Eric Lars Martinsen

Maggie Boden and Murray Shanahan on a panel in 2018

Very sad to learn of the death on 18th July of Margaret (Maggie) Boden, a titan of cognitive science and AI. I met her many times, and respected her greatly.
www.theargus.co.uk/memorials/de...

A yellow Labrador Retriever wearing large black glasses stands on a neatly mowed lawn in front of a suburban house. The dog is proudly holding a large, decaying fish in its mouth. The fish has visible teeth, torn skin, and a grotesque expression—contrasting with the dog’s friendly, eager demeanor. The image humorously illustrates the idea that AI, like a well-meaning dog, may deliver something confidently but not necessarily accurate or useful.

When AI brings you a stinky fish… 🐟

Michelle Kassorla nails it: helpful, eager, but not always right.

We’re collecting analogies like this to spark authentic learning.

Join us: lnkd.in/gAiJYSSa

#EduSKy #EduSkyAI #EdTech #WhyLearningMatters

The Dangers of Protecting Students from the Dangers of AI - EdTech Digest Rather than shielding students from AI’s limitations, we should be guiding them through them. GUEST COLUMN | by Owen Matson, Ph.D. There’s a strange contradiction at the heart of many conversations…

"When used well, AI doesn’t undermine critical thinking. It demands it." #EduSkyAI #AIinEducation

www.edtechdigest.com/2025/05/08/t...

Why Learning Matters Analogies and Strategies to Inspire Intrinsic Motivation

You'll be able to see all the shared wisdom take shape! The collected analogies and strategies will be featured on our project website:

sites.google.com/view/why-lea...

Bookmark it and check back as the resource grows. Thanks for helping build this!

#EduSky #OpenAccess #TeachingResources

Your contributions will build a free, open-access resource for educators everywhere, helping us all make the case for authentic learning.

#StudentMotivation #TeachingStrategies

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

With AI so prevalent, how do we help students see why their own effort in learning still matters? 🤔

We are collecting your best analogies & strategies to share! What clicks for your students? Share your insights below. (Image shows some ideas!)

#EduSKy #EduSkyAI #EdTech #CCCAILearn

Dystopian Literature Just Right for Middle Schoolers Teaching dystopian fiction offers students a meaningful way to engage with literature and social issues while developing critical thinking, says Kasey Short.

DYSTOPIAN FICTION STRETCHES STUDENT MINDS.

Teaching dystopian fiction offers students a meaningful way to engage w/ literature & social issues while developing critical thinking, says teacher Kasey Short. #edusky #iteachEnglish #tlskychat @shortissweet.bsky.social
www.middleweb.com/52179/dystop...

But no one person or detector is accurate. You should not rely on AI detection or you will falsely accuse people!

This paper confirms my belief that figuring out how to effectively employ LLMs at scale in education is one of the most important research problems of the day (and no, the answer is not “replace teachers with AI”)

Huge potential returns, and the worst case use of AI is already happening in schools.

Text Shot: However, academic consensus regarding its efficacy remains elusive. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of ChatGPT in improving students’ learning performance, learning perception, and higher-order thinking through a meta-analysis of 51 research studies published between November 2022 and February 2025. The results indicate that ChatGPT has a large positive impact on improving learning performance (g = 0.867) and a moderately positive impact on enhancing learning perception (g = 0.456) and fostering higher-order thinking (g = 0.457).

The effect of ChatGPT on students’ learning performance, learning perception, and higher-order thinking: insights from a meta-analysis - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04787-y #AI #education

(And yes, I asked AI "what if Hunter S. Thompson promoted my article about AI in education?" Pure silliness on a Saturday. Though there's something appropriate about using AI to parody itself while discussing how we should use it... meta-gonzo journalism?)

The AI Traffic Problem: Designing for Depth in the Age of Speed Why Removing Guardrails Might Be Making AI Problems Worse—And What to Do Instead

The educational establishment wants to ban the beast or pretend it doesn't exist. FOOLS! We need to RIDE THIS STRANGE MACHINE, not lock it in the garage.

Full gonzo report on my Substack: open.substack.com/pub/elmartin...

#FearAndLoathingInEdTech #WeaponizedWeirdness

🚀 SOMEWHERE IN THE EDUCATIONAL WASTELAND, THE AI TOOK HOLD.

Students burning through assignments at supernatural speeds.

Until one said: "That AI tutor made me THINK HARDER." What madness! A tool that SLOWS the mind?

We need CONTROLLED WEIRDNESS—AI for the scenic route.

#EduSKy #EduSkyAI #EdTech

The AI Traffic Problem: Designing for Depth in the Age of Speed Why Removing Guardrails Might Be Making AI Problems Worse—And What to Do Instead

🚦 Dutch engineer's "naked streets" experiment: removing signs made drivers MORE careful

With AI in education? the opposite

students with unclear AI policies don't slow down—they accelerate

"not a moral failing; it's a systems problem"

#EduSKy #EduSkyAI #EdTech
open.substack.com/pub/elmartin...

More on AI and Academic Integrity Are we tired of talking about this yet?

ChatGPT didn't create a crisis in education-it simply revealed what was brewing for decades. Students need to see the purpose and value in what they do. That means we need to speak to students beyond AI about why learning matters. open.substack.com/pub/emilypit...

The Myth of Inevitable AI Technological advancements, like electricity and AI, often appear inevitable, yet their development has been shaped by historical choices and market forces. This article suggests that while AI technol...

"What I’m suggesting here is not necessarily resisting [AI]. We’re almost at a point where that would be akin to resisting the internet or electricity...But the way we use technology, and the form the technology takes in the future, is not set in stone." @leonfurze.com leonfurze.com/2025/04/28/t...

When "Vibe Checks" Fail LLMs are already capable of superhuman persuasion. The real danger isn’t one bad update—it’s the industry-wide pattern of prioritizing scale over caution

The recent sycophancy update in ChatGPT should be an opportunity to talk about LLMs impact on human interaction. The real danger isn’t one bad update—it’s the industry-wide pattern of prioritizing scale over caution. open.substack.com/pub/marcwatk...

Try it here: www.playlab.ai/project/cm8k...

Unpack Your Golden Line: www.playlab.ai/project/cm8v...

Playing Seriously: Four AI Apps I Built to Transform the Writing Classroom Using PlayLab AI to Create Interactive Writing Tools for Student Engagement

✍️ Just launched: "Unpack Your Golden Line" app on PlayLab!

Fellow teachers: Pick a quote and try this app that uses Socratic dialogue to guide deeper analysis.

Try it with a powerful quote that resonates with you!

#EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech #PlayLab

open.substack.com/pub/elmartin...

Playing Seriously: Four AI Apps I Built to Transform the Writing Classroom Using PlayLab AI to Create Interactive Writing Tools for Student Engagement

Built "Write Type" app that reveals writing personalities:

🎉 You Are: The Reflective Architect - You thrive on structure, thoughtfully building ideas brick by brick.

#EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech #PlayLab

open.substack.com/pub/elmartin...

Vigor, Voice, and the Future of College Writing in the Age of AI Why First-Year Composition Needs to Change—But Not Disappear

what if we replaced rigor with vigor in first-year writing?

not less challenge—more curiosity.
more risk. more life.

AI can crank out tidy essays.
but it can’t wrestle with meaning.
or change its mind mid-sentence.

#EduSKy #EduSkyAI #EdTech

open.substack.com/pub/elmartin...

Vigor, Voice, and the Future of College Writing in the Age of AI Why First-Year Composition Needs to Change—But Not Disappear

What if your institution quietly started planning to drop the writing requirement?

At a recent AI + higher ed event, one Ivy League admin told @cnewf.bsky.social exactly that.

My new post explores what that means—and how we respond. #EduSKy #EduSkyAI #EdTech

open.substack.com/pub/elmartin...

When I was 22 years old, I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States.

The only oath Elon Musk seems to have made is to his billionaire buddies and his own bank account.

AI as a Tool for Bridging Knowledge Silos How AI Helps Writers and Researchers Connect Ideas—But Not Create Them

Thinking about @alanyliu.bsky.social's insights on recombinatory creativity and AI in a 2023 talk. When is AI most useful for bridging knowledge silos across disciplines, and when do we need the slower friction of human thinking?
#EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech

open.substack.com/pub/elmartin...

Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools If you would like to submit your course guidelines/policy or revise your submission, please submit it in this form. Update: If you would like a more sear...

Hey my nerds, I found these crowdsourced Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools while doing research. (Right now, there's 184)

#amresearching #edusky #teachersky #edtech

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Request for Information on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan On behalf of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the NITRD NCO requests input from all interested parties on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan ("Plan"). Th...

A chance for public comment on U.S. AI policy!

We need independent research and democratic oversight to set AI on a better path... it's in our interest. American leadership means doing this well, not willy-nilly.

Due March 15th. Please share! www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Two Visions of Generative AI in Teaching: Transactional vs. Conversational AI as a Printer, or AI as a Thought Partner

Our students will use AI regardless of our policies. The question is whether they'll use it thoughtfully.

I explore this distinction in my new blog: elmartinsen.substack.com/p/transactio...

Two mindsets about AI in education:
📝 TRANSACTIONAL: AI as a paper mill that replaces student thinking
🗣️ RELATIONAL: AI as a conversation partner that deepens student thinking

#EduSky #EduSkyAI #EdTech