Cari Wilson – After Thoughts

I truly appreciated Cari Wilson’s visit in our class; she was factual and able to give arguments both for and against the use of AI in classrooms. I really enjoyed the ethical dilemma conversation, because it pushes you to think about real issues that, as teachers, we’ll have to discuss with colleagues, students, parents, and ourselves!

This class was more than two weeks ago (we’ve been busy!), and here are the conversations that really stuck with me:

Use of AI with elementary and middle school students

I shared in class that I have a pretty strong stance on using AI in elementary and middle school. As an adult who uses AI, I’m extremely aware of its potential cognitive dangers. The only thing that seems to keep me “safe” is the fact that I spent 14 years in school without it. I learned how to develop patience, critical thinking, creativity, and, most importantly, how to write. I couldn’t just ask ChatGPT to correct my mistakes. I had to understand what my mistakes were.

Students will use AI at home, with their friends, and in their free time; to me, school is where they should balance that out. Honestly, even after this class, my opinion on that didn’t really change. However, I really appreciated how Cari highlighted the importance of AI education. That part I completely agree with. It’s important to make sure students know AI’s limits, its environmental impacts, the existence of deep fakes, and how to use AI appropriately; something we’re all still slowly figuring out.

Homework

Kind of unrelated to AI, but it came up in our conversation and I really liked it. Cari also talked about how much homework students get and how she tries to make hers relational and applicable. She tries to have students spend that time helping their parents at home or having conversations with them, and then she translates those experiences into pedagogical learning. It’s a concept I definitely want to research more in depth, because I found it really interesting.

Guidelines

She also emphasized how important it is to know the guidelines for AI use in our school district. I don’t have much more to say about that, but it’s something that’s really important to keep in mind.

Using AI as a teacher

The other big conversation we had, the one that raised concern in some, excitement in others, and a mix of everything in most, was about teachers using AI. Again, even though AI has existed for years, the AI we know now and its possibilities are relatively new, and especially, constantly growing. It’s really hard to have a firm opinion on how much teachers should use it. I talked with a teacher who said it feels like cheating. I get that. But I also feel that, even though the endless tools, apps, and websites are extremely overwhelming, AI has the potential to make teaching so much better: more adaptable, more creative, more interactive.

I can hardly imagine having time to think through all the adaptations a “perfect” classroom would have, on top of teaching students and having a life; family, partner, friends, going to the gym, being outside, going on weekend getaways, and watching a TV show at night. You see where I’m going with this: having a balanced life. I see AI as something that could help teachers be the teacher they want to be, in the classroom they want, while still having that balance.

The thing is, some extremely brilliant people are going to have to figure out how to make all this happen without destroying the environment… or maybe today’s kids will have to find a way. I thought the little boy’s idea of having the AI computer in a bubble in the ocean was so adorable, and honestly, kind of brilliant (maybe?).