(Playground-v2.5, 2024)
AI has been consuming my life these last couple of years, as I previously stated in a prior blog post. David Bremner, the previous vice-principal of BIS, introduced me and my TOK students to AI. During my TOK exploration of knowledge and technology, I invited David to guest lecture in my class. He had us run through some scenarios based on ethics and AI, similar to the train track questions we have all seen before. My students loved th
e lesson, and I had the privilege of joining as a student as well. After class one day, David showed me how to properly use Chat-GPT. I was making a unit plan for the graphic novel Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim at the time, but the novel was so new there were no helpful resources. David asked Chat to make a unit plan for me. Now, was it perfect? No, but it offered me multiple possibilities I hadn’t thought of based on the knowledge it pulled up about the author and her other texts. I was hooked!
I knew already before sitting down to listen to our classmates’ debate that I was firmly on the side that AI would revolutionize education. Sorry, opposition debate team! I didn’t change my mind during the debate either. My current school, NIS, has allowed me to join even deeper into the AI movement, and I often get to debate with naysayers of AI in my daily practice. Thankfully, the team I work with are forward thinking and pushing forward with incorporating AI in our school regardless of others banning it. This quote,
“Beyond using AI tools for educational purposes, it is crucial to educate students about AI itself, including how to develop AI technologies and understand their potential risks.”
from the World Economic Forum best encompasses what I believe about AI. AI is part of our world, and we cannot widen the Digital Divide by keeping our students away from this technology. There is no need to be afraid. I shared the argument that people were also afraid of fluorescent lightbulbs, which were not that far into our past, yet they are still here to stay.
We can push against it, or we can embrace it to support our learners and ourselves. If people aren’t careful, technology will run on without them.
Taking a moment to examine the opposition side, the following article cautions educators to consider their values before jumping into using technology. This has been a common stance that I have seen. However, Dr. Shannon Doak at NIS has offered me a better stance in that AI is something that is fluctuating, so we, as educators and leaders, must be flexible in our approach. This is one of those cases where caution needs to go somewhat out the window, and the willingness to make mistakes comes into play.
A second prominent argument is that student privacy is at risk. This is 100% true! Many AI tools require students to be at least 13 years old to use, but with all age-gated technology, it is easy for our youngsters to bypass them. That is why, just as we need PD, students need it regularly, too! All of my students are on Magic School at the moment because it offers helpful reminders about the type of information they input into AI, which hopefully serves as a helpful reminder when they use other platforms.
The final argument I will address is the issue of bias. The debaters addressed this in their opening statement by stating that AI is assigning gender to certain job roles. I remember this being an issue with Google’s Gemini when it was “woke,” according to several users. This won’t change with AI. AI is created by those who are biased. Therefore, that will continue into the online space. However, this is a great lesson for students. We teach students about navigating bias as part of our current curriculum. Using AI to determine that bias is just one way of making the educational outcomes more relevant to our learners.
AI is here to stay. I am on board…are you?
Just popping on here to say I commend all the work you are doing. The experience you have is incredible and I hope it is okay to pick your brain in the future when I start dipping my toes into the world of AI.
I appreciate all of the knowledge you have shared in this reflection!
I loved reading your post! I totally get your excitement about AI revolutionizing education. The World Economic Forum quote you shared nailed it: we need to use AI and understand it. Your comparison to fluorescent lightbulbs was perfect – new technology often scares us at first but becomes essential over time.
There has been a lot of discussion about Magic School. I have never heard of this before. Am I that behind? I am going to have to look into it for sure, but I wonder if it is a resource that could be used in a secondary classroom? Is it used school-wide or could it be used just in my classroom?
Thanks for sharing your journey and insights!
Yes! We use Magic School for G6 to G12 on the student side and the PYP teachers use it for planning on their side. I recently used Magic School to create a bot that acted like Euripedes’ Medea. My G12s were using it to study for their DP exams.
I just needed to comment on your post. I think you have an incredible amount of knowledge and it is people like you who we need to help people like me to, not only see the benefits, but to also hep guide and teach. I really have enjoyed listen to your commentary and understanding of these complex issues!
Hey Chloe! I really appreciate it. I have been a lucky lady to have the tech experts I have in my life or I’d be much more afraid. I remember when I had a pal in the tech industry send me an essay he had created with the earliest form of Chat-GPT, I nearly pooped my pants in fear, but ignored it because it wasn’t that popular. Boy, was I wrong! I still have a lot to learn myself, and I am hoping to use some of my PD budget towards further AI training in the upcoming school year.
Hi Chloe! I know AI technology taken over the world. I agree AI technology contributed on education and every other things, but still I was worried about it. I think it takes away our creative thinking ability. But reading your blog I must say you made me lean towards AI technology. You have discussed the potential of technology. You have shared noteworthy resources for better understanding.
Hi Carol! I know AI technology taken over the world. I also agree AI technology contributed on education and every other things, but still I was worried about it. I think it takes away our creative thinking ability. But reading your blog I must say you made me lean towards AI technology. You have discussed the potential of technology and shared noteworthy resources for better understanding. Pardon me for misspelling your name here. I guess, I wrote Chole’s name cause she was our partner.
Hi Carol. I enjoyed your thoughts on AI and since I am a new person to this technology, it made me excited to see all the advantages that it provides. I would love to pick your brain on how best we can integrate AI into the class. Is it possible for me to mail you sometime?
Any time Aradhana! You can catch me at my work email carolfisher@nanjing-school.com. I also have a great team who love to share their knowledge as well. We do not gatekeep our findings.
Your post on the permanence of AI in education is insightful and forward-thinking. I particularly appreciate your analysis of how AI can support personalized learning and the potential challenges it presents. The main takeaway for me is your balanced view on the integration of AI, acknowledging both its benefits and ethical considerations.
Question: As AI becomes more integrated into educational systems, what specific measures do you think educators should take to ensure that its use enhances learning experiences without compromising student privacy and autonomy?
Educators first and foremost need to take time to play around with AI i multiple forms. This should be done with PD, but as we all know, not every school is willing to do this. We, as educators, need to find those free courses, like the GOA one, to help jumpstart our knowledge. If we know how it can enhance our job, it’ll be easier to help students learn the same. Whole school initiatives like Magic School are a great way to help students learn about privacy and AI. It is something that school health programs really need to spend some focus on as well when teaching about internet safety.
Hi Carol!
I just loved reading your blogs. Your strong support for artificial intelligence in education is compelling. The example of using ChatGPT for lesson planning demonstrates its ability to improve teaching approaches. While addressing concerns about privacy and bias, your case for adopting AI is consistent with the need for digital literacy. Great points!