Ep 1: Learning is a Struggle AI Must Not Skip (NotebookLM Version)

In this episode, Learning is a Struggle AI Must Not Skip, the AI tool NotebookLM was used to create a fully AI-narrated podcast. The episode explores Dr. Donald Easton-Brooks’ perspective that learning is a productive struggle: a process of moving from confusion toward clarity until the mind reaches a new equilibrium. Drawing on Easton-Brooks’ work on the conceptual and cultural context of knowledge and his 2025 approach to learning with AI, the episode frames learning as a sequential, scaffolded progression best understood through Bloom’s Taxonomy. It cautions that when learners use AI tools to leap directly into advanced outputs—without first building definitions, functions, and conceptual grounding—AI can become a time sink of irrelevant content, weak evaluation, and factual errors. The episode closes by highlighting a central limitation: AI has not yet mastered the cultural context of knowledge—how meaning is shaped through history, negotiated truths, and human relationships—making educator judgment essential.