Remember the goal
Okay. This is going to be a small rant. But I think an important one.
AI is everywhere. I am pretty sure if we kept tabs on the most used keys on my keyboard, it would be A, I,.. and as a millennial, definitely the exclamation mark!
When I think in the perspective of an educator, the situation of AI is very frustrating. But the frustration does not come from the technology itself. My frustration comes from the fact that the conversation around AI usage, implementation, policies, etc has dominated all conversations. The buzz around the campus is how a tool can generate content, how we need a way to detect AI generated submissions, or some agentic loop that Bob has built which can cut down some excel tracking. On the surface, this is great! We are adopting an era defining technology quickly. But although I keep hearing that it’s done in the name of the students, the students themselves are eerily absent.
If we think like a startup, this is a venture killing mistake… we’ve left out the primary audience.
The impact of AI on education is a really important one. So, yes! I love that the whole sector is energized about adopting this era defining technology. Let’s make sure that we are keeping our eyes on the prize. Our conversations should always be about how to drive more student success with the added technology.
here are some questions I always ask myself:
Is [Insert task/project/process] helping you understand student learning?
Is [Insert task/project/process] helping you identify student needs better?
Is [Insert task/project/process] helping you identify actions items to take with your students that will drive their understanding?