Technolandy

Day 147 (of 2024/25) A discussion about educations future #tEChursday

Based on yesterday’s book share “Flash Forward: An Illustrated Guide to Possible (and not so possible) Tomorrows! (No spoilers!):

I was chatting with a colleague earlier and we were talking about AI and tech and how things might be better (?) in the future… though I am unashamed to be pondering aloud if AI + personal screens are the Netflix to our systemic “blockbuster” moment. Our focus to ban devices and AI only further alienates this experiment called ‘schooling’ from the students and their real world experiences. AI seen as a collaborator, not a tool. Shifting out thinking from ‘if’ it should be used in learning and debate if it should be used ‘as’ learning, and accept that it is powerful when used ‘with’ learning. I’ve chatted with people thinking/seeing how it can be used in place of a teacher, but perhaps we start with a look of collaborating with it as a teachers (education) assistant – to start!

After all, I don’t think it will be much longer before a tech company (or school… PIE.AI coming soon!)  provides an App where you can tell it where you’re from and it’s AI bot will digest the current curriculum, find out where the learner ‘is’ (reading, writing, and math can be assessed with pretty good accuracy in terms of ‘where they are at and next pushes) and then curate readings, videos, assignments, and tasks (I’m less confident of it’s ability to do Project Based Learning… yet…) and then to check in on how the learner is doing – and because everything is embedded… it’ll know/see if the learner is using a tech to provide answers… in fact, the tech could also limit access to other aspects of life until some learning is done (I’m not original in this, it is very similar to Ready Player One and the schooling kids have to do before they can access the Oasis). If you haven’t done enough (quantity or quality) work, you can’t DoorDash a treat… or order something on Amazon. Or the music you want to hear may be limited… or targeted to help a particular study (baroque and disco are very good background genres). 

Because ‘money’ may not be worth that much in the near future. Not if 3D printers evolve into replicators – and you can synthesize anything you want (don’t think that bringing manufacturing factories back to North America will mean jobs… the workforce will be made up of our future robot overlords – so use manners when talking to your favourite AI). When that happens, people will be able to build value by doing what they love to do and doing it well. People who love to build or design houses can do it (and help craft the templates for large scale 3D printers to build houses on site). Star Trek and the Orville have nicely prophesied that ‘wealth’ of the future will be how you contribute… music, astrophysics, math, writing, crafting… 

What direction is the schooling of today looking… knowing that tech is an amazing adaptor (cheating tool is the other descriptor) to create equity for students. And we will need to better identify which ‘basic skills’ truly are essential for ongoing/future growth… and maybe we become more okay with not everyone learning the same as each other… especially as we uncover that not every neurological path is the same… wonder why some readers struggle when we say ‘let the words create a picture in your mind’ ? Not every brain processes information in images. ‘Text based’ is the best descriptor I can empathize (even though ‘text’ is not precisely ‘words’). 

But when we say/see students have gaps in their learning (absences, disconnections, etc) what better way to curate a check in & plan to fill in some missed learnings? Or re-emphasize some teachers key bias (for me it was always knowing the names of Canadas provinces, territories, and capital/main cities. )

Vital ‘teaching’ may be more about helping curate the right prompts… “based on BC Science 5 curriculum… looking at how earth materials change as they move up through the rock cycle and can be used as natural resources, can you generate 10 one hour sessions that will break down the different types of earth materials there are, what the rock cycle is and how that becomes natural resources? Also, is this what is connected to what is being called ‘rare earth metals’? Based on my reading, do you think it is better that I get this information through text or video? Thank you, and if you think that this needs more time, or should be broken down into more or less sessions, feel free to be creative!”

A general generative AI came up with a good plan to start with (and mindfully without a lot of context of mess a learner or how to specialize in presenting the information directly… but each ‘section’ is very scalable for more editing/generation… individualized learning is knocking on our doors… (example way below)

Of course, this tool process also means that learning can be centered around family beliefs – religious dogma… wishes that the planet was only a couple thousand years old… that there are a set number of genders… races…freedom does not mean we will be free of bigotry… but will allow questions to be prompted by the user later on… knowledge impacts beliefs, right?

Unit Title: The Story Beneath Our Feet – Earth Materials and the Rock Cycle

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Session 1: Introduction to Earth Materials

• Focus: Overview of what Earth materials are (minerals, rocks, soils).

• Activities:

• Interactive sorting activity (students examine and group samples).

• Create a “rock journal” to document learning across sessions.

• Concepts: Earth materials have properties and uses; they form in different ways.

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Session 2: The Three Types of Rocks

• Focus: Sedimentary, Igneous, and Metamorphic rocks.

• Activities:

• “Build-a-Rock” stations with modeling clay, pressure, and melting/freezing demos.

• Classification chart.

• Concepts: Rocks are classified based on how they form.

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Session 3: I think you get the point…

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Text or Video – What’s Better?

Depends on your learners and your goals:

• Video is excellent for showing processes (like lava cooling, mining practices, or pressure over time). It’s engaging and can help with students who are more visual or auditory learners.

• Text is better for deep dives, reference material, and reinforcing vocabulary. Great for building comprehension and note-taking skills.

Best approach: Use a blend – videos to launch topics, text for detail and review. You might also assign optional video links for home and focus on hands-on and reading in class.

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Would you like slides, printable journals, or a project rubric to go with this? Happy to help flesh that out too!

AI can be amazing – and it could even expand to see if you’re active on another window/browser/device if copy & paste is your worry. I really am thinking AI and personal screens are educations “Netflix moment” and I hope our system doesn’t ’pull a blockbuster’ and hope customers want more of the same when something better is knocking on the metaphorical door to work with us… or to go on its own without us…