Like I mentioned a few posts back, I'm knee deep in books lately. Here's another one that really got my teacher brain thinking.
I've read a number of books and articles on artificial intelligence as well as attended several webinars since the release of ChatGP--exactly 2 years ago on November 30th, 2022. Not to mention, I've used AI quite a bit and written about it a number of times (see here and here). Similarly, I love the "Magic Tools" of Canva. I've also played around a bit with Khanmigo, (which is free to teachers), and which Sal Khan discusses quite a bit in Brave New Words. The Khanmigo for Educators tutorial to learn how to maximize Khanmigo as a digital teacher assistant is excellent.
It's no question that AI is here to stay, and I've heard it said that the AI of today is the slowest you will ever experience. Anyone who has used artificial intelligence in the last 2 years would probably NOT use the word "slow" to describe it.
In Brave New Words, Sal Khan continues the conversation that Richard Culotta had in his book Digital For Good: we can maximize technology in so many ways. Khan discusses the importance of using AI for personal learning that's available 24-7 for people. Through Khanmigo, the AI has been set up to ask questions along the way to build engagement and deepen the learning through the chat--where the chat asks questions as a way to have the user grow on their own knowledge. Yes, AI has limitations in that there are risk biases built into the data sets, and it can create over-reliance on a machine (which lacks emotional intelligence) versus human connection. Then there is the thought that many students have learned how to use it to shortcut their learning and thinking process because they essentially are using it to cheat.
But Sal Khan's conversations in the book focuses on how to use AI as a tool. It is our role as educators to teach our students to use it in a way that can have real meaning. It can serve valuable purposes in automating repetitive tasks and upping one's productivity. AI can also be used to accelerate certain skills like brainstorming which in turn helps people deepen their own learning. In his book, Khan details several exchanges with AI in Khanmigo where the user can have interactive conversations when the AI assumes a role as a historic figure such as Harriet Tubman or Abraham Lincoln, or literary character Jay Gatsby. The AI is programmed to continually remind the user that it is, in fact, generative AI. Yet it also creates a power of engagement and enhancement for the learner. His book is excellent for leading teachers to think about ways to innovate in the classroom and re-think education and our role in it.
Check out Sal Khan's article "What Khan Academy’s Founder Thinks About AI in Education" in Next Big Ideas Club to learn more about his book.
Or, see what Bill Gates has to say in his article "Sal Khan is Pioneering Innovation in Education…Again: 'Brave New Words' Paints an Inspiring Picture of AI in the Classroom" in Gates Notes.
Or watch his 15 minute TED Talk here.
Image from https://www.amazon.com/Brave-New-Words-Revolutionize-Education-ebook/dp/B0CFPJ2FB1/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZL4f2k-1SGJYHfHGBQCC8Z8ItW_iE0UX2NuoMU62WIp93s378Jxhu27cQz-gee1pFSsJj1FBeGR0EGCL4kTP2T1NSe1AYdmjVVl56QElfLtKzhDA1oBckIkp-Ls2HR8rtAaNtF6RhSo-XpLeoAR_uWigEtWrlFeMbtNcPHfgGyVz2RdNF9WfOR2G_qQ6m1jxmMlN9u26iLxRT0wjwzo2nRAeJzNif3VFXTtlAWYo_mE.3jD5ENMNIk2ZMJMIE9D67H2fz8_z_x4Q4I_G0RnONxA&dib_tag=se&keywords=Salman+Khan&qid=1732370616&sr=8-1 and https://excelined.org/2023/09/20/sal-khan-returns-to-eie23-artificial-intelligence-the-future-of-education/video from https://youtu.be/hJP5GqnTrNo?si=VNecyD_CMwLq2NSF
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