Using Technology to Promote Student Autonomy

Today, I witnessed something extraordinary in my classroom that challenged everything we think we know about AI in education. Instead of handing students a rigid playbook of dos and don'ts with AI, I decided to flip the script entirely. Since summer, I've watched the endless parade of methodological frameworks and usage guidelines sweep through education. Each promising to be the "right way" to integrate AI into learning. But today, we tried something radically different. I simply asked my students to use AI to brainstorm their own learning objectives. No restrictions. No predetermined pathways. Just pure exploration. The results? Astonishing. Students began mapping out research directions I'd never considered. They created dialogue spaces with AI that looked more like intellectual partnerships than simple query-response patterns. Most importantly, they documented their journey, creating a meta-learning archive of their process. What struck me most was this: When we stopped fixating on the tangible "products" of AI interaction and instead centered on the mental maps being developed, something magical happened. Some might say this approach is too unstructured, too risky. But consider what we're gaining: 1. Metacognitive development: Students are thinking deeply about their own learning process 2. Agency and ownership: They're designing their own educational pathways 3. Critical navigation skills: Learning to chart courses through AI-enhanced knowledge spaces 4. Creative confidence: Freedom to experiment without fear of "wrong" approaches 5. Future-ready adaptability: Building skills to work with evolving AI systems We're not just teaching students to use AI – we're empowering them to design their own learning ecosystems. The focus isn't on what appears on the screen, but on the neural pathways being forged, the cognitive frameworks being built. Watching these students navigate this space, I'm reminded that the future of education isn't about controlling AI use – it's about nurturing the wisdom to use it well. We need to trust our students' capacity to be architects of their own learning journeys. The real breakthrough happens when we stop seeing AI as space to be contained and start seeing it as a landscape to be explored. Our role as educators isn't to build fences, but to help students develop their own compasses. #AIEducation #FutureOfLearning #EducationalInnovation #StudentAgency #EdTech #CognitiveDesign #GenerativeThinking Amanda Bickerstaff Stefan Bauschard Dr. Sabba Quidwai Mike Kentz David Gregg David H. Doan Winkel Jason Gulya Dr. Lance Cummings. Alfonso Mendoza Jr., M.Ed.

Here's a fascinating bit of history: the United States Military Academy at West Point has been using "AI" since the 1800s (although not the kind you may be thinking of).  "Additional Instruction" (AI) has been a cornerstone of cadet education, offering personalized 1:1 mentoring to those students struggling with complex subjects. Now, a forward-thinking West Point accounting professor has created "AI4AI" - ingeniously merging traditional Additional Instruction with modern artificial intelligence. 🔄Here's how AI4AI works: 1. Cadets must first consult an AI Tutor to explore their questions 2. They submit their AI conversation logs when requesting Additional Instruction from a professor 3. The professor analyzes the submitted AI dialogue before meeting the student 🌟 Why This Approach Is Innovative: This approach aligns perfectly with BoodleBox's three pillars of AI readiness: 1. Domain Expertise: - Students must actively wrestle with concepts using AI before getting Additional Instruction - This "productive struggle" builds deeper understanding 2. AI Enablement: - Students get hands-on experience learning when and how to use AI effectively - This develops critical AI enablement skills for future leaders 3. Human Excellence: - Student-professor interactions become laser-focused on advanced concepts, with AI handling foundational questions beforehand. - By reviewing the student’s AI interactions first, professors can focus their valuable time on what matters most: providing targeted mentorship, sharing deep insights, and building meaningful connections with students. 💡 Why AI4AI Resonates with Modern Education: - It keeps the “Professor in the Loop” ... AI is used as part of a collaboration not as a replacement - It maximizes instructor impact: the Professor can focus on deep engagement and transformative teaching moments - It creates a scalable model for personalized learning support: a professor can reach more students without sacrificing individual attention - It empowers student autonomy while reinforcing that they can and should reach out for guidance when needed 🚀 For Fellow AI in Education Innovators: This aligns well with the innovative approaches to responsible AI in education that we're seeing from over 10,000 faculty and students using BoodleBox: - It's a great example of teaching with AI (to create domain expertise) and teaching about AI (to develop AI enablement), while crucially maintaining the irreplaceable role of human educators - this isn't about AI replacing professors (teaching by AI), but rather empowering faculty to be even more effective and impactful while also being efficient. This innovative approach maintains West Point's tradition of educational excellence while readying cadets for an AI-powered future. It shows how historical teaching methods can be thoughtfully adapted with technology for the modern era. Totally Not Genuine AI Generated Photo Credit: Flux

ChatGPT helped my daughter study for her chemistry test - in spite of her school’s bad decision to ban AI. For the record: I have a bachelor’s in chemistry, and I actually love helping her study. But last night, she needed something a little different. Something a little less... mom. (She was dealing with more than just school stress.) So I handed her a tool. And a little trust. “Tell ChatGPT what your test is on. Ask it to quiz you. This is the future. You deserve to try it.” She used it. It worked. She was calm, focused, and better prepared, because she was in charge. Her school may be banning AI, but we’re learning how to use it strategically at home. And that’s the real story playing out behind the scenes: → AI isn’t replacing thinking. → It’s giving our kids a way to practice thinking, on their terms. → It’s helping them rebuild agency when life feels messy and uncertain. We don’t need more bans. We need better guidance. And more trust in our kids’ ability to grow. If we want to build future-ready schools, we have to stop acting like the future is dangerous. #AIinEducation #ParentPerspective #StudentAgency #FutureOfLearning #edtech #instructionaldesign #aiforeducation