When AI was first introduced to me, it genuinely scared me, and I feared how it would affect society. Now, I am fully aware of its impacts on the environment and the ways it can be damaging, but I am trying to learn how to use it in a way that benefits me and my students.
Throughout my undergrad, I was told in some way or another that AI was cheating, that it was prohibited, and that using it would lead to failure. Now, a couple of years later, I have taken courses where professors explicitly teach ways to use AI effectively. I don't think I would have ever learned productive ways to use it unless I had been explicitly taught. This made me think about how I am labeled a "Digital Native," yet I still needed to be taught how to use different platforms of technology. I included a link of an article I read about some benefits to AI if you're interested.
Ferlazzo's arguments resonated with me because they reflect how I actually use AI in my own professional life. I frequently ask AI how I might scaffold or differentiate an assignment for my students. I feel like I'm able to use it to elevate some of my work while still maintaining my own ideas, creativity, and curiosity.
Gallant and Rettinger's argument feels validating in one sense: it matches what I already sense in my classroom, that students who lack confidence, feel time pressure, or don't have a relationship with me are more likely to look for shortcuts. But it also feels daunting as a first-year teacher, because addressing all of those root causes at once, self-efficacy, unclear expectations, peer norms, weak relationships, feels like more than I can tackle in year one. It's also harder to navigate with middle schoolers specifically, since my 7th graders are still developing the emotional regulation and self-awareness. A takeaway is more making space to teach students how to recognize and name what they're feeling before it turns into avoidance or dishonesty, alongside teaching them explicitly how to use technology and build digital literacy.
Link: Benefits of AI
Hi Giana, I totally agree with you about your fear toward embracing AI in the classroom. I too have the understanding that it is a form of cheating, and that it would require some training for me/students to use it effectively and safely. Your response is a great resource and made me think about my own perception of AI in education. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Giana, I think you posed a really nuanced perspective. I feel the same fear as you do and am very reluctant to embrace AI. I think that explicit teaching is so important for our foundations and I think I have lacked that with tech.
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