Biology professor. Flipped learning and edtech advocate. Editor and podcast host. Father of two beautiful daughters.
Western Mass, USA
Joined June 2013
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This is the best analysis and exposition of GAI in education I have seen. Kudos, Greg for remaining thoughtful and pragmatic at the edge of the envelope.
Healthy Skepticisn & Tempered Optimisn
This is where I hope to help educators land on AI and the impact on their professional work and student learning.
While there is reason for being optimistic (and I am wildly optimistic), it has to be guided with an understanding of what text generative AI is actually doing based on a quality prompt. It has no awareness, it doesn’t understand anything, has no world view and is incapable of knowing what you value and believe in. The responses are generated without intention or and end goal…simply words being linked together.
At the same time, with a quality prompt, the output to create (as an example) a station rotation or small group activity around a specific idea can be immensely beneficial for educators. It allows one to start at 75-80% instead of dealing with the tyranny of a blank white Google Doc. This thought partner ability of AI can allow creative educators to design classroom experiences a bit more efficiently, ideally giving time back and energy back to their day.
From the student perspective, when AI is used as a thought partner, not a work doer, it can act as a much needed support. I’ve seen the positive impact first hand on my own daughter’s work. When faced with a somewhat stressful writing task, she prompted the AI tool to ask her questions that might help her move forward (based on a thorough description of the task and what she was trying to accomplish). The AI didn’t do any work for her, it simply prompted her own thinking via 10 helpful questions.
Alternatively, AI in the hands of students is only as powerful as their ability to ask wildly logical and curious questions, combined with their ability to be exceptionally discerning with the output generated. These two skills, along with the mindset of AI as a Thought Partner will determine how beneficial AI will be in the hands of our learners.
#aiedu #aied #aieducation
Tom Mennella retweeted
Apron Christmas Full Apron Misses Small/Medium Bib Apron Handmade – Home for the Holidays- Apron-81 etsy.me/3GeadUe via @Etsy
#Christmasaprons, #Holidayaprons, #Handmadeaprons
As the conversation in #education shifts from banning #ChatGPT to embracing it, we need to give students a way to cite it. Check out this piece by Caroline Fell Kurban and I where we do exactly that @BAMRadioNetwork @OpenAI #edtechchat #edchat bamradionetwork.com/is-chatg…
The idea that banning #ChatGPT is a mistake is quickly becoming the majority opinion in #education. Phew.... so relieved! #edchat #edtech #dontbanchatgpt
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Tom Mennella retweeted
ChatGPT, and #AI writing in general, is here, whether #educators are ready or not. While many fear it’ll hinder student work, why should we not embrace the #technology presented to us? #highered doesn’t need to ban ChatGPT, but instead work with it. bit.ly/3D0ORZj
Tom Mennella retweeted
Interesting post from @Campus_Tech "Why Banning #ChatGPT in Class Is a Mistake" -- Campus Technology campustechnology.com/article… #chatbot #academicintegrity
Perhaps our best episode. Certainly the one I’m most proud of. What we learned, what we’ll use, and what we take away from #covidedu. This was also going to be our last episode. But this year is shaping up to be anything but normal. So who knows… #educhat #teacher #normalish
[LISTEN] Pandemic-Driven Teaching Strategies: Here Are the Ones We’re Taking Forward with @ideasforteacher @peter_santoro @MrHabegger @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @jonbergmann @bamradionetwork bamradionetwork.com/track/pa…
Tom Mennella retweeted
"Sustainable Ways to Manage, Limit, and Overcome the Inherent Stress of Teaching" bamradionetwork.com/track/su… with @madeline_will @AnnettePonnock & @forthekiddoes #teacher
Tom Mennella retweeted
A return to "normal" is a broad statement. No one wants to see education take a step backwards. We have all learned so much about empathy and efficacy. We know better and therefore should do better. A return to "normal" is a return to fewer restrictions, not reduced expectations.
As the academic year winds down, what’s been good, bad, energizing and draining? Join us for a candid discussion of where we as #teachers find ourselves near the end of this #normalish year. #edchat #remotelearning #covidedu #pandemiclearning #flippedclassroom
[LISTEN] We All Know We Need More Self-care, but Recovering From This School Year Is Different with @ideasforteacher @peter_santoro @MrHabegger @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork #edchat #remotelearning #SEL bamradionetwork.com/track/we…
Love this!! SAMR Model: Video by Sean O'Neil alicekeeler.com/2013/11/20/s… via @alicekeeler
Did we figure out the recipe for success in #pandemiclearning? Did we crack the code of #COVIDedu? It’s an ‘S’ word & we don’t mean more Snow days. Join us at the café to hear how Supports are keeping us going & helping us grind this year out to the summer #edchat #remotelearning
[LISTEN] The Four Types of Support We Need to Finish This School Year Well… with @ideasforteacher @peter_santoro @MrHabegger @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @jonbergmann @bamradionetwork #edchat #remotelearning #flipclass bamradionetwork.com/track/th…
Teaching: how can something SO good be SO hard? One word answer: COVID - Join us for a quick cup of coffee as we discuss this exhausting, rewarding, demoralizing and uplifting paradox we call #COVIDEDU - #edchat #remotelearning #education #pandemiclearning
[LISTEN] I Love Teaching More Than Ever Before, It’s Just So Exhausting Now: Suggestions? with @ideasforteacher @peter_santoro @MrHabegger @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork #edchat #remotelearning bamradionetwork.com/track/i-…
Tom Mennella retweeted
I love online teaching because of the conversations - synchronous and asynchronous - between people in different places, settings and cultures, about shared topics of interest. I love how they extend over time and across media.
#OnlineTeachingLove
Every cloud has its silver lining, even the cloud of #pandemiclearning - join us in the Normalish cafe as we discuss what silver linings we’ll take with us when teaching and learning return to normal #remotelearning #onlinelearning #edchat #FlippedLearning #covidedu
[LISTEN] Teaching In-Person Seems Better, Here’s the Twist with @ideasforteacher @peter_santoro @MrHabegger @DrBioTom @jonHarper70bd @jonbergmann @bamradionetwork #edchat #remotelearning bamradionetwork.com/track/te…
Very excited to be sharing how #flippedlearning makes for a seamless transition to #onlinelearning at #AACU21 - come join me and three other amazing speakers at the HEDS-UP session starting in just five minutes!
Tom Mennella retweeted
Of course: cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/m…
