Hi 

Introductions usually can feel a bit awkward. It is hard to gauge what is important, interesting or valuable to share to what new people at what time. I guess for myself, a lot of the time, I try my very best to analyze every micro expression of their faces, what is working and what is not- how much or how little to share, how silly or serious, how much Alexa can Alexa be. Usually, though, doing so ends with me just giving a very lame, dry first impression they likely will forget in half and hour, and I will cringe at for ions on end afterwards. But, on paper, me is so free.

So, I will try my best to share a small part of myself. My name is Alexa and I am 23. I loudly love my home state of New Jersey. I also love hummus, makeup, Oreos, Snoopy and the color pink. I am also a big fan of Yacht Rock music and a lot of other kinds, too. My favorite songs right now are “Wildfire” by Michael Martin Murphey and “Daughter” by Pearl Jam. My favorite show is Arrested Development but I decided that a long time ago, when I used to actually watch tv. I like to say I have a pretty good fashion sense, but to be frank, it is way better in my brain than what my closet (and wallet) can manifest. I snort when I laugh and I kinda like that. My teeth are a bit more yellow than I’d like and I am trying to work on that. I used to crack my knuckles a lot until people told me to stop. I have never been able to nap, not even as an infant. I have never been on a plane either. Or a boat. I do like trains, though. I used to be a bit too into astrology. I like hands a ton. I know some sign language and taught myself how to read palms on Tiktok one day. I don’t do either of those now for different reasons. I love to paint my nails and have been keeping a spreadsheet of every color I used and how long it lasted. I found that I wear a lot of shimmers in the winter and lots of pinks in the summer. My most frequent color is Midnight Cami by Essie. I try to make people feel very seen when talking with them but that has been harder recently since I am so so tired. I have a fear of landlocked states. I think I am pretty ok at singing. I think I am even more ok at writing and most ok at editing. I am excited about being a teacher. I am most worried I am not a good friend nor daughter because I am so busy. I worry a lot about other things but that one just feels the most real. I have been mixing metals for the last few months and I feel so happy I can wear more jewelry, silver and gold, every day. I look most forward to my coffee and my jewerly and my makeup every morning. Xoxo

Blog 1

AI Reveals the Most Human Parts of Writing by Katy Ilonka Gero shares a very compelling, yet- in my opinion at least- optimistic view on writing and AI. Specifically, I appreciated how Gero honed in on how AI can be a direct companion or peer for writers, sharing a viewpoint of these language models behaving as “-a half-decent writing buddy who at least wants to do what they ask… and has no desire to take any credit.” Still, Gero acknowledges that it does lean towards an oftentimes narrow, biased, straight male perspective, and how the “dance” of sorts writers embark on with AI can easily be thrown offbeat through the tiniest stepping on one another’s toes.

As a future educator, I found these highlights of the article to be the most interesting. Gero speaks of writers as professionals, people who can scribe nearly in their sleep but who can appreciate a bit of assistance or collaboration later in their writing process. But, of course, this led to me to start thinking of my students- young writers who need to be reminded to add periods, commas and capitalize their “I”s. What does this kinda program mean for them? Why do we even hone in so thoroughly on editing and revision? Will this skill even be needed in a decade? Or- an even more robust question- will this skill go extinct in the very near future?

I am biased, but, I believe writing is a paramount skill. It is so so so vital for all people- especially the little ones- to learn how to communicate their thoughts, feelings, reasons and opinions via pencil/paper, keyboard/screen, marker/desk (at times). The whole editing/revision process can be kinda lame and boring for some ppl, BUT, is needed! What other time are you able to so narrowly communicate and tweak such a message before sharing it with others- ensuring to the very best of your ability, your innermost thoughts can be consumed and digested in the very specific bites you have doled out to your readers. Again, lame process (at times) but so so needed, and quite empowering in a way, too. 

This dance that mature, adult, accomplished writers can take with AI companions is great, I guess, sure. But, our youth is watching and soaking up every little action, task and decision we make. And when it is time for them to throw their dance pants on and give it their all- will they even know where the dancehall is? Or, will they be left alone in the dark, shuffling in the corner on a tablet, watching ballerinas and thinking it is the same thing as soaring on the floor?

Hello,

My name is Michael Kirschner. I am a graduate student here at Kean University. I completed my B.A. in English Education last year at Kean, and I currently teach middle school English/Language Arts at a middle/high school in Middlesex County.

There are some things that you all need to know about me. I can, at times, be hot headed. If you’ve ever watched the show “Vice Principals,” I’m like a Lee Russell type of person. Although, I must say I am a LOT nicer than he is.

I went into the field of teaching because I struggled a lot during high school. I won’t dwell on my history too much, but long story short, I had an I.E.P. and I had to work twice as hard as everyone else (because there wasn’t A.I.) Now that I’m an educator, I am very interested in exploring this course. Just today, I was annotating The Giver, and in doing so, I noticed that the questions I had artificial intelligence create, were just terrible. They weren’t in chronological order, and there were some questions that had nothing to do with the related chapter. I will say that artificial intelligence is a TOOL to be used, and not a SYSTEM to replace something.

Aside from all of that, I’m in this program because I hope that one day I will be able to return to Kean for my M.A. in Educational Administration, and then back again for my Ed.D in Educational Administration. I hope to shine the light on the issues surrounding teacher evaluation instruments. I also hope to maybe become an adjunct professor in the English department at Kean.

From listening to the podcast, something made me wonder about teacher evaluations. Now that we have artificial intelligence, I wonder how often administrators put their observation notes into an AI bot, and have it score the teacher based on the provided evaluation instrument. Honestly, this all concerns me. For generations, the Receiver is instructed by the Elders to shield the community from pain, color, and anything tied to imagination. As Dr. Zamora emphasized, we cannot afford to lose our creativity and imagination. Jonas comes to understand that a society built on complete automation and control is not truly humane, which ultimately drives him to escape the community. The question then becomes: will we willingly transform our own society into a dystopia where artificial intelligence automates everything, or will we choose to use it thoughtfully—as a tool, and nothing more?