Transforming Education: Navigating the AI Revolution in Schools
AI is getting better and impacting education in several ways. The availability of ChatGPT to everyone in November 2022 created new concerns for education leaders. Principal leaders had to think about artificial intelligence, which resulted in adding more tasks to their already busy schedules.
AI systems have some good aspects as well. They are fast at doing regular tasks. We can easily access information at an expedited rate. Text phrases and images can be created in a matter of minutes. Artificial intelligence tools can assist in evaluating the results of exams, student movements, and communication between students. Göçen et al. (2020) stated that an AI tool could analyze students' voices, measure how much they have learned, and offer supportive or regulatory directives accordingly.
The unfortunate thing about AI in education is that the AI tools are only as innovative as the data it’s learned from, so they might in some way almost always need to utilize oversite. We have also seen bias from data sources and input further expressing educator concern. According to Tyson and Matthew (2020), programs that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming more prevalent in classrooms worldwide. As this technology becomes more available and affordable, school administrators are deciding whether these types of programs make sense for their schools.
What are some things educators need to consider when adding AI into their classrooms?
To start, educational leaders can check out a recent paper about AI from the US Department of Education. Following are some of the suggestions:
Modern Learning Ideas: How each person learns best and gives them fitting lessons can be understood by using AI. Make learning with AI interesting by adding games or excellent activities. AI Instantly gives you feedback when you are finished doing something. That way, you can fix mistakes quickly. AI can help people work together on projects or share ideas. AI should work for people who adopt different ways of learning.
Working Towards the Same Goal: Pay attention to what everyone believes or feels about AI. We should include teachers, students, parents, and others in deciding the goal. It could result in better learning, more efficiency, or solving specific problems. Keep everyone informed about how close you are to reaching the goal. It builds trust because people see things happening.
Where should school leaders start when it comes to AI?
Dr. Erik Gundersen from Suffern Central School District (NY) says a survey should be conducted to know what educators and others know and think about AI through surveys and talks. People might feel differently about AI. There are different thoughts about AI among different people. Some are excited, and some are unsure or not interested. Dr. Gundersen suggests forming school groups to share ideas with those excited about AI. Dr. Matthew Murphy, retired superintendent of Ramsey School District (NJ), says parents should be part of this, too. Parents should be equally involved in the discussion about AI in school meetings.
Involvement of people: Discussions and decision-making processes related to AI must involve people from various backgrounds and roles. Thinking about AI's potential positive and negative effects on individuals, communities, and society. Clear guidelines and policies should be established for the development and implementation of AI (Ottesen, 2023).
Should school leaders consider AI safety and data privacy?
According to Dr. Chandra Orrill from Rethink Learning Labs, teachers cannot keep AI out of schools in the coming years. Instead, they will have to find ways for students to use AI safely. Data Privacy will be a significant hurdle because AI can collect and share details about students, which makes this an ongoing challenge. Dr. Gundersen brings up another problem; he shares that students need more resources to be able to use AI on school devices. However, some of them can have it at home. This can widen the gap of those studnets who have access and those who do not. Dr. Murphy expressed, “before, people suggested teaching coding in schools, however, now, that AI can write code, and by this time next year, some of the coding jobs may be replaced. Students who were formally trained must learn to utilize their knowledge and skills in various ways to stay current.
Dr. Orrill relates AI with calculators; He says we should think about AI in the same way we changed how we teach math when calculators became common. Instead of just memorizing and calculating, students can now explore ideas more. They already have powerful tools in their pockets, so teaching should focus more on active learning and asking questions (Ottesen, 2023).
How can educators stay up-to-date with AI?
To understand AI in schools better, the experts recommend:
Joining Webinars: Attend online sessions to learn more about using AI in education.
Bringing in Experts: Get help from people who know much about AI but may be outside the school.
Checking Research: Read studies and reports about AI in schools. It helps leaders have good conversations with their teams.
Asking ChatGPT: Dr. Orrill suggests even asking AI, like ChatGPT, how it can help in schools. She tried it and got some interesting responses (Ottesen, 2023).
References
Göçen, Ahmet & Aydemir, Fatih. (2020). Artificial Intelligence in Education and Schools. Research on Education and Media. 12. 13-21. 10.2478/rem-2020-0003.
Ottesen, J. (2023, October 30). Leading the integration of AI in a school system - EdWeb. edWeb. https://home.edweb.net/leading-the-integration-of-ai/
Tyson, Matthew. (2020). Educational Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Dissertation, Georgia State University. doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/18723065