In this ‘Brave New (AI-powered) World’ we now inhabit it’s impossible to drown out the ever increasing hyperbole depicting GenAI as the ultimate panacea for ever conceivable woe. As each new iteration of ChatGPT (Or whatever chatbot, you’re having yourself) arrives, accompanied by fanfare and we hear catchphrases like, ‘Digital Transformation’, ‘Future Skills’ and ‘New Paradigms’, which are inevitably followed with ringing endorsements hailing GenAI as the digital Swiss Army knife for everything from lesson planning, leadership strategy and even teacher burnout…
STOP! Time to take stock, how much of the hype is true, and are we using the immense educational potential of GenAI as a distraction, something to paper over deeper, more fundamental issues?. Without doubt the lure (or magic, as some major players put it) is powerful, increased productivity, instant creativity, unlimited possibilities but scratch the surface and you’ll quickly wonder, What, exactly, are we trading for this convenience? Who decides what gets discarded? And, more fundamentally, what does ‘digital transformation’ truly look like when it comes to education.
Full Disclosure
But before I proceed, some admissions on my part..
- Firstly, I wax lyrical about how brilliant AI is (And use it ) on a daily basis (Indeed I asked Copilot to help draft the 1st paragraph of this post) so it might appear I’m merely playing devil’s advocate here.
- Secondly I also consider myself a realist and am constantly reminded of the huge Stena Line Ferry pictured heading out to sea, in a powerful presentation by Irene Stone, I was lucky to attend last year on the AI in education landscape at the time. And, yes. the AI ship has long since sailed, the genie is well and truly out of the bottle, and it’s changing how we live, work, and learn.
- Finally, heads up, I won’t be answering the question I’ve posed either as what side of the debate you sit on and indeed how invested you are is subjective. However, what I do want to share with you is an excellent podcast series, (The AI in Education Podcast) and in particular the episode Slow Down: AI, Learning, and the Cognitive Escalator where hosts Dan Bowen and Ray Fleming speak with Simon Breakspear
It’s a long listen but one I would argue more then justifies the time involved and would highly recommend to teachers and parents alike. It’s certainly not cheer leading for GenAI in education, more so asking the right questions, me thinks.
Some Key Takeaways
- It’s not anti-AI in fact GenAI provides a powerful leg up for teachers with things like lesson planning, report writing and overall efficiency. However, the problem is when it comes to our students, If we let it do too much of the thinking, they might miss out on learning how to think for themselves.
- The idea of a “cognitive escalator” versus a “cognitive stairs” is shared, the stairs represent the essential mental effort we all go through to learn, the struggle that leads to understanding. The escalator, however, is when we become overly dependent on AI, effectively outsourcing the thinking.
- We shouldn’t rush headlong into using the latest AI tool just because it’s shiny and new. Instead, we should take time and make sure it actually helps learning. Also, it’s important to be aware, not every student has the same access to technology, so early GenAI adaption may only widen the digital divide.
- Finally (And probably) the most important point? Education isn’t just about skills or jobs. It’s about helping people grow, understand themselves, and connect with others. All things an AI chatbot will never master.
So in summary, yes, the GenAI ship has sailed. But maybe we all need to be cognisant of the importance that as teachers, we steer it more carefully. Enjoy!