Building a Community in the AI + Education Space

[Tom M]

Hi everyone,

I've been on this forum for a long time, having read MJ's books years ago. I'm finally trying to step off the sidelines.

I am a high school music teacher. Recently (as many have) I've become fascinated by the potential of AI.

From my perspective, the education system (at least in the US) is in desperate need of disruption from AI. There is so much inefficiency in staffing, policies, procedures, communication, scheduling, software systems, instructional practices etc. I'm currently seeing 2 main threads to pull on in this regard:

1. Improving tailored instruction for students through AI adaptive learning tools.
2. Using AI to drastically cut down on or automate tedious work such as data collection, assessment, making resources, designing instruction and more.

While I would love to make headway with number 1, I feel right now, given my current knowledge, I can find more immediate results focusing on teacher efficiency and workflows. I've already used AI tools to make simple resources like custom handouts and activities for my students that would have taken 2-3x the amount of time in the past. I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface on what is possible with these tools, and I'm eager to continue exploring and learning.

I also don't see AI as something that should replace a teacher, but can certainly amplify our ability to do our jobs, relieving burnout and helping us stay in the game for longer. I feel a lot of these inefficiencies are contributing to the high rate of teacher attrition in the US.

I've decided to start a community where other teachers like myself can discuss AI in their work.

I'm starting this thread partly for accountability, but also because while I want to use AI to improve my slowlane day job, I also want to keep my eye on Fastlane business potential within the space.

To that effect, I recently set up a free, private community using the Skool platform and got one of my trusted colleagues to join.

So now I'm at a place where I need to figure out where to go from here.

I have some personal reservations about broadcasting my thoughts on this issue. AI in education is a bit of a controversial issue as it ties into discussions of student cheating, brain drain etc... And I've also never been very confident with any kind of personal branding on the internet. I am going to be using my real name on Skool and that does scare me a little bit.

I'm open to any feedback, but I do have some specific questions to get started with.

1. Does anyone here have experiencing with Skool and could share some best practices?
2. Does anyone have any advice for managing a community like this, especially for a beginner?
3. Any advice on managing my reservations about feeling like I'm putting my professional reputation on the line?

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading!

I'm pretty excited to be taking matters into my own hands for a change.

 

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