How many of you have googled instructions to repair or replace something in your home, garden, or vehicle? How many of you have googled an ailment to see what remedies are suggested? My guess is: All of you!

Teacher Google (and Teacher YouTube):

This amazing girl mastered dubstep dancing by just using YouTube

Doctor Google:

There are computers using artificial intelligence that can read and diagnose CT scans better and faster than humans can. If you were dealing with a potential brain hemorrhage, would you rather this AI give you a diagnosis, or would you rather wait for a doctor and lab technician?

And yet we have so much that teachers and doctors can still do for us! This is a really exciting time to be a teacher and a learner. The tools are getting better, and that gives professionals freedom to do more.

Sal Khan doesn’t want to replace teachers, he just doesn’t want them spending time doing things that video and analytics can do just as well. Teachers can then spend time ‘humanizing’ the classroom, doing things like designing problems and simulations that are messy… or just helping the students that need help the most.

We can get students to work on things that matter (to them, to our community, and even to the world). We can encourage students to be creative, cooperative and caring. We can guide students towards being more self-directed and more willing to self-advocate. We can develop students into insightful, empathetic problem-solvers. We can help students feel confident and resilient. Or we can compete with Google… and lose.