“Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word, ‘No.” So says Betteridge’s Law of Headlines. It’s a great quote that almost persuades me to NOT use a question mark in a blog title. Still, I persist in being “tentative” about AI assertions…which is what comes to mind when considering this set of questions I posed to Linked In a few weeks ago.
Pondering Brady’s Questions
Brady’s questions had originally been asked as a comment he left on this blog entry, AI in Education and Its Impact on Educators:
1. What role/how much should students be using AI, and does this vary based on grade level?2. What do you think the next five years in education will look like in regards to AI? Complete integration or total ban of AI?
At the time, I didn’t have the time to respond or reflect, so I decided to drop them on Linked In to see who might respond. Since then, I’ve spent a lot more time reading up on AI, attended AI conference events, and read a lot of other people.
Before I share my response to those questions, I thought I’d summarize a few of the responses that did come in via Linked In. I ask that you think about the questions, and reflect on what YOUR response would be, if you haven’t already.
Finally, I had too much fun expressing my biases in this blog entry , I’ll have to come back in subsequent blog entries. In the meantime, allow me to share my misconceptions and foolish ideas here.
Responses via Linked In
Posting a comment, then later writing a blog entry, David Truss was the most recent of the responses. And he wrote a blog entry, which moved the ruminations out of Linked In into the blogosphere. He writes:
Like a pencil or a laptop, AI is a tool to use sometimes and not use other times. The question is about expectations and management.
Prior to him, Jon Fila and Guy Huntington also shared their insights. Here’s my flawed understanding:
Question #1: How much should students be using AI? Does this (should it) vary by grade level?
It’s a tool to use when appropriate, suggests David Truss in his response. He says the real issue is what expectations we have and how AI will be managed in the classroom. These perspectives are not far off from what Jon Fila implies in his question:
“To what extent do students have access?”
Jon points out that students who use AI now are “self-selecting.” That is, they are wealthy enough or have the means to experiment with AI tools that may cost money.
Guy Huntington’s response isn’t quite as direct. He recommends reading three articles that hint at a sea change that transforms education. As I read the articles he had shared, I was reminded of Nicholas Negroponte’s vision of one laptop per child.
My understanding may have been too quick and perhaps prior conceptions/experiences of school inhibited and limited my comprehension of Guy’s articles. This makes discussion all the more important so we can all process ideas together.
Here are the articles for you to read so you can judge for yourself:
It wasn’t a one for one type of idea, but it was this concept that technology, the access and assistance AI can provide would have a transformative impact. While I once might have seen this as a shining vision to aspire to, it often feels like science fiction, like those videos Microsoft would publish about their big flat screens and translucent digital “clearboards” you could write and communicate with.
That is, impractical and not reflective of the realities of human experience and our capacity for violence and harm. I can’t imagine technologies in the sorts of locales highlighted in Guy’s articles to not immediately suffer the wrath of human fear, anger, and hatred. Sad, but true.
I’m ending part 1 at this point and will post my response to the first question in a follow-up blog entry tomorrow. This got really long and if I had more time, I’d whittle it down.
Image Credits
I had so much fun generating the images illustrating this blog entry. While I started with Nightcafe, Microsoft Bing’s Image Creator is my go-to tool. The prompt used:
a tidal wave of artificial intelligence sweeping away schools and people with money tycoons looking on
😉
Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure
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