Overview
An ongoing theme of this course has been the role of generative AI in mathematics education. As you may know, I spend a lot of time thinking about generative AI, its intersection with human cognition (human thinking and reasoning), and what it means for the future of school and learning.
Of course, I'm not the only one concerned about GenAI and school. For this extra credit assignment (worth UP TO 5 points, depending on the quality of your response), you have the opportunity to listen to a podcast about AI and respond with your own thoughts, ideas, and synthesis. If interested, please follow the steps below before Class 12.
Steps to earning credit:
Step 1: Listen to the podcast, "Playboi Farti and his AI Homework Machine" by PJ Vogt on Search Engine. It was released on February 14, 2025. You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and most other major media distribution apps. It's approximately 1 hour long.
The context of this podcast is about learning how to write (e.g., why do students learn how to write 5-paragraph essays?) in the age of GenAI, but your job is to identify connections to math education.
Step 2: Answer the questions:
(1) What parallels or common themes do you see between writing education and math education as described in the podcast? (use specific evidence/examples from the podcast).
(2) What are 1-2 teaching implications for you, if you decide to teach math in the future, about how you will arrange your class?
^Importantly, these questions don't have "right" answers. But I do expect them to be your own opinions and expressed in your own voice. I reserve the right to deny credit to work that appears to be generated by artificial intelligence, ESPECIALLY on this activity, since the whole point is to reflect about GenAI and learning in the first place.
Step 3: Submit the answers to your questions by 1:59p on Thursday, Feb. 27th. You need to answer both questions to be eligible for credit.
Afterward: I will award up to 5 bonus points on your lowest homework assignment score for complete responses. I am looking for:
- Originality and creativity
- Depth of evidence and examples
- Intellectual nuance (meaning that the answer to solving AI in education isn't that it's "good" or "bad," but rather depends on how you use it)
- Writing in your own voice (meaning that it is consistent with writing samples you've turned in earlier in the semester). Robotic-sounding submissions will earn zero credit.
There is no word limit on this bonus assignment. I care more that you're completely answering the two questions that I posed above.