As director of arts and innovation at Norfolk Collegiate (VA) for the past five years, I oversee a program that integrates fine and performing arts with computer science, design thinking, engineering, and maker education. Student creativity—whether creating art in the studio or coding in the computer lab—is the inspiring factor that connects these fields. Classes are designed with student agency in mind and inspire
intrinsic motivation. Students work hard and excel because they are creating something that they truly care about.
And now with AI as part of the toolbox, students can choose how to incorporate technology into their work. This approach centers student agency and fuels what I call the perpetual learning machine, or the endless energy source powered by students’ curiosity and creativity. It’s a concept based on a perpetual motion machine—a device that could run forever without any external energy source, in theory (it elicits eyerolls from scientists because it violates the laws of thermodynamics). However, we can get pretty close to this idea in the realm of learning.
I envision the perpetual learning machine as a robust mechanism that spins when we allow students to take ownership of a project. By offering multiple paths forward and allowing them to choose their direction, we empower students, engage their creativity, and foster accountability. Each internal gear turns the next, building steady and strong momentum.
Opening Pandora’s AI Box
Like the printing press, the calculator, and the internet, AI is not just a gadget; it’s a significant disruptor that won’t only enhance education but also fundamentally change the content we teach. However, we don’t know what that change will look like. Given the uncertainties and many ethical questions surrounding AI, it’s easy to view it as the ultimate Pandora’s Box.Schools must confront this challenge and rethink outdated models that prioritize external motivators, such as grades and college acceptance. Schools must instead foster students’ intrinsic drive for understanding. We must question the subtle structures that quietly steer compliance, which can hinder genuine engagement and agency. Schools should embrace AI and equip students with the skills to navigate this rapidly evolving technology.
With generative AI advancing daily, students must develop critical thinking skills needed to use these tools wisely. Because that’s just what AI is—a tool. Large language models like ChatGPT function similarly to electric saws in a workshop. Before the invention of electric saws, carpenters had to cut everything by hand, which was a time-consuming and precise process. Electric saws greatly increased efficiency, but they also introduced new risks. The saw doesn’t know what it’s cutting; it simply follows the given direction.
Generative AI works the same way. It can help students produce content faster by recognizing patterns to generate ideas, summarize texts, and refine work. However, it doesn’t think or understand—it follows patterns without judgment. This means students have to stay attentive—not only to what they’re creating but also to how they’re creating it.
Like an electric saw, AI is a powerful tool that comes with risks. If handled carelessly, it can shape ideas in ways students never intended or lead them to rely on shortcuts over achieving true understanding. AI is a dynamic resource, but without careful guidance, it can cause as much harm as it does good.
In Action: Fueling the Machine
I teach a new design thinking and engineering course that incorporates Purdue University’s Engineering Projects in Community Service curriculum. In the class, students identify and address a problem in our school community. They can approach the assignment in any way they choose. As they begin their projects, I encourage them to explore everyday challenges and connect with people who are directly affected by those issues.During the fall 2024 semester, one group explored the challenges teachers face when using our central courtyard as an outdoor classroom. To find out more about the challenges and how to improve the space for learning, the students interviewed the chair of the science department, who is an environmentalist and passionate about outdoor teaching, regularly holding classes in the courtyard. He shared his vision for a more functional and inviting outdoor classroom, emphasizing the need for comfortable yet rugged outdoor seating arranged for collaboration and electrical outlets to support teaching and technology use.
The group brainstormed ways to improve the courtyard for outdoor learning, researched weather-resistant and sustainable materials for seating and storage, and designed scaled models with 3D design software. As they moved through the process, the students realized that securing support from administration and navigating logistical challenges connected to budget and safety regulations would be their biggest obstacles.
Now in the course’s second semester, I will encourage the students to explore how AI can enhance their efforts. The perpetual learning machine driving this project empowers them to tackle challenges such as design, budgeting, communication, and analysis, with AI serving as a valuable resource at each phase.
As they continue their work this semester, students might use AI to simulate sunlight patterns and weather conditions, optimizing the layout and materials. AI could assist with cost analysis based on goals and budget. During a second prototyping phase, students could refine their 3D models with AI support, ensuring stability and functionality while maintaining their vision. AI can also help to tweak their messaging to the community to maximize support.
With AI as a collaborative partner, students remain in control, learning to use these tools thoughtfully as they develop their creative and critical thinking skills—the AI assists, but the students are the masterminds behind the operation.
Embracing Disruption
AI is the latest disruption to shake the foundation of education, exposing the weaknesses of a system that has long relied on memorization and formulaic repetition. For too long, students have been trained to follow patterns to earn points, instead of being encouraged to question, innovate, and reflect. By taking on repetitive tasks, AI offers us an opportunity to transform education into a space for true learning. The real magic of learning isn’t found in mindless drills—it’s found in exploration, connection, and genuine understanding. AI doesn’t have to sideline critical thinking; it can also help to unleash it.Embracing disruption and involving students in the conversation can transform education from a passive experience to a powerful one. Learning shouldn’t be something that merely happens to students while they sit in a classroom—it should be an intentional, purpose-driven pursuit. This idea captures the essence of the perpetual learning machine: student agency sparking creativity, which fuels accountability, creating an ongoing cycle of growth and discovery. When the gears start turning, deep learning becomes the outcome of equipping students with the tools to take charge of their education. By doing so, we’re not just preparing them to navigate an uncertain future—we’re empowering them to shape it.