Picture this. A teacher creates an assignment using AI. There is a provocation generated by a prompt, followed by vague parameters and a generic rubric. The AI-generated emojis are left in, and the task and success criteria are not connected to the passion, interests or soul of the child.

Subsequently, the child responds using AI. The thinking and language are clearly not their own and there has been no transformative or profound educative experience to stir cognitive dissonance. The child has not been asked, or better yet invited, to engage in sophisticated thinking and work that matters to them. That matters to community.

When the child uses AI, it’s considered “cheating.”

So here we are. An opportunity lost because we are not thinking deeply about the impact of AI on our species.

LONDON (AP) — WhatsApp users will soon get the option of going by usernames instead of phone numbers, the company said Monday, announcing plans to address a privacy blind spot.

The app said it has started allowing users to reserve unique usernames, which can be used to contact WhatsApp users when the feature is launched later this year.

WhatsApp, which says it has more than 3 billion users globally, has until now allowed users to be contacted by anyone who has their phone number.

The app, owned by Meta Platforms, said in a blog post that over the “coming months” users will get the option to be found and contacted only by their username, and not their number. It wasn't more specific about the timeline.

THE United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes that all children have the right to an education that helps them reach their full potential. It should develop their personalities, talents and mental and physical abilities. Actualizing these rights in the classroom, however, is not as easy in practice.

Every classroom includes learners with different strengths, challenges, identities and experiences. Some students are especially gifted while others have medical needs, require accommodations or manage complex issues that require additional, individualized support.

Under Manitoba’s appropriate educational programming legislation, students are entitled to educational programming that meaningfully supports both their academic and social lives. However, the number of students in Manitoba who require complex support in the classroom surpasses the number of resources teachers currently have available.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society recently surveyed 3,400 Manitoba teachers about these gaps. Seventy-eight per cent said students are not getting needed support and 63 per cent reported fewer educational assistants. Eighty-one per cent identified class size, complexity and lack of support as top issues — citing an increase in students with complex needs within the last five years. Today, nearly half of teachers have six or more students with complex needs, a sharp rise from previous years.

Manitoba’s newest professional teacher group has a mandate to share tips for managing eco anxiety and deliver solutions-based lessons on climate change.

Ever been out for a walk, a jog or a casual bike ride only to be startled by an e-bike, battery-powered scooter or some other personal electric vehicle flying past you at high speed? If so, you probably know how urgent it is for lawmakers to bring in regulations to respond to this growing phenomenon.

Winnipeg is facing a transportation challenge that barely existed a few years ago. Battery-powered bikes, scooters, electric unicycles and other similar vehicles have become common sights on city streets, cycling routes and multi-use pathways.

Their popularity is growing faster than the rules governing them. And that should be a concern for city hall.

There’s no question personal electric vehicles offer people significant advantages. They’re cheaper to operate than cars, produce no direct emissions, reduce traffic congestion and provide people with another option for getting around the city.