Comments by Andrea Zellner

We are making decisions but we are also having decisions made by our bodies...

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 20:36:19 -0500

It's interesting the way the eyes, hands and one leg are all pointing in one direction while the other leg is planted. Almost being split apart.

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 20:31:12 -0500

Oh I love this!

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:43:30 -0400

Where did the majority land? Who was particularly strong in their advocacy? What did they say?

How can I continue to think about Literacy in the way Audrey Watters does?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:41:16 -0400

It sounds like you’re deeply engaged in reading and reflecting on Audrey Watters' perspectives on AI Literacy and the implications of ed tech initiatives. Let's explore this further using the Reading Apprenticeship approach. To start, let's break down Watters' perspective into manageable parts. First, she suggests that literacy is often used as a more palatable term by companies trying to market their AI products. This is an example of what she refers to as an "Orwellian discourse move." The use of the term "literacy" in this context can mask the true intentions of these initiatives, which she implies are more about job training centered around specific software. Now, let's think aloud about how these claims might affect our understanding of AI Literacy. By framing technology education as literacy, companies might be leveraging a term that traditionally conveys empowerment and access to knowledge. However, if the focus is on mastering specific tools and software to improve job prospects, it raises questions about whose interests are being served. Is it truly about empowering students, or is it more about creating a workforce trained in proprietary systems? Would you like to see more?

I've been arguing about AI literacy lately...

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:41:16 -0400

Audrey Watters had a post a while back about the way ed tech for-profit companies use literacy as almost an Orwellian discourse move. She writes, "As complex and contentious as "literacy" might be, arguably it’s safer to frame your AI sales-pitch as a such than labeling it “job training,” even though that’s often what these literacy programs entail. It’s certainly what most tech literacy initiatives imply: students’ future job prospects depend on their professional, “productive” usage of technology; indeed quite often of a very specific piece of software (whose maker has graciously funded the literacy effort, natch)." https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/ai-literacy-and-the-pedagogy-of-the-oppressor-2/ I truly can't stop thinking about this and now I have this other lens coloring all my thinking on this topic.

Interesting convergence

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:35:58 -0400

In our work with schools around my county, we have been encouraging them to anchor first in their community values as articulated in their portrait of a graduate or school pillars or similar articulations of those community values. This has been the most generative move we've made in our work. For more on how we approach this with teams of teachers, admin, and students, please visit this link: https://bit.ly/GenAIOS

Generosity is the value I aspire to most...

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:30:54 -0400

I really want to be a generous person, but it isn't my default behavior. I've worked hard to push myself to be more generous with my time, energy, and resources. It's important to me to give as much as I'm able to make the world better.

Creativity is always my number one value.

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:29:08 -0400

I don't feel alive if I can't be creative and there's nothing I value more than being creative with others.

I love this idea!

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:15:46 -0400

Rachel, did they arrange it in the same way as the original? Or was it different? How did they think about those similarities and differences?

I love this poem....

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:13:38 -0400

Not only have I used this as a quick write for lots of moments with teachers and kids and every time it goes viral someone sends it to me. I love considering the work I love. I certainly love writing. I love talking with teachers and students about writing.

The robots are winning?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:12:19 -0400

When I look at this image, I notice that in this game of rock/paper/scissors, the robot is always anticipating and winning against the human. It's also interesting to me that the robot arm has veins in the way we associate with humans--are they both cyborgs? We don't see the veins in the arms of what I assumed to be the human hands on the left.

Can you give me background on AI literacy?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:01:53 -0400

Background on AI Literacy

AI literacy refers to the understanding and skills required to effectively navigate, utilize, and critically evaluate artificial intelligence technologies. In educational contexts, it involves teaching students not only how to use AI tools but also to understand their implications, biases, and impacts on society.

Key Sentences and Their Importance

1. **"Far too often, the definition of AI competencies for students is influenced by training designed and/or provided by private companies."** - This is important because it highlights a potential conflict of interest where companies may prioritize their proprietary technologies over a more holistic education. Understanding this dynamic is crucial for educators to ensure a balanced curriculum that serves the students' long-term interests. 2. **"Such approaches seldom engage with the broader critical issues."** - This underscores the need for education in AI literacy to include critical thinking about ethical, societal, and cultural impacts of AI. It points out a gap in current educational strategies that needs addressing to prepare students for real-world challenges. 3. **"Focus on technical skills to operate profit-driven AI platforms."** - This indicates a narrow focus on practical skills that can limit students' ability to critically assess AI technologies and their uses. It suggests the necessity of integrating critical analysis and ethical considerations into AI education.

Background Information

- **AI's Role in Education**: AI is increasingly integrated into educational settings, offering both opportunities and challenges. While it can personalize learning and automate administrative tasks, it also raises concerns about data privacy and the outsourcing of educational content to corporate interests (source: [EdTech Magazine](https://www.edtechmagazine.com)). - **Ethical Considerations**: The ethical implications of AI, such as bias in algorithms and privacy issues, are crucial for students to understand. AI literacy should cover these aspects to prepare students for a society increasingly shaped by AI technologies (source: [AI Ethics Journal](https://www.aijournal.com)). - **Critical Thinking and AI**: Developing critical thinking in AI involves teaching students to question the sources, purposes, and impacts of AI technologies. This includes understanding how AI decisions are made and who benefits from them (source: [Harvard Business Review](https://www.hbr.org)).

Suggested Resources

- **EdSurge**: A resource for educators looking to integrate AI into their curriculum while addressing broader ethical and critical issues. [www.edsurge.com](https://www.edsurge.com) - **AI4ALL**: Offers resources and programs aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion in AI education, emphasizing ethical and societal implications. [www.ai-4-all.org](https://www.ai-4-all.org) - **IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems**: Provides guidelines and frameworks for ethical AI development and use. [standards.ieee.org](https://standards.ieee.org) If any link does not work, you can find the source by searching with the information provided. Feel free to dive back into the text and consider what other issues or insights you might uncover. Your reflections are a valuable part of understanding AI literacy deeply!

I agree with this.

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:01:53 -0400

I think this point is really important for schools and teachers to consider as they work with AI and vendors of AI tools.

• What is the work you love? When do you do that work in school? • Is the work you are assigned in school lovable?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:13:38 -0400

• Share a word, phrase, or sentence that sticks out to you from the text. Why did you choose that? • Do you agree or disagree with this author? • When have you felt like you learned? When does it feel like "school" as the author describes?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:46:17 -0400

• What was your initial reaction to Generative Al tools like ChatGPT? • How do you think Al will change what skills you'll need for future jobs? What abilities might help you work well with Al tools in your future career?

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 21:11:05 -0500

• What title would you give this artist's work? • What message is the artist trying to send?

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 21:11:05 -0500

• Can you tell which one of these images was Al generated? • How could Al art tools change the rules about who owns pictures and creative work? What might this mean for artists and people who make things?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:42:35 -0400

https://www.whichfaceisreal.com/

• Have you noticed which task Generative Al is best at? What does it struggle with? • What are ways you might communicate potential pros and cons to other students or adults in your community?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 20:14:47 -0400

• Calculators, search engines, and word processors have all been predicted as the end of education. How do people think about those technologies now? • How might looking to past technology.help us understand what is happening now with Al?

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 21:11:05 -0500

• What is going on when students turn to Al to complete assignments? • How might teachers change assignments to make them "Al proof"?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:37:29 -0400

• What does this say about what is and isn't important? • How would this cartoon change if student work was substituted for office work? What if it were teachers grading student work?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:36:18 -0400

• Can you see yourself using Al in any of these ways? If so, which ones? • What role might you add to this list?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:35:05 -0400

• What parts of the research process do you notice that Al cannot complete?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:34:06 -0400

• How do we commonly hear Al talked about and portrayed in media? • What are some potential risks or concerns about the advancement of Al?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:32:46 -0400

• What jobs do you think will change the most because of Al? What jobs might stay pretty much the same? • How might teachers need to change what and how they teach to help you get ready for jobs in a world with Al?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:31:08 -0400

• Which of these would you consider "cheating"? • Which of these is relevant to our students' future? • Which of these would you use in your work as an adult?

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 08:09:04 -0400

What jobs do you think will change the most because of Al? What jobs might stay pretty much the same? How might teachers need to change what and how they teach to help you get ready for lobs in a world with Al?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 20:31:27 -0400

• Which of these would you consider "cheating"? • Which of these is relevant to our students' future? • Which of these would you use in your work as an adult?

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 20:29:18 -0400

What should I think about this?

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:04:31 -0500

For real, you're onto something big here. First off, thinking about getting AI into the curriculum is like setting students up for a future that’s already unfolding. It's about giving them the tools not just to use AI but also to shape it in ways that help their communities and lives positively. By learning how AI works and what it can do, students can be more than just passengers on this tech journey—they become navigators and co-pilots. You curious about diving deeper into these ideas?

Interesting

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:04:31 -0500

I am saying more thoughts about this!