'Boredom is better for children than AI will ever be'

(MS NOW) "Late last month, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called for what would amount to a significant reversal of the education establishment’s embrace of technology when she suggested restrictions on artificial intelligence and electronic screens in schools. Though her call to action stopped short of a total ban, Weingarten said restrictions are needed 'to harness the benefits of technology while mitigating harms.' "

"Schools have spent billions of dollars rushing devices into children’s hands. Such spending was especially high during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the results have been profound. As of last school year, 88% of public schools reported providing every child with a laptop, tablet or similar device. Just last year, the AFT partnered with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and others to launch a $23 million National Academy for AI Instruction aimed at helping educators use AI responsibly and effectively in schools."

"But in a May 27 speech at the National Press Club, Weingarten said, 'All this tech has been a huge experiment on kids, and experiments can go wrong.' "

"Much of the debate over AI in schools has focused on the loss of students’ analytical skills, cognitive offloading and shrinking attention spans. Those are legitimate concerns. But we should pay more attention to another essential cognitive function being systematically engineered out of existence: boredom."

Continued at link:

https://www.ms.now/opinion/teachers-union-ai-restrictions-schools-weingarten