Join eSchool News for 12 Days of edtech with the most read and loved stories of 2024. On the sixth day of edtech, our story focuses on the ethical use of ai.
Key points:
The summer of 2023 brought with it a declaration from our Chief technology Officer that it would be the Summer of ai. As a digital learning team, we were given the responsibility of exploring the full spectrum of ai in education. The broad nature of this request led to research on ai in cybersecurity, data science, marketing, healthcare, and education.
Our deep dive into ai resulted in the development of three guiding principles: high standards and expectations, future-ready skills, and cultural competency. Each principle directly aligns with the district's vision, mission, and core values. The three guiding principles have become the foundation that underpins all ai professional development, communication, and future planning.
As ai evolves to become an ever-present part of education, there must be a systemic imperative for K-12 school districts to cultivate an ethics-driven mindset. From district office operations to kindergarten classrooms, ai integration must be navigated with a moral compass, directing the use of ai toward the collective good while protecting against its potential dangers. Our ai Guiding Principles began this process of building an ethical ai mindset, which provided avenues to critically question ai in our system. As we reflect on our work to this point, we have identified four spaces (District, School, Classroom/Teacher, Student) where we have worked to explicitly address the ethical use of ai.
The definition of ai in each of these spaces has led to the emergence of specific questions that guide its use and encourage innovation with ai. For schools trying to figure out how to get started on this ai journey, we hope these guiding questions can be used to drive the process. The questions are intended to be used in iterative cycles as organizations develop around ai and ai continues to evolve.
For the purposes of this article, ai ethics in education will refer to the principles that govern the use of ai so that individual rights, privacy and well-being are respected throughout the educational ecosystem. This framework of ai ethics in education considers the implications of ai's decision-making capabilities, data use, and potential biases, ensuring that ai tools are used to improve educational outcomes without increasing risks. inequalities (Akgun & Greenhow, 2022; Hagendorff, 2020; Nguyen et al. others, 2023). Furthermore, the broad term artificial intelligence (ai) in this context will be defined as the branch of computer science that deals with the creation of systems that can perform tasks that require human intelligence, including generative ai technologies that produce content, solve problems and adapt to new information within the educational sector, with the aim of supporting and improving learning processes and results.
District: The foundation of ethical ai integration
At the district level, ethical use of ai is about setting a precedent. Districts should develop guidelines that balance innovation with accountability (Holter, Rummel, & Skadsem, 2024). These guidelines should address privacy, equity, and security while fostering an environment where ai tools improve cultural competency and educational standards. Questions for the district could include:
- How can we create ai usage guidelines that respect the privacy of students and teachers and ensure equitable access to the technology?
- What measures will we implement to monitor the impact of ai and adjust our strategies accordingly?
- How will our investment in ai technologies reflect our dedication to cultural competency and educational excellence?
School: building an ethical ai culture
Schools must create a learning environment where the ethical use of ai is part of the culture. This involves professional development for staff, inclusive innovation and community engagement to demystify ai. Possible questions include:
- How can we establish a school culture that values ethical considerations in the use of ai?
- What training can we provide to empower our educators to ethically integrate ai into their teaching practices?
- How can we involve parents and the community in our journey towards responsible use of ai?
Master: The Ethical ai Practitioner
Teachers are the frontline practitioners of ethical use of ai in the classroom. They are responsible for selecting, implementing, and evaluating ai tools that support their pedagogical goals and student needs. They are also role models for their students, demonstrating critical thinking and ethical reasoning when using ai. Possible questions include:
- How can we evaluate the quality, reliability and suitability of ai tools for our learning objectives and contexts?
- How can we ensure that the ai tools we use are fair, transparent and accountable, and do not introduce or reinforce bias or discrimination?
- How can we foster a culture of inquiry and reflection among our students, encouraging them to question the ethical implications of using and generating ai?
Student: the ethical ai student
Students are the main beneficiaries and users of ai in education. They are expected to interact with ai tools as students, content creators and consumers. They are also the future citizens and leaders who will shape the direction and impact of ai on society. Possible questions include:
- How can we develop the skills and competencies that allow us to use ai effectively and responsibly for our learning and personal growth?
- How can we express our creativity and originality with ai tools, while respecting the intellectual property and moral rights of others?
- How can we critically evaluate the ai-generated content we encounter and challenge the assumptions and values that underlie it?
The path toward ethically integrating ai into K-12 education is a collaborative effort that requires commitment at all levels. By addressing the unique considerations within districts, schools, classrooms, and student bodies, we lay the foundation for an education system that not only prepares students for the future, but does so with a strong ethical foundation. This article serves as a call to action for educational leaders to engage with ai responsibly, ensuring that the technology enhances the learning experience without compromising our commitment to our core human and organizational values.
References
Akgun, S., Greenhow, C. artificial intelligence in Education: Addressing Ethical Challenges in K-12 Environments. ai Ethics 2431–440 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00096-7
Hagendorff, T. The ethics of ai: an evaluation of the guidelines. Minds and machines 3099-120 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-020-09517-8
Holter, A., Rummel, and Skadsem, H. (2023) Bloomington Public Schools: ai One-Pager Digital Learning. https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR-N4hgLDay6Io5LnEoq7IDqUU_H0g10s-Z5UbfiJET-JlrH_OTUf_8j0akNJAfc9MLlOimZuirHSWG/pub
Holter, A., Rummel and Skadsem, H. (2024) Bloomington Public Schools: ai in BPS: Guiding Principle https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WHTy3Uc0uMwLOZ68yidZwwz7o3K4UpgBVK4wEiCWAOM/edit?usp=sharing
Nguyen, A., Ngo, H.N., Hong, Y. et al. Ethical principles for artificial intelligence in education. Educational technology Information 284221–4241 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11316-w
See the previous 12 days of edtech:
1st edtech Day
2nd day of edtech
3rd edtech Day
4th edtech Day
5th edtech Day
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