Erik Ofgang

Erik Ofgang

Erik Ofgang is Tech & Learning contributor. A journalist, author and educator, his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Smithsonian, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Forbes.com. He currently teaches at Western Connecticut State University’s MFA program. While a staff writer at Connecticut Magazine he won a Society of Professional Journalism Award for his education reporting. He is interested in how humans learn and how technology can make that more effective. 

Latest articles by Erik Ofgang

A friendly looking robot.

AI Chatbot Friendships: Potential Harms and Benefits For Students

By Erik Ofgang published

Human and AI chatbot “friendships” are becoming more common. Mental health experts worry they can be harmful but also see potential if these are designed with real-world relationships in mind.

A screenshot from worksheet Rocket Learning uses with students

Lessons From An AI Grading Tool Already Assessing Millions of Students

By Erik Ofgang published

In India, a nonprofit is using a simple AI grading tool to provide feedback to more than 50,000 students per day, providing potential lessons about scalability and accuracy standards in AI grading.

A screenshot from GMTech

GMTech Gives Access to Multiple AI Models At Once. What Does That Mean For Educators?

By Erik Ofgang published

I recently reviewed GMTech and found multiple ways educators might use the tool to prepare teaching materials with the help of AI and to see how students might use AI to cheat.

Classroom Tools
A screenshot of Arizona State University's new zyLabs AI Tutor in action.

It’s Not a Chatbot And That Might Be This AI Tutor’s Superpower

By Erik Ofgang published

A professor at Arizona State University is studying an AI tutor designed to help students without giving away answers.

A screenshot of a Grammarly Authorship report

Grammarly Authorship: I Tested The New AI and Plagiarism Tool

By Erik Ofgang published

Grammarly Authorship has some great features that could help teach about citation and prevent AI cheating, but it won’t solve all the problems around AI writing, says our contributing writer.

Best free Veterans Day lessons lessons and activities

Best Free Veterans Day Lessons & Activities

By Erik Ofgang last updated

Plan your Veterans Day classroom activities and lessons with quizzes, videos, primary sources, and more

An illustration of a phone with a QR code on it.

Malicious QR Codes: 5 Ways To Protect Educators and Students

By Erik Ofgang published

Hackers are increasingly attacking schools with malicious QR codes but good old-fashioned cyber awareness can help combat the threat.

A picutre of Kawasaki Robotics' Astorino

Teaching Robotics And STEM With The Help Of 3D Printers

By Erik Ofgang published

Using 3D printers to repair classroom robots can help students develop real-world STEM skills.

Time-saving AI

4 Ways One Professor Uses AI to Save Time and Help Students

By Erik Ofgang published

Philosopher Graham Clay uses AI to help write letters of recommendation, convert lectures into quizzes, and answer student questions when he’s not available. Here’s how.

A scene from Elinor Wonders Why.

AI-Assisted Characters Help Students Learn From TV, According to Harvard-Led Research

By Erik Ofgang published

Young students learned best when they not only watched the PBS Kids show "Elinor Wonders Why" but also interacted with an AI version of Elinor.

A screenshot from STORM AI

STORM: Teaching With The Stanford-Designed AI System

By Erik Ofgang published

The STORM AI tool can generate on-demand Wikipedia articles in minutes. It’s one of the most useful AI products I’ve come across.

Classroom Tools
A light bulb against a dark background.

The Science of Learning: 7 Tips For Incorporating It Into Your Class or School

By Erik Ofgang published

Educator Meg Lee helped her district incorporate the best science of learning strategies. Here are her tips for starting the process in any classroom.

Three books stacked sideways with an apple on top.

5 Tips For New Teachers Around Midterms

By Erik Ofgang published

This time of year is always stressful but after more than a decade teaching, I’ve found some strategies that help.

An illustration of a digital display.

4 AI Tools For Education That Are Nothing Like ChatGPT

By Erik Ofgang published

These AI tools can help you find academic papers, debunk conspiracies, and more.

Classroom Tools
DebunkBot

DebunkBot: Teaching With The Conspiracy-Busting AI

By Erik Ofgang published

Created by researchers at MIT and other higher ed institutions, DebunkBot engages in conversation with users about conspiracy theories. It’s an interesting tool for teaching AI and media literacy.

Classroom Tools
A robot studying at a library.

Teaching Students To Use AI More Effectively

By Erik Ofgang published

Dr. Jennifer Parker has developed a framework that helps students and teachers write better prompts and create stronger AI outputs.

Classroom Tools
An image of a human profile within computer within a neural network.

High School Math Students Used A GPT-4 AI Tutor. They did Worse.

By Erik Ofgang published

A study of nearly a thousand high school math students found that using AI tutors didn’t add up to success.

An illustration of various peole using technology

The Top 4 State Edtech Trends According To SETDA

By Erik Ofgang published

State edtech leaders are thinking about AI and cybersecurity a lot these days, according to a new SETDA survey.

microcredentials

Facilitating Microcredentials For K-12 Students

By Erik Ofgang published

Microcredentials are bite-sized certificates of competency in various skills and can help students separate themselves on the job market.

An ice cream cone with ice cream melting in the sun.

Hot School Days Are Negatively Impacting Student Achievement. Here’s What You Can Do

By Erik Ofgang published

Research shows a clear link between heat and decreased test scores. Here's what teachers can do to mitigate that.

A screenshot of Character.AI's homepage.

Character.AI: What Teachers Need To Know

By Erik Ofgang published

The character-driven generative AI is likely a hit with many of your students. Here’s what Character.AI does and its potential and limitations for teaching.

Classroom Tools
An illustration showing a collection of question marks.

People Hate To Think, Says Research. What Does That Mean For Teachers

By Erik Ofgang published

Exerting mental effort isn't pleasant for most people, according to new research.

A cartoon man slumped over. Above him is a thought bubble with a drained battery.

I Have AI Fatigue. Here's What I'm Doing to Overcome It

By Erik Ofgang published

Students submitting AI papers have taken away some of the joy of teaching over the last year. This semester, I'm trying a new approach.

Drone Soccer Looks Like Robot Quidditch. Here’s How Educators Are Using It

By Erik Ofgang published

Drone Soccer has taken off across the globe and helps students develop career-ready STEM skills.

Classroom Tools
An illustration of a circuit.

Colleges Are Using AI To Predict Student Success. These Predictions Are Often Wrong

By Erik Ofgang published

AI models designed to predict student success frequently get it wrong when it comes to Black and Hispanic students, new research reveals.

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