Reflections on our EdTech Group Presentation

This group project was certainly a necessary and interesting topic to have researched. Artificial Intelligence is such an unpredictable reality, where the classroom scope of this is even more unprecedented. There are many aspects of these tools that can aid teachers, school staff, administrators, and students; however, there may be harmful occurrences with its use if students are not properly equipped to use them. As was mentioned a few times on Zoom, chat conversations with a tool that does not have the answer for a student who may be seeking revenge for example, would not supply them with helpful resources to deal with the issue at hand. Therefore, it is important for the student to be able to of course attain digital literacy and be capable of recognizing the AI. In addition, they should understand what it can and cannot do, and be cognizant of how they can use it as a tool.

Our group presentation focused on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its use in the classroom environment. We covered the definition and recognition of AI, the pros and cons of AI tools for students and educators, and the crucial aspect of AI safety in an educational setting. We covered What AI is and How to Recognize It. We explained AI using examples relevant to students and teachers, defining it as systems that perform tasks requiring human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.

• Pros: We emphasized benefits like personalized learning paths (AI tailoring content based on a student’s pace), automated grading for routine assignments, and providing 24/7 tutoring support.

• Cons: We tackled serious concerns, particularly academic integrity (the rise of AI-generated work), the decrease in critical thinking skills if over-relied upon, and the potential for data privacy breaches involving student information.

With AI Safety in the Classroom, we explored the necessary guardrails. We stressed the need for clear acceptable use policies for students, and for them to understand the privacy rights that they have. The core safety takeaway was the importance of human oversight and intervention to manage bias and ensure ethical application. Overall, I think we could have covered more about transparency and academic integrity in regard to AI use for both students and teachers, but we tried to keep it as concise as possible. Also, on the slides we could have made them with less text, so that readers can digest the information better.