Writing and AI in 2026.   Why bother with it?   

If AI can write for me, why should I bother?  And use AI with my students!?! No way - the ability to cheat is too tempting to those lacking full frontal-lobe development.  What if we are wrong and AI has the opportunity to make our writing better than it ever has been?  

The metacognitive powers of AI when writing are truly the super power of the digital tools in 2026.  Substack articles written by Jessica Johnson and Theresa McSweeney, hosted by Serena Morales on her Prompt Wise page, address this chance to use AI tools to our benefit - more importantly, our student's benefit.  Jessica writes about how Gems are getting her students communicating more effectively with their written words, in a piece titled What My Students Taught Me About AI (That We are Getting Wrong).  She writes about the surprisingly engaging nature of AI (dopamine hit, anyone?), how her students DID NOT use the AI tool to cheat, but instead created share-worthy Gems for their peers.  

Based on another project in Jessica's room, Theresa wrote about The Great Digital Regret.  Theresa partnered with Jessica and her Computer Science classes for Semester 2, seventh and eighth graders, and a few ninth graders too, to bring MinecraftEDU chat and coding lessons into the classroom.  The first Learning Intention was to learn how to effectively utilize a chat space to remain respectful, communicate your needs with your team, and use language responsibly - with academic language being the main focus.  Students co-crafted a decree, using NotebookLM as a thinking partner, then used MinecraftEDU as a space to communicate via chat; in other words, they were writing like they do on social media, but in an academic environment.  Find the video for our MinecraftEDU decree here.  

We really wanted to share our articles with you, and direct to the Prompt Wise Substack.  While getting to be a guest writer on someone's page does not deserve a toot of the horn here, Serena and her work as a Boise State University professor & accomplished writer deserves a nod. She influences our work by promoting responsible, ethical, timely advice and considerations in our 2026 AI world.  Her work aligns with the topic of the blog - what is happening to authentic writing in the age of AI?

Let's loop Dan Fitzapatrick into this topic of the week.  He has a podcast, AI for Educators, that I listen to daily.  Each episode is no more than 10 minutes (mostly) and he references new and timely published research each day of the week, Monday through Friday.  Since his content is academia-based, he seemed the next perfect reference for this week's topic about writing.  What if we could eliminate the Blank Page Syndrome so many students (and adults!) face when starting a project; espcially writing.  Ever see a student throw a chair because they were so frustrated they could not think of the right thing to day?  Ever see a student cry because they just can't think right now, and their writing is due in like 10 minutes?  Dan addresses this concept in the idea that Canva AI 2.0 is helping people get the Blank Page Syndrome a boost to the Blank Page Possibilities.  As a teacher, I have spent many a minute consulting these frustrated students on what topic or what start might be the one that inspires their writing.  Is it bad to take the human aspect of this out of the loop in the classroom?  Maybe - maybe not.  It depends on a lot of things, and this is not the topic of this week's blog post.  Let's consider that not-cheating might also look like, "Hey, I need help!" and that seems like a clever way to utilize a digital tool.  Find Dan on Linkedin here.

All of this to say - let's slow our role when we are judging these digital tools and their place in writing.  Let's not slow the roll on preserving the human voice, the chance to speak our minds and hearts fully with our own words.  There is a balance and because this is so new, there is a lot of fine tuning to do as we decide how to use these tools.  

What are some creative ways you use AI tools to enhance your writing?  We feel inspired by Serena's Prompt Wise and Dan's notion of reducing frustration, and ready to give a few things a try.  As Theresa mentions, it is our turn to teach how to do the writing in the year 2026, how to write so your audience hears you (and wants to hear you!), and preserve the human voice while also getting the benefit of any-time writing support.  

Want to write for the IdahoGEG Blog?  Let us know! 

Editor’s Note: In the spirit of this week’s topic, I used Gemini to help me draft the personas below. Ironically, one of these fake teachers hates that I did that. 🤣

Following our look at SB1227, we’re diving into the Staff Room Divide. How do we actually write anymore? We’ve created two distinct perspectives that represent the tug-of-war many Idaho educators are feeling right now.

🎙️ The Great Divide: Two Guest "Personas"

The "Augmented" Advocate: Writing with a Power Suit

"I love my own voice, but I love it even more when it’s sharpened. I use LLMs as a master editor. AI provides me with punchy metaphors I might not have considered and bridges my ideas to real-life situations I didn't know existed. For me, AI offers models of elevated vocabulary and perfect grammar that make my professional communication more impactful. It doesn’t replace my 'self'; it gives my 'self' a better set of tools to reach my community."

The "Handwritten" Purist: Guarding the Neural Pathways

"I will never use an LLM to communicate my thoughts, and I don't want my students to either. Research consistently shows that the physical act of writing—especially by hand—is vital to the development of the human brain. When we outsource our syntax to a machine, we are bypassing the cognitive struggle that creates deep learning. I am here to preserve the 'human' in the Humanities. If the word isn't forged in the mind, does it even count as communication?"

🎒 The Middle: The Student Experience

Imagine being a sophomore at an Idaho high school.

In Period 2, you are encouraged to use AI to brainstorm a hook for your essay and generate a custom image to represent your thesis (boosting your accessibility and visual literacy). In Period 3, you are required to leave your device in a bin and write a three-page analysis in a blue book with a Ballpoint pen.

How does this feel for the student?

• Cognitive Dissonance: Students are living in two different worlds. One prepares them for a high-tech workforce; the other trains their foundational neural pathways.

• The Home Factor: At dinner, parents are split. Some are worried their kids are losing their edge or cheating, while others, working in tech, agriculture, or Boise’s growing startup scene, are telling their kids they must master AI to stay competitive.

🧠 Does it Matter?

The short answer: Yes. If we move entirely to AI, we risk losing the grit of original thought. If we ignore AI entirely, we leave our students unprepared for a world that now writes in images and prompts.

The impact on the learning experience is a shift from Product to Process. Whether a student is using a Ticonderoga #2 pencil or a sophisticated prompt, the goal remains the same: Did they synthesize information and create something meaningful?

🖼️ Writing in Pixels

We also have to acknowledge that writing isn't just text anymore. By using AI to generate images, we are making our content more accessible to diverse learners. A student who struggles with dyslexia might find their voice through a generated visual that perfectly captures their intent. This isn't lazy, it's Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in action.

What are you seeing in your hallways? Are your students confused by the split between tech-heavy and tech-lite classrooms, or are they successfully code-switching?  More importantly, how do you plan to actually find out if they are successful in their learning ventures with AI in 2026?

Idaho Embraces AI with New Statewide Framework (SB 1227)

Governor Brad Little signed Senate Bill 1227 (SB 1227) into law on March 26, 2026, marking a significant step for education in Idaho. This legislation directs the Idaho Department of Education to establish a comprehensive statewide framework for integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) into public school classrooms. Sponsored by Senator Kevin Cook and Representative Jeff Ehlers, the bill passed the Senate on February 5, 2026, and emphasizes preparing students for an AI-powered future while safeguarding privacy, preserving local control, and keeping teachers at the heart of learning.

The framework will guide schools in using emerging technologies thoughtfully, focusing on a 'human-centered, transparent, and safe' approach to AI. It is designed to be adaptable, acknowledging the rapidly evolving nature of AI. Generative AI is defined as models that primarily create new content (text, images, video), distinct from AI used for data classification. The Idaho Technology Council (ITC) supported the bill as crucial for addressing the state's talent gap in AI literacy. Key provisions include guidelines for student privacy, academic integrity, and procurement requirements for AI tools, alongside provisions for local school districts to adopt aligned policies.