First, I have read the comments below & I will be addressing those as well as my own inputs on your ESSAY.
Yes, I am an oldster. I have never married, nor do I have children. However, should I be a young parent with a child, I would only allow them a flip phone (snapping them closed is so satisfying). . I still think that the best way to get students to perform well in school is to have involved parents.
I was born in '62, so I grew up learning card catalogs & bibliographies. I can remember my Mom showing me how to read, sound out words (she did have a bachelor's degree in Classics...& while she was all about the Latin, in later years [my second degree] I was much more inclined towards the Ancient Greek).
I could go on...such as how I, a career bachelor, could have opinions on the education of the younger generations. To this I say that, I live in the community of humanity. So the responsibility of how the next generation not only resides upon the parents, but those of us in the wider society.
Also, I am no Luddite. I have recently upgraded my Microslop Windows 10 laptop. Adding more RAM & switching to Linux. After all...my Dad work for IBM, & our first computer was an Atari (way back when).
As always, I found this to be a nuanced & inciteful ESSAY. I have to admit I am torn between which I like better...your writing or your videos. I'm sure I'll have an informed opinion by the end of the year.
I'm not as hostile to the teaching AI use relatively early. Kids are going to use it outside the classroom so I think they should be taught how to check its sources and effectively prompt it in the same way I was taught how to use a search engine and how to evaluate the potential biases and accuracy of a source.
But the idea that it should be used to replace essays planned and written by kids is insane. Essays are what enables us to record our thoughts, construct arguments, and see how the pieces of arguments work together. It literally enables us to have more complex thoughts than we could if we relied on our memories. When I want to clarify my thinking about something, I sit down and write an essay.
I actually am not opposed to AI in every context. Learning how to evaluate it as a source is important and for more modern classes like cybersecurity, it is essential.
I guess I just think some basics must be mastered before it's total incorporation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Definitely, I just got the sense you'd introduce AI a little later than I would. But I definitely don't want it to interfere with the development of kids' ability to sit with their own thoughts and compose an essay.
Great essay! My two cents as a teacher and as someone who was lucky enough to be educated before 'smart devices' appeared in classrooms: America's approach to AI as a sort of academic swiss army knife, combined with favoring a tool over a skill, is a major concern here. Already we can see other countries pulling 'edtech' out of schools and in some countries, like Japan and China, the tech was never allowed into the classroom in the first place due to concerns over slowing development of fundamental math and literacy skills. In addition, the US Common Core approach to teaching reading & literacy skills is absolutely fundamentally flawed, and is the root cause of the exponential decline in overall literacy in the US, with writing being a part of it.
I am so happy that I barely missed the heavy implementation of technology in classrooms. Well at least I missed it as a student.
Technology is only useful if it solves a problem and has a purpose. AI in the classroom is creating problems that did not previously exist. Maybe individual classes could benefit from learning with AI (like cybersecurity classes and maybe some science classes). English and history should be left alone until basic skills are mastered.
First, I have read the comments below & I will be addressing those as well as my own inputs on your ESSAY.
Yes, I am an oldster. I have never married, nor do I have children. However, should I be a young parent with a child, I would only allow them a flip phone (snapping them closed is so satisfying). . I still think that the best way to get students to perform well in school is to have involved parents.
I was born in '62, so I grew up learning card catalogs & bibliographies. I can remember my Mom showing me how to read, sound out words (she did have a bachelor's degree in Classics...& while she was all about the Latin, in later years [my second degree] I was much more inclined towards the Ancient Greek).
Regardless, as far as classrooms are concerned, I would remove all tech, as a number of studies have shown that there has been a cognitive decline in the last few decades. Indeed, there have been other studies that have shown writing essays (especially in long hand) are much better for the student. It is interesting that I am reading this essay now, the same day this article came out: ( https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-architecture-of-identity/202603/why-handwriting-is-better-for-your-brain-than-typing/amp ).
I could go on...such as how I, a career bachelor, could have opinions on the education of the younger generations. To this I say that, I live in the community of humanity. So the responsibility of how the next generation not only resides upon the parents, but those of us in the wider society.
Also, I am no Luddite. I have recently upgraded my Microslop Windows 10 laptop. Adding more RAM & switching to Linux. After all...my Dad work for IBM, & our first computer was an Atari (way back when).
As always, I found this to be a nuanced & inciteful ESSAY. I have to admit I am torn between which I like better...your writing or your videos. I'm sure I'll have an informed opinion by the end of the year.
I'm not as hostile to the teaching AI use relatively early. Kids are going to use it outside the classroom so I think they should be taught how to check its sources and effectively prompt it in the same way I was taught how to use a search engine and how to evaluate the potential biases and accuracy of a source.
But the idea that it should be used to replace essays planned and written by kids is insane. Essays are what enables us to record our thoughts, construct arguments, and see how the pieces of arguments work together. It literally enables us to have more complex thoughts than we could if we relied on our memories. When I want to clarify my thinking about something, I sit down and write an essay.
I actually am not opposed to AI in every context. Learning how to evaluate it as a source is important and for more modern classes like cybersecurity, it is essential.
I guess I just think some basics must be mastered before it's total incorporation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Definitely, I just got the sense you'd introduce AI a little later than I would. But I definitely don't want it to interfere with the development of kids' ability to sit with their own thoughts and compose an essay.
Great essay! My two cents as a teacher and as someone who was lucky enough to be educated before 'smart devices' appeared in classrooms: America's approach to AI as a sort of academic swiss army knife, combined with favoring a tool over a skill, is a major concern here. Already we can see other countries pulling 'edtech' out of schools and in some countries, like Japan and China, the tech was never allowed into the classroom in the first place due to concerns over slowing development of fundamental math and literacy skills. In addition, the US Common Core approach to teaching reading & literacy skills is absolutely fundamentally flawed, and is the root cause of the exponential decline in overall literacy in the US, with writing being a part of it.
I am so happy that I barely missed the heavy implementation of technology in classrooms. Well at least I missed it as a student.
Technology is only useful if it solves a problem and has a purpose. AI in the classroom is creating problems that did not previously exist. Maybe individual classes could benefit from learning with AI (like cybersecurity classes and maybe some science classes). English and history should be left alone until basic skills are mastered.