Building an edtech newsletter: what we learned today

This morning, Archimedes had no newsletter. By this afternoon, it had a live issue, a mailing list and a publishing pipeline.

Here's how building an edtech newsletter in a single day went, and why keeping up with technology is part of the job when you build tools for kids.

> Key takeaway: The tools change every year. Teams that stay current can serve families better, faster and more safely.

What does it take to build an edtech newsletter?

Less than you'd think, if you pick tools that work well together. Our setup has three parts:

• The website. Our site runs on Elixir and Phoenix, the same stack behind the Archimedes tutor. We added a small private API so new issues can be published straight to archimedes.education.
• Hosting. The site runs on Fly.io, so a change goes live in minutes.
• Email. Kit handles subscribers and sends each issue as an email with a link back to the full article.

Why we use an AI assistant to help publish

An AI assistant drafts each issue from my notes, checks it against our writing guide, and gets it ready for the site and email.

I still read every word and approve before anything goes out. The AI speeds up the busywork, and the judgement stays with a person. It's the same idea behind how we help kids with homework: support, not shortcuts.

Why does staying up to date with technology matter in education?

Kids are already growing up with AI in their pockets. If the adults building their learning tools fall behind, the tools will fall behind too.

Staying current helps us in three ways:

1. Safety. Newer tools give us better ways to protect children's data and filter what an AI tutor says.
2. Speed. Today's setup took a day. A few years ago, it would have taken weeks.
3. Better teaching. Modern AI can ask guiding questions instead of just giving answers, which is how the Archimedes AI tutor works.

What we learned setting it up

• Start simple. One web address, one API, one email tool.
• Write for people first. Google says it rewards helpful, people-first content, so we wrote a guide for every issue.
• Respect inboxes. Every email follows Australia's Spam Act rules, so people agree to receive it, can see who it's from, and can unsubscribe in one click.
• Test before you trust. Our first test run turned up an image glitch, so this issue is our image test.

FAQ

What is an edtech newsletter?

An edtech newsletter is a regular email or blog from an education technology company. It shares tips, product updates and news. Ours mixes practical guides for parents with behind-the-scenes notes on how Archimedes is built, so families and tech readers can follow along.

Is AI-written content good for learning?

It can be when a person stays in charge. At Archimedes, AI drafts and checks, and a person reviews and approves everything. The same rule applies to our tutor: the AI guides with questions, and children still do the thinking themselves.

How often will the Archimedes newsletter come out?

We're aiming for regular issues covering homework help, how our AI tutor works, robotics builds and engineering notes. Subscribe through our website to get each one as it lands, and read past issues anytime on archimedes.education.

Curious how an AI tutor can guide without giving answers away? Try Archimedes.

By Thomas Heal, founder of Archimedes.