Recently we shared an article with students highlighting how an artist won an art competition with a piece of work generated by Artificial Intelligence. The students immediately asked many questions ranging from how this is possible, what does it mean to be an artist, and is an AI-generated work “art.” After the discussion, students expressed interest in learning more about the algorithm and a desire to create their own unique works.
We Asked Bryn Mawr Online students, what DON’T you miss about your old school? Here’s what they said.
Students in BMOS English 9 and 10 were joined by the poet Sarah Ghazal Ali for a discussion about one of her poems and her creative writing process. Sarah is the author of Theophanies, forthcoming in 2024 and selected as the Editors’ Choice for the 2022 Alice James Award. She is currently a Stadler Fellow at Bucknell University and the poetry editor for West Branch. Her poems have been published in POETRY, American Poetry Review, Pleiades, the Rumpus, and more.
Thanks to the Baltimore Fishbowl for including Bryn Mawr Online in its piece on how the pandemic pushed educators to embrace the best of technology for learning.
Where do you live?
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
What do you like about teaching online?
I like the small school environment, the ambitious students BMOS attracts, and the flexibility learning and teaching online affords students and faculty.
What do you like to do when you’re NOT in school?
Hike, travel, play frisbee, and spend time on the Jersey Shore.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Japan. My dad is half Japanese, and there is a rumor in our family that he and my aunt relinquished property rights to a small portion of a mountain in Japan. I’d like to go see that mountain.
Best way to spend a Saturday?
Reading outside.
What do you want students to remember about you?
I want them to remember that I did my best to make literature open up for them in surprising, intriguing ways and that I cared about their ideas.
Personal catchphrase?
“Let’s reflect on this.”
Who inspires you?
Writers I love: James Baldwin, Marilynne Robinson, Louise Erdrich, to name a few.
What activity/class have you enjoyed the most through BMOS (and why)?
The poet Sarah Ali visited our English 9 and 10 classes to discuss her poem about animal roadkill. The students asked great questions, and she gave thoughtful answers. We broached a topic that often feels too intractable to talk about.
