#402: The AI Issue (sort of)
Great pieces on learning loss, the efficacy of books, Ocean Vuong, and dogs
Happy July, loyal readers, and thank you for being here.
Everyone’s talking about AI and how it’s either going to take over the world or help us save the world. It got me thinking, in a much smaller kind of way: Could AI replace me as the editor of Article Club? Could ChatGPT assemble the articles, write the blurbs, and feature the cute pet photos? In fact, is that what’s happening right now with this introduction? 😀
Don’t worry, I’m not transferring ownership of this newsletter to a bot. But this week, let’s try something a bit different, just for experimentation’s sake. Here goes:
There are four selections below: three articles and one podcast episode.
I have written two of the blurbs. ChatGPT 3.5 has written the other two.
Can you tell the difference?
Want to try it out? If so, there’s a one-question “quiz” at the bottom. You can see how other readers responded, and then I’ll reveal the answer next week.
And if you’re not interested, that’s not a problem. I hope you check out the selections regardless. They’re great this week — covering a wide range of issues, including how a school district tries to support its students academically after the pandemic; whether traditional books need to be modified to meet the modern reader’s brain; how award-winning poet Ocean Vuong thinks about the purpose and impact of his art; and how a dog’s companionship can heal the mind and the heart. Hope you enjoy.
⭐️ Also new this week: At the bottom of each selection, you’ll find four new features (that you’ve suggested!) to encourage better and deeper reading. They are:
A dedicated “read the article” button — you can’t miss it!
The ability to save the article to read later on Pocket (when you have more time)
An annotated version of the article (learn what’s going on in my head as you read)
A clear citation of the author and publication (giving credit where credit is due)
Let me know what you think. As always, I’d love to hear from you.
1️⃣ The Pandemic Generation
The pandemic was horrible for our young people. There’s no doubt about it. Especially if you focus on mental health, everyone will agree with you. But if you start talking about academics, you might get pushback. Want to trigger a Bay Area educator, for instance? Say “learning loss” and see what happens. The rejoinders will come fast: “Learning takes many forms” and “Don’t have a deficit mindset” and “Our kids learned life skills during the pandemic.”
I don’t personally like the term either. And I don’t think it’s helpful to litigate whether schools should have remained closed for the 2020-21 school year. But I appreciated this article exploring how the community of Richmond, Virginia engaged with the question of whether shifting to a year-round calendar (and adding 40 days of instruction for some students) would address their widening achievement gap. Reading the piece reminded me of two things in education: (1) Change takes a very long time, (2) When Black people want something, they usually don’t get it.
By Alec MacGillis • The New Yorker • 24 mins • with my annotations • save for later
2️⃣ Why Books Don’t Work
Move over, books. You’re no longer the best medium for conveying knowledge. In this article, applied researcher Andy Matushack argues that readers absorb only a fraction of the information presented in books. The problem is that books have no explicit theory of how people actually learn, and the implied model that they are built upon, “transmissionism,” is problematic. Readers must engage in complex metacognition, which can be mentally taxing, to effectively absorb the knowledge presented in books. The article explores how books could be improved by understanding more about human cognition. For example, books should consider readers’ interests, skills, and background knowledge, modifying their content based on the reader.
By Andy Matuschak • 18 mins • with my annotations • save for later
Ryan, who belongs to loyal reader Ashley, likes digging and looking for squirrels. Want your pet to appear here? hltr.co/pets
3️⃣ Ocean Vuong: On Telling Lies and Building Family
Even if you haven’t spent one minute reading his poetry or his brilliant novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, you’ll love listening to Ocean Vuong’s thoughtful, soothing voice in this outstanding interview. Mr. Vuong talks about how he became a poet, how he met his partner, what his family means to him, and thanks to his hero Annie Dillard, when he’ll know it’s time to stop writing. Here’s one of many memorable quotations from the conversation:
I can be satisfied with a sentence, but I don’t know if that gives me true joy. I’m truly happy when I know that my creative work, language — which weighs absolutely nothing, is immaterial, ethereal — has created a home that can sustain and bolster the people I love. It feels like a magic trick or a dream.
Seriously, I could listen to Mr. Vuong talk about any topic, including his favorite basketball team, the New York Knicks, a team he loves because he enjoys rooting for “pantaloons.”
By Anna Sale • Death, Sex & Money • 39 mins • Apple Podcasts • save for later
4️⃣ The Way Home
After a freak accident, writer and teacher Jane Ratcliffe suffers from a brain injury that impairs her mobility and cognitive abilities. She is lonely and frustrated until a neighbor’s dog, Ortiz, becomes her daily companion and motivates her to recover. Ms. Ratcliffe spends four years caring for him and going on long walks, forming a strong bond. She writes:
Ortiz licks my face. We touch foreheads. What would I do without him? Later, when I take him home to my neighbors’ house, he tries to leave with me, as he often does. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get him to stay there. Part of me believes Ortiz loves me more than he does his family.
One day, Ms. Ratcliffe’s neighbors announce they’re moving away, which prompts Ms. Ratcliffe to ask if she could keep Ortiz. They decline. Even though she’s grateful for the time they’ve spent together, what remains is a deep loss.
By Jane Ratcliffe • The Sun • 14 mins • with my annotations • save for later
All right. Are you ready for the challenge?
OK, let’s review: Two of the blurbs above I wrote, and two of them an AI wrote (along with some light editing on my part). Can you tell which are which?
Thank you for playing! I’ll reveal the answers next Thursday.
Thank you for reading this week’s issue. Hope you liked it. 😀
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