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New York City is banning the use of generative artificial intelligence for public school students from 2K through 8th grade, part of a larger move to restrict classroom technology in the nation’s largest school district. https://cnn.it/4iGlH79

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This encourages students to think for themselves, go to libraries, read books & bring what they've learned for themselves by themselves to the classroom - the good old fashioned way - not artificial but REAL learning!

They are not banning technology they’re banning unreality. I wholeheartedly agree with what New York is doing. We need reality more now than ever. Truth over lies. Truth over distortion. We need to be able to trust. AI is every reason not to trust.

This is good as long as educators also develop programs on digital literacy and digital citizenship. I think wholesale bans on AI will lead to the same issues that plague the current generation in terms of tech literacy. Kids know how to scroll social media, but do not know how to use computers.

Plus, classroom teachers taught kids how to create their own media and give presentations and complete assignments using various programs and referring back to what the media specialist taught. By 3rd grade, most of my students were very computer literate and would help each other.

What do you mean? In my school district (I'm retired), the media specialist taught many lessons for K-5 on computer literacy, identifying reputable sites, coding, various programs, etc. Plus using library catalog, finding books, helping kids find books they want to read, etc.

This varies by district though. I worked in the top school in one of the best states and the students who were actively in robotics or computer related classes were proficient, but the rest of the district struggled to operate their computers at basic levels. Both teachers and students.

A kid asking AI to open a file for them or start an app for them or whatever is learning even less about how computers work. Using AI != Understanding AI either. The people who use it often have the largest misunderstandings about it. Some come to believe it is actually alive, for instance.

I guess that is what I mean when I am saying they should learn digital literacy. It's a major issue in the workplace right now. Kids do not have the skills to operate computers at a basic level. In my experience in IT, they have a much harder time than older folks.