Coffee and AI and Shaq and Funko!
Helping you ride the waves of AI innovation — with curiosity, creativity, and clarity with coffee in hand.
Hey Chaos Navigators,
Happy Fri-YAY!!!!
One thing I’ve learned on this journey through AI in education: just when you think you’ve wrapped a solid PD or workshop… boom shaka laka(I have been saying this since 1993 when Shaq dropped a rap album) — the tech updates that afternoon.
Anyhoo, here are some things I have enjoyed exploring and learning this week. What about you? Drop some knowledge in the comments.
Since the last newsletter I presented a session to media specialists on critical AI literacy and this week created and developed a PD session on differentiation utilizing AI. It has been a journey to improve the craft and more intentional with research backed practices to improve learning and awareness.
And this morning I just read that ChatGPT Plus is free for college students through May! Sheesh, more coffee is required to keep up!
Claude for Education: Socratic AI Is Here
Anthropic has launched Claude for Education, tailored for higher education environments. The standout feature? Learning Mode, which uses Socratic questioning to guide students toward deeper thinking — not just answers.
In partnership with universities like Northeastern and LSE, Claude is now part of campus-wide teaching and learning initiatives.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is responding with its own push — offering free ChatGPT Plus to U.S. and Canadian students and investing $50 million in the NextGenAI Consortium.
The AI education arms race continues. Not sure if good, bad, or indifferent, but it is a reality we are all facing.
Google NotebookLM Gets a Major Upgrade
Literally hours after presenting to media specialists about Google NotebookLM, two major features dropped:
Mind Maps
NotebookLM now uses AI to automatically create interactive mind maps from your notes — helping users visually connect and organize concepts.
Discover Sources
You can now describe a topic, and NotebookLM will fetch curated, summarized web content for you. One click = instant research material.
Read more about both updates
Discover feature deep dive
AI & Copyright: A Necessary Debate
A thoughtful read from Spyglass is worth your time to think about the constant back and forth into the ethical and legal complexities of training AI on copyrighted works.
The author explores fair use, artist rights, and the gray areas we must confront as AI blurs the line between inspiration and replication.
3 Questions for You:
How should copyright laws evolve to address the challenges posed by AI-generated art?
Is it ethical for AI models to be trained on existing artworks without the artists' consent?
How do we balance innovation with creator protection in the age of generative AI?
Let me know your thoughts. I’d love to feature reader responses next issue!
One Dose of AI Learning a Day
OpenAI has launched a new resource: OpenAI Academy. It’s a free, self-paced learning platform packed with tutorials and interactive guides.
I’m committing to one dose of learning a day and will share highlights with you in future editions. If you're curious about ChatGPT and want a scaffolded way to explore, this is a great place to start.
Funko Pop Yourself with AI!
At a few recent PD sessions, I shared my AI-generated Funko Pop figure and it was a hit! Now it’s your turn to become a collectible.
Here’s the Fun Prompt:
Choose four images of yourself you like.
Upload them to ChatGPT.
Use this prompt:
Use the images attached as training images to generate a realistic Funko Pop version of the character.
Box should be [Color 1] and [Color 2] with [logo], along with the name "[Your Name]."
Below the name, put "Vinyl Figure" and add warning labels like a real Funko Pop box.
Please share yours with me — I’ll highlight some of my favorites in the next issue!
Thanks for reading! Keep navigating the chaos — one curious step at a time.
Until next time,
— Coffeechug ☕