Especially for Leaders of Learning!

• AI Unlocks Learning Potential – with Sam Kahn:  A tutor for every student and assistant for every teacher? This education innovator is working to make it a reality. Groundbreaking educator Sal Khan wants to revolutionize education — using AI.

• Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning:  The United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, released this report which addresses the clear need for sharing knowledge, engaging educators and communities, and refining technology plans and policies for AI use in education. It recognizes AI as a rapidly advancing set of technologies that can enable new forms of interaction between educators and students, help educators address variability in learning, increase feedback loops, and support educators. It also outlines risks associated with AI—including algorithmic bias—and the importance of trust, safety, and appropriate guardrails to protect educators and students.  The report recommends that the Department continue working with states, institutions of higher education, school districts and other partners to collaborate on the following steps:
  1. Emphasize Humans-in-the-Loop
  2. Align AI Models to a Shared Vision for Education
  3. Design AI Using Modern Learning Principles
  4. Prioritize Strengthening Trust
  5. Inform and Involve Educators
  6. Focus R&D on Addressing Context and Enhancing Trust and Safety
  7. Develop Education-specific Guidelines and Guardrails

• Artificial Intelligence in Education: Teachers’ Opinions on AI in the Classroom:  In recent years, the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has sent shockwaves through society on both economic and cultural levels. Seemingly poised to become as ubiquitous as email, this rapidly evolving technology is transforming many aspects of daily life—including how we teach and learn.

  In October 2023, Forbes Advisor surveyed 500 practicing educators from around the U.S. about their experiences with AI in the classroom. With respondents representing teachers at all career stages, the results reveal a snapshot of how artificial intelligence is impacting education.

• Embracing Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom (Harvard University):  The cautious response is to be expected according to Houman Harouni, lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a former elementary and high school teacher. He has compassion for educators trying to grapple with a rapidly shifting world shaped by machine learning.

  “Technology creates a shock,” he explains. “This shock is sometimes of a magnitude that we cannot even understand it, in the same way that we still haven't absorbed the sharp shock of the mobile phone.”

  Harouni has long wrestled with the impact of cutting-edge technology on education, including experimenting in his own classroom, and is convinced that when it comes to teaching  “the medium is part of the message.” He believes that getting school students and those in higher ed to engage with virtual

• Our Children Are Growing Up with AI. Here's What You Need to Know:  Younger generations are growing up interacting with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, yet little attention is paid to the impact of AI and related technologies on children. 

  AI holds great potential for children's education and health but it is also a risk for their privacy and safety.

  Decision-makers and tech innovators must prioritize children's rights and wellbeing when designing and developing AI systems. Efforts should be undertaken to create AI curricula, and build AI literacy and skills of future generations.

• Check out more information on Iowa ASCD's webpage for Artificial Intelligence.