The First Draft: Preserving the "Friction" of Human Thinking

The First Draft: Preserving the "Friction" of Human Thinking

April 2, 2026 · 39 min · Season 3 · Episode 24

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of preserving human thought in education amidst the rise of AI, featuring insights from Dr. Alec Couros.

In this episode of Deep Learning Dialogues , hosts Whitney McKinley and Katrina Gouett are joined by Dr. Alec Couros to discuss the vital role of "productive struggle" in an era of instant AI outputs. Dr. Couros breaks down the concepts from his viral article, "The Shortcut That Costs Us Everything," warning against a "reverse-Bloom’s Taxonomy" where students analyze AI text without ever learning to compose it themselves. The conversation explores how to "protect the first draft" as a sacred space for human thought and identity. From the risks of "Model Autography Disorder" (MAD) to practical classroom strategies like "Think-Pair-AI-Share," this episode offers a roadmap for using AI as a critical collaborator rather than a replacement for student voice. You can read the summary document here. Dr. Alec Couros is a Professor of Educational Technology and Media at the University of Regina and a globally recognized leader in open education and digital citizenship. Throughout his career, he has explored the intersection of technology and pedagogy, recently focusing on the ethical and cognitive implications of generative AI in the classroom. Through his research and popular Substack…

People in this episode

Hosts: Whitney McKinley, Katrina Gouett

Guest: Dr. Alec Couros

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Regina

Books & works: The Shortcut That Costs Us Everything

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