Based on words that I typed in.
Dave — cool story. Why are you sharing this?
This is the kind of stuff that folks point to and say, “See? We're all going to be outmoded someday by computers.”
And my take on that, based on my research and writing and practice specifically with student motivation, is that no, we won't be.
The human heart can't be programmed.
It's a garden, not a switchboard.
So, your job is secure. But invest in your knowledge of student motivation — how it works, how to affect it.
But Dave, how do I invest in my knowledge of student motivation — how it works, how to affect it?
馃馃馃 It's here! The book I've been working on is available for pre-order.
- 馃摋 Available for presale today at Corwin: The Will to Learn: Cultivating Student Motivation Without Losing Your Own. And, if you use coupon code DSJR, you get 20% off.
- 馃摋+馃捇 Everyone who registers for this mini-course gets a free book as soon as it's out. That free book deal includes large groups. Register before January 31 to secure your copy.
For a look inside the course, check out this video I made yesterday. I love individuals using this course, but my passion is for whole secondary schools to start experiencing this kind of simple, good PD all together.
If you have any logistical questions about the course (purchase orders, dates, etc.) take a look at the FAQs on this page (adding to them daily) or just reply to this email.
In sum:
- Pre-order the book here using coupon code DSJR at checkout for 20% off.
- Register yourself or your group here to get complimentary books for everyone.
Best,
DSJR
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