I’m actually a bit of a technophobe, which surprises people. I like to stay unplugged as much as possible.
—Sal Kahn
AI and Literacy Instruction.j
Everyone seems to be talking about AI, and since everyone knows I love to teach writers, it feels like everyone is striking up a conversation about AI with me.
I don’t really know what to say.
This made me start reading, listening, and absorbing anything I could about AI and education. My logic was if I knew more, then maybe I would know what to say.
After months of engaging in research, reflecting in my notebook, and talking with trusted colleagues, I still don’t really know what to say.
It seems that I’m not alone. Well, a lot of people have a lot to say, but I don’t feel so alone in not really knowing where I land when it comes to AI.
And, that’s okay. (This seems to be a theme in the last few essays of the Big Fresh.) We don’t have to land on a side of issues. We can lean into the conversation, listen with wide-open minds, and linger in the undecided.
Mostly, I’m fascinated by watching people engage with AI. I’ve been paying attention to students, teens, educators, and entrepreneurs as they engage with AI tools. Some do it well, and some leave quite a bit to be desired.
I’m deeply interested in the interactions when AI seems authentic, which in itself seems to be an oxymoron…Artificial authenticity? Nonetheless, there are times when AI seems to offer an authentic solution.
So you can imagine how tickled I was when contributors started writing about AI. Their perspectives are as authentic as they come because they spend their days—day in and day out—in classrooms with kids…the same kids day in and day out.
We can read, listen, and absorb all we want about the AI trend in the world, or we can jump in and find out for ourselves. If you’re looking to jump in, this week’s articles will be just the springboard you need!
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Join the Coach-to-Coach Zoom Network for monthly conversations, great resources, and professional friendships that will help you build skills and confidence as a grassroots leader. You belong in this group!
Listen (or read the transcript) to the August 15, 2023, podcast ReThinking with Adam Grant as Adam and Sal Kahn discuss AI and the future of education.
As teachers we do many things to get to know our students as readers and writers and mathematicians. Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills lead us to consider how to get to know our students as digital learners. This article was first published in 2022.
Bill Bass explains why teachers who are still using technology as a reward are far behind their colleagues in integrating computers and applications into workshops. This article was first published in 2015.
Are you looking to engage with a community of instructional influencers? Join me on LinkedIn to continue conversations from the Big Fresh and connect with other educators who are just as smart and funny as you are.
Writer’s notebooks are important tools for writers. This field experience showcases how elementary teachers use notebooks with young students.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
David Pittman offers practical and timesaving tips for using AI to help make instructional plans. Need a rubric or discussion questions? David shows how using AI offers a springboard in creating tools for elementary literacy instruction.
Gretchen Schroeder considers the positive ways AI will influence her high school English classroom.
In this video, Holly Wenning helps us expand the definition of text when considering mentor texts and reading assessments.
Feedback is at the heart of instruction. How we look a student in the eye, listen with empathy, and respond at their point of need determines whether learning takes place. The Better Student Feedback course is divided into four short sections, each tackling a different aspect of giving, receiving, and using student feedback.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
David Pittman offers several ways to make the work of PLCs visible to everyone. The more open we are with our growth, the more connections we make, the stronger every educator becomes.
As we encounter more digital texts, we must consider the reading strategies needed to understand them. In this PD2Go, participants will reflect on their own reading lives and identities as digital readers. They will also learn practical ways to support students as they read digital texts.
Sal Khan, the founder and CEO of Khan Academy, thinks artificial intelligence could spark the greatest positive transformation education has ever seen.
Quote It:
The role of a creative leader is not to have all of the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they’re valued.
—Sir Ken Robinson
That’s all for this week!
