Reflections on AI use in the classroom& education
After the Emerging Technologies presentation, I was reflecting about the creativity and brilliance of children’s curiosity. The speaker brought up a situation where the student thought about bubbles in the ocean which could keep the machines used for AI cool. This prompted me to think of the ways in which AI can be used to develop children’s curiosities.
From the resources posted on Mattermost, I picked out https://focusedresources.ca/student-artificial-intelligence-lessons to read about further. I clicked on the lessons for K-3, which prompted some very useful lessons and activities that I would like to implement to teach about digital literacy. For example, there is an extension activity where you have students bring a picture or a drawing from home of something that was made by humans OR something that grows in nature. Then, you collect these on a poster or white board. Finally, you have students help decide in which category to place each item. This facilitates an eye for distinguishing man-made objects versus natural ones, and ultimately will help them figure out if certain images they see online are captured or made. This would be a great entry lesson for younger grade students.
Another thing that stood out to me was having guidelines for students to follow. I think for many students this sort of technology can be daunting, especially if they are taught to fear the use of AI. However, it is important for students to understand that while that is their right, it can be used in effective ways to develop their learning and helps teachers manage the classroom as well. https://westvancouverschools.ca/locally-created-ai-resources/ This resource provides multiple resources on facilitating that learning, and teaches students when the appropriate times are to use AI in their learning. The autonomous aspect of digital literacy is crucial because everyone will choose to use technology in a way that works for them, but this can be a slippery slope for students who are not as familiar, so these rules help them figure that out.