The Broken Copier

A new AI writing tool, ChatGPT, has K12 teachers and college professors alike scratching their heads and revisiting a fundamental question: Why do we need to write stuff? Derek Thompson’s recent article in The Atlantic has explored this question, and while the professional world might be excited at the possibilities this opens up for their bottom line, teachers are now suddenly faced with the prospect that their students might not need to think very hard at all in order to submit an essay that earns top marks on whatever rubric you want to use. What’s the role of the writing teacher in this new age of AI writing? Do we block, defend, accept, incorporate, or do something else entirely? Is it time to scrap the Chromebooks and write everything by hand? How do we really prove that we know something, anyways? Classroom teachers will be facing some fundamental questions in the coming months as students become more aware of the ease, accessibility, and quality of AI language models, and we’ll need to be smart about how we talk to them. Plus, Jim’s dog Lucille interrupts the episode. At first he was going to edit her out, but then he thought it was funny and left it in. Happy planning!Thanks to Alberto Lugo, one of Jim’s former students, for writing and recording original intro music. Thanks to Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden. Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom’s work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto’s work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.  Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Want to get a shout-out on the next episode? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @thebrokencopier.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

How will AI writing tools impact education? When is writing original? How should teachers incorporate–or avoid–what seems to be an inevitable push towards faster, better, and more nuanced writing tools like AI language generators? Teachers are constantly balancing the world we live in against the world our students will inhabit. We’re often quick to lean into fancy new technologies in service of preparation and equity, but is there a point at which they’ll become too much of a crutch for students that allows them to avoid practicing and developing core literacy skills for themselves? After seeing some very successful and compelling AI writing tools becoming more and more available for students, Marcus and Jim try to reason this out for themselves and their English classrooms. Let us know what you think!Thanks to Alberto Lugo, one of Jim’s former students, for writing and recording original intro music. Thanks to Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden. Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom’s work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto’s work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.  Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Want to get a shout-out on the next episode? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @thebrokencopier.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

How many new buzzwords have you had to memorize in the past few years? How many times have you had to… um… tweak… a lesson plan to ensure that it does, in fact, demonstrate XYZ? Especially when the person looking for XYZ has little (read: no) context for your classroom culture, systems, and goals. New buzzwords and acronyms fly around schools all the time. Sometimes they can be a useful way to get everyone on the same page. However, more often than not, they can lead to a renewed energy around box-checking for the sake of pleasing district consultants instead of authentically serving teachers and students. Marcus and Jim are pleased to announce their top 5 picks for Worst Education Buzzwords of 2022. Snake Draft style. May the worst team win.Thanks to Alberto Lugo, one of Jim’s former students, for writing and recording original intro music. Thanks to Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden. Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design.Find Tom’s work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.Find Alberto’s work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.  Email thoughts to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Want to get a shout-out on the next episode? Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @thebrokencopier.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

How many students are allowed out of the classroom? What happens when you only let one student out at a time, but another teacher lets two? Should there be a difference between going out to your locker and going out to visit the nurse? What if one student is out in the bathroom, but another student suddenly needs to go fix their contact lens? This week, we talk about the idea of collective efficacy–how hard it can be for all teachers across the school to uphold and enforce rules in a consistent way. It’s much harder than it sounds, and can cause a real headache for everyone when things feel unfair. As we move out of the excitement and positivity from the beginning of the school year, the daily grind has set in, and the full weight of upholding all the rules all the time is starting to take hold.NEW RULE! If you share a post on social media and tag @thebrokencopier, we’ll give you a shout out at the top of new episodes! Unless, you know, we aren’t as consistent as we’re supposed to be.Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design, Casey Roberts for writing and recording original intro music, and Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of, “Woodstock,” from their 2020 album, Garden, available now on Spotify.Check out Tom’s work: uncivilizedtom.com Email thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

Who is responsible when students fail? If students aren’t meeting the bar for learning, what should the response be from the teacher? What is the appropriate balance of accountability and opportunity, especially for taking a risk, when the stakes are so high for students? Now that they’re both treading water a little bit better with the start of a new school year, Marcus and Jim are happy to be back talking shop. In this episode, they react to the New York Times story of a Chemistry professor being dismissed because, according to students, his class was too hard. There’s a lot to think about here, but one thing seems pretty clear: we don’t seem to be aligned on grading standards even a little bit. Have a listen & let us know what you think!Link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/03/us/nyu-organic-chemistry-petition.htmlThanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design, Casey Roberts for writing and recording original intro music, and Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of, “Woodstock,” from their 2020 album, Garden, available now on Spotify.Check out Tom’s work: uncivilizedtom.com Email thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

Jim has had students for just over a week, and Marcus is getting ready to go back. They debrief how the first few days of school have been, talk about some tough in-the-moment decisions teachers have to make on a daily basis, and Marcus gives Jim a hard time about his beloved practice of covering textbooks in brown paper bags. Are you a textbook fan? Let us know! Jim apologizes for accidentally recording on the wrong microphone, and wants you to know it won’t happen again.Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design, Casey Roberts for writing and recording original intro music, and Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of, “Woodstock,” from their 2020 album, Garden, available now on Spotify. Check out Tom’s work: uncivilizedtom.com Email thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

As another first day of school approaches, Marcus puts Jim on the spot with a new game: Wise or Unwise. Marcus shares some common advice that we’ve all heard about starting a new school year, and Jim shares his hot takes about them. They circle back to the omnipresent jeans debate, and Jim talks a little bit about his penchant for conspiracy theories.Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design, Casey Roberts for writing and recording original intro music, and Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s song, “Woodstock,” from his 2020 album, Garden, available now on Spotify.Check out Tom’s work at uncivilizedtom.comEmail thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com.Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

Jim is able to sit down with one of his old friends from the St. Lawrence University admissions office, Mx. Sam Gradess. Sam has worked in education all over the world, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Afghanistan. Currently, they are a school leader at South Bronx Classical Charter School, serving students in grades K-8. Sam talks about how their experience abroad has shaped their work in New York, and reflects on their experience as a non-binary principal. Jim and Sam hash it out over the oft-debated jeans debacle, and put it to rest once and for all.  Thanks to Courtney Milavec for graphic design, Casey Roberts for writing and recording original intro music, and Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s song, “Woodstock,” from his 2020 album, Garden, available now on Spotify.Check out Tom’s work here.Email thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com We hope to hear from you soon! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

It seems like every summer, teachers have to go through the same song and dance routine around standardized testing, what the numbers actually mean, and whether they made any impact whatsoever that year. Fun, right? Marcus & Jim sit down and talk through how they process getting test scores back every year, and offer up what they hope are some healthy ways to process the scores without feeling like a failure.Episode links in bio.Thanks to @courtney.milavec for graphic design, @bowieroberts for writing and recording original intro music, and @uncivilizedtom for allowing us to use his band’s song, “Woodstock,” from his 2020 album, Garden, available now on Spotify.See Tom’s work here.Email thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com We hope to hear from you soon!#podcasts #podcastshow #teaching #education #hobby #edtech #audio This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com

Welcome to The Broken Copier, a conversation about teaching.Marcus and Jim are excited to get back into recording after taking some time to redesign a bunch of aspects about the podcast. We think we’ve got some good systems up and running, and we’re excited to learn and grow as the show evolves. In this episode, we took some time to discuss the new law in Arizona, which allows people to teach even without a bachelor’s degree. We discuss our personal reactions to this, as well as what it might take to create strong, sustainable pathways into the classroom that don’t play games with the only chance students have at their public education.Thanks to @courtney.milavec for graphic design, @bowieroberts for writing and recording original intro music, and @uncivilizedtom for allowing us to use his band’s original song, “Woodstock,” from his 2020 album, Garden, available now on @spotify. Recorded with @Riverside.fm. Email thoughts, ideas, and feedback to thebrokencopier@substack.com We hope to hear from you soon!#podcasts #podcastshow #teaching #education #hobby #edtech #audioGarden link:  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokencopier.substack.com