{"id":20074,"date":"2025-08-11T01:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T05:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/?p=20074"},"modified":"2025-07-09T15:46:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T19:46:59","slug":"is-technology-making-us-dumber-leveraging-tech-ai-for-supercharged-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/is-technology-making-us-dumber-leveraging-tech-ai-for-supercharged-learning","title":{"rendered":"Is Technology Making Us Dumber? Leveraging Tech & AI for Supercharged Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Cheryl Kay Johnson<\/strong><\/p>

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The title might be what grabbed your attention\u2014something about whether tech is making us\u2026 well, less sharp. It\u2019s a provocative question, certainly designed to spark thought. And it touches on a genuine anxiety many feel as technology, particularly AI, becomes more integrated into our lives and our learning environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, however, we\u2019re not here just to debate the potential downsides. We\u2019re here to flip the script. We’re going to explore how, with intention and smart design, these very tools\u2014calculators, computers, the internet, and especially AI\u2014can become powerful allies, not adversaries<\/a>, in making our students and employees more capable, more creative, and more critically minded than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think back: People worried that calculators would kill math skills, the internet would kill research skills. What actually happened? The tools changed how we apply those skills, freeing us up for higher-level thinking if we adapted strategically. We are at a similar inflection point with AI<\/a>. Let\u2019s explore a couple of solutions that might alleviate someone\u2019s fear of technology, particularly AI. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech as an amplifier, not a replacement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s explore how you can use technology strategically to amplify learning design<\/a>. The key word here is “strategically.” It’s not about using tech for tech’s sake, but to achieve learning outcomes that are difficult or impossible with traditional methods alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about the evolution: from chalkboards to projectors, to computers in labs, to laptops, smartphones, and immersive realities. Each step offered new possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of asking, “How can I put this lecture online?” ask, “How can technology enable learners to experience this concept? How can it provide personalized practice? How can it connect learners?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The core principle is putting pedagogy first. What learning outcome do you want? Then, identify the technology that can best help you achieve it in a powerful, engaging, or efficient way. This moves us beyond basic information delivery to creating rich, interactive learning experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about how you can use data from learning platforms. Analytics can show you where learners are struggling collectively or individually, allowing you to intervene effectively. This is data-driven instructional design in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leveraging AI to cultivate essential future-ready skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What are five of the critical job skills that will always<\/strong> be needed but are currently lacking in most learning programs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n