Recently, I have been spending more time on two Facebook groups, AI for Teachers and AI Tools for Teachers.
I noticed one thing. Many new members introduced themselves to the group, stating their teaching subjects and soliciting for recommendations.
But the thing is, they offer such a cursory and generic description of their context that other members still don’t know their pain points and struggles. I wonder why they don’t do a simple search in the group to check out previous posts. Surely, someone else must have posted something useful that will help them along.
No doubt, there is a social element to this. The dopamine rush associated with exploring a novel group, the desire to make themselves known and connect with others, the hope for quick fixes - all these factors come into play to explain their behaviour.
I won’t say that I’m complaining. I have been happily leaving my how-to guides on various AI tools, which causes a spike in viewership of my blog. Who knows, maybe I can focus my blog on AI-related teaching matters. No one has complained by my self-promotion so far; on the contrary, I have been receiving a couple of likes for my sharing.
However, I feel that they are not taking the necessary steps to define the things they need. Teachers are overwhelmed with many responsibilities; I can empathise with them. Nonetheless, if they aren’t going to do the work to articulate their gaps, they aren’t going to receive suggestions that are tailored towards their needs.
Hence, the title for this musing. Own your problem, don’t outsource it. Because if you can’t even pinpoint the areas that cause you friction, how can you expect others to help you?
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I know you have a fascination with using AI to enhance your curriculum, but I'm guessing many people joining "AI for Teachers" are literally just looking to outsource their problems.
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Great that it’s a different vibe at SN then
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From what I gathered it their inability to utter their the exact problem that needs to be addressed immediately. If they cannot describe anything properly no amount of intervention will work. Not even outsourcing will be able to help.
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I suspect that some teachers never really take the time to define their problems
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Haha I remember this. New teachers would be like "help me!" I would be...help you with what? They would stare at me blankly like I knew what they were talking about.
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Annoying, right?
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Many times it was just lack of experience or lack of preparation. Cant help much with that.
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Anyone who goes to AI to solve a problem is capable of degenerate thinking only.
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I agree with you! However there are many times when I need to plan a lesson 15 mins before the bell rings. As to why I don’t plan earlier, well a teacher’s plate is brimming with other things
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Just don't confuse AI with Algorithms.
AI is a fantasy. To get an example take a beautiful photo and photo copy it. Now copy the copy. Copy the 2nd generation copy. It's like that stupid form that people share that is total analog but copied and it looks like crap. That's what AI learning is. It's crap. People solve and connect better than anything because they are the eyes and ears of the exact situation. You might get away with someone else's plan but you need to make that plan yours.
In the Army or in Civilian construction all your plans can be changed instantly but without a plan you can not change anything.
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Dealing with a personal or family problem will always have its difficulties; being able to discover or accept them is an inner work that will lead you to seek solutions.
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Only when we don’t deny the problem can we seek solutions to resolve it
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stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.