Originally published 021824

I’m having trouble finding words to describe the moment of clarity in 053.

Batting clean up, leading off, you following my drift?
Seeming things not always are, but answers can we sift
Many meanings have few words, and some are even true
Sometimes three roads lead one to, a fourth that no one knew
Footsteps blaze the trail taken, a path that we’ll create
Just because you’re following, don’t mean I can’t relate

[Type. Delete. Repeat.]

Weeks Later

I’ve yet to find words to explain it.

And the idea isn’t even original.

Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age got me thinking about it.

Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One made it seem inevitable.

When I say school sucks (033 and elsewhere), I’m referring to the system, not the people. We (individuals) are subject to many such less-than-ideal systems.

The challenge is to offer new tools and strategies to foster change from within the system. (A free, quality public education has never been more important.)

Like the asynchronous learning environment I began building in 2001 (010 and 017), this idea is just another way to leverage existing tech to help kids (and educators) succeed in a traditional classroom.

A positive-sum tool that individualizes the learning environment.

There are many sound, logical reasons this idea won’t work.

There always are.
— 053 Time and Place

Meanwhile

Many people have preconceived notions about teachers.

“You don’t want to be a teacher.”

I didn’t deny it. “How hard can it be?”
— 043 Twenty-Four Days Later

Fun Fact: I just read an article about teachers. Then, I made the mistake of reading some of the comments.

To move forward, can we agree that most of us can point to at least one teacher (or coach) who profoundly impacted our lives?

Mechanical Drawing (High School)

I waited until the other kids left before approaching his desk.

“Mr. Guy?”

“Yeah?” (Writing something.)

“I got a B on my report card.”

“I know.” (Still writing.)

“The guys around me got A’s.”

He stopped writing.

Then, he flung the pencil down, looked me in the eye, and snarled, “Them guys ain’t thinkin’ about drawin’ pictures for a living.” (He knew I wanted to be an architect.)

He grabbed another pencil (the first one was halfway across the room) and continued writing.

His assignments hadn’t been very challenging, and my drawings were always neat and accurate.

I didn’t understand, so I left without another word.

Today, I’d use a computer to recreate those drawings in a fraction of the time.

But back then, Mr. Guy pushed me to refine my craft. He taught me that good enough was insulting to both of us.

“Quit measurin’ yourself against them other guys, and show me what you can do.”

Repetition and iteration sharpened my focus and skills.

And it was fun.

Thanks to mentors like Mr. Guy, I drew pictures for a living for most of my life.

Teachers matter.

022224

I’ve been struggling with introducing AI’s role in this (even though you have to know it’s part of the idea).

I was browsing news sites (stalling) and ran into this:

The result is Khanmigo, a safe and accurate tutor, built atop ChatGPT, that works at the skill level of its users — and never coughs up answers. Khanmigo is the best model we have for how to develop and implement AI for the public good. It’s also the first AI software I’m excited for my kids to use.
— Opinion Piece, Washington Post

I immediately searched and found this TED Talk (published 050123):

??!

How did I not know he was working on this?

Best Guess: The news was most likely lost in the frenetic last weeks of my teaching career and the subsequent total knee replacement (027).

Sal Khan (one of my edu-heroes) makes a compelling case and clearly frames AI’s role and capabilities (that will only continue to improve at an ever-accelerating pace).

But what if we added another motivational lever to the mix?

Think of Gameful as a prototype, built for and tested in classrooms.

Mick has expressed it succinctly:

“I put my crappy code on top of your kids’ crappy code, and I don’t even know if WordPress is the right way to go with this.”

Right or wrong, it works.

Something > Nothing

Marcia sent this photo and said, “Share this!”

I shared her eval in this thread:

James Paul Gee wrote about video games and learning decades ago.

I can’t stop thinking about it.

Desks fit nicely into rows and columns. Students do not. Find a way to differentiate and personalize knowledge acquisition and assessment.
— Note to Self (033)

All the pieces are in place to begin building an AI-infused, gameful LMS that personalizes the experience for every student in a public high school.

A step toward Ludus with an illustrated primer (of sorts) for all stakeholders.

I caught a glimpse of it while writing 053, and sometime later added this to 011:

Seeing it in action at a public high school was astonishing. A personalized (shared) experience for all students, with post-graduation benefits and options embedded throughout.

The academic vibe at this magnet school aligned with Mr. Guy’s “Quit measurin’ yourself against them other guys, and show me what you can do.”

I saw kids discussing the different ways they engaged with the content.

“I was a world-famous chemist with amnesia. My snarky lab assistant (AI) loved the role reversal.”

Students interact with the subject matter every day in every class, leaving digital footprints in their wake.

Dynamic character sheets replaced leaderboards (and gradebooks).

Light-years beyond Gameful, but steeped in the Mac Lab Way (049).

Students, families, and staff would need to opt in to a unique, data-rich learning environment where everyone’s role is redefined.

Not a panacea, but closer to “just right” (010) for many of the (willing) participants.

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Context: Things move fast. Imagine where this tech (and our world) might be in a few years (when the pilot program finally launches).

Harlan Guy also taught P.E. and coached. Watsonville High School’s baseball field is named in his honor.

Featured Image: Those words have resonated for over 40 years.

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