ETEC 512 - Thought Paper #2
Thought Paper
“Do you believe there is a cause for concern regarding the development of AI and its potential to outsmart or overpower humans?” (ETEC 512 Thought Paper #2)
While AI streamlines how users obtain information, it collapses the learning process from question to understanding without much reflection towards the journey between the two points. I feel that AI is a double-edged sword through how it has streamlined the searching process of what used to be obtained by “Googling” something, at the expense of the user’s own deductive reasoning. AI has left me questioning the distinction of what information is when compared to knowledge or wisdom. While AI surely reduces cognitive frictions for the user by simplifying the process of acquiring information that it thinks they want, I have trouble believing that the knowledge and understandings that the user comes away with are really their own and not just a generalized internet consensus.
I would think that the role of the educator here in this distinction between learning and separating information from knowledge is paramount in the instructional design process of how AI is utilized for learning. As noted in Fletcher (2023)’s article, AI is “like a calculator, a very high-end calculator” that requires users to understand its limitations to avoid mistakes. The educator here I believe becomes essential in teaching students not just to use AI, but to critically interrogate what it produces and reflect on their own learning process. Similarly, while Bohil et al.'s (2011) research demonstrates how VR can create immersive, ecologically valid learning environments, the technology itself doesn’t guarantee meaningful learning, that requires intentional pedagogical design from the part of a teacher. On one hand, while generative AI and VR can be powerful catalytic stepping stones in the accessibility of information and experience, whether that information remains just data, becomes knowledge, or manifests into wisdom seems to be dependent upon how effectively educators guide students to navigate and critically apply these tools.
