AI as Learning Facilitator with Steve Midgley & Whitney Whealdon

I've spent years in the field of ed tech. Along the way, I became disappointed by a lot of what I saw.

There has been way too much “shiny new object syndrome,” and way too little of the actual learning transformation that it promised. Starting with blackboards, then whiteboards, then radio, then film strips, then TV, then calculators, then computers, then many other EdTech things – they all promise transformative learning, but they don't always deliver.

So my question: is AI going to be different?

Thankfully, Steve Midgley and Whitney Whealdon have some answers!

Steve is the Founder and Managing Director of Learning Tapestry, and Whitney is the Director of Learning Innovation. Steve served as the Deputy Director of Educational Technology for Arne Duncan at the U. S. Department of Education and the Director of Education at the FCC. Whitney has worked in education for over 20 years, including 10 years at the Louisiana Department of Education, and led the creation of the ELA Guidebooks, which is an English language arts curriculum used in over 80 percent of Louisiana districts and other states nationwide.

Both of these folks really know education, and they’re perfect guests for my big question today: how do the affordances of AI lead to truly transformative learning?

Contents:

• 01:00 The Evolution and Challenges of EdTech
• 02:23 Learning Tapestry’s Purpose
• 03:43 Steve's Background and Vision
• 04:47 Whitney's Perspective on EdTech
• 10:46 AI's Potential in Education
• 21:08 AI in the Classroom
• 39:23 Academic Integrity
• 41:05 Practical AI for Teachers
• 43:52 AI as a Collaborative Partner
• 53:40 Quality Assurance in AI-Driven Learning
• 59:43 Ethical Considerations

Links and further reading:

• Learning Tapestry: https://www.learningtapestry.com

• Steve’s bio: https://www.learningtapestry.com/steve-midgley.html

• Whitney’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whealdon/

• And here’s the knowledge-building app they described! (Remember the frog > lily lad > chlorophyll example?) Wonderwood is an infinite digital encyclopedia and interactive learning app for children ages 3-8 to build their knowledge of the world: ⁠https://wonderwood.me/⁠

• And here's the quote Steve referenced, with his intro:

  Here's a quote that is old but, for me at least, informs where our expectations need to shift to in the age of AI. The movement from computational to concept-based math is parallel to a movement from expressive to concept-based ELA - and the skills below reflect what I think are valuable to students regardless of how much support they get from AI in their schooling.

  "At school you are engaged not so much in acquiring knowledge as in making mental efforts under criticism... You go to a great school not so much for knowledge as for arts and habits; for the habit of attention, for the art of expression, for the art of assuming at a moment's notice a new intellectual position, for the art of entering quickly into another person's thoughts, for the habit of submitting to censure and refutation, for the art of indicating assent or dissent in graduated terms, for the habit of regarding minute points of accuracy, for the a