How Useful Is AI in the Classroom? Parents and Teachers Weigh In
How useful is AI in the classroom?
Warning: This video contains discussion of suicide. We recommend that teachers review the segment before sharing with their students.
Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly being integrated into many facets of life, including in America’s classrooms. As more school districts integrate AI into learning, we hear from parents and teachers grappling with the use of the technology in the classroom, and Stephanie Sy discusses more with Justin Reich, author of "Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education."
View the transcript of the story.
Warm-Up: Exploring AI in the Classroom
- How many (what percentage) of students are using AI for school, according to this segment?
- Who has more confidence in AI in schools than parents, according to the information presented by the RAND Corporation?
- What is AI company OpenAI offering to school districts across the country?
- Why are some adults interviewed for this story optimistic about AI? Why are some pessimistic? (Try to give one response for each question.)
- When have other technologies been introduced to the classroom with the promise that they would free up teacher time?
Essential Questions for Evaluating Classroom AI Tools
In this segment, Justin Reich of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) says:
When radio was first introduced, it was argued that, with radio, the underprivileged school would become the privileged one, that elite lectures could be broadcast into the homes of lower-income students. And radio did not bring equality. Personal computers did not bring equality. The Web didn't bring equality. New technologies typically disproportionately benefit the affluent. They benefit people with the financial, social and technical capital to take advantage of new innovations.
What do you think Reich means? Why do you think technology promoted as leveling the playing field has often benefited students with access to better resources?
Media literacy: Why do you think this segment only focused on interviewing parents and teachers? Why not students? If you could tell adults one thing about how AI is affecting learning for students, what would it be?
Extension Activity
Do you think there is a responsible way to use AI in the classroom? If so, what rules do you think classrooms should follow? Watch the following video from MediaWise, then discuss as a class —
- If you could write your own guidelines for AI use in your classroom, what would they include?
- What would you consider cheating using AI?
- Do you think there are ways AI can enhance your learning rather than just replace it? If so, how?
Join the AI and Education Community
Join the team from the AI Educator Brain, which includes AFT’s Share My Lesson director Kelly Booz; New York City Public Schools teacher Sari Beth Rosenberg and EdBrAIn, our AI teammate (yes, it named and designed itself!). In this community, we will dissect the pros and cons of AI tools in education. Our mission: to determine how AI can support teaching and learning, and when it might be best to stick with tried-and-true methods.
Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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