You Might Be Trying to Replace the Wrong People with AI

I was at a leadership group and people were telling me “We think that with AI we can replace all of our junior people in our company.” I was like, “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. They’re probably the least expensive employees you have, they’re the most leaned into your AI tools, and how’s that going to work when you go 10 years in the future and you have no one that has built up or learned anything?

So says Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services. A better question to ask: What do you mean, you don’t want to teach your high school students how to use AI to help them write code and solve problems more efficiently?

We live in weird times when people constantly retreat to what came before and avoid any intention of moving on.

Life is the future, not the past.



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Why Cellphone Bans Fail: Teens Always Find a Way

a person holding a kodak film camera
Photo by Zx Teoh on Pexels.com

From the Department of Banning Those Cell Phones Sure Did Wonders for No One comes a story out of South Carolina about… disposable cameras…

When South Carolina rolled out its statewide school cellphone ban this year, most stories focused on parents’ frustrations and kids’ grumbling. But at Woodland High School, one student decided to get creative.

Inspired by flipping through her mom’s old high school photo albums, Alianna Alston showed up with a disposable camera instead of a phone. The idea caught on fast—soon classmates were snapping candid moments without worrying about likes, filters, or notifications. “It was just straight happy vibes,” Alianna told Live 5 WCSC.

What started as a workaround to the ban has become something bigger: a way for students and teachers to connect, to capture real, unpolished moments, and to rediscover a technology that defined the ’90s and early 2000s. The humble disposable camera, once a vacation staple, is suddenly a symbol of presence in the age of digital distraction.

Of course, the irony here is delicious. Lawmakers ban cellphones to keep kids “focused,” and within weeks, teenagers are turning Kodak throwaways into a cultural moment. It’s almost like blanket bans don’t actually stop creativity, connection, or rebellion—they just reroute it. Students will always find ways to hack the system, bend the rules, and make something cool out of the scraps adults leave behind. Maybe that’s the real lesson: you can ban the phones, but you can’t ban the vibe.



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Fugazi, GWAR, and a Teenage Cameraman: The DC Punk Archive Goes Online

photo of man playing guitar
Photo by Harrison Haines on Pexels.com

Between 1985 and 1988, a teenager named Sohrab Habibion lugged a bulky Betamax camera into punk and post-punk shows around Washington, DC. What he captured wasn’t slick production—it was sweaty clubs, blown-out sound, and raw energy. Decades later, his 60+ tapes have been digitized and uploaded to YouTube thanks to Roswell Films and the DC Public Library’s Punk Archive.

The collection is a time capsule: Fugazi tearing through songs a year before their first EP, the Descendents at their peak, the Lemonheads in their scrappy punk days, a feral GWAR in 1988, and even Dave Grohl behind the kit in Dain Bramage, years before Nirvana and Foo Fighters.

Habibion admits the footage is rough, shot by a teenager with no lighting and zero sound engineering—but that’s what makes it so authentic. It’s the kind of archival project that makes you wonder: how much of music history is still sitting in basements and closets, waiting to be rediscovered?



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Democratizing AI in Education: David Wiley’s Vision of Generative Textbooks

generative textbooks

David Wiley is experimenting with what he calls generative textbooks — a mashup of OER (open educational resources) and generative AI. His core idea is:

What if anyone who can create an open textbook could also create an AI-powered, interactive learning tool without writing code?

From Open Content to Open AI-Driven Learning

For decades, Wiley has championed open education resources (OER)—teaching and learning materials freely available to adapt and share under open licenses like Creative Commons. With generative AI now in the mix, Wiley sees a unique opportunity to merge the participatory spirit of OER with the dynamic adaptability of language models.

The result? A new kind of learning tool that feels less like a dusty PDF and more like a responsive learning app—crafted by educators, powered by AI, and free for students to use.

The Anatomy of a Generative Textbook

Wiley’s prototype isn’t just a fancy textbook—it’s a modular, no-code authoring system for AI-powered learning. Here’s how it works:

  • Learning Objectives: Short, focused statements about what learners should master.
  • Topic Summaries: Context-rich summaries intended for the AI—not students—to ground the model’s responses in accuracy.
  • Activities: Learning interactions like flashcards, quizzes, or explanations.
  • Book-Level Prompt Stub: A template that sets tone, personality, response format (e.g., Markdown), and overall voice.

To build a generative textbook with ten chapters, an author creates:

  1. One book-level prompt stub
  2. Ten learning objectives (one per chapter)
  3. Ten concise topic summaries
  4. Various activity templates aligned with each chapter

A student then picks a topic and an activity. The system stitches together the right bits into a prompt and feeds it to a language model—generating a live, tailored learning activity.

Open Source, Open Models, Open Access

True to his roots, Wiley made the tool open source and prioritized support for open-weight models—AI models whose architectures and weights are freely available. His prototype initially sent prompts to a model hosted via the Groq API, making it easy to swap in different open models—or even ones students host locally.

Yet here’s the catch: even open models cost money to operate via API. And according to Wiley, most educators he consulted were less concerned with “open” and more with “free for students.”

A Clever—and Simple—Solution

Wiley’s creative workaround: instead of pushing the AI prompt through the API, the tool now simply copies the student’s prompt to their clipboard and directs them to whatever AI interface they prefer (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, a school-supported model). Students just paste and run it themselves.

There’s elegance in that simplicity:

  • No cost per token—students use models they already have access to.
  • Quality-first—they can choose the best proprietary models, not just open ones.
  • Flexibility—works with institution-licensed models or free-tier access.

Of course, there are trade-offs:

  • The experience feels disjointed (copy/paste instead of seamless).
  • Analytics and usage data are much harder to capture.
  • Learners’ privacy depends on the model they pick—schools and developers can’t guarantee it.

A Prototype, Not a Finished Product

Wiley is clear: this is a tech demonstration, not a polished learning platform. The real magic comes from well-crafted inputs—clear objectives, accurate summaries, and effective activities. Garbage in, garbage out, especially with generative AI.

As it stands, generative textbooks aren’t ready to replace traditional textbooks—but they can serve as innovative supplements, offering dynamic learning experiences beyond static content.

The Bigger Picture: Where OER Meets GenAI

Wiley’s vision reflects a deeper shift in education: blending open pedagogy with responsive AI-driven learning. It’s not just about access; it’s about giving educators and learners the ability to co-create, remix, and personalize knowledge in real time.

Broader research echoes this trend: scholars explore how generative AI can support the co-creation, updating, and customizing of learning materials while urging care around authenticity and synthesis.

Related Innovations in Open AI for Education

  • VTutor: An open-source SDK that brings animated AI agents to life with real-time feedback and expressive avatars—promising deeper human-AI interaction.
  • AI-University (AI‑U): A framework that fine-tunes open-source LLMs using lecture videos, notes, and textbooks, offering tailored course alignment and traceable output to learning materials.
  • GAIDE: A toolkit that empowers educators to use generative AI for curriculum development, grounded in pedagogical theory and aimed at improving content quality and educator efficiency.

Final Thoughts

David Wiley’s generative textbooks project is less about launching a product and more about launching possibilities. It’s a thought experiment turned demonstration: what if creating powerful, AI-powered learning experiences were as easy as drafting a few sentences?

In this vision:

  • Educators become prompt architects.
  • Students become active participants, selecting how they engage.
  • Learning becomes dynamic, authorable, and—critically—free to access.

That’s the open promise of generative textbooks. It may be rough around the edges now, but the implication is bold: a future where learning tools evolve with educators and learners—rather than being fixed in print.


Bonus reading & resources:



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How to Use Google Drive in the Classroom: A Teacher’s Guide

In today’s digital age, the classroom is no longer confined to four walls. Educators can create a dynamic and collaborative learning environment with tools like Google Drive. This guide focuses on how to use Google Drive in the classroom, offering insights and tips to enhance teaching and learning experiences.

What is Google Drive, and Why Use It in the Classroom?

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage system that allows users to save, share, and collaborate on files. Here’s why it’s a game-changer for educators:

  1. Accessibility: Teachers and students can access files from anywhere, anytime.
  2. Collaboration: Work on documents simultaneously, fostering teamwork and creativity.
  3. Organization: Keep all classroom materials in one place, neatly organized.
  4. Integration: Seamlessly integrate with other Google tools like Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
how to use google drive in the classroom
Photo by Caio on Pexels.com

Getting Started: How to Use Google Drive in the Classroom

Setting Up Google Drive

Access Google Drive by visiting drive.google.com. Teachers can also install Google Drive on their PCs or mobile devices for on-the-go access.

Creating and Organizing Folders

Create folders for different subjects, projects, or students. Customize them with colors for easy identification.

Uploading Teaching Materials

Drag and drop files or use the “New” button to upload lesson plans, presentations, worksheets, etc.

Sharing Resources with Students

Share files or folders with students by generating a link or inviting them via email. Set permissions to control editing or viewing rights.

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Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes: The unofficial guide to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets & Slides
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Google Drive Made Easy: Online Storage and Sharing the Easy Way (Productivity Apps Made Easy Book 12)
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Google Drive Quick Reference Training Card – Laminated Tutorial Guide Cheat Sheet (Instructions and Tips)
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Google Drive Reference and Cheat Sheet: The unofficial cheat sheet reference for Google Drive
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Google Drive: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Mastering Google Drive
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Google Drive Made Simple: A Beginner’s Handbook (Google Apps for Everyone: A Beginner’s Guide)
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Collaborative Learning with Google Drive

Collaborative Projects

Assign group projects where students can work together on the same document, encouraging collaboration and critical thinking.

Real-Time Feedback

Provide real-time feedback on students’ work by adding comments directly in the documents.

Classroom Portfolios

Students can create digital portfolios within Google Drive, showcasing their work throughout the year.

Tips for Using Google Drive in the Classroom

  1. Set Clear Guidelines: Teach students how to use Google Drive responsibly and set clear guidelines for collaboration.
  2. Use Templates: Create templates for common assignments to streamline the process.
  3. Explore Add-Ons: Utilize add-ons and extensions that integrate with Google Drive to enhance functionality.
  4. Monitor Collaborations: Keep track of changes and contributions by using the “Version History” feature.

Conclusion: Embrace Digital Learning with Google Drive

How to use Google Drive in the classroom is a question with an exciting array of answers. From fostering collaboration to organizing resources, Google Drive offers a plethora of opportunities to enhance the learning experience.

Teachers can create a more engaging, interactive, and organized learning environment by integrating Google Drive into the classroom. It’s not just about storing files; it’s about creating a dynamic space where education thrives.



The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!