\n<\/p>\n
A growing number of tools that educators and students use daily are now supercharged with generative artificial intelligence, reshaping everything from lesson planning to how students complete assignments.<\/p>\n
At the same time, skeptics and critics of generative AI are raising concerns about the downsides of relying on the technology, such as a decline in critical thinking skills, students cheating or offloading work, and negative mental health outcomes.<\/p>\n
Still, many AI advocates are encouraging schools to experiment with the fast-evolving technology and teach educators and students how to use it responsibly.<\/p>\n
How can schools find a balance between the potential AI tools have in improving teaching and learning, and the troubling downsides that could come with more teachers, students, and parents using the technology? In a Nov. 13 K-12 Essentials Forum session moderated by Education Week Deputy Managing Editor Kevin Bushweller, three educators discussed this question.<\/p>\n
The panelists were: Aaron Cinquemani, the principal of Woodstock Union Middle and High School in Vermont and co-founder of Greentime.ai, which aims to help educators use AI ethically; Tina Nu\u00f1ez, the ed-tech resource teacher for Albuquerque public schools in New Mexico; and Justin Reich, an associate professor of digital media at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the director of the Teaching Systems Lab.<\/p>\n
Here are the key takeaways from the discussion.<\/p>\n
The biggest question educators tend to have about AI is this: What are we trying to accomplish in education, and what is AI\u2019s role in that? The problem is that the technology is evolving quicker than schools can catch up, the panelists said.<\/p>\n
Generative AI was instantly distributed across society with the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022, making it difficult to conduct research measuring its effects, said Reich.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to say, \u2018Well, is this because people are using GPTs? Or is it just because people are using their phones more?\u201d Reich said. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to be a while before the research community can conclude what kinds of AI uses are harmful to student thinking and development and what kinds are helpful, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Big Science is going to take a long time, I think schools should really consider being their own local scientists,\u201d Reich added.<\/p>\n
Cellphones and social media slowly crept into schools, but it still took a long time to learn about their harms, Cinquemani said. That\u2019s why with AI, schools should \u201cgo slow and steady and be cautious,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As schools figure out what role AI plays in teaching and learning, they should listen and consider every criticism and concern that educators, students, and families bring up, panelists said.<\/p>\n
Because there\u2019s still very little research evidence, \u201cwe should be open to the possibility that there are gains to be had,\u201d Reich said. \u201cBut we should be definitely open to the possibility that these tools harm student development and thinking in ways that might take a little while to track and figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concerns that skeptics and critics bring in \u201cshould be helping us inform how we implement,\u201d Cinquemani said.<\/p>\n
School and district leaders should have a \u201cstance of humility when we don\u2019t know what to do,\u201d Reich said. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to be transparent with our communities, our colleagues, our students, that we don\u2019t know what to do and we\u2019re trying things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Generative AI technology is evolving quickly, which is one of the reasons many districts have yet to create policies or guidelines around using it. The panelists recommended creating flexible policies or guidelines that can be revised as more information about AI comes out.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s exactly how Cinquemani\u2019s school in Woodstock, Vt., is approaching AI. A small group of educators created a general belief statement about AI, including what they think will work and what won\u2019t, and they plan to revisit it regularly, he said.<\/p>\n
The Albuquerque schools\u2019 policy is \u201ca little bit broad on purpose,\u201d Nu\u00f1ez said, because the technology is changing so fast. The district plans to revamp its teacher and student AI policies as it learns more about how they are using the tools.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, if schools want to use this emerging technology, they need to teach students and staff how to use it responsibly, panelists said.<\/p>\n
The Albuquerque district started with getting teachers comfortable with the technology, Nu\u00f1ez said. Teachers learned what AI is, how it works, and what its pros and cons are.<\/p>\n
Now, the district is trying to build that knowledge in students as well, Nu\u00f1ez said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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