Buenos Dias. 

I write to you while I make the 3 hour train journey from Madrid to Seville in Spain. Looking out at the green mountains that surround me I can't help but ponder a recent conversation during a Q&A leadership session in Madrid about how education will change.

Will it change?

The advances of technology in the coming few years will surely disrupt education.

But, will the system change?

That's the question.

In this edition:

• Towards a decentralised education landscape
• Join the party: The OpenAI DevDay watch party replay
• Making learning more accessible with AI: Part 2 of my video for Google
• I created two GPTs
• New AI Educator Tools added

It's been a fantastic week working with the National Science Agency Australia, Berlin Brandenburg International School Germany, Welsh FE Teaching and Learning Leads, Avans University Netherlands, Tooled Up Education, Inspiring Leaders and The British Council School Madrid. 

This week I am excited to be in Seville Spain at the 16th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, before heading off to spend some time Dubai. 

Towards a decentralised education landscape

It's been 12 months and we still don't get it - AI will change everything.

The education system right now 👇

What the people who create AI are saying 👇

"There will come a point when no job is needed... the AI will do everything."
Elon Musk

"They will be smarter than us but will remain under our control."
Yann LeCun

"We released ChatGPT as a warning [before the more AI is released]". 
Sam Altman (paraphrase)

“Over time, then, the implications of these technologies will push humanity to navigate a path between the poles of catastrophe and dystopia. This is the essential dilemma of our age.”
Mustafa Suleyman

Just one example of a private company meeting the challenge and building new educational models using AI 👇

Synthesis School is one private organisation innovating how children learn and what they learn with AI.

What happens when alternatives like this are discovered by more and more parents who realise the education system is failing?

Innovation is not new for our societies 👇

But innovation has been lacking in the education system. 

Turning the ship around might be impossible, but every day we wait more and more options are becoming available for our students and parents. 

We are at the start of the decentralisation of education. 

I believe that in a few years parents will have a menu of options for their child's education:

Monday AM: Sports club
Monday PM: Synthesis Online School AI Tutor
Tuesday AM: Music Lesson 
Tuesday PM: Synthesis Online School Group Work
Wednesday AM: Drama Rehearsal 
Wednesday PM: Synthesis Online School AI Tutor
Thursday AM: Volunteer work
Thursday PM: Private study
Friday AM: Work experience
Friday PM: Work experience

This is merely an example and there are other online schools available. 

The problem 👇

Although I believe we will have more and more choice as parents, they will likely still cost. 

So what about the many families (possibly even the majority) who can't afford this type of education?

Well, they will have to continue relying on state education. 

If the state education system continues to refuse change, then we could have a 2 tier system, more divisive than our current private/public divide. 

Having worked in Kenya (about 13 years ago) I am reminded of the divide in their education system. 

Towards a solution👇

It will be difficult to turn the ship around, but we have to try. 

When I work with Senior Leadership Teams around the world we explore the 3 Box Solution to innovation. 

In this strategic model the aim is to get an organisation to embrace Box 3.

Box 3 represents a radical form of innovation that looks to create the future. 

It acknowledges that our Box 1 (the current way of doing things) can't be abandoned overnight. 

So we create a microcosm of the organisation.

These microcosms, Box 3 groups, with freedom can be agile, can afford to fail and can incubate ideas with a view to scale. 

This model can allow an old traditional system take advantage of the agility of a small and new system. 

I believe the education system is in Box 1 with the lid shut.

Let's open the lid and reach out to Box 3. 

For the sake of those who won't be able to afford new and radical options of education. 

Join the party: The OpenAI DevDay watch party replay

On Monday I hosted a watch party for educators to come together and watch the new announcements from OpenAI (the creators of ChatGPT). 

It's amazing that so many of you were able to join us live. 

If you missed it, you can still join us by clicking the image above. 

It was an honour to be joined by Melissa McBride, the Chief Education Officer at Sophia High - the UK's first accredited online school. 

Here are some of the highlights that might be useful for educators, leaders and organisations creating bespoke educational platforms using GPT:

Custom GPT Bots:

• These could help with the creation of interactive learning assistants, aligned with curricula.
• They can be easily created with natural language programming.
• Important to note users must have a ChatGPT Plus paid account

Custom GPT Store:

• Marketplace for sharing and accessing educational GPT tools created by other teachers.
• A store could offer access to specialised tools for diverse learning needs.
• A store could enhance teaching strategies when accessing proven, effective GPT applications.

Price Competitiveness:

• Affordable AI solutions enable wider adoption in educational settings, benefiting schools with limited budgets.

GPT-4 Turbo:

• Increased context window allows for more detailed and comprehensive educational interactions.
• Multimodal integration enhances learning experiences with combined text, image, and speech tools.
• Cost reduction encourages broader implementation.

Copyright Shield Program: 

• Provides legal support for educational institutions who want to programme their own AI tools based on GPT, encouraging innovation and use of AI without fear of copyright infringement.

Assistance API:

• Enables creation of custom AI assistants for teaching and administration.
• Simplifies AI integration for institutions with limited technical resources.
• Offers smaller edtech developers the tools to create competitive, innovative educational products.

Making learning more accessible with AI: Part 2 of my video for Google

I was delighted to be able to work with Google in July to record a video for their Teaching for Tomorrow series. 

Part two was just released this week and you can watch it by clicking below.

I created two GPTs

I've been playing with making bespoke chatbots with the new GPT feature in ChatGPT Plus. 

Below are two that I created that I think are pretty good. Feel free to try them out if you are a ChatGPT Plus subscriber. 

They are already helping people, which is amazing.

I will share my guide for prompting GPTs soon. 

NEW AI Educator Tools added

I've just updated The AI Educator Tools website with 33 new AI tools for educators. 

Come join me before the end of the year

Come join me in January 2024

There's so much more

Dan has recently worked with

Dan has recently been featured on