Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a significant conversation at every educational conference in the past two years throughout my usual treks to teacher education events. As a geriatric millennial with a 20-year career as an educator and scholar, I am thrilled for what navigating this exciting—yet challenging and daring—landscape of AI for educators can mean for all of us.
AI has been making its way into our daily lives in a plethora of ways, even though we have not always noticed it. For example, many people use face recognition to unlock their cell phones or enjoy programming their GPS to know where they are going, and many ensure autocorrect is on to boost their spelling (Reeves, 2023). One creation of Open AI that has become increasingly popular is ChatGPT, which can put together multiple algorithms to text. To the delight of some, and the horror of some, AI was at the forefront of educators’ minds in 2023. From working professionals to teenagers, people around the world expressed fervor that ChatGPT could also save time for writing tasks. In other words, AI’s impact has already impacted our daily lives, and AI will continue to transform our educational world.
As educators, let’s (re)imagine ways that AI can support rich learning experiences where we consider ways to prepare students as we look forward to the future.
Using AI to create tailored learning
In a not-too-distant-past, math teachers complained that calculators would make students worse at basic arithmetic. They projected that students would not be able to make calculations through mental math or even lose the ability to put pen to paper. When I worked as a carhop in high school, we were not allowed to carry calculators, and no one fathomed that one day we would have a calculator right on our cell phone in our pocket!
So, what really happened? Calculators saved people from mundane calculations which facilitated learners to progress more proficiently to complex math. AI can create similar encounters for meaningful knowledge. We have been here before and can recognize the potential of technology tools in the hands of both teachers and students, which promotes more efficient learning, can save time, and focuses on what’s needed. With AI, educators can create more differentiated learning tools and enhance personalization. From designing custom art images to creating “Soundful: AI Music Generator” songs and videos to interacting with historical figures through “Hello History” fun chats, AI has the capability to boost education and deep learning.
AI can also promote more learner-centered approaches, so we can encourage students to be empowered in their education. Students want to explore subject areas and find meaning. Our students will most likely work with AI in some capacity in their professional lives in the future—and we want to position them to make good decisions, be prepared, and find success in a future immersed with AI.
I hope you are encouraged to experiment and (re)imagine with generative AI and see how fun it is to use a futuristic, transformative lens as an educator while we share these unique opportunities with learners.
Discerning when to include AI for pedagogy
In the early 1950s, AI was created. Nonetheless, it could cost up to $200,000 to lease a computer in the 1950s since they were quite large and not popular yet (Kapur, 2023). Only affluent universities and technology companies had access to experiment with what AI could mean in the future.
Now, educators are fortunate to experiment with various devices, especially as cell phones often seem an extension of student hands. One notable question is: When should we use Generative AI and technology in classrooms, exploring the balance of human touch versus computing intelligence?
Upon reflection, here is my response: The part of the learning process that is being emphasized will lend itself to practicing the computation skills needed or human skills needed. With projects that rely on gathering resources, fact-checking, and brainstorming on tough issues, AI can support authentic teaching and learning. Group collaboration, hands-on projects, and the development of emotional intelligence are learning experiences that often involve minimal technology use. Our learners are complex beings who bring diverse backgrounds and emotions to our classrooms, and AI cannot capture emotions.
Furthermore, GIGO is a popular computer term for “Garbage In, Garbage Out” to show that data fed into a system might be incorrect. In this fast-paced world, it’s often necessary to help our learners figure out what is accurate and what their purpose is as they find their way. Technology will never replace what a teacher does to inspire and guide students.
Embracing the space of no longer and not yet
Blocking AI is not helpful for our students’ future. We want to use a futuristic lens that our students will use technology in meaningful ways and be ready for higher education and/or their careers. What should we do to honor the space of no longer and not yet in moving forward with AI and other technology tools? We want to get it right and learn together. When we do, teaching and learning can become more effective than ever.
When Stanford Accelerator for Learning and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI hosted the “AI+ Education Summit,” the excitement for AI was only beginning. By the time the summit occurred on February 15, 2023, ChatGPT had more than 100 million unique users, as well as an alleged 30% of higher education students who had already used it for assignments—thus far, it’s the fastest-ever consumer application in history (Chen, 2023).
With this popular usage, we can use the AI revolution as a springboard for productivity and creativity. In particular, AI can become an intentional part of our routine and cognizant part of our lives in education. For elements in the classroom that might be concrete elements of teaching, such as time spent drafting lesson plans, processing facts and information, writing student letters of recommendations, AI can create templates. That being said, drafts and templates do not replace an educator’s expertise of what is working (or not) with their students.
Moreover, as teachers who are hard-wired to bring shared learning to our communities, we want what is best for all students. It is an interesting world in these rudimentary stages of generative AI—embracing the space of no longer and not yet, as AI is going to become more and more common. Nonetheless, finding opportunities to support students is at the heart of what we do. And that means helping others understand AI and use AI in ways that will positively impact education.
How to address ethical concerns with technology
Ever since technology was invented, students could use it and head to the Darth Vader side or Luke Skywalker side. To put it simply, any tech tool can be used for plagiarism and cheating, and any tech tool can be used to support students, build confidence in their skills, and help them learn more deeply. With endless possibilities that AI can offer, we must carefully consider ethical issues that arise. We must move forward with prudence.
As a P-12 teacher and university professor, it was not difficult to read and recognize writing that did not sound composed by students. Fortunately, many software devices were able to show me which websites had content lifted and how much (i.e., what percentage) of a student paper was plagiarized. Ultimately, I was able to show students at multiple levels why their papers had too much direct copy from other sources, while also encouraging the learning experience of writing in one’s voice. Thus, if and when our students use too much written content, academic integrity calls for them to quote the source or paraphrase and give proper credit. This is an important skill!
We must also ask ourselves: Are we compromising any particular virtue-ethics to—and within—students if primary educational aims are only faster results and more tasks completed? Yes, we are preparing students for an integrated world with technology. In some ways, this type of technology could help the digital divide. In some ways, it could promote more harmful and false information.
Let’s talk about several limitations and issues with generative AI. AI is not accurate in this early phase. Students often cannot see what resources or citations AI is using, and there have been instances of AI fabricating books, movies, and more. Also, the collective diversity of ideas is lacking. This is a major drawback in many ways because collective vision and planning are what make schools breathe with life. One important yet detrimental piece of this early generative AI world is that biases are built into AI models and datasets. Users can manipulate ChatGPT to have discriminatory content.
Can we discuss student responsibility with AI and enforce it well? Perhaps, perhaps not. However, if we help students see the impact of their choices and actions with AI, they will recognize digital footprints in this evolving world, just like they did with social media. We do have a place to help them learn how to appropriately bring AI into their schoolwork, future careers, and personal lives.
And, as we use AI, educators need to do their best to model and ensure inclusivity and fairness, respectful privacy as appropriate in classes, and encourage human accountability.
Guiding students on their future with AI and beyond
Educators are the leaders who will support students to keep moving AI forward in more ways than we can even imagine. The landscape will shift quickly. Educators must keep in mind that technology will never be a replacement for people or human creativity—it is important to recognize tech tools as a way to enhance communication, connection, and creativity in this world.
I’d like to leave with one final story that might also help us yearn to grow more in technology.
Many years ago, I graduated college and finished up a tough student teaching assignment, but I was hopeful for all the new ideas I could bring into the classroom once I had my own space. Good fortune came. I was presented with the opportunity to be the first teacher in my school to have a Smartboard. In college, almost all my teacher education classes relied on projectors and marker boards, so this was an exciting new world, and I was thrilled to be a leader in this technology space. I promptly said, “Yes, I will figure out how to use this device… a Smartboard. The students will be as excited as me to use it!” And I was right.
The students and I had a blast trying out the new gadgets, streaming, and interacting together. Schools are places of lasting relationships and memories that endure. I still smile when I think of the excitement and awe that students had for learning when we explored history, math, literature, and everything with the ”new” Smartboard.
People need one another, and technology will never replace human teachers. Let us become leaders in this exciting world of (re)imagining generative AI.
This quote, attributed to Antione de Saint-Exupery, can encapsulate the quest that educational leaders and students can embrace in this latest technology adventure: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men and women to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
References
Chen, C. (2023). AI will transform teaching and learning. Let’s get it right. https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-will-transform-teaching-and-learning-lets-get-it-right
Kapur, R. (2023). AI made simple: A Beginner’s Guide to Generative Intelligence. Rinity Media.
Reeves, S. (2023). 8 helpful examples of Artificial Intelligence. https://www.iotforall.com/8-helpful-everyday-examples-of-artificial-intelligence
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