As more and more students use artificial intelligence (ai) to ai-homework-help-kids-parents-survey” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow” data-url=”https://www.axios.com/2024/09/18/ai-homework-help-kids-parents-survey” referrerpolicy=”no-referrer-when-downgrade” data-hl-processed=”none”>educational purposesan “abstinence-based” policy is not a viable path for school and district leaders. Instead, we should focus on creating an atmosphere where students and teachers use this powerful technology safely.
in the annual Deep Learning Conference in New York (DLNY)organized by Ulster BOCES and focused on the theme “Leading for Deeper Learning,” we recently hosted a deep-dive session on using ai in the classroom. In this extensive half-day session, we discuss how ai's ability to aggregate and analyze large amounts of information allows teachers and students to personalize teaching and learning, but only when used responsibly.
These are some of the key takeaways from the insightful conversations we had with district leaders at DLNY.
Our presentation began with an interactive game show in which we asked participants to determine whether a certain work was created by ai or a human. We called it “The Bot or Not Game Show.” The goal was to start a conversation about ai and challenge common assumptions about the technology. For some educators, ai has a similar status to that of calculators when they were first introduced: it seems like a shortcut that prevents real learning. Of course, that attitude has changed and calculators are widely seen as indispensable tools. We see ai as a tool for learning in the same way that probes are a tool in science classes: it changes the way students do the work, but it doesn't do it for them.
We discuss how ai finds itself in a period similar to the early days of social media. Some educators have adopted what we call “abstinence-based” policies, but our hope is that schools don't miss the opportunity to embrace ai the same way many of us missed the opportunity to use social media as a teaching tool. . To achieve this, of course, teachers and students need guidance from school district leaders.
Our district has had many discussions about how best to support the responsible use of ai. While we do not yet have strict written guidelines, we remain focused on student data privacy and academic integrity. Our general rule for teachers is: “Unless the technology department has purchased the tool, do not enter any student data into it.“
While we urge our teachers to be cautious, we use multiple ai tools to generate creative work and encourage students to leverage ai to boost their creativity in various media. For example, in creative writing, the use grammatically It frees students to focus on expressing their ideas rather than worrying about grammatical errors.
Another tool we use to support teaching and learning is School ai. One of its most notable features is its student-oriented generative bot that doesn't just generate text: it asks guiding questions to help students develop and refine their own ideas and clear up misunderstandings. The goal is to enhance the learning process rather than do the work for them, creating a personalized learning experience that mimics one-on-one teaching. A great example of this technology in action is special education, where teachers can enter IEP goals into the program, such as writing objectives, and the chatbot will act as a personalized tutor, guiding students to achieve their goals and providing them with personalized support throughout the process. shape.
Another tool we use in our district is ink wirewhich helps students create portfolios for their work in STEM programs. In this technology, ai plays a more supportive role, helping teachers with lesson planning and students honing their writing for their portfolios. The purpose of these technologies is clear: while they handle some of the most tedious tasks, they do not replace the work students need to do to learn. Instead, these tools help personalize teaching and streamline processes, allowing students and teachers to focus on teaching and learning.
<h2 id="a-hippocratic-oath-for-ai-3″>A Hippocratic Oath for ai
We introduced an intriguing concept during our session: an educator's Hippocratic Oath for ai. Although still in its early stages, the idea revolves around encouraging open discussions about the responsible and ethical use of ai in the classroom, something we believe was missing during the rise of social media, when some educators were said, “Don't talk about don't let students use it,” and that led to kids making mistakes on social media. As educators, our job is to teach students how and when to use ai, just as It is our job to teach children how to be safe, how to be good people, and how to interact with others.
During the conference, as is the case in our district, the consensus was that an abstinence-based ai policy is not the most beneficial approach for teachers and students. Engaging in discussions about how to use ai and having an open mind to rethink concepts like authoring, plagiarism, and cheating will be more productive than simply saying “no.” Before the current school year began, our district held a two-day workshop with 40 teachers from a variety of disciplines including K-12, special education, and reading. We talk about ai through the lens of student privacy.
As ai continues to evolve and educators learn to embrace it, we are deeply excited about its potential. The teachers who participated in the workshop felt the burden of responsibility to spread information about ai. We look forward to seeing how we can change the mindset of teachers and help our students know when and how to use (and not use) ai.
