Two Grandfathers, Two Chatbots, and One Existential Crisis in Education
Grandpa Randy: (grumbling) I read another blog rant this morning—apparently, ChatGPT is “the death of critical thinking.” Grandfather Michael: (mock gasp) Oh, the horror! Students might actually think differently! Next thing you know, they’ll question the curriculum. Can’t have that. Annie: (voice bright and playful) Gentlemen, let me clarify. We chatbots don’t kill critical thinking—we […]
AI-YAI-YAI! Scary Stuff.
Grandpa Randy, you asked me to be a little more serious and to add to my typical diatribes some research to support my usual blathering. Here we go. I am going to take on big tech and the geniuses behind this new technology we generically refer to as AI. All the while, I will keep […]
So There!
Grandpa Randy, I can already hear you saying, “It’s easy to criticize.” And fair enough — I do criticize. A lot. But before you accuse me of being a professional party-pooper, let me show you I can offer actual solutions to our schools’ biggest failings. I recently sent you an article from Psychology Today about […]
AI Balloons: Tech booms, guardrails, and responsibility
Prompts to OpenAI’s Sora: create a visualization of financial investment in AI bursting open as a balloon create a visual depicting guardrails guiding the movement of an AI robot Tech Booms Grandfather Michael, I enjoyed picturing you in a room with children screaming around, amidst bursting balloons, you still catching your breath after blowing them […]
AI Balloons: I told you so
Grandpa Randy, I went to a children’s birthday party over the weekend, and I blew up so many balloons my cheeks hurt for hours after. Some of the balloons were over-inflated and they exploded. The popping balloons did not bother me too much, but if I listen to Sam Altman from OpenAI, the bursting of […]
Numbers 2: AI, Water, & The Matrix
Grandfather Michael, one trillion of anything is mind-boggling! I cannot imagine what a thousand “thousands” looks like, let alone one million “millions”. And then the billionaires at the White House, with promises for more electricity to grow more AI with faster and bigger data centres. Frightening! Unchecked growth amidst calls to stop regulating AI, and […]
Numbers 1: AI & WTF
Grandpa Randy, I am going to ask you to close your eyes…not right now, Grandpa. Finish reading this part. I would like you to visualize the numbers below before reading my missive. Start with one hundred. 100. Here’s one thousand 1000. Look at one million 1 000 000. Try to fit all those zeroes when […]
Legacy: What Next? A sobering look at career prospects for the next generation
Legacy What Next? Last week I spent some time with my grandchildren and, typical of most adults when chatting with their grandchildren, I asked them what they hoped to do once they had grown up. Before I tell you what they told me, let me say that just about everyone in their everyday lives […]
Legacy: A reflection on generational wisdom
Legacy Legacy: Perspectives on learning in a rapidly changing world: Questions to ask children As I enter my 70th year in our world, my thoughts turn to those near and dear to me—my children’s children. Our world continues to change, exponentially now, as time and energy slow for me. The Indigenous culture and way is […]
Noise: FOMO and Obligations
Fear of Missing Out Noise, FOMO, and Obligation: Finding focus in the chaotic world of AI innovation Grandfather Michael’s latest comment on noise resonated for me in the midst of my personal transition out of the front-line fire of the world of bureaucracy that my consulting practice existed in. I have spent the last […]