I don’t know. It is pretty scary. Going into a classroom not entirely knowing what will happen. Perhaps this is the case for all classroom engagements. Fundamental uncertainty, but our disciplinary knowledge helps us cover that up to some extent. I personally think the notion of a discipline is going thorough geological transformation and reformation right now. What will the university and K-12 look like in 10 years? Our future depend on showing up for this hard work. Otherwise we might inadvertently give the higher power excuses to outmode or automate us.
Nick, I've reached the same conclusion as well... Talking with my staff of college instructors this Fall, I realized just how dramatically their understanding of this tech is far, far behind their students, and that no programming I offer can fully shore up that knowledge. I can offer some "AI literacy" workshops, but what I really need to do is get them to embrace a co-investigation stance with their students, and resistance to this idea initially was strong. It is terrifying, as a teacher, to put yourself in a position of not knowing - not knowing what the bot will produce, not knowing how the conversation will go, not knowing what it will lead to. What if you discover that the tech can in fact produce accurate output of the level and quality that a student could produce? How do you analyze that output productively with a student in the moment? How do you trust your ability to do that kind of spontaneous exploration, and maintain a critical stance toward a technology you fundamentally distrust or don't like? I'm going to strive to model it in my own classes this year, but it's a little harder to get buy-in from other English teachers, who are largely disinterested or actively resisting. Thoughts on how to make this collaborative exploration feel less scary/more doable across a department?
"AI literacy isn't a knowledge domain to be conquered but an ongoing interpretive practice." I couldn't agree more. I often read about "developing students' AI literacy skills," but just like learning cumulative knowledge such as reading or math, it is through engaging with, applying, and having ongoing opportunities to practice and refine these skills that students develop true AI literacy. When used thoughtfully, AI is a powerful tool to deepen understanding in any subject area.
I don’t know. It is pretty scary. Going into a classroom not entirely knowing what will happen. Perhaps this is the case for all classroom engagements. Fundamental uncertainty, but our disciplinary knowledge helps us cover that up to some extent. I personally think the notion of a discipline is going thorough geological transformation and reformation right now. What will the university and K-12 look like in 10 years? Our future depend on showing up for this hard work. Otherwise we might inadvertently give the higher power excuses to outmode or automate us.
Students don’t have the luxury of waiting for adults and teachers to be ready to use AI.
At the same time, I think entire curriculums will need to be rebuilt and revamped to meet these needs.
In the meantime, basic AI literacy courses can help bridge that gap.
Nick, I've reached the same conclusion as well... Talking with my staff of college instructors this Fall, I realized just how dramatically their understanding of this tech is far, far behind their students, and that no programming I offer can fully shore up that knowledge. I can offer some "AI literacy" workshops, but what I really need to do is get them to embrace a co-investigation stance with their students, and resistance to this idea initially was strong. It is terrifying, as a teacher, to put yourself in a position of not knowing - not knowing what the bot will produce, not knowing how the conversation will go, not knowing what it will lead to. What if you discover that the tech can in fact produce accurate output of the level and quality that a student could produce? How do you analyze that output productively with a student in the moment? How do you trust your ability to do that kind of spontaneous exploration, and maintain a critical stance toward a technology you fundamentally distrust or don't like? I'm going to strive to model it in my own classes this year, but it's a little harder to get buy-in from other English teachers, who are largely disinterested or actively resisting. Thoughts on how to make this collaborative exploration feel less scary/more doable across a department?
"AI literacy isn't a knowledge domain to be conquered but an ongoing interpretive practice." I couldn't agree more. I often read about "developing students' AI literacy skills," but just like learning cumulative knowledge such as reading or math, it is through engaging with, applying, and having ongoing opportunities to practice and refine these skills that students develop true AI literacy. When used thoughtfully, AI is a powerful tool to deepen understanding in any subject area.
As a priest once said when asked if he was ready when he went to Ghana for his first missionary posting, “You’re never ready.”