Principal's Page

Kia Ora Friends - Our Warmest Greetings

I left again for Beijing on Saturday, 22 March, and arrived back on the night of Sunday, 30 March. It was another big week - my longest work day that week was 21.5 hours.

My second trip to China involved visits to Beijing, Hunan province and Lijiang. I lost count of how many schools we visited and presented to. I was invited to present at an international conference on 'The Future of AI' in Lijiang. This time, school sizes ranged from 1,600 to 3,000  students. 

On the final day, we were treated to a visit to the Great Wall of China. The bus ride was an hour and a half, but was too short because on the way our guide provided us with a brief history of China. He was a joy to listen to and to talk to. I studied Chinese History at University 50 years ago, and loved it. Hearing our guide's interpretation of some of the key concepts and events was more than fascinating.

The Wall was and is, simply breathtaking. Visiting the Wall was the experience of a lifetime for me. There is no way to adequately convey the size and majesty of it. The piece I climbed was steep, and some of the steps were narrow and tall - as high as my knee. Climbing the steepest part of that stretch of the Wall was a challenge.

A Brief Summary Of A Few Of My Main Points on AI:

AI is on an exponential trajectory:

It is already far beyond our comprehension to know where it will go, whether it will take us with it or whether it will reach a point where it decides we are no longer necessary as a species. So we don’t know where we are going, but we are on our way and travelling fast.

What we want for our children: 

The ability to create and control our destiny for generations to come.

              Will our children have this opportunity? 

              Will AI support or prevent this from happening?

There is a new generation of children who will not know life without AI:

It is our role to create the new normal for them.

We can’t turn back the tide or the clock. 

It’s here and here to stay, so we have to prepare children to use it and not be used by it.

AI is a Tool, Not a Magic Wand:

It is an assistant, not a replacement - but it can replace a lot of mundane tasks.

Educating Our Children:

AI is not an oracle of truth — it's a mirror reflecting the information it encounters.

Our school's classroom mantra has become

             Just because ChatGPT says it, doesn't make it true!

Generative AI at WHS:

Teacher Support Tools

• Lesson generation
• Teaching advisor
• Analysis of student data - removing human error
• Assessment Analysis - our criteria - removing the subjective

Classroom Material Tools

• Activity-specific content
• Explanations
• Student questions generation
• ESL student content

Evaluation + Feedback Tools

• Feedback on student work
• Student Support Tools

Using AI To Make Us Smarter

• The Socratic Method
• The Feynman Method
• AI As A Debate Partner
• Improving Critical Thinking Skills
• Help Me Understand Approach

The Hidden Danger of AI:

AI expands our horizons, possibilities and ideas

It turns our ideas into a creative and inspiring reality

BUT

We risk losing the messy, imperfect, flawed beauty of humanity

Keep Our Eyes Wide Open:

Be aware of Hallucinations 

Teach Discernment

Retain the Beauty of Humanity

Avoid Atrophy of Critical Thinking

Tomorrow:

If an AI that seems to reason like a human being can see, interact, and plan like a human being, then it can have influence in the human world. 

AI is leading us to a near future of AI as a coworker, friend, and ubiquitous presence. 

No one, including OpenAI, understands the implications of this shift and what it will mean for all of us.

A few of our students have asked me to upload a few short video clips from my trip - I'll do a better job with these in our next newsletter - so here are a few very short clips for now.

The first two are copies of Television News Broadcasts that were aired during our visit.

This is the last newsletter before the April holidays. Our staff all wish you a warm, happy, healthy, family-focused holiday. We hope you get to enjoy some beautiful autumn weather, and we will look forward to doing the best we can for all our children in term two, starting on Monday, April 28.

Thank you all for your wonderful support over this past term.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about anything school-related, email me at macash@mac.com, and I will get back to you asap.

My very best regards to you all,

Ash Maindonald

Principal.