"Domo arigato Mr. Roboto"

Mr. Roboto by Styx

Hello there,

Remember when shouting hey alexa! in your home felt foreign? When home assistant devices like Amazon Alexa came out there was an uproar. I even remember being very concerned about being recorded at all times and arguing with Mike when he brought one home.

Now everywhere I go people have one in their home. It's a joke to yell hey google! on a zoom call and hear everyone's robots activate. It's become...normal

Well, we are at that point again- with OpenAI's ChatGPT. This incredible artificial intelligence will chat with you about anything you can think of. If you haven't played around with it- you should. It will generate emails, tweets, and even a five paragraph essay for you...oh yeah essays- that's why people are freaking out.

ChatGPT and students: The gut reaction in schools seems to be: completely ban ChatGPT. For now- I agree. Students, staff, and parents need to be taught how to use it responsibly. We need to understand how to use it as a tool and timesaver. If the thought process is that it's a magic cheating machine, then schools are not ready. But I do not think it's smart to ban it long term.

As the adults in the room, we need to understand how it works, because I assure you- this technology is not going away. I have a video coming out Saturday that explains how we can use it with children, ways to prevent teaching, and the ethics + safety we have to teach students. In the meantime: hop on ChatGPT and try it.

*Pro tip: Sometimes ChatGPT says it is at capacity- but if you make a free account, you can usually bypass that. Make sure you do not put personal or private information into it.

What's New? (contains affiliate links)

So you wanna quit teaching?: Last weekend I released my newest video. It goes over the questions I asked myself and the first steps I took when I decided to leave teaching. It speaks to teachers, but if you've ever considered changing careers it's good advice.

Lunchables for school lunches?: Lunchables are vying for a new market: schools. Here's their plan to replace the hot lunch option...with tiny cold pizzas.

Fresh Air: I'll be heading to Dundee, Oregon this week for a bachelorette party in wine country 🍷. It's going to be her last syrah 😂 We'll be running around Portland and Dundee. If you've got recs respond to this newsletter.

Dress for the weather: To prep for my trip I am bringing my trusty rain coat and my all weather sneakers. I used to wear those shoes on the playground for cold days and muddy days and they are amazing.

Have a great week!