Two of today's links should stick out like sore thumbs, but there's a reason for their inclusion; namely, I feel like I need to take better stock of AI promotion in the Ed Tech sphere so that I can write about it--perhaps for the same publication as these articles.
I see quite a bit of AI skepticism among teachers, but I don't see a ton among leaders. I use AI regularly, and my district is certainly pushing it on its staff and, alarmingly, its students. The models for which they pay big money provide the ability to upload documents, and they do a decent job working with them. This has been the best use case I've seen for LLMs since they raged into the zeitgeist.
Huelse's article leans into this aspect. "Reclaiming Your Weekends" does not. There's an alarming trend among AI Ed Tech startups to push a narrative for you to get your weekend back, but what we're missing is the core of the issue: why are teachers saddled with so much nonsense and continually taken advantage of? There's an element in education that teachers are martyrs by default, that every day is an opportunity and not an obligation. A job can be both, and if we lean on AI to fill the void then two major issues will likely arise:
- AI outputs will continue to pump out false information (see the first three links for today).
- The managerial class is likely to fill that void of free time with nonsense.
Case in point: teachers are often told to use AI to write their emails for them. Put in a short prompt, pick a tone, and let the AI shit out a response. You don't have to worry about keeping your emotions in check!
Alternatively, if you feel you need AI assistance in writing an email, don't prompt it to write the whole email. Just write the damn email and ask it to copy edit. And if you're really worried about your tone because you're upset, here's an idea: don't write the email. Walk away and write it later.
Remember how email was supposed to save time and increase productivity? Show me one person who feels like this happened. Do you think AI will be any different?
- Why A.I. Didn’t Transform Our Lives in 2025 (Cal Newport, The New Yorker)
- There's a paywall, and I recently learned you can use uBlock Origin to disable Javascript and, voilà, no more paywall! It pays dividends to learn how to use software and extensions when you install them. I'd only been blocking ads this whole time.
- Editor’s Note: Retraction of article containing fabricated quotations (Ken Fisher, Ars Technica)
- Google’s AI Overviews Can Scam You. Here’s How to Stay Safe (David Nield, Wired)
- Using AI to Find the 'Invisible Threads' as an Instructional Coach (Matthaeus Huelse, Edu Coach Network)
- AI in Teaching: Reclaiming your Weekends (Tracee Keough, Edu Coach Network)
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