The future belongs to humans who can check who is and who is not qualified to do things, and the people who can leverage AI to help them do this will do well.
We can fight it, or we can teach our students how to become smart enough to be the master, not the servant.
Oh almost forgot, chat and comment features talking about the book with classmates is UTTERLY USELESS. It's busywork, kids hate it. They really WOULD be better off asking AI to ask them hard questions about the book to check their reading comp, and then answering the damn questions in their own words. Otherwise it's the blind leading the blind.
It WILL be vital for students to learn how to write PROMPTS for AI.
Passively using tech, and allowing students to get into the dopamine loop of intermittent reenforcement (where addiction comes from) is BAD.
Incorporating tech so students learn how vital it is to read and write so they can differentiate themselves from the competition in life by being able to LEVERAGE AI to their advantage.
Example: Writing an essay
WRONG: "Hey Chat GPT, write me an essay about...."
RIGHT: "Here's the essay I just wrote for English class. I am exploring the theme of man's conflict between freedom and civilization in Jules Verne's 20K Leagues Under the Sea. I am trying to make the point that Nemo is conflicted, to the point of hypocrisy about oppression. Tell me how I can improve my writing on this topic, without rewriting it for me."
Paper-pushing middle-managers are going away, and the employers of the future (outside of the trades), will be looking for those who can creatively and effectively "outsource" time-consuming drudgery (or expensive intellectual labor, like tutoring) to AI. This is what AI is actually good for, so giving students opportunity to ethically use AI to improve their original work, or to challenge themselves more, is probably a good idea.
Another example assignment:
Use AI, and what you know about A Ct Yankee in King Arthur's Court, come up with three writing prompts about the theme of nature vs. nurture. Choose one and write an 800 word essay on your own, and you must include textual evidence.
Then ask AI how you can improve your essay (without having it rewrite the essay), and rewrite it according to the AI suggestions OR rewrite it on your own, and explain why you didn't use the AI suggestions.
Students do not know how to write, because they do not know how to read.
Students do not know how to think, because they do not know how to read and write.
They know how to de-code, roughly at fifth grade level (some may read at 8th grade level, if you're lucky), and their vocabularies are roughly 3rd grade level (again, if you're very lucky, they may have an 8th grade vocabulary).
They also genuinely believe anything they don't already understand is not worth reading, especially if it was written more than 20 years ago, or uses what THEY consider "old-fashioned" language.
You're also right that most teachers/professors (under the age of 40 or so) are very uncomfortable with their own authority.
The future belongs to humans who can check who is and who is not qualified to do things, and the people who can leverage AI to help them do this will do well.
We can fight it, or we can teach our students how to become smart enough to be the master, not the servant.
Oh almost forgot, chat and comment features talking about the book with classmates is UTTERLY USELESS. It's busywork, kids hate it. They really WOULD be better off asking AI to ask them hard questions about the book to check their reading comp, and then answering the damn questions in their own words. Otherwise it's the blind leading the blind.
Ha! Good point!
Here's what I would say about tech though...
It WILL be vital for students to learn how to write PROMPTS for AI.
Passively using tech, and allowing students to get into the dopamine loop of intermittent reenforcement (where addiction comes from) is BAD.
Incorporating tech so students learn how vital it is to read and write so they can differentiate themselves from the competition in life by being able to LEVERAGE AI to their advantage.
Example: Writing an essay
WRONG: "Hey Chat GPT, write me an essay about...."
RIGHT: "Here's the essay I just wrote for English class. I am exploring the theme of man's conflict between freedom and civilization in Jules Verne's 20K Leagues Under the Sea. I am trying to make the point that Nemo is conflicted, to the point of hypocrisy about oppression. Tell me how I can improve my writing on this topic, without rewriting it for me."
Paper-pushing middle-managers are going away, and the employers of the future (outside of the trades), will be looking for those who can creatively and effectively "outsource" time-consuming drudgery (or expensive intellectual labor, like tutoring) to AI. This is what AI is actually good for, so giving students opportunity to ethically use AI to improve their original work, or to challenge themselves more, is probably a good idea.
Another example assignment:
Use AI, and what you know about A Ct Yankee in King Arthur's Court, come up with three writing prompts about the theme of nature vs. nurture. Choose one and write an 800 word essay on your own, and you must include textual evidence.
Then ask AI how you can improve your essay (without having it rewrite the essay), and rewrite it according to the AI suggestions OR rewrite it on your own, and explain why you didn't use the AI suggestions.
Turn in both drafts.
Students do not know how to read.
Students do not know how to write, because they do not know how to read.
Students do not know how to think, because they do not know how to read and write.
They know how to de-code, roughly at fifth grade level (some may read at 8th grade level, if you're lucky), and their vocabularies are roughly 3rd grade level (again, if you're very lucky, they may have an 8th grade vocabulary).
They also genuinely believe anything they don't already understand is not worth reading, especially if it was written more than 20 years ago, or uses what THEY consider "old-fashioned" language.
You're also right that most teachers/professors (under the age of 40 or so) are very uncomfortable with their own authority.
Great show!
Spot on! Thanks for listening!