Welcome to Foundational Insights
Hi Everyone and welcome to the first edition of our community newsletter.
My name is Daniel Emmerson and I’m the Executive Director of Good Future Foundation. We appreciate that you are bombarded with newsletters and content every day, so it is our intention to ensure that monthly dispatches are informative, relevant and inspiring.
Each month we aim to spotlight contributions from the sector, where students and teachers alike are experimenting with and learning from AI in various different forms and situations. This is not about showcasing the work of well-versed and emboldened practitioners or sales people, but focusing on those who have had the confidence to try new things.
Our hope is that you will be able to learn from and indeed share your own triumphs and failures as we continue to navigate the uncharted territory of AI in education. We will also provide updates concerning our events, resources and partnerships and we will signal boost opportunities for you to develop your own skills, knowledge and practice.
Why we are doing what we are doing - myths and ways forward
In education, have been talking about the digital divide for decades, and many fear that today AI would only exacerbate this. While many efforts are made by making AI free or open source, are we really addressing the divide? Let’s take a step back first and debunk some myths about the digital divide in education.
The Foundational Myth: The digital divide is a binary landscape.
When we think about the digital divide in education, we tend to formulate a mental image of a great gulf between those who have access to technology resources versus those who don’t. Indeed, a quick Google search would tell you that this is the definition of ‘digital divide’.
With this mental image, our instinctive reaction is therefore: How can we enable those without access to cross the bridge so that they are equal playing field with those who do?
While the unequal distribution of technology resources is a true reality, the landscape of digital divide is far more complex than a binary one, which lays a false foundation for the following assumptions:
The digital divide is a divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
There is a clear distinction between the ‘digital’ and the ‘analogue’, and the former is inherently better than the latter.
We can solve the digital divide by developing better technologies and distributing them.
We can reach a level playing field if the underprivileged copies from the privileged.
Yoyo Liu, interning at the Good Future Foundation, challenges these different assumptions related to digital divide and elaborates on these myths to explore what it truly means for the Good Future Foundation to bridge this divide and to create equitable educational opportunities for all, particularly in the context of AI in teaching and learning.
Foundational Impact Podcast
Foundational Impact is our podcast series that explores best practice, investigates challenges and offers insights concerning AI in education from a broad range of contributors - all through the lens of a non profit.
We were delighted to welcome Debra on the latest podcast episode of Foundational Impact, where we discussed Artificial Intelligence tools and how they might be most effectively deployed in schools and at work. We also chatted about the size and scope of the National Association of Independent Schools, professional development and the future of technology in education.
Get Hands-On with AI in Education: Free Professional Development Day at Felsted School
The Good Future Foundation is excited to invite you to its first free professional development day focused on AI in education, taking place at Felsted School in Essex on 21 October 2024. This event is designed to help educators feel more confident as they navigate the implications and influence of AI in teaching and learning. We’ll have hands-on workshops covering useful AI tools that can save time and boost productivity, as well as interactive sessions on safety, data protection, and how to seamlessly integrate AI into classroom activities and school operations. If this sounds interesting to you, we’d love for you to check out more information and register!
GFF’s Presence at STEAM 2024
We are thrilled to be part of STEAM 2024 at Thorpe Park on 15 October 2024, where we’ll be showing 10,000 students and teachers just how fun and educational AI can be. Keep an eye out for more exciting updates about this amazing event in our next newsletter!
💡Calling for Contributions
Foundational Insights is a community-driven newsletter exploring the journey of AI in education.
Whether you’re a teacher, student, administrator, or simply passionate about the future of learning, we invite you to share any thoughts you have about AI in education with us. They could be your own experiences using AI in your classroom or school, some handy tips on how AI tools have helped lighten your admin load, or counterpoints and disagreements against the usual ideas about how AI is shaping students' learning experiences.
Here are some ideas for the content we hope to curate together:
Monthly Theme: Each month, we will have a highlighted topic related to emerging trends or challenges in AI in education. We invite you to share your top three interests in the survey below! Your feedback will help us shape our future issues.
AI in Action: Share how you implement AI in your educational settings. Successes, challenges, and lessons learned are all valuable.
Educators Speak: Share your thoughts on current AI trends or policies affecting education through opinion pieces.
Ask & Answer: Submit any questions you have about AI in education. We’ll invite community members to answer.
Tools & Resources: Contribute any practical resources, tools, and tips for using AI in educational settings to help fellow community members.
Join us in shaping this community newsletter now!