Artificial Intelligence

I have always thought that our current students are being faced with different challenges than I had faced as a kid. Social media has taken their lives by storm, and they are constantly being exposed to new content every day. The difference is that when I was younger, my parents usually censored the content that I was exposed to or were at least nearby to explain things to me. With kids having access to social media, some parents don’t know all of what their children are watching, listening or reading. Just like with social media, AI has entered the chat and it is here to stay. Instead of worrying about what our kids/students will do with it, I think it is important to educate them on how to navigate it. As Dr. Alec Couros mentioned in his lecture, we need AI Literacy.

After the lecture, I took a deep dive into how to go about using AI Literacy in my classroom and came across an article from McGill University.

“Being AI Literate does not mean you need to understand the advanced mechanics of AI. It means that you are actively learning about the technologies involved and that you critically approach any texts you read that concern AI, especially news articles. We have created a tool you can use when reading about AI applications to help consider the legitimacy of the technology.”

Reliability

• How reliable is the information available about the AI technology?
• If it’s not produced by the party responsible for the AI, what are the author’s credentials? Bias?
• If it is produced by the party responsible for the AI, how much information are they making available? 
  • Is information only partially available due to trade secrets?
  • How biased is they information that they produce?

Objective

• What is the goal or objective of the use of AI?
• What is the goal of sharing information about it?
  • To inform?
  • To convince?
  • To find financial support?

Bias

• What could create bias in the AI technology?
• Are there ethical issues associated with this?
• Are bias or ethical issues acknowledged?
  • By the source of information?
  • By the party responsible for the AI?
  • By its users?

Owner

• Who is the owner or developer of the AI technology?
• Who is responsible for it?
  • Is it a private company?
  • The government?
  • A think tank or research group?
• Who has access to it?
• Who can use it?

Type

• Which subtype of AI is it?
• Is the technology theoretical or applied?
• What kind of information system does it rely on?
• Does it rely on human intervention? 

The ROBOT tool that was created above provides questions for both the teacher and students to take into consideration when using AI. It reminds me of similar tools we use when students are fact-checking sources that they get from the internet.

CHAT GPT

Since we are talking about AI, I decided to ask Chat GPT this exact question. The results have been copied and pasted below.

AI can play a significant role in enhancing blended and online learning experiences in various ways:

• Personalized Learning Paths: AI algorithms can analyze students’ learning patterns, strengths, and weaknesses to provide personalized learning paths. This ensures that each student receives content tailored to their individual needs, pacing, and learning styles.
• Adaptive Learning Platforms: AI-powered adaptive learning platforms can dynamically adjust the difficulty level of content based on students’ performance. This ensures that students are appropriately challenged, preventing boredom or frustration.
• Automated Grading and Feedback: AI can automate the grading of assignments, quizzes, and exams, providing instant feedback to students. This not only saves instructors time but also enables students to receive feedback promptly, facilitating faster learning iteration cycles.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Interaction: NLP algorithms enable AI chatbots and virtual assistants to interact with students in natural language. These AI assistants can provide support, answer questions, and guide students through course materials, offering a more engaging and interactive learning experience.
• Content Curation and Recommendation: AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of educational content to curate personalized recommendations for students. This helps learners discover relevant resources, articles, videos, and courses aligned with their interests and learning objectives.
• Predictive Analytics for Student Success: By analyzing students’ engagement, performance, and behavior data, AI can predict at-risk students who may need additional support. Early intervention strategies can then be implemented to improve retention and student success rates.
• Virtual Laboratories and Simulations: AI-driven virtual laboratories and simulations provide hands-on learning experiences in subjects like science, engineering, and medicine. These simulations allow students to experiment in a safe and controlled environment, deepening their understanding of complex concepts.
• Natural Language Generation for Content Creation: AI-powered natural language generation tools can assist instructors in creating course materials, lecture notes, and explanations. This technology can generate coherent and concise explanations of complex topics, supplementing instructors’ efforts in course development.
• Assistive Technologies for Accessibility: AI can improve accessibility for learners with disabilities by providing features such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and image recognition. These assistive technologies enable all students to engage with course content effectively.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: AI analytics tools can help educational institutions analyze data on student performance, course effectiveness, and learning outcomes. These insights empower educators and administrators to make data-driven decisions to continuously improve teaching methods and curriculum design.

By leveraging AI technologies in blended and online learning environments, educators can create more personalized, engaging, and effective learning experiences for students, ultimately improving learning outcomes and student success rates.

As with everything there are pros and cons to using AI. Instead of ignoring AI and all it can do, I believe it is more beneficial to our students to teach them how to use it appropriately.