Understanding AI

What is AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has three general categories: Reactive (mobile phone FaceID or voice assistants), Predictive (algorithms that create preferred music or video lists), or Generative (creating new text, images, and content). AI can understand language and patterns, carrying out complex tasks. It’s a rapidly evolving technology that is already a part of our everyday lives.

Why all the AI Fuss?

New teaching tools based on AI are being offered, but be aware they are still under development.  Some companies are making promises that are too good to be true.  However, the best teaching combines new technology with the experience of a great teacher.  AI is not a magic solution nor a quick fix for complex problems in education.  The best educational technology should help teachers do their jobs better, not replace them.

What is Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI)?

GenAI has rapidly become very common, such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, etc.  It can create content and explain topics, acting as a digital assistant.  GenAI is already described as transformative, effective, easy to use, and personalized, which minimizes the difficulty and complexity of new technologies in education that often fail to deliver on their promise.

How does AI learn?

Much like how a person becomes skilled at playing an instrument or excels in a game, it is all about practice. AI learns from information, also known as data, analyzing and studying human and machine-generated data and languages. 

How can I use AI responsibly?

While AI is powerful, it’s not infallible. It can make mistakes, sometimes significant ones. Educating others about how AI works and encouraging responsible use while protecting privacy is important. Remember, AI isn’t all-knowing, but responsible handling can benefit us in remarkable ways. Using AI yourself is an important first step. Have AI create or analyze text, generate questions, create new media or even lesson plans. Learn the benefits and challenges firsthand so you can share responsibly with others.

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  1. AI is integrated into our digital lives already, outright bans are impossible.
  2. AI use is integral to students’ futures and will be common in the workplace.  Preparing students for responsible use of AI is now integral to the education system.
  1. As with other digital tools and websites, AI tools need to be reviewed for appropriate use. Some may be age-restrictive (such as ChatGPT) and others may compromise student safety and privacy.
  2. All use of AI should meet school policy requirements and be of specific, tested, value for students to use.
  1. Besides raising awareness of academic integrity and responsible use of AI, the single most important we can do is change what and how we assess student learning.  If an AI can complete student work, then we are assigning the wrong activities and asking the wrong questions.
  2. Consider designing assessments that focus on critical thinking and problem-solving. 
  3. Have students create things that demonstrate their learning. 
  4. Have students record how and why they created their project and how they used AI to support that creation.
  1. AI will help teachers immensely by generating lesson plans, learning activities, and formative assessment questions.  AI can also automate routines like offering constructive feedback.
  2. AI will enable educators to focus more on human traits, skills, and abilities rather than knowledge acquisition and recall.  Teachers will be able to design activities that foster higher-order thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, and application of student learning.
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