WPS News4d ago

AI Is a Tool, Not a Brain

By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News

Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — May 9, 2026

A lot of people talk about AI like it thinks. It doesn’t. It predicts.

AI looks at patterns in words and gives you what usually comes next. That can feel smart, but it is not the same as understanding. It does not know what is true. It does not know what matters. It does not care if it is wrong.

That part is still on you.

Think of AI like a power tool. A drill can help you build something fast, but it can also ruin the job if you use it wrong. The tool is not the problem. The person using it decides what happens.

AI works the same way. It can help you start faster, organize ideas, and explain things in simple terms. But you still have to check the facts. You still have to decide what is good and what is not.

This is where people get confused. They either trust AI too much or refuse to use it at all. Both are mistakes.

Use it, but stay in charge.

AI is not your brain. It is your tool. The better you use it, the better your work becomes.

If this work helps you understand what’s happening, help me keep it going: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WPSNews
For more from Cliff Potts, see https://cliffpotts.org

#AIBasics #ArtificialIntelligence #criticalThinking #digitalTools #highSchool #juniorHigh #technologySkills
MineEyesDazzleMay 5
2026 Peace and Justice Summer Fellowship: 20-hour program 6-10 JUL for students in Grades 7–10 are trained in building community thru circles, conflict reparation, effective communication, and advocacy. 10 students across #Houston will be selected! Appy by May 20 #HTX #MiddleSchool #JuniorHigh #MiddleGrades #MiddleSchoolers https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1skg9li9IR5JRjegb1HirJCzsuWvs63bJlST_R9abexA/viewform?pli=1&pli=1&edit_requested=true
Peace and Justice Summer Fellowship

Please answer the following questions. Email [email protected] or text 832 731 5369 for any questions. The Peace and Justice Summer Fellowship is a 20-hour, weeklong program in July 6-10 for students in grades 7–10. Participants are trained in building community through circles, repairing conflict, communicating effectively, and advocating for themselves and their communities. 10 students from across Houston will be selected. The curriculum covers the roots of restorative justice, identifying and addressing oppression, public speaking, self-care and mindfulness. By the end of the week, students will write a script for a circle that they must facilitate in the community within the next 6 months. They will earn an Apprenticeship Certificate once they successfully complete this circle as part of the Fellowship requirement. Peace circles are both a way of being and a structure: participants sit together with nothing between them and pass a talking piece so each person can speak one at a time. They may play games, learn content, share stories, discuss the roots of conflict, or simply connect. Restorative Houston's mission is to train adults and youth in circle facilitation to help build community and repair harm in all Houston neighborhoods. This program is for committed applicants who are serious about making a difference in their communities. We are looking to work with youth who are ready to engage fully and continue volunteering with us beyond the summer experience. In other words, this is not meant to be a one and done experience; we want to work with and support youth development on a long term basis. Only serious applicants should apply. You can watch a video here of what a Circle feels like. If you make it past the first round, we will be hosting mandatory Zoom sessions for you and your parent/guardian so you can participate in an online circle. This will be a group interview. Application Deadline: May 20, 2026 Round 1 notifications: May 22, 2026 Zoom Interview (for selected applicants): Only if you make it past the first round, you would choose one of the following 90‑minute interview slots: May 27, 2026 — 6:00–7:30pm May 28, 2026 — 3:00–4:30pm Final acceptance notifications: June 3, 2026 If accepted, the Peace and Summer Justice Fellowship will take place July 6–10 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM each day. Lunch will be provided. Attendance at all sessions is required to successfully complete the program, as each day builds on the last. Missing even one day will result in dismissal from the fellowship. Participants will receive a Certificate of Participation after having attended all sessions. After you complete a successful circle in the community, you will receive the more rigorous Apprenticeship Certificate, which opens you up for paid opportunities with us in the future. You must be on time to all sessions. Those who demonstrate strong engagement, leadership, and growth during the program may receive a letter of recommendation from Restorative Houston. We will celebrate all participants who complete all five days with a party at Main Event on Saturday, July 11.

Google Docs
WPS NewsMay 1

AI Is Not Replacing You. It’s Replacing the Version of You That Doesn’t Use It

By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News

Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — May 2, 2026

A lot of people are scared of AI right now. That makes sense. New tools always make people nervous.

But AI is not some evil machine coming to steal your life. It is a tool. It helps people write faster, sort ideas faster, and get started when they do not know where to begin.

We have seen this before. There was a time when people acted like using spellcheck was lazy. Later, spellcheck became normal. Then it became expected. AI is heading down the same road.

That does not mean AI does everything for you. It does not. You still need judgment. You still need facts. You still need to know when something sounds wrong. But if you learn how to use AI well, you can move faster and get more done.

That is the real change.

The future will not belong to the people who feared the tool. It will belong to the people who learned how to use it.

If this work helps you understand what’s happening, help me keep it going: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WPSNews
For more from Cliff Potts, see https://cliffpotts.org

#AILiteracy #ArtificialIntelligence #digitalTools #futureOfWork #highSchool #juniorHigh #technologySkills
Minecraft Memery ⛏️Apr 19

#JuniorHigh.

#Minecraft #MinecraftMeme #MinecraftMemes #VideoGame #VideoGames #Gaming #GamingMeme #GamingMemes #Meme #Memes

Gay CurmudgeonDec 22
Lifelong Friends are the Best! Cyn and I met in 1967 in Junior High and have been encouraging each other's creativity ever since. #creativity #lifelongcreativity #lifelongfriends #friends #friend #friendship #harrisburg #greenstreet #1960s #juniorhigh #tuscaroravalleyschool
bgmJun 20, 2025
Cleaning out the old song backlog of one-offs and never-was’s.
This one’s a dose of Junior High drama, called “Regime Change,” featuring my daughters as “Hailey” and “Stacey.”
#bgm #music #JuniorHigh #drama #HallMonitor
Gay CurmudgeonApr 13, 2025
Backdoor Ostara Wreath, made using techniques taught me by my junior high art teacher, Sandy McClure, many decades ago. #easter #palmsunday #holiday #christianholiday #ostara #wreath #craft #artsandcrafts #crafting #eggs #eastereggs #juniorhigh #art #artwork #decor #decorating
Show threadWilling to cut a deal. . .Aug 5, 2024

@sjvn

As a #volunteer #HighSchool #ComputerScience #teacher, I know that some #students will #cheat. Students cheat for different reasons. Some think it's easier to cheat than to study. Some think that they are not capable of understanding the material and simply want to get that semester over without failing. #AI can only find the cheaters it knows how to look for, which means it can't catch everyone. AI would probably not have caught the #chess #grandmaster with the vibrating butt plug.

What I tell my students is that I can't prevent them from trying to cheat. Instead, I tell them that if they don't understand the #code they're grabbing off the #internet, they won't be able to tell whether it actually works. And if it doesn't work, they won't know how to fix it. Also, if you're caught cheating at work, you may lose more than your job. You may lose any assets you have.
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Cheating happened in my #HighSchool, and I was one of the offenders. My reason for giving answers to my classmates in #Latin was that we were graded on the #curve and I didn't want to be an #outlier
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I had learned about outliers in #MiddleSchool (or #JuniorHigh) when our health class studied for and took the #RedCross #FirstAid #certification

The highest possible score was 125 or thereabouts. I had scored 115 and the next highest was 92. Our teacher showed the difference between including and excluding my score (she didn't name me) and explained that it was fairer to more students to exclude outliers and give them an A or an F as appropriate.

Susan Larson ♀️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈Jun 18, 2024

#AllyKennedy and #TaylorMoreno are a #pro #lacrosse #powercouple.

They first met in #juniorhigh and fell in #love years later. They, along with #dogs Rocky and Tyson, are one big #happy #family.

#Women #Lesbians #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Entertainment #Sports #Lacrosse #Representation #Culture

https://www.outsports.com/2024/6/17/24096295/ally-kennedy-taylor-moreno-pro-lacrosse-power-couple-gay-coming-out/

Ally Kennedy and Taylor Moreno are a pro lacrosse power couple - Outsports

Ally Kennedy and Taylor Moreno first met in junior high and fell in love years later. They, along with dogs Rocky and Tyson, are one big happy family.

OutSports
The OneApr 6, 2024
#donjr #juniorhigh #commasmatter #politicalhumor #humor