Before youngins across the world get to consume copious amounts of snack-sized candy, many students are bracing for something scarier than vampires, ghosts, and zombies combined: midterms.
While every generation polishes its “back in my day” speech, today’s students and teachers are contending with a unique challenge: the rise of AI use in their classrooms.
Since we last covered this topic, AI in education has been creeping up faster than that midterm you had “so much time to study for.” Put simply, the scene has changed fast. With ChatGPT’s new study mode and edtech staples like Kahoot and Quizlet hopping aboard the AI train, the tech is getting a sleek rebrand, from “under-the-desk” cheating tool to the new gold standard for learning.
Still, the jury is out on whether AI will help students learn or just turn them into prompt-optimizing zombies. Like that one professor whose RateMyProf reviews are more polarized than our current political climate, some say AI might be the best thing to happen to education in recent memory, while others rule it out of the equation entirely. Either way, class is in session and AI isn’t dropping out anytime soon.
Today, we’re taking a closer look at the world’s most powerful teaching assistant and how our education systems can earn an A+ in AI implementation.
Until next time,
Celine and the 28th graders @ TDL
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Today’s topics 👀
Deep dive: 🎒 Artificial Instruction
Field notes: 🔍 Decolonizing EdTech
Viewpoints: 🧑‍🏫 Class Dismissed?
DEEP DIVE
🎒 Artificial Instruction
Studying is evolving. AI education now means more than just quick answers and plagiarized essays—students and teachers are using AI in increasingly complex ways, stringing together multiple models for personalized feedback, study guides, lesson plans, and more.
Customization rules. According to a recent study by the International Data Corporation, most education organizations surveyed plan to move past generic, pre-built models toward custom built AI within the next year.
Addressing resource gaps. This back-to-school season, a pilot microschool in rural North Carolina is using AI tutoring to provide personalized support for hands-on learning, exploring the potential for AI to support underserved and underresourced students and educators.
Teaching the teachers. As AI usage rapidly evolves, educators need support to best leverage available tools. This summer, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic announced the launch of the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million partnership with the American Federation of Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers to provide AI training and curricula.
FIELD NOTES: 🔍 Decolonizing EdTech
While some of us are finding it difficult to escape AI nowadays, others—especially those outside the Global North—still struggle to access its benefits. Even beyond equitable access, algorithmic bias and AI’s colonial roots remain a major concern as AI becomes engrained into our lives. But what if there’s another way—where technology is created by and for the people it has historically left behind?
In this TDL article, Dr. Maraki Kebede explores how Africa’s growing EdTech industry is paving the way for decolonial education practices and homegrown innovation.
Viewpoints
🧑‍🏫 Class Dismissed?
As AI continues to shape the learning landscape for students of all ages, we all need to do our homework to make sure this technology supports developing minds, rather than stunting them.
Clarifying the end goals. Are our classrooms teaching critical-thinking skills and competencies or just rote memorization for standardized exams? By making surface-level information easier to find than ever, AI might just be giving us the push we need to move toward more in-depth assessments.
Prioritizing student safety. We probably don’t need to tell you that AI has a problem with hallucinations and misinformation. This can be especially dangerous for younger, more impressionable students who are still developing the necessary digital literacy to navigate these tools with confidence.
Stepping outside the loop. Real concerns about AI replacing human educators have led to calls for human-in-the-loop systems, but does that really solve the problem? Instead of carving out merely supervisory roles for teachers, we need to put them in the driver’s seat by using AI to gain insights into their own teaching.
Monitoring cognitive effects. The research into AI’s effect on the learning mind is still mixed across the board, with some studies finding improved outcomes with AI tools and others identifying critical deficits. It’s clear AI won’t wait for a consensus that may never come, but continued research and keeping implementation grounded in evidence is paramount.
Status Quo Bias
The influence of AI in classrooms is now undeniable—but it wasn’t always. Why are systems like education often so resistant to change?
The status quo bias explains how we prefer things as they currently are, making it more difficult for individuals and organizations at large to consider how things could be different. Learn more on our website.
What’s new at TDL
TDL is hiring! We’re hiring for a number of positions, both remote and based in our Montreal office. Some open roles include:
