The rapid growth of ai in schools has caused excitement and concern in school district communities. In Part 2 of this two-part series, technology and Learning, in partnership with school of powerbrought together experts from school districts to share tips on how they trained their staff to be comfortable integrating ai tools, as well as supporting students in using ai tools that can help them achieve the success.
The discussion, hosted by Christine Weiser, featured: Alana Winnick, Director of Educational technology and Data Protection Officer, Pocantico Hills Central School District; Greg Bagby
Educational technology Coordinator, Hamilton County Schools; and Joel Lathrop,
Director, Educational Strategy, PowerSchool.
Key takeaways
Watch the full webinar:
<h2 id="how-has-the-use-of-ai-already-impacted-learning”>How has the use of ai already impacted learning?
“One of my 8-year-old students said, 'We are the future. We need to learn how to do this or we won't be prepared when we have a job,'” Winnick said.
Winnick noted that what doesn't work is blocking ai, or simply assuming that students understand what ai is and how to use it. “Our job as educational leaders is to educate our staff, who can then educate our students about what ai is and how to use it the right way,” he said.
Winnick gives ai users two jobs: 1. Be a detective and watch out for misuse/content. 2. Be an ai “DJ” to remix content and add your own thoughts and ideas.
Winnick also encourages introducing ai to students as early as possible. “My third graders are doing absolutely crazy things that I don't see elementary students doing anywhere else.” He emphasized that the focus should be on encouraging students to want to learn with ai and use it to reach those higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy, not just use it as “an easy way out.”
In that sense, Bagby mentioned the futility of banning ai, comparing it to the infamous bank robber Willie Sutton. “After the FBI caught him, the FBI asked him, 'Why do you rob banks?' And Sutton said, 'Because that's where the money is.' And well, ai is where the kids will be.”
Consequently, educators must also adopt it. Bagby spoke about using ai as a guide, citing an example of an ai math tutor chatbot being used with a small group of students to provide support in the learning process rather than just answers.
However, what doesn't work is simply giving ai to students without any kind of plan. “If you don't have a plan, or if you don't have a guide, things are going to get a little complicated for you,” Bagby said. “And it's harder to control them if you don't have that guidance.”
One of the biggest challenges for districts that want to adopt ai is that they are busy dealing with many other issues and don't always have the resources to dedicate specifically to ai, said Lathrop, who cited a national survey that showed that 70% of district leaders could see the potential benefit of ai.
“Using technology tools to promote more positive student behaviors and motivate them is really one of the most common challenges we're seeing,” Lathrop said.
Lathrop added that we've gone from “This is what ai could do in our district” to “This is what ai is actually doing in our district.”
<h2 id="how-can-ai-work-with-pd”>How can ai work with PD?
Having been a principal for a decade, Bagby noted that when it comes to professional learning, teachers are a lot like students in that you want to engage them in the same way, and that there will be high-level students and students. early. adopters. “However, there will be people who will not adopt technological tools as quickly, and you have to find their entry points,” he said.
Bagby recommended that, like students, it can be effective to show teachers what tools are out there and then give them time to play and explore. It is also essential to provide them with tools and/or skills that they can use the next day so that they can immediately take them back to the classroom and achieve success, which can build confidence and competence. He also added that any PD should be an ongoing process that requires additional monitoring and support.
Winnick reminded everyone that when it comes to PD, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. “I think it's really important, just as we say in the classroom, 'voice and choice,' he said. Teachers must have agency over how they learn, whether synchronous or asynchronous, as well as opportunities to learn in many different ways. “You can choose how you want to learn it, but it's not a choice whether you want to learn it or not,” he said.
Lathrop suggested that having “superheroes” like Winnick and Bagby in your district to lead professional development efforts is the best way to make professional development effective. If those leaders are not available, PowerSchool has many resources to provide support, such as training, best practices, and more. It also helps to have a platform like PowerSchool that also has ai seamlessly integrated.
<h2 id="one-piece-of-ai-advice-for-first-step-of-ai-pd”>An ai Tip for the First Step of ai PD
“If you don't use ai to connect data between your systems, your results will be limited,” Lathrop said. “And working on platforms you're already familiar with can shorten the learning/training curve for your staff.”
“It's really important that, as a school leader, there can't be a disconnect between how teachers are trained and how they are expected to work,” Winnick said, adding that any professional development should be aligned with performance expectations.
Bagby emphasized that any professional development should be directly related to the work teachers do, regardless of the curriculum. “Make sure you train them on something that's relevant,” she said.
Part 1: Designing an ai Roadmap Framework: Creating and Communicating ai Guidelines and Policies
