Reading, Writing, Robots and Radio
School's back. The engines are firing once again.
Sorry for the long hiatus. I could blame the dreary, hot Arizona summer. But truth is, the engine was on idle. Now that we’re back in school, all engines are firing. The kids are just amazing, bursting with ideas. Here’s a quick summary:
Last week, we kicked off ‘Season 2’ of the school podcast Fully Charged. The topic was ‘Barbenheimer’ (link), which many of us could relate to. This cover says it all.
SPEAKER SERIES RESUMES. Also this week I had a terrific guest speaker, Jake Biesinger, speak to two of my classes on data mining. Eye-opening, and concerning.
ROBOTICS IS BACK! This year’s club has grown (23 students and counting) to the point that I ordered a new bot. The fabulous VEX robot arrived this week. Thanks to my school administration, and the Boosters for supporting this club.
The mention of robots makes me want to weigh in on AI. So much has been happening in this space since we were hit by the hype a few months ago. Now, there’s plenty of examples of how schools are cautiously entertaining it.
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What I’ve been reading.
“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” was a perfect book for the long hot summer. The complex murder mystery is set in Sweden. The plot is fabulously constructed, not unlike opening a Russian doll where each layer reveals yet another.
‘The Big Nine’ is a fascination backgrounder to anything you ever wanted to know about AI, but the tech bros won’t tell you. Despite its unspectacular title it was enough to make me lose sleep over where we might be headed.
Speaking of AI, while the oxygen in the room was being sucked out by the flippant news about ChatGPT et al, other moves were taking place. As teachers, we know this is an inflexion point in knowledge. In how writing and learning will be impacted. If you’ve seen some of my other posts on Medium, or heard my podcasts, you would know I am very skeptical. Yes AI is here but it’s not as apocalyptic.
Hey, just for larks check out this copyright lawsuit that landed on the side of….humans! The ‘Thaler v. Perlmutter’ case ruled that ‘imagination engines’ could could not claim rights to art he created using AI. Ironic that his art was called “A Recent Entrance to Paradise.” (One H. E. double hockey-sticks of a loss of face.)
“The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida,” which won the 2022 Booker Prize. It’s by a Sri Lankan, Shehan Karunatilaka. This one’s hard to categorize, being largely a ghost story with politics running through its arteries like a sugar rush in a diabetic.
Many places in the book were highly recognizable; many people thinly disguised. (For Sri Lankan subscribers of this newsletter, Shehan’s characters inhabit KVG’s book shop, The Lionel Wendt, Galle Face, and Kanatte. It feels like he’s been shadowing some of us. (Just saying.) Personally, parts of it were a bit disturbing, having lived through those chaotic times of terrorism and deranged dictators. Just one example. He begins with a terrorist bomb in a bus depot, that the dead journalist (still holding on to his camera in the afterlife) talks about. I happened to be an accidental photographer at that scene. I still have prints. And there’s more...
A RADIO STATION AT SCHOOL?
A parent met me this week asking if I would like to start a radio station here at Benjamin Franklin. Hard to resist. It’s one of those conversations I’ve had on and off with colleagues. Let’s see. It could blend well with my Media and Publishing class as well, going forward.
NEWSPAPER.
My Media and Publishing students created a mock newspaper that we printed. It’s so good I’ve tasked them with doing a real one. I’m giving them a recorder and a camera, so like cub reporters, they’ll be chasing after stories in the school next week. Stay tuned!
TEDx, Queen Creek.
I’ve kept this under wraps for awhile. This year I’m planning on hosting a TEDx event here at the school. Lots of logistics being worked out. But wouldn’t it be nice for us to produce content, given how much of TED material we consume now?
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That’s about all for now. Thanks again for staying subscribed. I’d love to hear your feedback, when you have a moment. Angelo Fernando. afernando@bfcsaz.com