ICYMI: New Year's Resolution Edition (5/18)
Yeah, not that new year. I start a new year this week, and given that and a conversation or two in the last week, I have something to do.
For many years, I have nibbled around the edges of setting down what I imagine I've learned about the teaching if writing-- writing for real, not writing for testing or performative nonsense. It's not a new issue, but the sudden rise of AI does, I think, force us to confront it. At any rate, it seems like it's time to try to make a book out of it. I don't have a publishing contract, but if I don't get this done and ready to go out into the world, I'll kick myself for not getting it done. So finish the book first, figure out how to get it into the world second.
But that means making some time to get the work finished, and the time for that has to come from somewhere. So until this is beaten into shape, I will be cutting back on posting. I don't know what will look like exactly-- I'll keep writing for Forbes.com and other outlets that pay me, and I expect that there will be times when I just can't restrain myself, chunks of time in the day that are not long enough for book work but long enough for blogging-- anyway, you get the idea. And I will keep doing this weekly digest, because amplifying each other is important.
At any rate, if you notice that my usually prolific output seems slowed, that's why. Now on to this week's list.
Lowell school librarian sues parent over years-long harassment, false claims
In Lowell, Michigan, one school librarian has finally had enough of the harassment by a local Moms For Liberty member. See you in court!
West Ada teacher to resign over 'Everyone is Welcome Here' controversy
Well, this is a bummer. Sarah Inama, the Idaho teacher caught in a big controversy over her "everyone is welcome here" classroom poster, has also had enough. She's done at that district and is moving on.
The Worst Thing About ChatGPT in Schools Is That It Kills Trust
From Phil Christman's newsletter The Tourist. The punchline is in the title, but the whole piece is still well worth the read.
School Privatization is the Opposite of Populism
Jennifer Berkshire is relentless in pointing out that vouchers are a losing issue for the Republican Party, if only someone would call them out on it.
ProPublica looks at how the Ed Department Office of Civil Rights is now running completely backwards.
Is a Repackaged Failed Solution the Solution?
Andy Spears quotes me and points out the trouble with repeating failed policies of the past.
Addressing the Transactional Model of School
John Warner continues to do an outstanding job of addressing the systemic problems revealed/exacerbated by the rise of chatbots.
How the School Choice Agenda Harms Rural Students
Paige Shoemaker DeMio writing at the Center for American Progress has a report (with footnotes) explaining why school choice is so bad for rural folks.
“Ghost Students”: Financial Aid Theft by Bot
The indispensable Mercedes Schneider digs into the new business of using bots to defraud financial aid programs.
Promoting Vouchers to Destroy Public Education
Thomas Ultican explains the problems of vouchers and the future fraudfest in Texas.
Why Does the Word “Traditional” Have a Negative Rather Than a Positive Ring?
Interesting reflection on one by-product of ed reform, courtesy of Larry Cuban.
Ben Riley has a really, really interesting conversation with Colin Fraser, a data scientist who is also an excellent AI explainer.
Experts Agree Giant, Bioengineered Crabs Pose No Threat
This Onion video is from 16 years ago, and yet it seems very apropos at the moment.
This week it's Gogol Bordello occupying a very narrow niche in the music world.
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I'll be interested in that book--my special ed Master's project focused on remedial writing. Part of my ten years of sped teaching involved working with reluctant middle school writers, and I have my own notions regarding the teaching of writing (including the fact that most teachers, including English teachers, haven't the faintest clue unless they regularly write themselves. I cringed more than once when pushing in to English classes because some of the curriculum around "what makes a good writer" is not...accurate. Needless to say, I gained credibility when I earned a Writers of the Future SemiFinalist placement).
Dead internet theory posits that large chunks of the web are absent of human activity. It’s just bots and LLMs and generative AI building feedback loops for each other and spinning off increasingly weird stuff. Shrimp Jesus, for example.
Seems like we’re destined to see this in schools. Students who are bots. Students who use AI for everything. Schools and unis happy to use AI for grading and feedback. At some point, it’s AI doing assignments for other AI to grade. No humans necessary.
Let’s call it dead schooling theory.