Intro to "Am I Literate?" - Redefining Literacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - S3E46

SummaryThere is a question we keep coming back to.Not as a thought experiment. As a genuine, uncomfortable, sit-with-it question: where does the authority lie now?That is what Kate Arthur put on the table when Garth and I sat down with her for this episode of Season 3. Kate is a thinker at the crossroads of literacy, generative AI, and what it means to know something in a world where the answer is always a prompt away. Her book, Am I Literate?, is the kind of read that does not give you easy answers. It gives you better questions.What struck us most was not the AI conversation, honestly. It was the mental health thread running underneath it. Because if we are honest with ourselves as school leaders, the tools our students are using are changing faster than our understanding of what those tools are doing to them. Kate brought that tension into the open in a way we found clarifying.We talked about the role of storytelling in a generated world, what critical thinking actually demands now, and why you cannot shortcut your way to wellness. Not with a product. Not with an app. Not with AI.This one stayed with us. We think it will stay with you too.Chapters00:00 introduction to Beard's Book Club and a bit about where this conversation came from04:53 pulling on the mental health thread in education and why school leaders can't afford to look away09:40 the intersection of AI and literacy, and the question of where authority lives in a generated world16:03 how educators and leaders can navigate change without losing what matters most21:39 preparing students and systems for what learning actually looks like going forward24:06 Beard's Book Club outroKey TakeawaysGratitude is not a gesture. Kate's reminder that it needs to be specific, timely, and personal landed for us as a leadership reminder more than a wellness tip. We do a lot of general acknowledgment in schools. The specific stuff takes more intention, but it is the only kind that actually lands.You cannot generative AI your way to wellness. Full stop. This line came out of a conversation about mental health in education, and it is one we will be repeating. There is no tool, platform, or productivity hack that replaces genuine human connection. The shortcut does not exist.The authority question is real and it is unresolved. When Kate asked "where does the authority lie now?" in the context of AI-generated knowledge, we felt the room shift a little. As educators, we have built entire systems around the idea that we curate, evaluate, and deliver reliable information. Generative AI has complicated that arrangement in ways we are still working through.Literacy is not a fixed destination. What it means to be literate has always evolved, and Kate makes a compelling case that we are in one of those inflection moments right now. The question for school leaders is not whether to respond. It is how to build the critical thinking and self-regulation muscles that will outlast whatever the current tools are.Storytelling still matters. Maybe more than ever. In a world where content is generated at scale, narrative grounded in genuine human experience carries a different kind of weight. Kate made that case quietly and convincingly.Quotes"Make gratitude specific, timely, and personal." — Kate Arthur"You can't generative AI to wellness." — Kate Arthur"Where does the authority lie now?" — Kate ArthurResourcesAm I Literate? by Kate Arthur: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Am+I+Literate+Kate+ArthurKate Arthur on LinkedIn (G7 and government influence): https://www.linkedin.com/in/katearthurCIS Ontario Impact Report: https://cisontario.org/impact-reportConnect with Kate ArthurLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katearthurTwitter: https://twitter.com/katearthur