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Hello Reader! Discussions about Artificial Intelligence in schools continue to percolate. So, as Gary Stager is on-the-road leading Learning Adventures workshops, we thought you might be interested in some learner-centered views on AI. But first — It’s not too late to register for this week’s Learning Adventures workshops in Pittsburgh (November 6) and Chicago (November 7)! AI, Schools, and the Labubu ProblemIn this provocative essay, Gary Stager lends a historical perspective to illuminate how schools’ are repeating the same old mistake of technology implementation — this time with AI. https://reggio.constructingmodernknowledge.com/labubu Thinking in an AI-Augmented World | Askwith Education Forum featuring Professor Howard GardnerOur friend, Harvard Professor Howard Gardner, participates in a thoughtful discussion on the future of learning and education in the age of AI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LMW0hUtBwo CMK’s Roots: Logo, Piaget, and AIGary Stager describes how Constructing Modern Knowledge, including our June institute in Reggio Emilia are the descendants of Logo, Piaget, and the early objectives of the artificial intelligence research community. https://stager.tv/?p=7545 Podcast: What’s Worth Making? with Professor Hal AbelsonHal Abelson, the legendary MIT Computer Science professor, creator of the Open Courseware movement and MIT App Inventor, recalls his days as an MIT graduate student during the early 1970s in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Dr. Abelson discusses artificial intelligence’s roots in Piaget, learning, and how he and his contemporaries always believed that computers are for children. Abelson also offers a vision for the future of education centered around making with bits and atoms. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chalk-radio/id1497545103?i=1000657143425 Happy 70th Birthday Artificial Intelligence!In 1955, the term “Artificial Intelligence” was coined in a conference proposal. https://stanford.io/2WJJJGN Exploring Creative AI with Ken KahnKen Kahn, author of The Learner’s Apprentice: AI and the Amplification of Human Creativity, has been hard at work finding ingenious ways to learn and make things with generative AI. Follow Ken on LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, or BlueSky for a steady stream of interesting explorations! Here are just two of his recent musings: 👉 Co-creating an app that even a small child could use to create collages of AI-generated images. Follow the creative process and try the app for yourself on this Google Doc. 👉 This exploration was designed for a workshop Ken will be leading at the 17th International Conference on Technology in Mathematics Teaching. The idea is to encourage teachers to create, and have their students create, web-based interactive chatbot-aided mathematical explorations. Follow Ken as he uses generative AI to explore Pythagoras' Theorem and the distribution of primes by making interactive apps you can try for yourself. Several teachers have shared that they are using Ken's book as curriculum for students exploring AI as a way to create apps, models, and simulations. There are hundreds of examples in the book of creative uses of AI. (If you would like information about a volume purchase for your class, just reply to this email.) Hope you had a Happy Halloween! 🎃👻🍬🦇💀🧡 Sylvia Martinez & Gary Stager |
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Hello Reader! Computer programming is the new liberal art Programming gives young people agency over an increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated world. Seymour Papert asked more than 50 years ago, “Does the computer program the child or the child program the computer?” Answering that question in favor of the child is critical now more than ever. Developing, possessing, and wielding such computational fluency is essential for participating in democracy and thriving in an...
Dear Reader, After decades of working with schools across Australia and New Zealand, I'm thrilled to announce my return in late February and early March 2026. This isn't just another professional development tour. This is a chance for your school community to experience transformative learning adventures that combine progressive education traditions with cutting-edge computational thinking, project-based learning, and hands-on innovation. Why work with me? I don't just talk about good...
Hi Reader, You're invited! Join Gary Stager for an after-school workshop exploring a constructionist approach to teaching young learners computation, programming, and robotics. There's no set fee for this workshop. We're covering the room, but we'd like to try something different and invite you to pay what you choose for the experience. Clever Computing for ChildrenDecember 4, 20252:30 - 5:30 PM Culver City Julian Dixon Library4975 Overland AveCulver City, CA 90230 We'll explore: Programming...