AI in 5 Archive
September 16, 2025
According to a company insider, OpenAI recently laid out its blueprint for AI evolution. Here’s what it looks like:
• Level 1: Chatbots: what we currently have.
• Level 2: Reasoners: PhD-level problem solvers.
• Level 3: Agents: AI systems that can spend days taking actions for you.
• Level 4: Innovators: Your AI version of Thomas Edison.
• Level 5: Organizations: a single AI doing the job of a whole company.
Apparently, we're on the cusp of Level 2. OpenAI execs used the meeting to demonstrate a new research project that the company believes rises to human-like reasoning.
The AI Educator
September 23, 2025
September 30, 2025
In a recent global webinar, educators explored the impact of artificial intelligence in enhancing classroom collaboration. Sabba Quidwai, a leader in educational design, emphasized the balance between AI tools and human creativity. Using ChatGPT alongside Canva's whiteboard feature, she illustrated how educators could visualize classroom discussions for more dynamic and interactive brainstorming sessions.
Quidwai's approach underscores the necessity of maintaining human oversight when integrating AI in education. By sorting ideas through AI but leaving the final decisions to educators, the technology supports but does not supplant the critical human element. This method not only enhances the creativity in lesson planning but also empowers teachers to incorporate AI meaningfully into their pedagogical strategies.
Educators seeking to foster a collaborative environment can adopt these tools to facilitate idea generation and ensure that these ideas are aligned with educational goals, thereby enhancing both teaching effectiveness and student engagement.
The AI Educator
10/7/2024
Eric Curts, an edtech specialist from Ohio, demonstrated the transformative potential of the Chrome extension Brisk Teaching during the recent Back to School AI Webinar. This tool serves as an AI assistant that can automate time-consuming tasks such as creating quizzes, lesson plans, and presentations directly from web content.
Curts highlighted Brisk Teaching's ability to differentiate instruction and personalize learning. By automating administrative tasks and tailoring educational materials to individual student needs, the tool allows educators to focus more on the pedagogical aspects of teaching rather than preparation.
For K-12 leaders, integrating such AI tools can lead to more efficient classroom management and resource creation. This not only saves time but also improves the quality of education delivered, allowing for a more responsive and engaging learning environment.
The AI Educator
The AI Educator
10/14/2024
Enhancing Student Engagement and Inclusivity with AI
While speaking at an AI global webinar for educators, Aileen Wallace shared her use of the AI learning platform Curipod to engage quieter students in her Scottish high school. The platform's anonymity feature helps students participate without fear of judgment, fostering a more inclusive classroom environment.
Wallace's use of Curipod’s moderation and voting features also promotes student interaction and builds confidence. By allowing students to vote on peers' ideas, it not only validates their thoughts but also encourages a more engaged and collaborative learning atmosphere.
This approach can be particularly beneficial for K-12 education leaders looking to enhance student participation and inclusivity. By integrating such AI platforms, educators can create a safer space for all students to express their ideas and contribute meaningfully to classroom discussions.
The AI Educator
10/21/2024
NotebookLM: Google's AI Tool Redefining Learning and Knowledge Management
Google's NotebookLM, initially developed as "Tailwind," has emerged as a powerful AI tool designed to process vast amounts of content, from documents to audio files, providing users with AI-generated insights and grounded responses. NotebookLM’s standout feature, "Deep Dives," offers an innovative way to consume information by generating AI conversations about input material, making it highly valuable for students, researchers, and professionals alike.
NotebookLM can handle up to 1,500 pages at once, utilizing advanced AI techniques such as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Text-to-Speech (TTS). This tool has rapidly gained traction, particularly among educators and learners who seek seamless knowledge management. Users have found creative applications for NotebookLM, such as creating study guides, summarizing discussions, and even transforming content into AI-generated "podcasts."
It's user-friendly interface and audio features, including natural pauses and banter, make learning more engaging, overcoming the limitations of traditional chat-based AI tools. As AI shifts to more audio-driven modalities, NotebookLM offers a new way to process and navigate the overwhelming amount of content available today.
For education administrators, NotebookLM showcases the potential of AI to streamline knowledge management, personalize learning experiences, and reduce time spent searching for relevant information. This tool is a glimpse into the future of AI-powered education, where user-friendly interfaces and seamless integration make AI an essential resource in both classrooms and district offices.
The Big Picture: September 2024 Podcast hosted by Claire Zau
10/28/2024
Title: Biden’s Executive Order Pushes for Safe and Equitable AI Across Sectors
This week, President Biden signed an executive order designed to steer the development and use of AI in the U.S. toward responsible and equitable practices. The sweeping directive prioritizes the establishment of national standards to protect privacy, prevent AI-driven discrimination, and secure critical infrastructure. Among the many provisions, the executive order specifically emphasizes the responsible deployment of AI in educational settings, aiming to ensure that students, teachers, and administrators benefit from AI advancements while being shielded from potential risks, such as bias in algorithmic decision-making and privacy vulnerabilities.
The executive order mandates the Department of Commerce to develop best practices for authenticating AI-generated content, a significant move to combat misinformation and protect consumers and students. This initiative includes content labeling to differentiate AI from human-generated materials, which could become part of digital literacy curriculums in schools. Moreover, guidelines will be created to support the ethical deployment of AI in classrooms, such as through personalized learning tools that respect student privacy. For educational leaders, this directive represents an opportunity to adopt innovative tools responsibly while aligning with privacy safeguards and anti-bias protocols.
Additionally, the order’s focus on equity and civil rights aims to prevent the use of AI in exacerbating discrimination, particularly in areas like school admissions and hiring processes. This includes collaboration with agencies like the Department of Justice to ensure AI applications in education promote fairness and do not deepen existing biases. As educational institutions increasingly adopt AI, these standards will provide a framework for schools to evaluate tools for equitable outcomes. This order represents a pivotal step toward creating a safe, inclusive, and well-regulated AI landscape in U.S. education and beyond.
The White House
11/4/2024
School Sued Over AI Use Punishment: Key Lessons for Educators
In a precedent-setting case, the parents of a Massachusetts high schooler are suing Hingham High School for disciplining their son after he used generative AI for an assignment. According to the lawsuit, the student used AI to create an outline and conduct research, resulting in detention, a lowered grade, and exclusion from the National Honor Society—actions taken despite the absence of any school policy on AI use during the 2023-24 school year. Neither the teacher nor assignment guidelines indicated that AI was off-limits, according to the plaintiffs, leading them to seek a court order to restore the student's grade and remove related disciplinary records.
A preliminary hearing on October 22nd brought the case closer to a ruling, with the family’s lawyer, Peter Farrell, requesting a temporary injunction to clear the student’s record and reinstate his grade. Additionally, the family is asking the school to implement staff training on AI use, and Hingham High has already reinstated the student’s National Honor Society status.
As districts nationwide grapple with AI integration, the case underscores the importance of clear policies and transparent communication around AI tools in schools. Pat Yongpradit of Code.org echoed this, emphasizing the need for deeper conversations around AI in education.
Lauraine Langreo, Education Week
11/12/2024
Enhancing Accuracy with OpenAI's Real-Time Search Integration
OpenAI recently launched a significant update to ChatGPT—its integration with a real-time web search capability. This new feature enables ChatGPT to access up-to-date online information, vastly improving its capa`city to provide accurate and current insights. The integration transforms the model's functionality, allowing it to pull information from the web in real-time, a step forward in making AI outputs more reliable for users across fields.
This addition marks a competitive edge for ChatGPT, positioning it as a powerful research and productivity tool for both casual users and professionals. Traditionally, large language models like ChatGPT have relied on static datasets, limiting them to knowledge available only up to a specific date. However, with real-time search capabilities, ChatGPT users can now ask about recent events, emerging trends, or the latest research findings, confident they will receive relevant and precise answers. This is particularly impactful for professionals in education, journalism, and business, who often rely on timely information for critical decision-making.
Educational leaders stand to benefit greatly from this advancement, as they can leverage ChatGPT to access current trends in pedagogy, policy, and technology integration directly within their queries. As education continuously evolves with new studies, tools, and methodologies, this AI capability will be valuable for administrators and teachers seeking to stay informed without the need to consult multiple sources. With factual accuracy boosted by real-time search, ChatGPT now serves as an even more effective tool for empowering decision-makers in education and beyond to stay connected with the latest in their fields.
11/18/2024
Leveraging ChatGPT as a Writing Resource for Students
The newly published guide by OpenAI, "A Student’s Guide to Writing with ChatGPT," offers practical insights for educational leaders on integrating AI into student writing practices in an ethical, supportive manner. This guide is designed to assist students with various stages of writing, from brainstorming and research to editing and finalization, positioning AI as a tool to refine writing skills rather than simply generate content. For school and district administrators, understanding these tools is crucial for fostering effective and responsible AI use in classrooms.
One of the guide's main recommendations is using ChatGPT as a **scaffolding tool** for student writing. For instance, students can engage ChatGPT to brainstorm topic ideas, organize initial outlines, and generate discussion prompts. This approach can be particularly beneficial for students who struggle with getting started on assignments, as AI can present a range of examples or ideas that inspire students’ unique responses. Educators can further leverage ChatGPT as a peer-review resource, where students receive feedback on grammar, tone, and structure, enabling them to iterate on their work before final submission.
However, the guide is clear about **ethical usage**, emphasizing that students should treat ChatGPT as an aid rather than a replacement for original work. OpenAI encourages students to cite any assistance received from ChatGPT, aligning with academic integrity standards. This practice is especially valuable in fostering transparency and understanding in educational settings where administrators, teachers, and students navigate new AI-assisted learning technologies together. By emphasizing ethical guidelines, schools can ensure students maintain accountability and independence in their work while still benefiting from the AI’s support.
School administrators considering AI policies will find that the guide advocates for a balanced approach, wherein AI supports students' writing processes without compromising critical thinking. With structured guidance from educators and a framework for appropriate AI use, ChatGPT can become an asset for student growth, equipping them with tools that reinforce the fundamentals of clear and coherent writing. For more information, administrators can access the full guide at [OpenAI’s Student Writing Guide. (https://openai.com/chatgpt/use-cases/student-writing-guide/).
