There are few people in America who like a trip to the store for “back to school” shopping more than me. The smell of a fresh box of pointy tipped Crayolas, a backpack with the logo of the summer’s biggest blocksbuster, and let’s not forget the latest iteration of what we invented in the 80s as the “Trapper Keeper.”
All of these things serve important purposes in the emotional lead up to that intimidating walk through the front door of school on day 1. Desks forming clover leaf clusters, carefully printed and laminated name tags on desks, teacher in first-day best outfit, and a few tearful kindergarten moms in the hallway. We’ve all been there at one time or another, and there is no denying that this is one of the few common experiences that we all share in this country in which common experiences are in shorter and shorter supply.
HOWEVER. (There’s always a however, isn’t there?)
The school structure that was established in the middle of the last century was designed for a world that is currently being upended. Yes, we thought the world was being upended by the internet revolution in the late 90s. That now feels like child’s play. The reworking of all that is real in the world by generative AI has implications and applications that are almost too hard to conceive. Every day seems to bring capabilities that are freely availabile at our fingertips that would have seemed impossible just 3 years ago.
The ability to make a video by entering in a few short prompts? check.
The ability to do deep research into any topic on the planet with a report produced citing dozens/hundreds of sources within seconds. check.
The ability to automate routine tasks by simply asking our new collective friend named “Gemini” to do so? check.
School was created for the world BG (Before GPT).
We now live in the world AG (After GPT).
And that poses a problem. The model of traditional school with traditional metrics such as (cringe) standardized tests has long been an unsatisfactory model for the job postings currently on LinkedIn. We’ve tried to reconcile this mismatch through certification programs (Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera), through internships, or through “hire for the person, train for the skills” approaches. But at what point is it the right time to step off the carousel, accept the momentary dizziness, and start fresh?
AI has democratized capabilities that schools used to spend weeks, months, and years focused on helping students master. I’m not insinuating that learning how to demonstrate skills offline is no longer important, but the prioritization of precious time and a rethinking of the role of digital and AI literacy as priorities in the school equation is certainly worth insinuating. Additionally, (listen for the cheering in the background by the Humanities majors around the world) a reconsideration of the role of ethics, philosophy, inquiry, literacy, and critical thinking as core focus areas is worth a solid insinuation as well. Because really, what distinguishes humans from their electrically enabled counterparts?
I realize what I’m asking. The lift is big. The inertia is massive. But so are the stakes. We can keep educating for BG in a world of AG, or we can accept our new reality and ensure that we prepare students to live well in it as they eventually grow up to support all of us in our retirement.
Now that I have the I-strive-to-eventually-retire-someday-preferably-soon people’s attention, the bigger question is how. Let’s talk.
Consider joining one of the upcoming Community Groups that kick off in September: https://connectedlearningcommunity.com/community-groups/