iSophist | Machine Rhetorics & Collaborative AI

How has AI changed your finals week?

Gamma AI Method:

As an alternative, students can upload their portfolio to Gamma AI, which needs less detailed prompting. They simply set parameters like generation amount, audience, and tone.

Gamma has the advantage of pulling images directly from the portfolio and creating visualizations.

I'm offering students two pathways to complete this assignment:

Claude Method:

Upload the PDF portfolio to Claude and prompt it to generate a complete webpage with HTML code. This approach offers more control through precise prompting but requires more technical guidance.

1. It reinforces that high-quality content is essential—AI can only create a good website if the portfolio content is strong

2. It demonstrates practical AI application in a real-world scenario

3. It provides students with a tangible artifact they can use professionally

The final exam is essentially a prompt challenge. Students export their course portfolio as a PDF, then use AI to transform it into a functional website.

This approach accomplishes several goals simultaneously:

My Writing with AI class wrapped up this week, and I'm excited about the final exam format I developed.

Instead of a traditional essay, students are creating websites from their portfolio PDFs using AI—a practical demonstration of the skills they've developed all semester.

Instead of a final, students in my AI writing class will be turning their class portfolios into a website using AI.

Have you found unexpected ways technology helps with neurodivergent challenges? I'd love to hear your experiences.

The irony isn't lost on me that technology is helping me be more human in my interactions.

But perhaps that's exactly what assistive technology should do – help us overcome our natural limitations so our true intentions can shine through.

By helping me identify potential misinterpretations before I hit send, AI acts as a buffer between my sometimes impulsive thoughts and my professional communications.

AI also helps me craft responses that match my true intentions.

Those of us with ADHD often struggle with emotional regulation, and when we feel misunderstood or criticized, our messages can come across as defensive or abrupt without us realizing it.

This simple check helps me respond appropriately rather than spiraling into assumption-based reactions.

When an email lands in my inbox with a tone I can't quite place, I've found myself asking AI to analyze it: "Does this person sound annoyed?"

Sometimes the answer confirms my suspicion. Other times, it reveals I'm projecting emotions that aren't actually there.

Here's how AI has helped met:

Living with ADHD means sometimes missing the emotional subtext of communications or, paradoxically, reading too much into them.

It's like having your emotional perception dial constantly fluctuating between oversensitivity and complete obliviousness.

AI has become my emotional translator in a world where ADHD sometimes scrambles the signals between what people say and what they actually mean.

How are you implementing "Rogue AI" in your classroom? What innovations have you discovered that don't require institutional blessing?

The most valuable AI literacy won't come from presidential task forces—it will emerge from classrooms where innovative educators refuse to let inequality dictate their students' futures.

‣ Create learning communities where teachers share AI strategies
‣ Design assignments teaching critical AI skills with free tools
‣ Develop open-source curricula accessible to everyone
‣ Build peer networks where students teach each other (and teachers)

Instead of waiting for government initiatives that may never reach most classrooms, let's focus on immediate action:

That's why I advocate for "Rogue AI"—a ground-up approach where educators leverage accessible AI tools regardless of institutional support.

AI is inherently democratic—with creativity and strategic thinking, anyone can harness its power.

The order leaves crucial questions unanswered:

‣ What constitutes AI literacy?
‣ How do we measure success?
‣ How will resources reach ALL students, not just those in wealthy districts?

Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order promoting AI education for American youth. Despite the promising task forces and initiatives, I remain skeptical.

Many educators are already figuring out AI independently—without funding, resources, or institutional support.

While the White House celebrates its new AI education order, the undeniable truth remains:

without grassroots intervention, AI literacy will become another digital divide separating privileged and underserved students.

So while traditional coding roles may transform dramatically, the need for structured thinking and effective rhetoric will only grow stronger.

The code may be AI-generated, but the vision, structure, and purpose will always require human expertise.

The highest value skills will be:

‣ Defining problems clearly
‣ Breaking systems into manageable components
‣ Establishing relationships between parts
‣ Creating logical workflows that meet human needs

These aren't coding skills. They're content strategy.

This is why technical writers and content strategists are uniquely positioned for an AI world.

What's fascinating is that even when AI does the heavy lifting, you still need a deep understanding of structured workflows.

You don't need to memorize coding syntax, but you absolutely need to understand systems thinking and rhetoric.

Coders may one day be extinct ... writers will live on.

I've been exploring "vibe coding" lately - essentially leaning on AI agents to do most of your coding.

It's like hiring a team of digital interns so you can focus on the creative ideas, workflows, and connections.

What's your take on task management? Do you prefer all-in-one solutions or separate systems for different needs?