AI for Grading, Draw with Scribbles, Ethiopia Schools + More

Happy Friday!

Each week I curate the projects, people, and ideas shaping the future of education. A prominent theme throughout my career is encouraging people to start: Build. Ship. Take action.

Whether small business owners in rural South Dakota or developers in the Philippines, I’m a cheerleader for getting your hands dirty. 📣

In that spirit, let’s dive in and share how to start.

On Creation 🌳

🔨 Simon Sarris argues in his excellent essay, “The Most Precious Resource is Agency,” that we need to encourage children to create. In doing so, we spark their imagination. It’s a unique view of employment, work, and creativity.

On Creation All Around Us 🛝

📚 Serj Hunt joined the Ed3 podcast. He argued, “we can’t just put kids in front of AI and expect them to be Galileo.”

Instead, he suggests learning ecosystems - networks of learning resources that can be adapted around a specific learner's needs or interests.

Learning resources - libraries, museums, parks, community members, sports teams, etc. - exist within cities and regions. We can use those resources to customize and curate educational experiences.

Hunt argues that students spend too much time in the traditional classroom - a point we highlighted two weeks ago as numerous institutions rethink how long a degree should take.

Watch or listen to his vision of what’s possible in our education system.

On Creation with AI 🧑‍💻

🧐 Enable students to talk to Homer, Shakespeare, or a professor any time, anywhere. Here’s how to build it.

🫥 Scribble Diffusion enables you to draw a rough shape and get a perfect image. This is perfect for people like me who know what they want to see but can’t draw it.

🤖 Using AI requires a prompt - even if it’s a scribble. For text prompts, AI can help you create better prompts!

🧑‍🏫 Use AI to auto-grade assignments, provide personalized feedback, and help increase students improve their skills over time. All without code.

On the Curious and Fascinating 🧐

🎓 Ethiopia is lowering university entry standards because campuses are almost empty.

😔 Sobering read on the state of mental health in young girls - 6 of 10 girls report being persistently sad or hopeless.

On How to Create - Text of the Week 📱

With this Digest focused on creation, I wanted to talk to my favorite creation cheerleader: Cam Houser.

Cam is the founder of Minimum Viable Video, 3 Day Startup, and teaches entrepreneurship with his company Actionworks.

I asked Cam: how do you encourage people to start?

His answer:

Go Create

Thanks for reading and building. If you take one idea from today, build!