AI in Education

Technology these days. Am I right?

Being as resistant to change as we are, as humans, it can be hard to get used to the ever-evolving technology industry. New cell phone models come out every year, if not multiple times a year. VR has become a staple in many households. Many run entire businesses from the comfort of their homes.

One form of technology that has quickly made an impact in education is AI - Artificial Intelligence. Specifically, programs that will automatically write whatever you prompt it to, like ChatGPT, have become increasingly popular with students. These programs are given a bad rep because many assume students only use these programs to cheat, having them write essays or complete assignments for them.

I’m a firm believer in learning to use difficulties in education as a way to better service students. I don’t find AI to be a problem that needs to be fixed, but rather an opportunity for educators to better serve students and for students to acquire knowledge in a new way.

AI can be used in a positive manner in many different ways. Using programs like ChatGPT can help speed up prep time for teachers by writing lesson plans for them, connecting learning goals to student feedback for them, and providing individualized feedback to students. It can also help to better differentiate lesson plans and as a tool to help with language acquisition for non-native speakers. All of the above does the great service of lessening the cognitive load on teachers, which is something that has become quite an issue over the past few years.

AI programs make a better tool than an enemy. Cheating isn’t new. Instead of fighting the cheating (by, say, banning AI programs in schools), we need to embrace the technology and use it to better serve students. Educators are creative people by nature and are able to come up with creative solutions. Working executives use AI in their daily lives, so denying students the ability to use it and learn from it is doing them a disservice.

As a member of the Fenton School Board, I will advocate for embracing AI (and other educational technology) as a district. I will advocate for training for teachers and staff in AI programs, like ChatGPT, to be able to use them to better serve students and I will advocate for policy regarding using AI programs as educational tools.

Resource:

Ortega, Brenda. “Get Ready: AI is Transformative.” MEA Voice, Feb. 2024, pp. 10-15.