Handwriting notes, Typewriters, Computers, Internet, AI, what next???

Is AI where teachers and schools draw the line, and say no to the next advancement in technology?  Laptops and the internet were just developing while we were all going through our educational journey, and now it is something that most of us could not imagine teaching without.  And while we don’t know the end product or result of AI, I’m sure there was similar hesitation when the internet was starting to be introduced in schools.  And while we don’t know what the future of AI will be, Rokhsareh and Hanieh brought up some cool things that AI is capable of.  So if the technology is there, and students have access to it, we as teachers need to embrace it and utilize it to help us with our daily tasks.

Some of us were introduced to AI, or at least learned about some of the possibilities that it can give us, and as it becomes more and more mainstream, we need to learn to embrace its power, as students are sure to try it.  Gone are the days of scouring the internet for answers to problems, and now using AI software to help us solve these problems.

If we as teachers are creating assignments that can be answered by software, shouldn’t we look at changing that?  I don’t see classes going to the library to check out encyclopedias to research a subject, and then spending time flipping through the pages, and copying what they found on a page of loose leaf.  Students can grab a device, enter their subject, see the Wikipedia page, and copy that onto a Google Doc.  So while the end result does not look the same, the process and result are similar, but more streamlined with technology.  So now, AI is bringing a new advancement that is streamlining work, so we need to adapt our teaching and assignments to where students are putting their effort into solving the problem, rather than bypassing the learning and having technology complete the work for them.

Rokhsarah and Hanieh brought up some of the potentials that AI can be used for, which I, never thought of or heard of.  AI programs being used for tutoring and personalized learning can benefit both students and teachers.  As class composition and sizes continue to be a struggle for teachers in this province, rather than becoming stressed over these challenges, we can use AI to help us reach the students in our class, and give them more personalized attention on some struggling areas.

And while it does scare me to think AI or robots replacing teachers and administrators, this can be related to the same argument in regard to students using AI to complete our assignments.  What can you do in a school or classroom that makes you invaluable and unable to be replaced by a program?  And while yes, I think we can all say there are some things computers  or AI can do better than yourself, whether it be a daily task or something in your teaching day, you should either embrace the technology to better your practice, but also continue to build on what makes you invaluable to the students in your class.

So, yes, AI is here, and we need to embrace the potential that AI can bring to our classroom.  And while I’m not scared of being replaced by AI, we need to continue to make it worth everyone’s while and make ourselves invaluable to our students and schools.