This week felt pretty practical and relatable. After reflecting on the ‘double-edged sword’ of generative AI in my Reflection #3 and getting to see and experience in person the technological innovation happening at PSII that I reflected on in Reflection #4, it was interesting to spend time this week in Zoom sessions that looked at how these AI concepts actually work and land in a modern, standard BC classroom. I signed up for two sessions: Student AI Literacy (K-12) and The Digital Classroom for 8-12.
Image Credit: BC Gov: AI Use in Schools
I would say that last week, I was thinking more about the tensions that educators often feel and experience when it comes to using AI in the classroom. This week, I attended two Zoom sessions hosted by Focused Education that really reframed how I think about and see the “digital classroom”. I also learned about AI Literacy Lessons from Common Sense Education and the B.C. Government’s Digital Literacy Framework. Both sessions taught me that as educators we aren’t just teaching how to use a prompt but also the importance of understanding and teaching both the positives and negatives of AI, including the ethics of deepfakes and how to identify AI material. I learned that it’s no longer optional in this day and age; it’s a survival skill that both students and educators need.
Zoom Session #1: Student AI Literacy (K-12)
In this session, the speaker talked about the new suite of AI Literacy Lessons created and developed specifically by B.C. teachers. The focus of this also wasn’t just on “how to use ChatGPT”, but on the fundamental basics and principles of how these systems actually work.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was the focus on environmental impact and algorithmic bias. For secondary students (8-12), it’s important that we teach lessons that move away from the novelty of AI and toward the more difficult topics, like who is being left out by these algorithms? How much water do these data centres actually use?
The speaker also talked about how it’s easy to treat AI as a tool without researching and/or understanding the implications behind it, which is why it’s important to teach students and for us as educators to view AI as a resource-heavy tool and move away from being a passive user to a critical evaluator who understands that every “output” has an impact, a cost, and often a creator who inspired AI in the first place.
Image Credit: Empowering Student Learning: Navigating Artificial Intelligence in the College Classroom
Zoom Session #2: The Digital Classroom for 8-12
This session focused on essential online resources for teachers that have been approved and licensed for B.C. schools. We talked about the importance of access and looked at solutions like Brisk Teaching, We Are Teachers, and other online education platforms that allow teachers to adjust reading levels, translate sources, and just improve general accessibility for all students in the classroom by using AI.
I learned how powerful of a tool AI can be in terms of equity in education. Because students have such a wide range of diverse learning needs, being able to provide a ‘read aloud’ or lower-level, more accessible reading version of the same high-quality resource/lesson plan, without making it “obvious” or isolating these students from the rest of the class, is super helpful, important, and honestly essential.
Another topic of discussion was the lack of logins. Most of the resources we learned about don’t require a student password or making an account, which connects well to FIPPA (B.C.’s privacy laws/regulations), which makes sure that no student data is shared without permission. It also connects strongly with the disability justice framework and accessible learning for students.
Image Credit: Accessible Education: Bridging the Gap for All Learners
Resources
To conclude, here are some of my favourite resources from the Zoom sessions that I will definitely be taking into my future practice.
AI for Education Accommodations
AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 6–12
Digital Well-Being Lessons for Grades K–12
Government of Canada-Accessible education, training and literacy on AI