The hottest Educational Technology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

Your Review: Alpha School

Astral Codex Ten • 37923 implied HN points • 27 Jun 25
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. Alpha School promotes a unique learning model where students spend only two hours on academics and are said to learn faster. This has raised curiosity and skepticism about its efficacy compared to traditional schooling.
  2. The school uses a technology platform for personalized learning. However, the teaching staff, called guides, play a significant role in supporting students, making it more of a blended model than a fully tech-driven approach.
  3. Incentives are a key part of Alpha's strategy, rewarding students for completing lessons and meeting goals, which helps motivate them and encourage a love for learning.

Toward a New College Culture

In My Tribe • 501 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. Students should adopt an achievement mindset and put in real effort to gain skills instead of expecting high status with minimal work.
  2. Faculty roles should shift from distant authority figures to hands-on mentors or guides who understand individual students and help motivate their growth.
  3. AI can serve as personal tutors for subject knowledge, so colleges should reorganize around AI-powered learning and bring in coaches or practitioners to help students apply skills.

Edu-Snippets

The Science of Learning • 299 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. Learners do better when instructors show positive emotions. It's important for teachers to be happy or excited during lessons.
  2. Creating your own digital flashcards helps you learn better than using pre-made ones. Making them yourself can improve your memory and understanding.
  3. Positive energy during teaching can make students pay more attention and feel more engaged. This shows how important the instructor's mood can be for learning.

The Collapse of Teacher Twitter

Mathworlds • 746 implied HN points • 08 Jun 23
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. There has been a significant decline in teachers actively using Twitter from 2022 to 2023.
  2. Teacher creativity that was once flourishing on Teacher Twitter seems to have shifted elsewhere.
  3. The future holds promise for new platforms where the next generation of teachers can collaborate and create together.

Using AI: Queries, Conversations, and Projects

In My Tribe • 303 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Educational Technology
  1. A conversation with AI is different from simply asking a question. You can explore topics more deeply and learn from the back-and-forth interaction.
  2. Using AI for projects is essential to becoming skilled with it. It’s like doing a group assignment, where you can create something together.
  3. Providing clear instructions and materials to AI helps it assist you better. Treating it like a partner, rather than just a tool, can lead to better results.
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Edu-Snippets

The Science of Learning • 279 implied HN points • 11 Dec 23
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. Using human-like gestures and pointing when teaching online can help students learn better. It's more effective than just making eye contact with the learners.
  2. Asking questions before a lesson, known as prequestioning, can boost learning. It prepares students to focus on important information during the lesson.
  3. Teaching methods should balance engaging methods, like visuals or animations, with clear guidance on what to focus on in the material for better understanding.

So Near and yet So Far

In My Tribe • 182 implied HN points • 09 Jun 25
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. The project aims to create an interactive seminar experience, but it's currently more like reading a textbook with an AI assistant. It’s not quite the same feel as a real seminar.
  2. Using AI can help shape effective dialogue, but it requires careful prompting to get the right tone and perspective, especially if it needs to reflect a specific viewpoint.
  3. The goal is to develop structured and authentic discussions in educational content, which could fill a gap by balancing sterile lectures and chaotic forums.

Edu-Snippets

The Science of Learning • 99 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. Taking notes by hand helps students remember lectures better than just taking photos of the slides. It encourages more focus and understanding of the material.
  2. Teaching others about a topic can improve a student's own learning. Even explaining to an imaginary audience can help deepen their understanding.
  3. Using flashy animations in PowerPoint slides can make it harder for students to remember important information. It's better to keep slides simple and focused on the main points.

AI-Assisted Coding: My Experience as a Startup Founder

wentin’s newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 31 May 23
🕹 Technology Educational Technology
  1. AI can assist startup founders in various tasks like coding, content creation, and email management.
  2. Using AI tools like Copilot and ChatGPT can streamline code documentation and help in creating API documentation more efficiently.
  3. AI can be used to quickly generate proof-of-concept code for new features and even write an entire app from scratch, speeding up learning and development processes.

Lessons learned, unlearned and relearned: A semester of online class

Musings on Markets • 0 implied HN points • 07 May 12
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. Discipline is really important for both teachers and students. Teachers need to stay organized, and students must manage their time well to keep up.
  2. Students come from different backgrounds, which can make learning hard for some. It's good to offer extra resources for those who need a bit more help.
  3. Technology can be tricky! There can be issues with recordings and bandwidth, so it's important to keep improving the tools we use for online classes.

The MOOC stumble: Lessons from Napster and the Music Business!

Musings on Markets • 0 implied HN points • 27 Jan 14
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. MOOCs have high dropout rates and often don't provide the interactive, hands-on experience people need for effective learning. They started with the wrong idea, thinking content was the most important part of education.
  2. The value of a college education goes beyond just classes. Things like networking, career advice, and even entertainment play a big role in what you get from college.
  3. If you’re in college or thinking about it, ask yourself if it’s worth the money and time. Identify what parts of your education are helping you the most and consider what you really need from your college experience.

Online Teaching: Promise, Pitfalls and Potential!

Musings on Markets • 0 implied HN points • 20 Jul 17
🚌 Education Educational Technology
  1. Online classes often lack the personal touch that in-person classes provide. It's not the same as being in a room with others, even if the videos are high quality.
  2. Interaction is crucial for learning, but online learning can be too formal. In-person classes allow for spontaneous discussions that help deepen understanding.
  3. Staying disciplined is harder online. Without the structure of a physical classroom, many people struggle to finish online courses.