July 8, 2025 • 5 mins
Teachers warn that AI is impacting student's critical thinking. Jon Schultz, expert in technology and AI joins us to discuss how many students are using AI and what might happen in the coming years.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Remember you'd ask your parents how to spell something and
they'd say, the dreaded will sound it out. This is
West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and Brett Makita. What
about the role of AI and kids just looking stuff
up that way and critical thinking. Let's get to the
latest with John Schultz, who is an AI and technology
(00:22):
expert and also the CEO and founder of easy Locator.
Back with this, John, thanks for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Oh, you're very welcome. Looking forward to the discussion.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
So let's have that. Let's talk about that as teachers
and parents look at kids that use AI in an
increasing amount of different ways. What are experts saying.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Well, I think the experts are saying it's very cross
the whole platform. You know. An article that you just
mentioned was from Carnegie Mellon and Microsoft. And I always
come up with a statement, you know, don't confuse me
with the facts. My mind's made up, and I can
come back with so studies and show that AI actually
(01:02):
improves learning capabilities. In fact, that easy Locator I would
have to say that we are doing that ourselves because
being a software development company, we're having to produce a
software tool for our users. And we actually trying to
basically customize our training and learning ability to our users
based upon their learning styles, whether it be visual reading
(01:25):
or auditories. So again, I think there's all kinds of
confusion going out there, and for every study that I've
found out there, I can find and find counter studies
to oppose that. So it's a question up for debate
that won't be interesting to see what happens in the
coming years.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What's the difference? Let me ask you this question, John.
There used to be people that would go door to
door selling encyclopedias, and some families of means would have
an encyclopedia that would help kids do their homework. Right.
I remember we had an old one, but we carried
it from place to place right information. What's the difference
(02:02):
between using AI looking something up in the encyclopedia like
Baby Bloomers did well.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
The challenge with AI is verifying the information. AI does
not have reasoning skills, So that's one of the things
that I think. You know, you think about critical thinking,
you think about reasoning skills and things of that nature.
We need to make sure we can verify the information.
And one of the things that I found with AI
(02:29):
is if you go to areas that have been very
well studied, you know, in particularly the science arena, and
that's where one of the studies I came across, where
you know, the AI approach to science and computer science
areas and things of that nature was really valid because
those are truly areas that you gain facts. But when
you start to get off on the fringes where facts
(02:51):
aren't verifiable, that's when you need to basically have the
ability to critically think whether or not that information is
true or not. So I like your analog of the
old you know, tyclopedia in your in your house, you know,
I look at the libraries kind of one of those
resources that when I was in college, you know, if
I had the Internet today back you know, when I
was in college, to be kind of interesting to see
(03:13):
how I would have learned learned there. I think AIM
answers if it's used appropriately.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
And that's the challenge, right ron, I mean, from teachers
to the students to everything else in the fact that adaptability, right,
because it's not like we don't want students to not
be aware of and use AI because everything's about efficiency
moving forward. I mean, just look at you know, cars
and what they can do and the ability with safety
and technology and everything. So that's the frustrating thing, right
(03:41):
you want them to understand how to use the process
of critical thinking, but at the same time they might
not need to because of AI. But yet they have
to learn how to use AI.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
You know, I like your word adaptability. You know, we
had to adapt over the years when new new things
were invented, you know, back when, back in the day,
as I tell my kids, you know, the old worse
and buggy. You know, we came out with the automobile,
and people were critical of that. We came up with
the calculator, and I remember teachers up in arms about
going from the old way of writing things down in
(04:11):
the long division and now you have a calculator, and
how students were gonna be done? You know, I think
tools and efficiencies are really one of the critical things.
How can you do more with less? And if it's
properly taught in school, and I think it has many benefits.
And so the key thing is is that the teachers
and the education industry has to basically change their way
(04:34):
of thinking. How do they basically leverage and customize the
teaching skills to the students, and I know my best
learning way of doing it is actually through watching videos.
If I had videos in college, I think I would
have been a four point zero student. I had somewhat
of it. I have somewhat of a challenge reading, and
so I have to read things multiple times just to
(04:55):
kind of understand. If you gave me a manual today
to read, I would basically my eyes would roll in
the back my head and go, wow, what's that. But
you show me a YouTube video or have somebody show
me how to do it, and I can pick it
up real quickly, and that's where AI can adapt to
different learning styles. So I see that as a way
to aid in this whole critical thinking process.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
How would we change a headlight in our car? AI
technology expert founder and CEO of easy Locator, Charles Schultz
always great. I'm sorry, Charles Schultz. John Schultz, thank you
for your time today.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
You're welcome. Have a great day.
Remember you'd ask your parents how to spell something and
they'd say, the dreaded will sound it out. This is
West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and Brett Makita. What
about the role of AI and kids just looking stuff
up that way and critical thinking. Let's get to the
latest with John Schultz, who is an AI and technology
(00:22):
expert and also the CEO and founder of easy Locator.
Back with this, John, thanks for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Oh, you're very welcome. Looking forward to the discussion.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
So let's have that. Let's talk about that as teachers
and parents look at kids that use AI in an
increasing amount of different ways. What are experts saying.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Well, I think the experts are saying it's very cross
the whole platform. You know. An article that you just
mentioned was from Carnegie Mellon and Microsoft. And I always
come up with a statement, you know, don't confuse me
with the facts. My mind's made up, and I can
come back with so studies and show that AI actually
(01:02):
improves learning capabilities. In fact, that easy Locator I would
have to say that we are doing that ourselves because
being a software development company, we're having to produce a
software tool for our users. And we actually trying to
basically customize our training and learning ability to our users
based upon their learning styles, whether it be visual reading
(01:25):
or auditories. So again, I think there's all kinds of
confusion going out there, and for every study that I've
found out there, I can find and find counter studies
to oppose that. So it's a question up for debate
that won't be interesting to see what happens in the
coming years.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What's the difference? Let me ask you this question, John.
There used to be people that would go door to
door selling encyclopedias, and some families of means would have
an encyclopedia that would help kids do their homework. Right.
I remember we had an old one, but we carried
it from place to place right information. What's the difference
(02:02):
between using AI looking something up in the encyclopedia like
Baby Bloomers did well.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
The challenge with AI is verifying the information. AI does
not have reasoning skills, So that's one of the things
that I think. You know, you think about critical thinking,
you think about reasoning skills and things of that nature.
We need to make sure we can verify the information.
And one of the things that I found with AI
(02:29):
is if you go to areas that have been very
well studied, you know, in particularly the science arena, and
that's where one of the studies I came across, where
you know, the AI approach to science and computer science
areas and things of that nature was really valid because
those are truly areas that you gain facts. But when
you start to get off on the fringes where facts
(02:51):
aren't verifiable, that's when you need to basically have the
ability to critically think whether or not that information is
true or not. So I like your analog of the
old you know, tyclopedia in your in your house, you know,
I look at the libraries kind of one of those
resources that when I was in college, you know, if
I had the Internet today back you know, when I
was in college, to be kind of interesting to see
(03:13):
how I would have learned learned there. I think AIM
answers if it's used appropriately.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
And that's the challenge, right ron, I mean, from teachers
to the students to everything else in the fact that adaptability, right,
because it's not like we don't want students to not
be aware of and use AI because everything's about efficiency
moving forward. I mean, just look at you know, cars
and what they can do and the ability with safety
and technology and everything. So that's the frustrating thing, right
(03:41):
you want them to understand how to use the process
of critical thinking, but at the same time they might
not need to because of AI. But yet they have
to learn how to use AI.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
You know, I like your word adaptability. You know, we
had to adapt over the years when new new things
were invented, you know, back when, back in the day,
as I tell my kids, you know, the old worse
and buggy. You know, we came out with the automobile,
and people were critical of that. We came up with
the calculator, and I remember teachers up in arms about
going from the old way of writing things down in
(04:11):
the long division and now you have a calculator, and
how students were gonna be done? You know, I think
tools and efficiencies are really one of the critical things.
How can you do more with less? And if it's
properly taught in school, and I think it has many benefits.
And so the key thing is is that the teachers
and the education industry has to basically change their way
(04:34):
of thinking. How do they basically leverage and customize the
teaching skills to the students, and I know my best
learning way of doing it is actually through watching videos.
If I had videos in college, I think I would
have been a four point zero student. I had somewhat
of it. I have somewhat of a challenge reading, and
so I have to read things multiple times just to
(04:55):
kind of understand. If you gave me a manual today
to read, I would basically my eyes would roll in
the back my head and go, wow, what's that. But
you show me a YouTube video or have somebody show
me how to do it, and I can pick it
up real quickly, and that's where AI can adapt to
different learning styles. So I see that as a way
to aid in this whole critical thinking process.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
How would we change a headlight in our car? AI
technology expert founder and CEO of easy Locator, Charles Schultz
always great. I'm sorry, Charles Schultz. John Schultz, thank you
for your time today.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
You're welcome. Have a great day.
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