I feel somewhat conflicted about my stance on generative AI in classrooms, and trying to navigate its complexities always leaves me feeling a bit scattered! I do have some skepticism about AI’s implications in education settings. Two major limitations of GenAI that I find quite off putting are its absence of originality, and its non-ethical & moral decision-making. I am also keenly aware of issues like data privacy, intellectual property rights, and environmental implications.
However, I do think that there are promising use cases for GenAI in elementary education. I think that AI will be a useful tool in lesson planning and that it could encourage new ways of student engagement. Another potential advantage of AI is its capacity to support the development of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I think it could really be a game-changer when it comes to supporting adaptive and personalized learning experiences. My rationale is that the more time teachers save on planning, the more time they have to provide individual support to their students. I definitely view AI as a supplementary tool rather than a teaching replacement.
I think that we need to approach the integration of AI in classrooms in much the same way we once discussed the introduction of the internet in education. Just as the internet revolutionized the way we teach and learn, I think that AI has the potential to bring about significant changes. I think that embracing this evolution requires us to consider ourselves, too, as learners. We must be open to change and vigilant in our responsible and ethical use of GenAI.
I’ve included a link to a super interesting article that I read — It’s called Get on Board with AI and is published by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In it, Anant Agarwal discusses how and why educators need to embrace AI. I encourage you to read it!
Link to Article: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/edcast/23/09/get-board-ai
