Monthly Archives: September 2024

“AI will not be stopped.” My limited understanding and exploration.

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The emergence of AI…. A topic I know very little about and seem to spin around in circles trying to find where I stand on the topic and how it could benefit me as an educator.  I think we can all agree that AI is not going anywhere, so I suppose its time to buckle up and learn about it.

“AI will not be stopped. ” – Mo Gawdat

Reflecting on the readings this week:

After taking time to read more about what exactly AI is, I have a slightly better understanding that it has been around us for more than we probably were aware. Examples such as having amazon predict items you may like, or using google. Personally I had not thought deeper in thinking with was AI.

I was aware there were different types of AI and the different pathways and processes those AI use. Thank you Dean, as well as the video Generative AI in a nutshell for presenting AI in a way that was a bit more understandable. That being said, I want to spend more time looking into AI and understanding the risks and benefits.

Giving ChatGPT a try:

During our zoom, I rated myself as a 0 when it came to using AI, which in hindsight was a bit lower… I’m probably more of a 1 or 2 (still not that impressive, I know). Previously I tried using ChatGPT in a small amount to help create report card comments. I had followed a teacher turned entrepreneur who posted this video that gave some information about using Chat GPT

At the time, I thought it was amazing (it still can be helpful) but we were also quickly shut down by admin/division office about using Chat GPT for report cards. To be honest, I never pushed back and truly questioned them as to why, but chalked it up to “oh well, glad I didn’t spend too much time using it!”

Fast forward a year or so later and I really hadn’t given Chat GPT or AI another shot…. until now. This weekend I was creating my morning slides for my class, where we have a different attendance question each day. I usually try to make my slides a month at a time, so thinking of questions can be a bit tricky. Here’s how I used chat gpt to help:

(Sorry if the image is really blurry – I’m not sure what is going on)

From this experience, I can see that Chat GPT could be quite helpful with certain aspects of teaching, such as helping to create new ideas, maybe help with lesson plans (although I’m not sure how well they would connect to the curriculum outcomes? Might be worth a try!), helping to phrase things, etc.

On the flip side….

Image from  The Future of Human Being

Deep down, I still have many questions and concerns about the impact of AI on society, especially with its insane speed of development. Of course I have many concerns around privacy and how exactly it is being used. I do feel like people are quick to think AI is “taking over the world” without maybe knowing all the risks involved or without learning how to use AI is a less risky way?

Looking at all the fake news and deep fake videos out there is also quite concerning. As we discussed in our zoom, those deep fake videos could create quite a disruption to society should they be used in a malicious way, spreading misinformation, impersonating others, etc. With so many limitations, as described in The Top 10 limitations of Chat GPT I feel that we still have a ways to go with finding just the right balance between productive  use and harmful use.

I also fear that with AI developing SO quickly, could it eventually start taking away jobs or roles we as humans have? I had a student last year tell me “Ms. Guest, why do we have teachers when we can just learn everything from tik tok?” I mean, he wasn’t completely wrong…. Maybe he was wrong in assuming tik tok is the best place to gather information… BUT, with AI continuing to be more intelligent and a more readily accessible form of information…. Is it a threat to society in that way?

The takeaway: 

I think AI has its place in the world and is here to stay. I think as educators it could be quite helpful when looking at our overall work load and creating new ideas. I absolutely have my doubts and fears about what is to come from using AI and how it will be used in general. I keep thinking to myself “I teach primary grades, I don’t have to worry about this as a teacher” in regards to students using AI, however I need to shift my thinking and also think “how can I help prepare them for the world of AI as they grow older?”

Thanks for reading!

Kathleen

Understanding Digital Citizenship, Digging Deeper

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This week we had the pleasure of listening to Mike Ribble share his research and information to our class.

“Digital citizenship is the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use.” – Mike Ribble

There were many takeaways from Mike’s presentation, as well as the readings this week, but what stuck with me was the notion that it is continuously developing, as well as the idea of empowering others to do more using technology. I found myself nodding in agreement when Mike described the differences amongst students and their abilities. You will have those who use paper and pencil with no problems, and others who could show their knowledge in different ways. His question of “Are we ready as educators? Are we ready…to accept more of that and using that to be able to show how how we understand things…” really had me thinking of my own use of technology in the classroom.

Reflecting on my own teaching practices and experience, I feel as though I am treading in the shallow end when it comes to using technology in more meaningful ways with assignments. I have tried to provide opportunities for students to create videos, cartoon creations (Chatterpix is the one we’ve used the most – I’m sure there are better ones out there!), and voice recordings to share what they have learned, however I truly feel I only lightly touch on how to use that technology in an empowering way. I’m curious for those who are teaching the younger years (ie younger than middle school) on how you may be using technology in the classroom in a deeper way?

 

9 Elements of Digital Citizenship

Image from Socially Savvy

Reflecting on the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship:

As I was learning about the 9 Elements, I realized that I have seen some – but not all – of these in action both at home as a parent and in the classroom.

Digital Access: A fun little fact about me is that I happened to be on maternity leave during the crazy covid year of online learning (or at least the heaviest part of it!), so I do not have the same experience as others when it comes to navigating and pivoting to the online teaching world. However, I was still teaching when schools initially closed and it was an eye opener to the realization that not everyone has the same access to technology. Even to this day, the expectation for parents and students to be using online platforms for communication with schools (ie Edsby, School Cash Online, etc) is concerning as we need to recognize that access to technology may not be the same.  On the flip side to that, does this new policy of no (outside) technology in the classroom help ensure everyone has equal access to technology provided by the school? Would it help with the divide amongst peers as to who has newest devices or not?

Digital Commerce: For this element, I cannot say I have seen it in action in the classroom at the level I teach, however I have heard of older grades using technology to explore banking and budgeting activities. The other day at home I did see a SaskTel Commercial that made me think of this element, where it shows how technology could help them in business or future paths.

Digital Communication and Collaboration: As described on the Digital Citizenship  website, “All users need to define how they will share their thoughts so that others understand the message.” This area I have seen in the classroom a variety of ways to help students communicate, such as using google read and write, speech to text, or translating apps for students who are struggling with language or reading/writing skills.

Digital Fluency: As part of my ELA instruction, we complete an “Advertisement” unit, where students look at various advertisements they see, and we discuss the good information given, poor information given that might just try to “hook” you in, and we also spend a lot of time identifying real life vs fake – for example, in GTA you can run people over… we don’t do that in real life.

Digital Health and Welfare: I think for me, personally, this is the one area I focus a large amount of my time monitoring and discussing with students, and my own child. As posted in my previous post , I spend a disturbing amount of time on my phone for no real reason (It’s getting better, I SWEAR!). As a mom this is something I have been more and more mindful about and have been trying to reduce screen time.

Image from Digital Citizenship

Integrating Ribble’s 9 elements: 

The digital citizenship progression chart, shared by Mike Ribble, is a fantastic resource to help us understand where and how to integrate the 9 elements. While digging into the elements more, I wondered if we did have a guide like this here in Saskatchewan that I maybe just wasn’t aware about, and sure enough I found this publication from the Government of Saskatchewan with an outline for REPS from K-12. I am guessing it is not the most up to date as it refers to REPS (Respect, Educate, Protect) as Mike Ribble said was from quite a while ago.  I’d be curious to see if or when updated resources like this would become available here.

As mentioned above, my digital experience as an educator is just beginning and I am hoping to use this progression chart as a way to organize and provide instruction in ways that move beyond Safety and Protection, but ways to empower students and use the digital world as a tool.

Thanks for reading!

Kathleen

 

 

Let’s dive right in….

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It’s been a while since I have attempted this blog thing, so bear with me as I navigate my way around this blogging world.

This weeks class and articles really opened up my mind to some self reflection and deeper thinking. Being my first class in my Master’s journey, I truly didn’t know what to expect and was quite nervous. However, after meeting everyone and sharing some ideas, I am enjoying that feeling of digging into my own ideas and thoughts and learning from others.

Thinking about my own digital footprint and my experience in the digital world, I like to think I am pretty ‘tech savvy’ but I have also been humbly reminded lately that that may not be the case. With SO many apps appearing constantly, how do you keep up? Students in my class often mention apps they use, and I have no idea what they are talking about! Facebook started up when I was in grade 9, and like my true Millennial self, I am still primarily a Facebook user. Anyone else still sticking to your comfort zone of what you first used? Maybe it’s time I break out of my shell and really give some of these newer apps a try… or is it worth it?

That brings me to thinking about my screen time. I track my screen time on my iPhone and I’m not going to lie… it’s disturbing how often I am on my phone. Doom scrolling. It’s a real thing. Scrolling for no real reason. Am I entertained? Sure maybe. Am I learning things? If I come across it. But am I actively going onto my apps for a real purpose such as checking in on a family member or a friend, or finding a new teaching idea or cooking recipe? Not really. It finally hit home when my 4 yr old said one day “mommy no more phone you play with me!”. He took my phone and shoved it into the couch so I couldn’t be on it. Talk about pulling at the heart strings, and cue major parent guilt. Is that how I want him to remember parts of his childhood? That mommy and daddy were always on their phones?

A few of the articles read this week touched on this and really resonated with me, specifically thinking of parents posting pictures of their children. I am terribly guilty of this and after reading the perspective of Sonia Bokhari in the article “I’m 14 and I Quit Social Media”, I am questioning some of my own actions and what I have posted in the past. I feel there is still a divide amongst parents regarding posting their children’s pictures. What are your thoughts? Does your family have a stance on this? I’d love to hear how you are navigating this with parenting.

Last night in our class we discussed how often we – adults, teachers, parents, etc. – use the scare tactic for children on how to use the internet. I remember those talks so well. It also comes up often in my classroom (grade 3/4, so 8/9 year olds) who for many are just starting to have more “freedom” with their technology at home. It is a little worrisome hearing some of the things they are watching and doing on their devices at home. So if the scare tactic doesn’t work, how can we best support these kids to use the digital world as a tool that can help them be successful? How can we better understand what digital citizenship is, even for us adults? That is what I am really looking forward to.