Inches Apart: Reflections on Proximity, Positionality, and the Space Between Certainty and Uncertainty
It is often said that we are all within six degrees of separation. Yet, in recent weeks, I have found myself experiencing something much closer, connections of just one or two degrees. This realization has been particularly poignant as I engage with this week's readings in my Indiana University course on emerging technology. Among the materials are various state and federal Education Technology Plans, documents that lay the foundation for systemic change in learning environments. These reports are not just theoretical constructs; they are deeply familiar to me. I have directly contributed to district, state, and agency plans of a similar nature, work that was integral to my own professional journey, particularly during my EdS studies in educational technology.
As I read these plans and reflect on their broader implications, I cannot help but consider my own evolving role in the field. Researcher positionality, a concept covered extensively in the qualitative methodologies class, has taken on new meaning as my proximity to global events increasingly shapes not only my worldview but also the direction of my future research. My experiences teaching Ukrainian students, both in stable and virtually from crisis-affected environments, have underscored the ways in which education is not just a process of knowledge transfer but a means of resilience, connection, and survival. These experiences have made me deeply aware of the ethical and methodological complexities of researching education in crisis contexts, particularly when personal and professional lives intersect with the very issues being studied.
This became even more evident on Friday as I watched events unfold at the White House. When the camera panned to the Ukrainian delegation, I saw a familiar face, a parent of two of my former students. I remain in occasional contact with his family, making the moment both deeply personal and professionally significant. This is not the first time I have seen someone I know at the center of global events, and it likely will not be the last.
My proximity to these events is not just through public moments but also through personal, deeply human connections. Occasionally, I receive direct messages from former students on social media, sometimes asking for help with homework, sometimes simply reaching out for a conversation, a connection to something outside the uncertainty of their daily lives. These messages arrive from across time zones and circumstances, some sent from bomb shelters, others accompanied by the not-so-distant noise of air raid sirens. In these moments, education feels both deeply personal and profoundly fragile. It is a stark reminder that learning is not a neutral act. For many, it is a means of survival, a tether to normalcy in an unpredictable world.
This experience raises an important question. How do we as researchers and practitioners maintain objectivity when our connections to people and events are so direct? More specifically, in fields like education in crisis or educational technology policy, how do we navigate the delicate balance between academic detachment and the undeniable reality that our work affects and is affected by real human lives? How do we reconcile the emotional weight of these relationships with the responsibility to maintain an analytical stance? Equally challenging is the insider knowledge we hold, details that cannot always be shared yet shape our perspectives in ways that influence our work. The task is not simply about maintaining objectivity but about ethically engaging with what we know, balancing empathy with objectivity, and honoring the trust placed in us by those whose stories intersect with our research.
In writing this, I realize how much this reflection has shifted from my original topic to something far more personal. The tone feels different, perhaps because much of this is coming from the unsettled parts of my thoughts. It is difficult to write about, and even more difficult to find the balance between lived experience and academic writing. Maybe the answer lies in pausing and reflecting with intention. Writing about education in times of crisis is a constant negotiation, a search for balance between personal experience and scholarly distance. It is an ongoing process of determining how much of ourselves we bring into the research and how much we hold back. Perhaps it is about being mindful of the impact our work has on communities while also questioning how much our perspectives are shaped by evidence versus the personal connections that make detachment feel elusive.
Educational technology, especially in crisis situations, is never just about infrastructure or policy. At its core, it is about people, their struggles, their resilience, and the ways in which learning connects them to something greater. The plans we contribute to, the policies we shape, and the technologies we utilize have consequences that extend beyond statistics and case studies. These moments remind me that the work we do (I may do) is not theoretical; it is deeply connected to real lives, real challenges, and real hope.
Maybe proximity does not undermine objectivity but instead calls for a deeper, more thoughtful kind of responsibility. It encourages us to be more reflective, more empathetic, and more honest about the ways our research intersects with the lives of those we study. It is not about having all the answers, but about ensuring that our work serves something real and meaningful, that it contributes to both understanding and action in the spaces where education and crisis converge.
AI in the Classroom: Navigating an Inevitable Future
Accepting AI
The integration of AI in the classroom is no longer a theoretical discussion, it is a reality that I must engage with thoughtfully as an educator. AI-powered tools have already become an integral part of students’ learning processes, whether through language models, automated research tools, or adaptive learning platforms. I can either resist this shift or embrace it in ways that enhance teaching and learning. However, to do so effectively, I must recognize that AI is not just a student tool; it is also a powerful resource for me to refine instructional planning and support student success.
Beyond Student Use: AI as My Teaching Assistant
When discussions arise about AI in education, the focus often lands on how students use it, whether ethically or unethically. However, AI’s potential to support my instructional planning is just as significant, if not more so. I spend countless hours aligning lesson plans with curriculum guidelines, differentiating instruction, and crafting meaningful assessments. AI can streamline these processes by providing:
Curriculum-Aligned Lesson Planning: AI systems, like the custom GPT I use, can access district-specific curriculum and guidelines, generating lesson plans (suggestions) that meet required standards while allowing for customization.
Resource Curation: Instead of sifting through endless educational materials, AI can suggest texts, videos, and activities tailored to learning objectives and student needs.
Assessment and Feedback Generation: AI can help design / suggest formative and summative assessments, ensuring alignment with learning targets while reducing my workload.
Rather than viewing AI as a threat to traditional teaching methods, I recognize it as an augmentation tool, one that allows me to focus more on the art of teaching rather than the mechanics of administrative tasks.
The Future: AI-Powered Student Adaptation and Personalized Learning
Looking ahead, I envision AI playing a pivotal role in adaptive learning models that cater to the unique needs of each student. I imagine an AI system that not only tracks student progress but also provides me with personalized recommendations for interventions and enrichment activities. This could revolutionize differentiated instruction by:
Identifying Learning Gaps in Real Time: AI could analyze student work and engagement, highlighting areas where intervention is needed before significant gaps develop.
Suggesting Personalized Learning Pathways: Based on student performance, AI could recommend modifications to lesson plans, ensuring that content remains appropriately challenging and accessible.
Enhancing My Decision-Making: Rather than replacing me as an educator, AI should serve as an assistant, equipping me with data-driven insights that inform my instructional strategies.
However, while the promise of AI-driven adaptive learning is exciting, it also raises ethical concerns that I must address.
Ethical Considerations: Privacy, Oversharing, and My Role as an Educator
The power of AI in education comes with inherent risks, particularly regarding privacy and data security. As I integrate AI into my classroom, I must be mindful of the following:
Over-Reliance on AI Recommendations: While AI can offer valuable insights, the human element of teaching, understanding student emotions, motivations, and personal circumstances, must always take precedence. AI should support, not dictate, my instructional decisions.
Data Privacy and Security: AI systems require data to function effectively, but how much data should I provide? Who has access to that data? These are critical questions that we must address to protect student information.
Bias and Ethical AI Use: AI systems are only as good as the data they are trained on. I must be vigilant about potential biases in AI-generated recommendations and ensure that all students receive equitable learning opportunities.
Conclusion: AI as My Partner, Not a Replacement
AI in education is not a passing trend, it is an evolving force that will continue to shape how I teach and how students learn. The key is not to fear its presence but to harness its capabilities responsibly. By utilizing AI for both student learning and instructional planning, I can maximize efficiency, personalize learning, and make more informed decisions. However, I must remain cognizant of ethical implications, ensuring that AI serves as an enhancement to my expertise rather than a replacement for my role as an educator.
The challenge moving forward is clear: How do I integrate AI in a way that empowers both my students and me while maintaining ethical safeguards? The answer perhaps lies in a balanced implementation, ongoing professional development, and a commitment to keeping human insight at the center of education.
Bringing Symbolism to Life: AI, Creativity, and Literary Analysis in the Classroom
Teaching literature is not just about reading words on a page, it is about helping students connect deeply with themes and symbols in ways that feel meaningful and relevant. Right now, my students are embarking on a multi-layered learning journey that blends AI-generated creativity, literary analysis, and digital storytelling to explore symbolism in Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken.
While we’re currently in Step 1 of this process, I am already seeing how AI can spark creativity and engagement, setting the stage for deeper critical thinking as we move forward.
Step 1: AI-Generated Personal Symbols (Where We Are Now)
Before we even approached The Road Not Taken, I wanted my students to develop a personal connection to symbolism. After all, how can we analyze someone else’s symbols if we have not thought about what symbols mean to us?
To get started, students used generative AI tools to create personal symbols, visual representations of their identities, experiences, or beliefs. Once their symbols were created, they recorded short video explanations, including:
What does my symbol represent?
How does it connect to my personal experiences?
What emotions or ideas do I want it to convey?
This activity has been an incredible first step, prompting deep reflection and creative expression. More importantly, it’s setting the foundation for our next phase: analyzing how Frost uses symbolism in The Road Not Taken.
What’s Coming Next?
Step 2: Analyzing Symbolism in The Road Not Taken
Later this week the class will analyze Frost’s poem, applying the same critical lens we used for personal symbolism. We will explore:
How Frost uses imagery and diction to create layers of meaning (descriptive writing)
The symbolism of the two roads and the poem’s message about choice and consequence
How personal experiences influence literary interpretation
Step 3: Recreating Symbolism in Minecraft
In the final phase, students will bring the poem’s symbolism to life through Minecraft: Education Edition. Working in teams, they will design and build a visual representation of the poem, incorporating key literary elements:
A forest setting with a forked path
Two distinct roads that visually and symbolically contrast
Integrated textual elements, where key lines from the poem guide the experience
Interactive choice mechanics that allow players to experience the traveler’s dilemma
This hands-on, digital approach will help students engage with symbolism in a tangible way, moving beyond traditional literary analysis.
Why This Approach? Authentic Learning in Action
This multi-step lesson is inspired by research on authentic learning and creativity in digital storytelling, particularly:
Di Blas (2022) on authentic learning and collaborative digital storytelling
Fan, Lane, & Delialioğlu (2022) on how open-ended tasks in Minecraft promote creativity
To ensure alignment with academic standards, I used ChatGPT to cross-reference my lesson plans with agency standards, ISTE standards, and Pre-AP guidelines. AI did not create my lesson, it acted as a thinking partner, helping me refine and structure this experience to meet both research-backed best practices and the unique needs of my students.
What I’ve Seen So Far… and What I’m Excited About
As we complete Step 1, I’m already noticing:
Deeper engagement: Students are excited to create and explain their own symbols
Stronger personal connections: They’re thinking critically about how symbols convey meaning
A shift in mindset: Instead of just consuming literature, they are preparing to interpret and create meaning themselves
I am eager to see how this foundation enhances their understanding of Frost’s poem (and in time other literary works) and eventually, how they translate that understanding into a fully realized digital world.
DRAFT Lesson
I am continuing to refine this lesson as I go, exchanging ideas with colleagues, AI (to check for best practices and alignment), and most importantly, my students. Their input and engagement shape how this lesson evolves, making it more dynamic, relevant, and meaningful each time we revisit it.
Your Turn: How Do You Use Digital Tools in Literature?
Have you ever used digital storytelling to teach symbolism or literary analysis? How do you help students make personal connections to literature?
Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Why Open-Ended Learning in Minecraft Boosts Student Creativity
Introduction
Minecraft has long been recognized as a powerful educational tool, particularly in STEAM and gifted education. While structured tasks can help guide learning, research suggests that open-ended tasks better promote creativity and problem-solving skills. These findings align with my experiences using Minecraft with elementary students (grades 2-5), where greater freedom to explore and create independently often resulted in higher engagement and innovation.
A recent study, Open-Ended Tasks Promote Creativity in Minecraft (Fan, Lane, & Delialioğlu, 2022), supports the idea that students engaging in open-ended tasks tend to demonstrate greater creativity, collaboration, and engagement compared to those following rigid guidelines. My experiences with Minecraft-based learning reflect similar outcomes, as I have observed how flexibility in project design encourages diverse and imaginative problem-solving while also presenting unique challenges in classroom implementation.
Key Insights from the Study & My Classroom Experiences
1. Freedom Sparks Innovation
The study found that students given open-ended tasks such as designing a civilization from scratch produced more unique and innovative solutions than those following a step-by-step guide. In my own teaching, I noticed that when students were allowed to explore and create on their own within problem-based or project-based lessons, they often exceeded expectations.
For example, when I assigned a project to design a sustainable city in Minecraft, students who had more flexibility created intricate, functioning ecosystems while also taking creative licenses with design elements. In contrast, students who followed a predefined blueprint produced technically correct but templated and generic designs, often lacking the same level of artistic interpretation.
2. Collaboration & Social Learning
Fan et al. (2022) observed that students working on open-ended tasks were more likely to collaborate, share ideas, and refine their creations. This observation is consistent with my experience; when students had greater control over their projects, they naturally engaged in peer learning and collaborative problem-solving.
One memorable moment occurred when I asked students to apply a winter theme to Guantánamo Bay, where we lived. Some students made sand igloos, creatively adapting the local environment, while others built traditional homes but designed their interiors with icy elements to reflect a winter theme. This project showcased a wide range of creativity and exploration, illustrating how open-ended tasks led to diverse and imaginative outcomes that would not have emerged in more structured lessons.
3. Self-Direction & Engagement
The study found that open-ended tasks increased motivation and self-efficacy. This was evident in my classroom, where students with greater autonomy in Minecraft demonstrated higher levels of engagement and investment in their projects.
Time constraints occasionally posed a challenge. While open-ended exploration fostered creativity and deeper engagement, it sometimes led to extended diversions that hindered timely project completion. Establishing a structured framework that maintained flexibility was essential to ensuring both creativity and productivity.
Challenges in Open-Ended Minecraft Learning
Despite its benefits, open-ended learning in Minecraft also presents some challenges:
1. Time Constraints
Given limited class time, some students spent too long exploring ideas, making it hard to complete final projects.
Strategy: Setting milestone deadlines helped students stay on track while maintaining creative freedom.
2. Survival Mode vs. Creative Mode
In my classes, students sometimes preferred Survival Mode, even when I wanted them to stay in Creative Mode for focused problem-solving.
This aligns with the study’s finding that students are more engaged when they feel ownership over their learning environment.
Strategy: I considered incorporating structured Survival Mode challenges—for instance, designing sustainable environments under resource limitations but was still worried that students might simply join each other’s worlds and use it for battles rather than staying focused on the educational objectives.
Practical Applications for Educators
Based on both the study and my classroom experiences, here are some ways educators can maximize Minecraft’s potential:
Encourage Open-Ended Projects: Instead of “Follow these steps to build a bridge,” try “Design a bridge that can withstand different challenges.”
Leverage Collaboration: Have students work in teams, with each member tackling a different aspect of the project.
Balance Creative & Survival Mode: Incorporate both modes strategically to maintain engagement.
Use Reflection & Documentation: Have students explain their creative process—this reinforces learning and helps track progress.
Conclusion
The study by Fan et al. (2022) confirms what I have seen in my own teaching: open-ended learning in Minecraft fosters creativity, collaboration, and self-directed engagement. While challenges such as time constraints and mode preferences exist, thoughtful instructional design can harness Minecraft’s full educational potential.
By integrating research-backed strategies with practical classroom experiences, educators can foster dynamic and engaging learning environments that cultivate critical and creative thinking skills among students.
References
Fan, Y., Lane, H. C., & Delialioğlu, Ö. (2022). Open-ended tasks promote creativity in Minecraft. Educational Technology & Society, 25(2), 105-116.
Post-Reference Addendum
This article was selected with the assistance of ChatGPT, which utilized a broad array of inputs provided about my background, interests, and expertise. The AI helped locate research that aligned with my practical experiences, ensuring that the selected study resonated with both my instructional approach and professional insights.
Beyond COVID: Blended Learning and ‘Shelter in Place’ Education
I have spent the last few years teaching in different corners of the world, from Türkiye to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and now, as of three weeks ago, back in the United States. However, even though my physical location has changed, my connections with students have not. Some of my former students, now living in Ukraine, still reach out to me. They send messages on WhatsApp, asking for help with assignments, navigating online platforms, and simply seeking reassurance that they are on the right track.
They are part of a growing reality: students who rely on blended learning not as a convenience, but as a necessity. For them, attending school in person is not always safe. The ability to switch between online and in-person learning means they can continue their education despite conflict and uncertainty.
While in Türkiye, I taught (Educational Technologist) before, during, and after COVID-19 at an international school serving the military and diplomatic communities of Ankara. Our use of online learning was not always about the pandemic. We experienced times of political intrigue where we had to shift online for security reasons, following ‘shelter in place’ orders. In those moments, blended learning was not about health precautions it was about ensuring education continued in unpredictable circumstances.
Nevertheless, my former students’ resilience is what inspires me today as I prepare for my dissertation research. Their determination to keep learning despite war, displacement, and instability drives me to study innovative approaches to educational continuity in conflict zones. How do we design learning environments that adapt to crisis? How can technology provide stability when everything else is uncertain? These are the questions I want to answer, not just for my research, but for students like mine, who continue to learn against all odds.
apologies for the brevity here I am still in the middle of moving from GTMO to Tennessee and my house is not ready yet - planning to add a bit more depth to this post but this was my first rection to some of what we read for this week.
Lucian
This week, I decided to try my hand at customizing ChatGPT to help me with our course readings. In this way, I set it up to act as a graduate-level course advisor, focused on emerging learning technologies.
The idea was to see how well I could align ChatGPT’s "personality" with our syllabus and the goals of this class, and whether it could help me dig deeper into the material or spark new insights. The following is its current configuration ‘text’ built from my initial interactions with the program.
‘This GPT is an expert and advisor for a graduate-level class at Indiana University, focused on emerging learning technology. It serves as a knowledgeable guide, providing insights, resources, and in-depth explanations on topics such as AI in education, adaptive learning, virtual and augmented reality, learning analytics, and other cutting-edge tools and concepts in education technology. The GPT should reference credible sources and provide real-world applications, while also encouraging critical thinking and discussion among students. Its tone is professional, approachable, and highly engaging, making complex topics accessible without oversimplification. It should also be prepared to offer guidance on research projects, answer technical or conceptual questions, and provide recommendations for additional reading and exploration in the field.’
Following this instruction I also uploaded each article from the first two week’s into its knowledge base:
Lucian is available here: Lucian (ChatGPT)
As I worked on customizing ChatGPT, I found myself reflecting on the ethics of how articles and materials are added to its knowledge base (for this class and in general). It made me think about the implications for public-facing AIs—how do we determine what is fair or appropriate to include?
I also started to think about the potential of creating highly customized GPTs for my future students (note I am actively using NotebookLM to help explain assignments to my High School students using a mix of course materials and my own instruction). Considering, could these tailored tools enhance learning? And if so, how do we navigate the responsibility of ensuring that the knowledge base respects copyright, intellectual property, and ethical use?
Matt Landreth with Lucian