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“Over 100 AI Tools for Teachers” [Kharbach] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 02/01/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, career development, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

DeepSeek: How China’s AI Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Educational Technology — from nickpotkalitsky.substack.com by Nick Potkalitsky
Can DeepSeek’s 90% efficiency boost make AI accessible to every school?

The most revolutionary aspect of DeepSeek for education isn’t just its cost—it’s the combination of open-source accessibility and local deployment capabilities. As Azeem Azhar notes, “R-1 is open-source. Anyone can download and run it on their own hardware. I have R1-8b (the second smallest model) running on my Mac Mini at home.”
…

Real-time Learning Enhancement

  • AI tutoring networks that collaborate to optimize individual learning paths
  • Immediate, multi-perspective feedback on student work
  • Continuous assessment and curriculum adaptation

The question isn’t whether this technology will transform education—it’s how quickly institutions can adapt to a world where advanced AI capabilities are finally within reach of every classroom.

Over 100 AI Tools for Teachers — from educatorstechnology.com by Med Kharbach, PhD

I know through your feedback on my social media and blog posts that several of you have legitimate concerns about the impact of AI in education, especially those related to data privacy, academic dishonesty, AI dependence, loss of creativity and critical thinking, plagiarism, to mention a few. While these concerns are valid and deserve careful consideration, it’s also important to explore the potential benefits AI can bring when used thoughtfully.

Tools such as ChatGPT and Claude are like smart research assistants that are available 24/7 to support you with all kinds of tasks from drafting detailed lesson plans, creating differentiated materials, generating classroom activities, to summarizing and simplifying complex topics. Likewise, students can use them to enhance their learning by, for instance, brainstorming ideas for research projects, generating constructive feedback on assignments, practicing problem-solving in a guided way, and much more.

The point here is that AI is here to stay and expand, and we better learn how to use it thoughtfully and responsibly rather than avoid it out of fear or skepticism.

Beth’s posting links to:

 

Derek’s posting on LinkedIn

From Theory to Practice: How Generative AI is Redefining Instructional Materials — from edtechinsiders.substack.com by Alex Sarlin
Top trends and insights from The Edtech Insiders Generative AI Map research process about how Generative AI is transforming Instructional Materials

As part of our updates to the Edtech Insiders Generative AI Map, we’re excited to release a new mini market map and article deep dive on Generative AI tools that are specifically designed for Instructional Materials use cases.

In our database, the Instructional Materials use case category encompasses tools that:

  • Assist educators by streamlining lesson planning, curriculum development, and content customization
  • Enable educators or students to transform materials into alternative formats, such as videos, podcasts, or other interactive media, in addition to leveraging gaming principles or immersive VR to enhance engagement
  • Empower educators or students to transform text, video, slides or other source material into study aids like study guides, flashcards, practice tests, or graphic organizers
  • Engage students through interactive lessons featuring historical figures, authors, or fictional characters
  • Customize curriculum to individual needs or pedagogical approaches
  • Empower educators or students to quickly create online learning assets and courses

On a somewhat-related note, also see:

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“DeepSeek R-1 Explained” [Zau] + other items re: AI in general

On 02/01/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, career development, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, emerging technologies, Microsoft, Natural Language Processing (NLP), platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, skills, tools, United States, vendors, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, workplace, by Daniel Christian

DeepSeek R-1 Explained — from aieducation.substack.com by Claire Zau
A no-nonsense FAQ (for everyone drowning in DeepSeek headlines)

There is a good chance you’re exhausted by the amount of DeepSeek coverage flooding your inbox. Between the headlines and hot takes on X, it’s hard not to have questions: What is DeepSeek? Why is it special? Why is everyone freaking out? What does this mean for the AI ecosystem? Can you explain the tech? Am I allowed to use it?

Let’s break down why exactly it’s such a big deal with some straightforward FAQs:

AI Voice Agents: 2025 Update — from a16z.com (Andreessen Horowitz) by Olivia Moore

Voice is one of the most powerful unlocks for AI application companies. It is the most frequent (and most information-dense) form of human communication, made “programmable” for the first time due to AI.
…

For consumers, we believe voice will be the first — and perhaps the primary — way people interact with AI. This interaction could take the form of an always-available companion or coach, or by democratizing services, such as language learning, that were previously inaccessible.

The professions upskilling in AI — from by Rachel Cromidas

The use of artificial intelligence at work continues to climb. Twice as many LinkedIn members in the U.S. say they are using AI on the job now compared to 2023, according to the latest Workforce Confidence survey. Meanwhile, at least half of workers say AI skills will help them progress in their careers. Product managers are the most likely to agree AI will give them a boost, while those in healthcare services roles are least likely.

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Major announcements involving things in the AI world

On 01/28/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, NVIDIA, Open AI, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Introducing Operator — from openai.com
A research preview of an agent that can use its own browser to perform tasks for you. Available to Pro users in the U.S.

Today we’re releasing Operator, an agent that can go to the web to perform tasks for you. Using its own browser, it can look at a webpage and interact with it by typing, clicking, and scrolling. It is currently a research preview, meaning it has limitations and will evolve based on user feedback. Operator is one of our first agents, which are AIs capable of doing work for you independently—you give it a task and it will execute it.

Per the Rundown AI:

“OpenAI just launched Operator, an AI agent that can independently navigate web browsers to complete everyday tasks — marking the company’s first major step into autonomous AI assistants.”

…and speaking of agents/assistants:

DeepSeek shakes the world of AI — from heatherbcooper.substack.com by Heather B. Cooper

DeepSeek: A New AI Powerhouse for Everyday Users

DeepSeek is an advanced AI platform developed by a Chinese startup, offering tools like DeepSeek-R1 (nicknamed “DeepThink”) that rival top models like ChatGPT. Here’s what you need to know:

Key Features

  1. Human-Like Reasoning
  2. Cost-Effective & Open-Source
  3. Web Search Integration

State of AI in 2025 exposed — from theneurondaily.com by Grant Harvey
PLUS: When to use Gemini instead of ChatGPT…

The State of AI Development in 2025…

Late last year, we helped Vellum survey over 1,250 AI builders to understand where AI development is really heading. Spoiler alert: It’s not quite the AI takeover you might expect.

Here’s the surprising truth about AI development in 2025: most companies are still figuring it out.

Only 25.1% of businesses have actually deployed AI in production. Everyone else is split between building proofs of concept (21%), beta testing (14.1%), or still working on their strategy (25%). The rest are somewhere between talking to users and evaluating their initial attempts.

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At least 6 items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 01/28/2025, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, education, emerging technologies, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, instructional design, intelligent systems, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, pedagogy, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, technology (general), tools, training / L&D, trends, UK, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Four objectives to guide artificial intelligence’s impact on higher education — from timeshighereducation.com by Susan C. Aldridge
How can higher education leaders manage both the challenge and the opportunity artificial intelligence presents? Here are four objectives to guide the way

That’s why, today, the question I’m asking is: How best can we proactively guide AI’s use in higher education and shape its impact on our students, faculty and institution? The answer to that broad, strategic question lies in pursuing four objectives that, I believe, are relevant for many colleges and universities.

In This Week’s Gap Letter — by Ryan Craig

Learning to use business software is different from learning to think. But if the software is sufficiently complex, how different is it really? What if AI’s primary impact on education isn’t in the classroom, but rather shifting the locus of learning to outside the classroom?

Instead of sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher, high school and college students could be assigned real work and learn from that work. Students could be matched with employers or specific projects provided by or derived from employers, then do the work on the same software used in the enterprise. As AI-powered digital adoption platforms (DAPs) become increasingly powerful, they have the potential to transform real or simulated work into educational best practice for students only a few years away from seeking full-time employment.

If DAPs take us in this direction, four implications come to mind….

The Impact of Gen AI on Human Learning: a research summary — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by  Dr. Philippa Hardman
A literature review of the most recent & important peer-reviewed studies

In this week’s blog post, I share a summary of five recent studies on the impact of Gen AI on learning to bring you right up to date.
…
Implications for Educators and Developers

For Educators:

  • Combine ChatGPT with Structured Activities: …
  • Use ChatGPT as a Supplement, Not a Replacement:…
  • Promote Self-Reflection and Evaluation:

For Developers:

  • Reimagine AI for Reflection-First Design: …
  • Develop Tools that Foster Critical Thinking: …
  • Integrate Adaptive Support: …

Assessing the GenAI process, not the output — from timeshighereducation.com by Paul McDermott, Leoni Palmer, and Rosemary Norton
A framework for building AI literacy in a literature-review-type assessment

In this resource, we outline our advice for implementing an approach that opens AI use up to our students through a strategy of assessing the process rather than outputs.

To start with, we recommend identifying learning outcomes for your students that can be achieved in collaboration with AI.

What’s New: The Updated Edtech Insiders Generative AI Map — from edtechinsiders.substack.com by Sarah Morin, Alex Sarlin, and Ben Kornell
A major expansion on our previously released market map, use case database, and AI tool company directory.

.

Tutorial: 4 Ways to Use LearnLM as a Professor — from automatedteach.com by Graham Clay
Create better assessments, improve instructions and feedback, and tutor your students with this fine-tuned version of Gemini.

I cover how to use LearnLM

  • to create sophisticated assessments that promote learning
  • to develop clearer and more effective assignment instructions
  • to provide more constructive feedback on student work, and
  • to support student learning through guided tutoring
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DeepSeek hits the scene + other items re: AI in general

On 01/27/2025, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, bots, global / globalization, Open AI, open courseware and systems, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

DeepSeek hits the scene — MUCH too early to say how this open-source platform will play out here in the United States. Things are tense between the U.S. and Chian.

10 WILD Deepseek demos — from theneurondaily.com

Over the last week, pretty much everyone in the AI space has been losing their minds over Deepseek R1. The open source community has been loving it, the closed source tech giants have been less than loving it, and even the mainstream media is starting to pick up on how last week’s R1 launch was a big deal

We’ve been trying to understand just how powerful R1 really is, so we rounded up everything we could find that shows off just what this little AI side project can do.

Here’s some WILD demos of what people have done with Deepseek R1 so far:

Is DeepSeek the new DeepMind? — from ai-supremacy.com by Michael Spencer
AI supremacy isn’t just about compute or U.S. leadership, it’s about how you work to make models more efficient and improve their accessibility for everyone.

Over the last week especially but over the last month generally, the AI Zeitgeist is flooding with what DeepSeek’s R1 means for the larger ecosystem and the future of AI as a whole. See some articles I’m reading on DeepSeek here (Google Doc).

It’s an important moment in so far as everything from export controls to AI Infrastructure, to capex spend or AI talent moats are being put into question.

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$500B to build new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the U.S. + other items re: AI in general

On 01/22/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Adobe, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, emerging technologies, experimentation, game-changing environment, Google, Microsoft, Open AI, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, trends, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Google Workspace enables the future of AI-powered work for every business  — from workspace.google.com

The following AI capabilities will start rolling out to Google Workspace Business customers today and to Enterprise customers later this month:

  • Get AI assistance in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet, Chat, Vids, and more: Do your best work faster with AI embedded in the tools you use every day. Gemini streamlines your communications by helping you summarize, draft, and find information in your emails, chats, and files. It can be a thought partner and source of inspiration, helping you create professional documents, slides, spreadsheets, and videos from scratch. Gemini can even improve your meetings by taking notes, enhancing your audio and video, and catching you up on the conversation if you join late.
  • Chat with Gemini Advanced, Google’s next-gen AI: Kickstart learning, brainstorming, and planning with the Gemini app on your laptop or mobile device. Gemini Advanced can help you tackle complex projects including coding, research, and data analysis and lets you build Gems, your team of AI experts to help with repeatable or specialized tasks.
  • Unlock the power of NotebookLM Plus: We’re bringing the revolutionary AI research assistant to every employee, to help them make sense of complex topics. Upload sources to get instant insights and Audio Overviews, then share customized notebooks with the team to accelerate their learning and onboarding.

And per Evelyn from the Stay Ahead newsletter (at FlexOS)

Google’s Gemini AI is stepping up its game in Google Workspace, bringing powerful new capabilities to your favorite tools like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets:

  • AI-Powered Summaries: Get concise, AI-generated summaries of long emails and documents so you can focus on what matters most.
  • Smart Reply: Gemini now offers context-aware email replies that feel more natural and tailored to your style.
  • Slides and images generation: Gemini in Slides can help you generate new images, summarize your slides, write and rewrite content, and refer to existing Drive files and/or emails.
  • Automated Data Insights: In Google Sheets, Gemini helps create a task tracker, conference agenda, spot trends, suggest formulas, and even build charts with simple prompts.
  • Intelligent Drafting: Google Docs now gets a creativity boost, helping you draft reports, proposals, or blog posts with AI suggestions and outlines.
  • Meeting Assistance: Say goodbye to the awkward AI attendees to help you take notes, now Gemini can natively do that for you – no interruption, no avatar, and no extra attendee. Meet can now also automatically generate captions to lower the language barrier.

Eveyln (from FlexOS) also mentions that CoPilot is getting enhancements too:

Copilot is now included in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family — from microsoft.com

Per Evelyn:

It’s exactly what we predicted: stand-alone AI apps like note-takers and image generators have had their moment, but as the tech giants step in, they’re bringing these features directly into their ecosystems, making them harder to ignore.

Announcing The Stargate Project — from openai.com

The Stargate Project is a new company which intends to invest $500 billion over the next four years building new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the United States. We will begin deploying $100 billion immediately. This infrastructure will secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and generate massive economic benefit for the entire world. This project will not only support the re-industrialization of the United States but also provide a strategic capability to protect the national security of America and its allies.

The initial equity funders in Stargate are SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX. SoftBank and OpenAI are the lead partners for Stargate, with SoftBank having financial responsibility and OpenAI having operational responsibility. Masayoshi Son will be the chairman.

Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and OpenAI are the key initial technology partners. The buildout is currently underway, starting in Texas, and we are evaluating potential sites across the country for more campuses as we finalize definitive agreements.

Your AI Writing Partner: The 30-Day Book Framework — from aidisruptor.ai by Alex McFarland and Kamil Banc
How to Turn Your “Someday” Manuscript into a “Shipped” Project Using AI-Powered Prompts

With that out of the way, I prefer Claude.ai for writing. For larger projects like a book, create a Claude Project to keep all context in one place.

  • Copy [the following] prompts into a document
  • Use them in sequence as you write
  • Adjust the word counts and specifics as needed
  • Keep your responses for reference
  • Use the same prompt template for similar sections to maintain consistency

Each prompt builds on the previous one, creating a systematic approach to helping you write your book.

Adobe’s new AI tool can edit 10,000 images in one click — from theverge.com by  Jess Weatherbed
Firefly Bulk Create can automatically remove, replace, or extend image backgrounds in huge batches.

Adobe is launching new generative AI tools that can automate labor-intensive production tasks like editing large batches of images and translating video presentations. The most notable is “Firefly Bulk Create,” an app that allows users to quickly resize up to 10,000 images or replace all of their backgrounds in a single click instead of tediously editing each picture individually.

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“Leadership & Generative AI: Hard-Earned Lessons That Matter” [Klitgaard Stricker] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 01/22/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, adjunct faculty, adult learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, Google, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, leadership, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, library / librarians, lifelong learning, Michigan, microlearning, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, reading, research, strategy, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, writing, by Daniel Christian

Your AI Writing Partner: The 30-Day Book Framework — from aidisruptor.ai by Alex McFarland and Kamil Banc
How to Turn Your “Someday” Manuscript into a “Shipped” Project Using AI-Powered Prompts

With that out of the way, I prefer Claude.ai for writing. For larger projects like a book, create a Claude Project to keep all context in one place.

  • Copy [the following] prompts into a document
  • Use them in sequence as you write
  • Adjust the word counts and specifics as needed
  • Keep your responses for reference
  • Use the same prompt template for similar sections to maintain consistency

Each prompt builds on the previous one, creating a systematic approach to helping you write your book.

Using NotebookLM to Boost College Reading Comprehension — from michellekassorla.substack.com by Michelle Kassorla and Eugenia Novokshanova
This semester, we are using NotebookLM to help our students comprehend and engage with scholarly texts

We were looking hard for a new tool when Google released NotebookLM. Not only does Google allow unfettered use of this amazing tool, it is also a much better tool for the work we require in our courses. So, this semester, we have scrapped our “old” tools and added NotebookLM as the primary tool for our English Composition II courses (and we hope, fervently, that Google won’t decide to severely limit its free tier before this semester ends!)

If you know next-to-nothing about NotebookLM, that’s OK. What follows is the specific lesson we present to our students. We hope this will help you understand all you need to know about NotebookLM, and how to successfully integrate the tool into your own teaching this semester.

Leadership & Generative AI: Hard-Earned Lessons That Matter — from jeppestricker.substack.com by Jeppe Klitgaard Stricker
Actionable Advice for Higher Education Leaders in 2025

AFTER two years of working closely with leadership in multiple institutions, and delivering countless workshops, I’ve seen one thing repeatedly: the biggest challenge isn’t the technology itself, but how we lead through it. Here is some of my best advice to help you navigate generative AI with clarity and confidence:

  1. Break your own AI policies before you implement them. …
  2. Fund your failures. …
  3. Resist the pilot program. …
  4. Host Anti-Tech Tech Talks …
  5. …+ several more tips

While generative AI in higher education obviously involves new technology, it’s much more about adopting a curious and human-centric approach in your institution and communities. It’s about empowering learners in new, human-oriented and innovative ways. It is, in a nutshell, about people adapting to new ways of doing things.

Maria Anderson responded to Clay’s posting with this idea:

Here’s an idea: […] the teacher can use the [most advanced] AI tool to generate a complete solution to “the problem” — whatever that is — and demonstrate how to do that in class. Give all the students access to the document with the results.

And then grade the students on a comprehensive followup activity / presentation of executing that solution (no notes, no more than 10 words on a slide). So the students all have access to the same deep AI result, but have to show they comprehend and can iterate on that result.

Grammarly just made it easier to prove the sources of your text in Google Docs — from zdnet.com by Jack Wallen
If you want to be diligent about proving your sources within Google Documents, Grammarly has a new feature you’ll want to use.

In this age of distrust, misinformation, and skepticism, you may wonder how to demonstrate your sources within a Google Document. Did you type it yourself, copy and paste it from a browser-based source, copy and paste it from an unknown source, or did it come from generative AI?

You may not think this is an important clarification, but if writing is a critical part of your livelihood or life, you will definitely want to demonstrate your sources.

That’s where the new Grammarly feature comes in.

The new feature is called Authorship, and according to Grammarly, “Grammarly Authorship is a set of features that helps users demonstrate their sources of text in a Google doc. When you activate Authorship within Google Docs, it proactively tracks the writing process as you write.”

AI Agents Are Coming to Higher Education — from govtech.com
AI agents are customizable tools with more decision-making power than chatbots. They have the potential to automate more tasks, and some schools have implemented them for administrative and educational purposes.

Custom GPTs are on the rise in education. Google’s version, Gemini Gems, includes a premade version called Learning Coach, and Microsoft announced last week a new agent addition to Copilot featuring use cases at educational institutions.

Generative Artificial Intelligence and Education: A Brief Ethical Reflection on Autonomy — from er.educause.edu by Vicki Strunk and James Willis
Given the widespread impacts of generative AI, looking at this technology through the lens of autonomy can help equip students for the workplaces of the present and of the future, while ensuring academic integrity for both students and instructors.

The principle of autonomy stresses that we should be free agents who can govern ourselves and who are able to make our own choices. This principle applies to AI in higher education because it raises serious questions about how, when, and whether AI should be used in varying contexts. Although we have only begun asking questions related to autonomy and many more remain to be asked, we hope that this serves as a starting place to consider the uses of AI in higher education.

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A Practical Framework for Microlearning Success: A Guide for Learning Leaders [Defelice]

On 01/22/2025, in adult learning, business, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, microlearning, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, training / L&D, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

A Practical Framework for Microlearning Success: A Guide for Learning Leaders — from learningguild.com by Robyn A. Defelice

Gaining insight from the framework

Goals or Measurable Outcomes

  • Key question:  What business results do you expect from your microlearning strategy?
  • Why it’s valuable: Clear, measurable outcomes create a foundation for alignment and accountability.

Purpose

  • Key question: Why does this microlearning initiative exist?
  • Why it’s valuable: L&D needs to know if they are solving a specific problem, supporting a broader strategy, or providing foundational knowledge.

Potential

  • Key question: What opportunities exist if the purpose is actualized?
  • Why it’s valuable: This helps to put into focus the measurable outcomes or if it is a true need for L&D to address.

Evaluation

  • Key question: How will you measure success?
  • Why it’s valuable: Defining metrics that track learner progress and link to business impact ensures that the design of these pieces is part of the overall solution and implementation plan.

…and more

By focusing on short-term wins, auditing for gaps, and planning strategically, L&D leaders can create initiatives that deliver meaningful, sustained results.

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A Community College’s Guide to Building Strong Partnerships [eddesignlab.org]

On 01/21/2025, in Amazon, business, career development, collaboration, communications, community colleges, higher education, instructional design, leadership, learning ecosystem, skills, society, strategy, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

A Community College’s Guide to Building Strong Partnerships — from eddesignlab.org

This November 2024 guidebook offers higher education practitioners actionable strategies for building and sustaining partnerships that both meet regional needs and support students, families, and communities. This work was based on the design and delivery of dual enrollment pathways as part of the Lab’s Designers in Residence 2.0: Accelerating Pathways project.
…
The practices and case studies shared here are informed by higher education leaders across six community colleges as part of the Lab’s Designers in Residence program.

We have organized the guidebook based on core elements of a strong partnerships strategy, alongside how to establish a strong foundation and sustain and maintain the partnerships you’ve built. Through our research, we’ve identified four key elements of strong partnerships:

+ Communication and collaboration
+ Shared vision
+ Adaptive and responsive
+ Action-oriented

You will find guiding questions, tools, and case studies within each of the four elements.
.

 

Also from The Education Design Lab:

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ChatGPT can now handle reminders and to-dos [Robison]

On 01/15/2025, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, Open AI, platforms, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

ChatGPT can now handle reminders and to-dos — from theverge.com by Kylie Robison
The AI chatbot can now set reminders and perform recurring actions.

OpenAI is launching a new beta feature in ChatGPT called Tasks that lets users schedule future actions and reminders.

The feature, which is rolling out to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers starting today, is an attempt to make the chatbot into something closer to a traditional digital assistant — think Google Assistant or Siri but with ChatGPT’s more advanced language capabilities.

ChatGPT gets proactive with ‘Tasks’ — from therundown.ai by Rowan Cheung
PLUS: Minimax’s LLM context-length breakthrough

The Rundown: OpenAI is rolling out Tasks, a new ChatGPT beta feature that allows users to schedule reminders and recurring actions, marking the company’s first step into agentic AI capabilities.
…
Why it matters: While reminders aren’t groundbreaking, Tasks lays the groundwork for incorporating agentic abilities into ChatGPT, which will likely gain value once integrated with other features like tool or computer use. With ‘Operator’ also rumored to be coming this month, all signs are pointing towards 2025 being the year of the AI agent.

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Journalism, healthcare, IT and more in the age of AI; “‘IT will become the HR of AI agents”

On 01/14/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, Australia, biology, data related items, Europe, health, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, journalism, NVIDIA, platforms, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

NVIDIA Partners With Industry Leaders to Advance Genomics, Drug Discovery and Healthcare — from nvidianews.nvidia.com
IQVIA, Illumina, Mayo Clinic and Arc Institute Harness NVIDIA AI and Accelerated Computing to Transform $10 Trillion Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry

J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference—NVIDIA today announced new partnerships to transform the $10 trillion healthcare and life sciences industry by accelerating drug discovery, enhancing genomic research and pioneering advanced healthcare services with agentic and generative AI.

The convergence of AI, accelerated computing and biological data is turning healthcare into the largest technology industry. Healthcare leaders IQVIA, Illumina and Mayo Clinic, as well as Arc Institute, are using the latest NVIDIA technologies to develop solutions that will help advance human health.

These solutions include AI agents that can speed clinical trials by reducing administrative burden, AI models that learn from biology instruments to advance drug discovery and digital pathology, and physical AI robots for surgery, patient monitoring and operations. AI agents, AI instruments and AI robots will help address the $3 trillion of operations dedicated to supporting industry growth and create an AI factory opportunity in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

AI could transform health care, but will it live up to the hype? — from sciencenews.org by Meghan Rosen and Tina Hesman Saey
The technology has the potential to improve lives, but hurdles and questions remain

True progress in transforming health care will require solutions across the political, scientific and medical sectors. But new forms of artificial intelligence have the potential to help. Innovators are racing to deploy AI technologies to make health care more effective, equitable and humane.

AI could spot cancer early, design lifesaving drugs, assist doctors in surgery and even peer into people’s futures to predict and prevent disease. The potential to help people live longer, healthier lives is vast. But physicians and researchers must overcome a legion of challenges to harness AI’s potential.

HHS publishes AI Strategic Plan, with guidance for healthcare, public health, human services — from healthcareitnews.com by Mike Miliard
The framework explores ways to spur innovation and adoption, enable more trustworthy model development, promote access and foster AI-empowered healthcare workforces.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued its HHS Artificial Intelligence Strategic Plan, which the agency says will “set in motion a coordinated public-private approach to improving the quality, safety, efficiency, accessibility, equitability and outcomes in health and human services through the innovative, safe, and responsible use of AI.”

How Journalism Will Adapt in the Age of AI — from bloomberg.com/ by John Micklethwait
The news business is facing its next enormous challenge. Here are eight reasons to be both optimistic and paranoid.

AI promises to get under the hood of our industry — to change the way we write and edit stories. It will challenge us, just like it is challenging other knowledge workers like lawyers, scriptwriters and accountants.
…

Most journalists love AI when it helps them uncover Iranian oil smuggling. Investigative journalism is not hard to sell to a newsroom. The second example is a little harder. Over the past month we have started testing AI-driven summaries for some longer stories on the Bloomberg Terminal.

The software reads the story and produces three bullet points. Customers like it — they can quickly see what any story is about. Journalists are more suspicious. Reporters worry that people will just read the summary rather than their story.
…
So, looking into our laboratory, what do I think will happen in the Age of AI? Here are eight predictions.

‘IT will become the HR of AI agents’, says Nvidia’s CEO: How should organisations respond? — from hrsea.economictimes.indiatimes.com by Vanshika Rastogi

Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang’s recent statement “IT will become the HR of AI agents” continues to spark debate about IT’s evolving role in managing AI systems. As AI tools become integral, IT teams will take on tasks like training and optimising AI agents, blending technical and HR responsibilities. So, how should organisations respond to this transformation?

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At least seven items re: AI within our learning ecosystems

On 01/14/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, education technology, emerging technologies, ethics, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, Google, India, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, morals/values, NVIDIA, platforms, policy, research, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, by Daniel Christian

Students Pushback on AI Bans, India Takes a Leading Role in AI & Education & Growing Calls for Teacher Training in AI — from learningfuturesdigest.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
Key developments in the world of AI & Education at the turn of 2025

At the end of 2024 and start of 2025, we’ve witnessed some fascinating developments in the world of AI and education, from from India’s emergence as a leader in AI education and Nvidia’s plans to build an AI school in Indonesia to Stanford’s Tutor CoPilot improving outcomes for underserved students.

Other highlights include Carnegie Learning partnering with AI for Education to train K-12 teachers, early adopters of AI sharing lessons about implementation challenges, and AI super users reshaping workplace practices through enhanced productivity and creativity.

Also mentioned by Philippa:

ElevenLabs AI Voice Tool Review for Educators — from aiforeducation.io with Amanda Bickerstaff and Mandy DePriest

AI for Education reviewed the ElevenLabs AI Voice Tool through an educator lens, digging into the new autonomous voice agent functionality that facilitates interactive user engagement. We showcase the creation of a customized vocabulary bot, which defines words at a 9th-grade level and includes options for uploading supplementary material. The demo includes real-time testing of the bot’s capabilities in defining terms and quizzing users.

The discussion also explored the AI tool’s potential for aiding language learners and neurodivergent individuals, and Mandy presented a phone conversation coach bot to help her 13-year-old son, highlighting the tool’s ability to provide patient, repetitive practice opportunities.

While acknowledging the technology’s potential, particularly in accessibility and language learning, we also want to emphasize the importance of supervised use and privacy considerations. Right now the tool is currently free, this likely won’t always remain the case, so we encourage everyone to explore and test it out now as it continues to develop.

How to Use Google’s Deep Research, Learn About and NotebookLM Together — from ai-supremacy.com by Michael Spencer and Nick Potkalitsky
Supercharging your research with Google Deepmind’s new AI Tools.

Why Combine Them?
Faster Onboarding: Start broad with Deep Research, then refine and clarify concepts through Learn About. Finally, use NotebookLM to synthesize everything into a cohesive understanding.

Deeper Clarity: Unsure about a concept uncovered by Deep Research? Head to Learn About for a primer. Want to revisit key points later? Store them in NotebookLM and generate quick summaries on demand.

Adaptive Exploration: Create a feedback loop. Let new terms or angles from Learn About guide more targeted Deep Research queries. Then, compile all findings in NotebookLM for future reference.
.

Getting to an AI Policy Part 1: Challenges — from aiedusimplified.substack.com by Lance Eaton, PH.D.
Why institutional policies are slow to emerge in higher education

There are several challenges to making policy that make institutions hesitant to or delay their ability to produce it. Policy (as opposed to guidance) is much more likely to include a mixture of IT, HR, and legal services. This means each of those entities has to wrap their heads around GenAI—not just for their areas but for the other relevant areas such as teaching & learning, research, and student support. This process can definitely extend the time it takes to figure out the right policy.

That’s naturally true with every policy. It does not often come fast enough and is often more reactive than proactive.

Still, in my conversations and observations, the delay derives from three additional intersecting elements that feel like they all need to be in lockstep in order to actually take advantage of whatever possibilities GenAI has to offer.

  1. Which Tool(s) To Use
  2. Training, Support, & Guidance, Oh My!
  3. Strategy: Setting a Direction…

Prophecies of the Flood — from oneusefulthing.org by Ethan Mollick
What to make of the statements of the AI labs?

What concerns me most isn’t whether the labs are right about this timeline – it’s that we’re not adequately preparing for what even current levels of AI can do, let alone the chance that they might be correct. While AI researchers are focused on alignment, ensuring AI systems act ethically and responsibly, far fewer voices are trying to envision and articulate what a world awash in artificial intelligence might actually look like. This isn’t just about the technology itself; it’s about how we choose to shape and deploy it. These aren’t questions that AI developers alone can or should answer. They’re questions that demand attention from organizational leaders who will need to navigate this transition, from employees whose work lives may transform, and from stakeholders whose futures may depend on these decisions. The flood of intelligence that may be coming isn’t inherently good or bad – but how we prepare for it, how we adapt to it, and most importantly, how we choose to use it, will determine whether it becomes a force for progress or disruption. The time to start having these conversations isn’t after the water starts rising – it’s now.

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Some solid AI-based tools to experiment with

On 01/09/2025, in 21st century, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, career development, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, creativity, design, digital audio, experimentation, Facebook / Meta Platforms, Google, graphics, Microsoft, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), NVIDIA, Open AI, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, research, skills, tools, United States, vendors, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, by Daniel Christian

The Best of AI 2024: Top Winners Across 9 Categories — from aiwithallie.beehiiv.com by Allie Miller
2025 will be our weirdest year in AI yet. Read this so you’re more prepared.

Top AI Tools of 2024 — from ai-supremacy.com by Michael Spencer (behind a paywall)
Which AI tools stood out for me in 2024? My list.

Memorable AI Tools of 2024
Catergories included:

  • Useful
  • Popular
  • Captures the zeighest of AI product innovation
  • Fun to try
  • Personally satisfying
  1. NotebookLM
  2. Perplexity
  3. Claude
  4. …

New “best” AI tool? Really? — from theneurondaily.com by Noah and Grant
PLUS: A free workaround to the “best” new AI…

What is Google’s Deep Research tool, and is it really “the best” AI research tool out there?
…
Here’s how it works: Think of Deep Research as a research team that can simultaneously analyze 50+ websites, compile findings, and create comprehensive reports—complete with citations.

Unlike asking ChatGPT to research for you, Deep Research shows you its research plan before executing, letting you edit the approach to get exactly what you need.
…
It’s currently free for the first month (though it’ll eventually be $20/month) when bundled with Gemini Advanced. Then again, Perplexity is always free…just saying.

We couldn’t just take J-Cal’s word for it, so we rounded up some other takes:

Our take: We then compared Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, and Deep Research (which we’re calling DR, or “The Docta” for short) on robot capabilities from CES revealed:

An excerpt from today’s Morning Edition from Bloomberg

Global banks will cut as many as 200,000 jobs in the next three to five years—a net 3% of the workforce—as AI takes on more tasks, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence survey. Back, middle office and operations are most at risk. A reminder that Citi said last year that AI is likely to replace more jobs in banking than in any other sector. JPMorgan had a more optimistic view (from an employee perspective, at any rate), saying its AI rollout has augmented, not replaced, jobs so far.

 

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Thought Bomb #1: Boot camps helped my daughter skill up without a degree, so why are they dying off? [Kathleen deLaski ]

On 01/09/2025, in Alternatives, business, change, changing business models, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, computer science, credentialing, higher education, microlearning, programming, skills, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Thought Bomb #1: Boot camps helped my daughter skill up without a degree, so why are they dying off? — from linkedin.com by Kathleen deLaski

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“How Generative AI Is Shaping the Future of Law” [Ramanathan] + other legaltech-related items

On 01/07/2025, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Australia, business, change, changing business models, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, policy, trends, UK, United States, using teams, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

How Generative AI Is Shaping the Future of Law: Challenges and Trends in the Legal Profession — from thomsonreuters.com by Raghu Ramanathan

With this mind, Thomson Reuters and Lexpert hosted a panel featuring law firm leaders and industry experts discussing the challenges and trends around the use of generative AI in the legal profession.?Below are insights from an engaging and informative discussion.

Sections included:

  • Lawyers are excited to implement generative AI solutions
  • Unfounded concerns about robot lawyers
  • Changing billing practices and elevating services
  • Managing and mitigating risks

Adopting Legal Technology Responsibly — from lexology.com by Sacha Kirk

Here are fundamental principles to guide the process:

  1. Start with a Needs Assessment…
  2. Engage Stakeholders Early…
  3. Choose Scalable Solutions…
  4. Prioritise Security and Compliance…
  5. Plan for Change Management…

Modernizing Legal Workflows: The Role Of AI, Automation, And Strategic Partnerships — from abovethelaw.com by Scott Angelo, Jared Gullbergh, Nancy Griffing, and Michael Owen Hill
A roadmap for law firms.  

Angelo added, “We really doubled down on AI because it was just so new — not just to the legal industry, but to the world.” Under his leadership, Buchanan’s efforts to embrace AI have garnered significant attention, earning the firm recognition as one of the “Best of the Best for Generative AI” in the 2024 BTI “Leading Edge Law Firms” survey.

This acknowledgment reflects more than ambition; it highlights the firm’s ability to translate innovative ideas into actionable results. By focusing on collaboration and leveraging technology to address client demands, Buchanan has set a benchmark for what is possible in legal technology innovation.
…
The collective team followed these essential steps for app development:

  • Identify and Prioritize Use Cases…
  • Define App Requirements…
  • Leverage Pre-Built Studio Apps and Templates…
  • Incorporate AI and Automation…
  • Test and Iterate…
  • Deploy and Train…
  • Measure Success…

Navigating Generative AI in Legal Practice — from linkedin.com by Colin Levy

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, has introduced transformative potential to legal practice. For in-house counsel, managing legal risk while driving operational efficiency increasingly involves navigating AI’s opportunities and challenges. While AI offers remarkable tools for automation and data-driven decision-making, it is essential to approach these tools as complementary to human judgment, not replacements. Effective AI adoption requires balancing its efficiencies with a commitment to ethical, nuanced legal practice.

Here a few ways in which this arises:

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