Coffeechug AI Update: Trends, Tools, and Insights for the Weekend
It has been a crazy hot minute since I have crafted a newsletter. It is not for a lack of learning and wanting to get the work to you all. Rather, it has taken me more than I thought to adjust to the changes of work systems, balance of work/life, and everything in between.
Regardless, I look forward to bring this newsletter back to a regular routine for you all as I have found my footing for the school year. This newsletter will explore the developments in AI and education thoughts and I have got some exciting topics to unpack. From OpenAI’s latest moves in the classroom to interactive data tools and research platforms, there's a lot to explore. Let’s jump right in!
OpenAI steps up in education with new hire
OpenAI is sharpening its focus on education, appointing its first-ever general manager of education, Leah Belsky. Belsky, previously an executive at Coursera, is tasked with integrating AI into classrooms and revolutionizing how students and teachers engage with learning tools.
What’s OpenAI working on?
In May, OpenAI launched an education-specific version of ChatGPT, with schools like Columbia and Oxford already on board. Students are using the AI tool for everything from breaking down complex subjects to refining their writing, while teachers leverage it for grading, lesson planning, and even writing grants.
AI is clearly gaining momentum in schools: OpenAI has seen a noticeable increase in usage since the start of the school year, signaling growing demand for AI-driven learning tools across educational institutions.
Turn data into interactive presentations using AI
Transforming static data into dynamic, interactive charts just got a whole lot easier with Claude AI. This is something I have been sharing for a while now when working with district leaders and in my AI workshops to see what I believe are some places in education where AI is a value add.
Here’s a new quick guide on how you can turn data screenshots into JSON files and interactive slideshows with minimal effort using the latest updates from Claude.
Sign up on Claude’s website and select Claude Sonnet 3.5 as your model with the Artifact feature enabled.
Upload your data images/screenshots and transcribe them into JSON files using simple prompts.
Use the following prompt as a starting point, but remember you can craft your own prompts for your needs: Combine the data from both charts into an interactive plotly.js chart.
Combine charts into a single interactive plotly.js chart (no need for
react-plotly.js).Create a presentation deck based on your topic, with fully interactive elements embedded into your slides.
Download the presentation, and voilà—you’ve got data-driven slides to share with your team!
To do this you can use the following prompt template: Create a JS-based presentation deck on the [insert topic based on your data]. Include the chart you just generated in a slide.
You can download the presentation and share it with others.
LinkedIn is using your data to train AI models
Heads-up: LinkedIn is reportedly using user data to train its AI models. While this helps improve their AI, users can opt out through their settings. Again, as I share time and time again, it is not that this is necessarily bad, but we should be made aware of our data and how it is being used so that we can individually make decisions on what we feel comfortable with.
To opt out:
Go to this direct link.
Toggle off the setting allowing LinkedIn to use your data for AI model training.
LinkedIn is offering transparency, but it's up to you whether to keep your data private or contribute to AI improvement.
Jumpstart Your School’s AI Journey with the 3x3 GenAI Roadmap Challenge
AI For Education is hosting a must-attend webinar for schools looking to integrate AI. Inspired by Arizona’s 3-in-3 AI Adoption Challenge, this session will guide attendees through a three-month plan for responsible AI implementation. I will be attending for sure as anything by AI for Education is excellent, but this one seems to be relevant for so many schools currently.
Key topics include:
Why AI literacy is crucial for the 2024-2025 school year.
A step-by-step guide to the 3x3 GenAI Roadmap Challenge.
Real-world examples from Arizona’s education system, plus how to protect your institution from privacy and cybersecurity risks.
Ready to jumpstart your school's AI journey? Register for the webinar here.
4 Trends That Are Transforming Teaching
In his latest article, John Spencer spotlights four major trends that are reshaping education today. He is always spot on and this latest post is one of his better posts in my own opinion. Well worth the read.
Read the full article here to learn how these trends are transforming classrooms.
Explore Perplexity Pages: A Game-Changing Research Tool
If you’re looking for an AI tool that helps turn research into visually stunning, Google-ranking content, look no further than Perplexity Pages. This platform combines top LLMs like GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet with cited sources for credible, accurate information.
Features worth exploring:
Generate comprehensive, SEO-optimized content from your research.
Use interactive charts and visualizations to enhance your findings.
Leverage a Chrome extension to take Perplexity Pages wherever you go.
Join me this weekend as I explore this powerful tool—start your research journey here.
And finally, want to share this latest document I put together for district leaders to think about AI in ways they may not have before. I keep coming back to the idea of creating sparks of inquiry, wonder, and thoughts.
I have been able to tap into the spirit of pedagogy around purposeful play, discovery, wonder, and Constructivism in some of my work lately as a new school year begins.
And part of this does involve AI. I wanted to share this document I have been crafting that I am using with district and school leaders.
The goal is not to find all the answers. Rather, it is to think about questions we have not considered before and explore those trails of inquiry. And while the questions are centered on AI, my real hope is that it leads to thinking about our education systems more broadly and getting back to the age old question of what is the purpose of schools. I am excited to see this open up new channels of thought around AI that continue to spiral back to good human pedagogy of thinking about every person in a learning space(adults and children) and are we creating conditions and spaces where all voices feel respected, valued, and safe enough to share brave new ideas.
Anyhoo, here it is in case it helps others.
AI Integration Key Questions For School Leaders, Educators, and Students
That’s all for this edition! Whether you’re looking to get into AI tools for education, exploring the latest research platforms, or simply fine-tuning your digital privacy settings, I hope you found something exciting to try out. See you next time for more AI updates! And please reach and out and share what you think about the newsletter or other things you are exploring in the AI space.