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Artificial Intelligence Guidance

Artificial Intelligence Guidance

A person typing on a laptop with a glowing digital interface showing artificial intelligence and technology icons.

To prepare students for the careers of today – and tomorrow — educators must explore and integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into K-12 classrooms.

It’s a technology that’s already making its way to classrooms in the form of adaptive software, recommendation engines, and digital assistants. Generative technologies like ChatGPT, while causing a stir, present an opportunity to transform learning – as long as educators and learners discover how to strike the proper balance of risk vs. benefits.

What AI Is

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is about training computers to think and learn like humans. In the last few years, many AI tools have become available for anyone to use online, often for free. The most popular of these tools is ChatGPT which takes a user prompt and generates various types of content based on the request. For students, AI can help by providing personalized learning experiences, offering extra practice and support, and giving quick feedback on their work. This makes learning easier and more fun, helping students understand subjects better and succeed in their studies.

What AI Is Not

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool, but it’s important to understand its limitations. AI is not the same as human intelligence; it lacks consciousness, emotions, and self-awareness. It can make mistakes and produce biased outcomes, as it relies on the quality of the data and algorithms it uses. AI systems need human oversight and cannot operate independently, especially for important decisions. AI is not meant to replace jobs but to assist with routine tasks, freeing up time for more complex work. Its solutions are often task-specific and may not easily transfer to different situations. Traditional methods can sometimes be more effective, particularly for complex or sensitive issues. AI requires continuous monitoring and updates to stay accurate and relevant, and it should be seen as part of a broader strategy rather than a standalone solution.

AI Isn’t Perfect

Results are based on the information the AI was programmed with or has access to. These sources were created by people and may reflect their biases or be inaccurate.

The Five Big Ideas in Artificial Intelligence

Computers perceive the world using sensors. Making computers “see” and “hear” well enough for practical use is one of the most significant achievements of AI to date.

AI agents maintain representations of the world and use them for reasoning. Computers construct representations using data structures, and these representations support reasoning algorithms that derive new information from what is already known. While AI agents can reason about very complex problems, they do not think the way a human does.

Computers can learn from data. Many areas of AI have progressed significantly in recent years thanks to learning algorithms that create new representations. For the approach to succeed, tremendous amounts of data are required. This “training data” must usually be supplied by people, but is sometimes acquired by the machine itself. 

Intelligent agents require many kinds of knowledge to interact naturally with humans. AI agents must be able to converse in human languages, recognize facial expressions and emotions, and draw upon knowledge of culture and social conventions to infer intentions from observed behavior. All of these are difficult problems. Today’s AI systems can use language to a limited extent, but lack the general reasoning and conversational capabilities of even a child.

AI can impact society in both positive and negative ways. AI technologies are changing the ways we work, travel, communicate, and care for each other. But we must be mindful of the harms that can potentially occur. For example, biases in the data used to train the AI system could lead to some people being less well served than others. It is important to discuss the impacts that AI is having on our society and develop criteria for the ethical design and deployment of AI-based systems.

Is it wrong to ask AI to write your essay and turn it in as your own work? Absolutely.

However, banning it at school will not prevent students from using it at home. Teachers should be talking to students about AI and addressing the academic and ethical issues that AI-generated writing produces. Students should learn the difference between using AI as a tool versus using it to plagiarize or cheat.

What Benefits Does AI Have on Student Learning?

Collaboration
AI tools can assist students in group projects by offering new ideas, providing research support, and revealing connections between different pieces of information.

Communication
Students can use generative AI to boost creativity in writing, visual arts, and music by suggesting new ideas or generating content for them to build upon.

Personalized Content and Review
AI can create personalized study materials, summaries, quizzes, and visual aids, support students (including those with disabilities) in developing tailored resources, and help organize and review content.

Creating Creativity
Students can use generative AI to boost creativity in writing, visual arts, and music by suggesting new ideas or generating content for them to build upon.

Tutoring Support
AI can democratize tutoring by providing 24/7 support and enhancing instruction, especially for students facing various obstacles and/or barriers.

Future and Critical Thinking Skills
Students who understand AI are better equipped for diverse careers, gaining skills in computational thinking, data analysis, and solution evaluation.

What Benefits Does AI Have for Teachers and Staff?

Collaboration
AI can create personalized study materials, summaries, quizzes, and visual aids, support students (including those with disabilities) in developing tailored resources, and help organize and review content.

Communication
AI tools can assist in drafting and improving communications within the school community, implement chatbots for handling routine inquiries, and offer immediate language translation.

Resource Compilation
AI can democratize tutoring by providing 24/7 support and enhancing instruction, especially for students facing financial or geographic barriers.

Diagnostic Assessments
Students who understand AI are better equipped for diverse careers, gaining skills in computational thinking, data analysis, and solution evaluation.

Enhancement for Differentiation and Professional Development
AI can assist educators by recommending tailored teaching and learning strategies that align with student needs, personalizing professional development to fit teachers' interests and goals, suggesting interdisciplinary or collaborative projects, and providing simulation-based training scenarios like conducting a lesson or managing a parent-teacher conference. Additionally, AI can support educators by suggesting relevant books or articles for lessons and keeping them informed about the latest teaching techniques, research, and methods.

Risk Mitigation Considerations

Plagiarism
To reduce plagiarism and AI tool misuse, teachers should clarify AI usage guidelines and redesign assignments. Focus on the creation process, require personal insights, and encourage original data collection.

Misinformation
Students should learn to critically assess AI-generated content for misinformation and manipulation, and be educated on the responsible creation and sharing of content.

Inequitable Access
If an assignment allows the use of AI tools, they should be provided to all students, as some may have access to these resources outside of school.

Continue Reading about Artificial Intelligence and Education

References

Code.org, CoSN, Digital Promise, European EdTech Alliance, Larimore, J., and PACE (2023). AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit. Retrieved from teachai.org/toolkit. 07/31/2024.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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