Imperfect

synergize study aids

Bobby, an ESL (English as a second language) teacher, starts Innovation in Education with an email he was drafting.

Innovation in Education?

It is not using AI to innovate or glorifying a poorly understood technology.

It is limiting the use of LLMs and recognizing human capacities.

It is the fresh perspective of the next generation of teachers and the experience of the current generation of teachers developing and designing something new.

Innovation in education cannot come from a corporation with the goal of making money.

It cannot come from a technology without feelings or the lived experience of going to school.

Teachers, Professors, Educators, stop using generative AI to plan your lessons and make your tests. Stop telling your students to use ChatGPT as a study aid.

Read my hypothetical email reply draft:

AI has inevitably innovated education. So have corporations with the goal of making money, technologies without feelings, or technologies without the lived experience of going to school.

Limiting LLM use makes it more attractive than it already is. Also, recognizing human capacities can happen through LLMs and other tools too.

Given AI's prevalence, both generations of teachers inform their teaching with fresh perspectives on it. Teachers developing and designing something new with it can meaningfully add to their teaching repertoire.

Teachers, professors, educators, and students alike can use generative AI to accelerate planning lessons, making tests, studying, and more.

He then pivoted to reviewing AI study aid websites, disclaiming his anti-AI bias and not being "on the market for this type of thing". Out of 5 relevant websites from 10 search engine results, he declared Thea Study as the least worst option. Its Android app only has 2 permissions and its YouTube channel is active. He continued:

Founded by students that graduated in 2024, like Bruce Baker, the appears to be a genuine and transparent project. They have a blog with articles that have authors and real photos instead of stock photos. I still wouldn’t use it, but this is the least bullshit, scammy-looking of the bunch. They even won an award.

If you have used it or similar services before, how was your experience? If not, what are your impressions of their website or service?

AI study aids can be "the right tools" for what students clamor for: flashcards, summaries, quizzes, games, tests, and more. For example, consider the student landing page for Google's NotebookLM and its companion blog post, 6 NotebookLM features to help students learn. I understand that a select group of people consider data privacy valuable. That said, Bobby admitting that his students opt for Office 365, which is included with their student package, reveals contrary preferences within them and the institutions they belong to.

However, traditional study aids can serve those needs too. Check out Bobby's favorite free and open-source recommendations:

Anti-AI educators like Bobby can benefit the most from learning how generative AI can strengthen learning and teaching. That invites showing students "relying on generative AI" how to work smarter with what Bobby deems a "poorly understood technology". Whether synergizing AI systems or complementing traditional study methods, either plan seems easier than limiting LLM use. People can afford to innovate more educational frames instead of less. Even if students don't apply those lessons to their formal education, could it help them think outside the box in other facets of their life?

Whether you are immersed in an educational institution or not, how have you accelerated your teaching and learning processes through generative AI? If you haven't yet done so, how do you expect to make it happen?