In March, I was lucky enough to attend an Erasmus training course in Amsterdam on artificial intelligence in the classroom and critical thinking. One of my main criteria for choosing a course destination was being able to travel there by train, and I thoroughly enjoyed the overnight journey, sharing stories with strangers and waking up in a new country.
Amsterdam was no disappointment either, and the (cold/rainy) weather didn’t stop me from walking around its canals, exploring side-streets and visiting all the usual tourist sites. I had time to admire the incredible skill with which the Dutch cycle in all weather, oblivious of cars, trams and pedestrians.
The course itself was thought-provoking, looking towards the future and showing us some of the potential pitfalls that lie ahead. We can’t ignore the power of AI, but we can learn to use it to our own advantage and we need to teach our students to do the same. It shouldn’t be about cutting corners or looking for an easy way out of doing an assignment, but it should make us question what we read and teach us new skills for the future.
Stephanie Staffen
