Not as a gimmick.
As a defense against AI.
One assignment. No laptops. No ChatGPT. No spellcheck.
Just thinking and typing.
At first glance, it sounds extreme.
But step back and ask the real question:
👉 What problem is she actually trying to solve?
It’s not cheating.
It’s something deeper.
We are losing visibility into how people think.
When AI writes for you, edits for you, and even suggests what you should think next…
the learning process becomes invisible.
And if we can’t see the process, we can’t assess it.
If we can’t assess it, we can’t teach it.
So her solution is simple:
Remove the tool.
Force the thinking.
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
This approach is the exact opposite of what I’m building with AI-Augmented Exploratory Learning (AAEL).
She’s creating constraint.
I’m creating augmentation.
But both are reacting to the same reality:
👉 AI is no longer just a tool. It’s a cognitive partner.
And that creates a fork in the road for education and training:
Path 1: Restrict AI to preserve foundational thinking
Analog environments
Closed assessments
Tool-free evaluation
Path 2: Integrate AI and teach people how to think with it
Prompting as inquiry
Iteration and refinement
Human judgment layered on AI output
Here’s my take:
If we don’t teach people how to think without AI…
they become dependent.
If we don’t teach people how to think with AI…
they become obsolete.
The future isn’t one or the other.
It’s knowing when to remove the tool and when to use it.
In real estate, lending, and analytics, I see this every day.
Give someone AI and they can:
Analyze a market
Build a model
Generate a strategy
But ask them to explain why it works… and things fall apart.
That gap is where the real opportunity is.
We don’t need more prompt engineers.
We need better thinkers who know how to leverage AI without outsourcing their thinking.
That’s the difference between using AI and being replaced by it.
What do you think?
Should we be restricting AI in learning environments…
or doubling down on teaching people how to use it effectively?
Robert Foreman
Doctoral Student, Educational Technology
Central Michigan University
forem1r@cmich.edu
NhanceData.com
#AI #Education #EdTech #DataAnalytics #RealEstate #ArtificialIntelligence #Learning #AAEL #Leadership
Source: AP
https://lnkd.in/d4hTnzF9