September is National Literacy Month. As we head back to school this year, we examine education and literacy. We ask how technology is disrupting education, and how literacy impacts our ability to interact with our environment.
The Homework Machine: AI & K12 Education
Sunday, September 14 at 8pm
On this special: Most education technology is invited into schools. Generative AI crashed the party, and started rearranging the furniture. OpenAI launched ChatGPT November 2022, and students everywhere discovered a temptation difficult to resist: a tool that quickly, comprehensively, and convincingly does their homework. Nearly three years later, schools are still wrestling with big questions: How should students, educators, parents, administrators, and districts manage the fact that artificial intelligence in education is here to stay? What constitutes cheating in the age of AI? How are teachers using AI to improve student outcomes? How do students feel about AI, whether they—or their peers—are using it to complete assignments?
Adults Learning to Read: America's Literacy Crisis and Its Impact on Democracy
Sunday, September 21 at 8pm
From Humankind: About half of American adults read at or below a sixth-grade level. What challenges do they face in maintaining a good job, navigating health care, helping children (or grandchildren) with school work? And how does this low level of literacy affect the functioning of American democracy? Are voters in this group vulnerable to manipulation by politicians?
