AI, AI, AI (but at what cost?)

As February begins and what seems like the longest month of the year ends, I find myself reflecting on everything that has happened in EdTech already in 2024. Teachers returned from winter break, ESSER funds were extended, and the National EdTech Plan was released. January also kicked off with some of the biggest EdTech conferences (FETC and BETT), and for the first time ever, I was able to attend FETC. Although I didn’t know what to expect, it reminded me so much of ISTE, the biggest EdTech conference in the U.S. that I absolutely LOVE and have been attending for 13 years. The energy at FETC was abuzz, and educators were sharing and collaborating with hope and excitement.?

Of course, all anyone could talk about was Artificial intelligence (AI), and as I began to come out of my conference haze, this LinkedIn post made me pause and genuinely question our deep focus on AI in K-12 education. At FETC, there were countless sessions on AI, and all seemed to have standing room only. When talking with educators and EdTech professionals, all conversations led to AI. With this hyperfocus on AI, we must start asking some critical questions: What are we missing due to this focus on AI? What’s the opportunity cost of AI dominating the landscape of education technology? And does what truly works to help students succeed get lost somewhere along the way?

Many of you know I come from the George Lucas Educational Foundation, known to the education world as Edutopia. George Lucas always stressed that as technology evolves, so does the role of educators to aid student learning and prepare students to thrive in a world that we will never know the future of. At the time, we had conversations about how the internet fundamentally changed what and how to teach. Questions such as, “How do we teach students to move beyond Googling? How do we create engaging lesson plans that encourage the use of technology? What can we do to create critical thinkers that our future society will need?” Decades later, these same types of questions apply to AI.?

If you’re an educator, what else excites you and your students besides AI? If you’re in EdTech, how are you moving beyond AI to critically align your product’s results with educators' and leaders' top challenges??

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have questions. I hope you will join me in asking these questions by replying to this email or reaching out to me on Threads or Twitter (X), and we can start a conversation. The one thing I do know: While AI is incredibly powerful, we shouldn’t forget the research-based practices that we know directly contribute to student success.?

• Academic Integrity in the AI Era: A Conversation with Ian McCullough
• Q1 2024 Winter Events, Conferences, and Birthdays in Education
• Popular this month ? Behind the Scenes of EdTech Growth: A Conversation with Jeremy Dulle
• Timely ? Teacher Time-Saving Tips and Digital Wellness: A Conversation with Shelly Sanchez Terrell

Marketing Resources

1. Scroll-Stopping Social Media Hooks [Infographic] (Social Media Today)
2. Stop Comparing Members To Non-Members! Two Better Methods To Prove Community Value (Feverbee)
3. How To Tame Content Tasks With These 5 ‘Cheat Codes’ [AI Not Required] (Content Marketing Institute)
4. Social Posting Strategy: Building Community and Connection (Social Media Examiner)

Education and EdTech Resources

1. No More Teachers: The Epic Crisis Facing Education In 2024 (Forbes)
2. Skills and Knowledge in the 4th Industrial Revolution: A Focus on AI in Education - K12 Digest (K12 Digest)
3. 22 Unexpectedly Effective Teaching Hacks (Edutopia)
4. You Couldn't Sit With Us (An Observation about Teachers) (The Jose Vilson)
5. DYK: The ESSER III spending deadline was extended to March 2026. Get the latest spending numbers (K-12 Dive)

[Bonus] Elana was recently interviewed by EdWeek Market Brief. Check out these articles that just came out:?

• The Social Media Platforms District and School Leaders Use to Get Their Jobs Done (Market Brief featuring Elana)
• Listen Up: How Education Companies Are Finding Value in Podcasts (Market Brief featuring Elana)

• Regional Sales Manager - BrainPOP
• University Innovation Alliance Fellows Program - UIA
• Growth Marketing Lead - inquirED
• Social Media Manager - CodePath
• Digital Lead Generation Specialist - Swivl
• Director, PK-12 Communications - Whiteboard Advisors
• Marketing Manager, Education - KQED
• Content Associate, Humanities - Khan Academy

Have you made an ins and outs list for 2024? Here’s LCG’s take on this TikTok trend:?

In:

• Listening to your target audience
• Relationship-building
• Open captions on short-form videos
• Timely content
• Collaborating? with great partners
• Gratitude
• Investing in inbound marketing with value in mind

Out:

• Solely focused on short-term leads
• “Going Viral” intention?
• Inaccessible posts
• Trolling comments
• Messy workspaces