“Content is King” is a phrase coined by Bill Gates in an essay he wrote for the Microsoft website in January of 1996. At that time, I was teaching high school English, and there was a huge push to use technology, which meant taking your classes to the very expensive, very dusty computer lab down the hall.
No one wanted to use the computers because the content included was terrible. Despite what the program claimed, the below grade level reading passages lacked engaging content, best described as Dick and Jane for tweens. Even though both the students and I dreaded our biweekly compulsory jaunts down the hall, we could all see the potential, just like Bill Gates.
However, back then, not everyone saw how the World Wide Web would change our daily lives for the better. For example, Clifford Stoll wrote in Newsweek on February 27, 1995, “There are those pushing computers into schools. We’re told that multimedia will make schoolwork easy and fun. Students will happily learn from animated characters while taught by expertly tailored software. Who needs teachers when you’ve got computer-aided education? Bah. These expensive toys are difficult to use in classrooms and require extensive teacher training. Sure, kids love videogames—but think of your own experience: can you recall even one educational film strip of decades past? I’ll bet you remember the two or three great teachers who made a difference in your life.”
I do. I remember those key teachers in my childhood that made a difference, and I remember some of the content they taught that has stuck with me for years — and no technology is ever going to change that human interaction. However, as technology evolves and adapts for the classroom, educators in every field of education are going to need to become proficient in this new tech and the tools that can help them connect with students even further.
Like the early days of computers, educators today face the same challenge — ensuring that the technology in the classroom supports, rather than replaces, great content.
Just as Gates and Stoll once disagreed about technology’s role in classrooms, today’s educators debate AI’s impact on curriculum. Yet, the adoption of AI tools in education is staggering.
In a recent District Administration article on Broward County Public Schools’ adoption of Microsoft Copilot , it states that their adoption “comes more than two years after the district initially blocked ChatGPT on all district-owned devices.” In two short years, the school district went from blocking certain uses of AI to having the largest adoption of Microsoft Copilot in K-12 instruction in the world.
As exciting as new developments in AI are, it’s important to realize its current limitations as well. Rapid adoption like this underscores why educators need trustworthy, standards-aligned content resources — not just generative tools.
AI today cannot create or replace that high quality content teachers need to create effective curriculum to connect with students and improve student outcomes. That’s why tools that prioritize access to curated, standards-aligned, licensed content are so critical —because they fill the gap that AI hasn’t yet closed.
Educators looking for quality content turn to RightFind Curriculum, the easiest way to ensure you have ready-to-use, licensed high-quality content for your K-12 curriculum and instruction, with print and digital rights to use 1M+ works from 90+ publishers. RightFind Curriculum also includes a searchable database of content from a selection of our participating publishers, enabling the discovery of texts by various criteria such as Lexile score, subject, genre, and more, for an engaging, personalized curriculum for students in K-12.
Have questions? Learn more about RightFind Curriculum here — or reach out to me directly to answer any questions you have.