The Hesitant Transition to using A.I. in the Classroom…

Summary

Hi everyone!
We all know that there is a lot of controversy about A.I. and the use within schools, this week we are talking about the pros and cons of A.I. and our students using it!
I was able to implement an A.I. practice this week, read on to find out how it went!

The Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom:

Pros-

• Time Efficiency
• Assistive Response
• Personalized Learning Experiences
• Educational Tool Accessibility
• Increase of Productivity
• Creative Abilities
• Problem solving skills

Cons-

• Lack of human interaction
• Risk of Bias
• Ethical Issues
• Decreased Engagement
• Lack of comprehension/content

How will I rectify the Biases of A.I?:

There is a lot of hesitation when it comes to introducing A.I into our classrooms as teachers, and with that comes so many questions. Teachers are concerned that students are going to overly rely on A.I to think for them rather than use their own critical thinking skills. As a teacher who is starting to implement the use of A.I in my classroom for myself and my students, it’s my job to establish ethical guidelines and expectations. As teachers we all know that expectations have to be clear when it comes to behavior and academics in our classrooms, and therefore we can set those same expectations of A.I! At the beginning of the year I introduce many “tools” for learning to my first graders (manipulatives), and we say all the time, “This is a tool, not a toy.” Therefore, my students know what a tool is, as it is something that can help/support us and our learning. By starting small, and establishing A.I as a tool, I believe that students will understand how it can enhance our learning experiences. I believe no matter a students age, they need to see modeling. Therefore, modeling for our students the appropriate uses of A.I technology will be key in order for them to best use A.I for support, rather than using A.I to do their work for them. In the end it is all about what you’re asking A.I for… so if your students are taught how to use A.I to do research, and gain better understanding of a concept we can simply say, how is A.I any different than searching on Google?

Students must be able to take their responses from the A.I system with consideration to other perspectives, as they should know that bias does exist. As students use A.I this is not the only research method that should take place, as students can check their information found with additional resources to confirm the validity. With more time will come more exposure for A.I and their data will become more valid on its own. However, for now to decrease chances for bias, students must be familiar with other methods of research in order to get the most accurate information as possible eliminating bias, and making sure students are aware of the algorithms that come along with using A.I.

TCE Connections:

• Teaching is an intellectual engagement- With the use of A.I in the teaching profession, the teacher still has all the power to make what A.I produces what they want to be. It is not just about using what A.I generates for us to use because it is convenient, however it is about how we as teachers engage with the materials. We must still use our own understanding/expectations and hold the produced materials to a standard of validity. Just because A.I made it, does not mean it matches with exactly we are teaching. Therefore, we have those opportunities to engage with A.I and refine and evaluate the materials that we are going to place in front of our students while critically thinking about the end goal for our students based on the content.
• Teaching and learning honors people’s full humanity- When we think about A.I humanity is not the first thing we consider. However, when considering our students future A.I is going to be around for the long haul. Therefore, we need to consider their uses of the technology. They will need to know how to ethically use A.I to keep up with the times that they are living in. By teaching our students the correct ways to use A.I as a resource we are honoring their humanity as we know that this is a tool that will be around, and the opportunities to use A.I are only going to grow and continue to develop with time.

Using A.I in my Lesson Planning/Classroom:

This week I was able to try something new and use A.I when developing an assessment. I personally have laid low in the A.I world as it was not something that I have felt the need to explore. However, this module has made me open my mind to using A.I to my own advantage. As teachers we are constantly teaching and assessing. Unfortunately, with being new to first grade I have previously shared that I do not have as many resources in my filing cabinet so I have been collecting and storing them so that I have them for the future. With Halloween coming up, my first graders are learning all about the life cycle of a pumpkin, and with that I wanted to assess them. My school district only has science curriculum for grades 3-12. Therefore, science in first grade is a lot of DIY. What a better time to try out A.I than now when I needed to create a summative assessment for my students to take after the mini-unit on the life cycle of a pumpkin.

Here is the link to my conversation with Chat-gpt, for you to see how the conversation built a multiple choice assessment for my first graders! https://chat.openai.com/share/dbdcf4ad-f494-494e-b358-c2cfadbf822d

I was honestly so impressed with Chat-gpt produced for my questions and responses for refinements. I was so intrigued as to how easily Chat-gpt was able to lessen the answer choices, and swap out a question I did not like which was a nice success. This A.I tool would be perfect for differentiating test through eliminating answer choices, refining the number of questions, and even changing the answer choice order in order to ensure all students have different assessments in front of them based on their needs. I did not face any challenges when using the Chat-gpt tool as it was very user friendly. I was able to print this assessment out to give my students and was so excited to share it with my first grade team! I cannot wait to use this tool again to create more assessments/activities that align with the first grade Ohio Learning Standards.

Here is a link to the test if interested!

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