“TrAIlblazing” is a monthly column capturing the latest trends and innovations surrounding artificial intelligence and its impact on K12 based on research and conversations with district leaders.
If you feel behind on AI readiness, rest assured that most other districts are in the same digital boat. You can embark on/jump into the early stages of AI implementation by modeling innovative initiatives and research.
More than 40% of K12 tech leaders say they’re having “early discussions” about AI’s operational and administrative functions, according to recent survey data from the Consortium for School Networking. Another 22% said their district leadership is not at all focused on operational AI.
I spoke with CoSN project director Paula Maylahn, who’s examining how schools are using AI beyond the instruction that is the focus of most research.
Many districts are stuck on the legality of operational AI, with nearly a quarter of tech leaders saying their district is “not at all” legally prepared. Additionally, 60% of leaders say they lack the skills and expertise to implement the technology.
Regardless, Maylahn says educational AI use will ramp up naturally as improved tools become more user-friendly.
“The technology itself is going to incorporate AI, so that you don’t need to have an expert on staff for operation,” she says.
Early-adopters surveyed by CoSN are prioritizing AI use for their network environments (29%), specifically:
- Local area network (LAN): 29%
- Wireless local area network: 29%
- Network security (CB): 20%
- Wide area network (WAN): 14%
- Data center network: 14%
AI use among teachers continues to grow
Meanwhile, independent research from Stanford University’s SCALE Initiative underscores how quickly teachers learn to appreciate AI’s potential for improving their workflow.
The researchers analyzed more than 9,000 teachers who were brand new to the platform SchoolAI over 90 days. What they found was that more than 40% of teachers became “regular” or “power users,” meaning they used the tool for up to 49 days.
Teachers also relied heavily on chatbot assistants, which accounted for more than 50% of their activity.
Chris Agnew, director of the Generative AI for Education Hub at Stanford, says AI is challenging many decades-old methods of instruction. However, that’s not a bad thing.
“We’ve been talking about more authentic assessment means for 25 years and the need to evolve schools to build more focus on durable skills,” Agnew says. “We have not done a great job of doing that, so the silver lining is that AI might force that.”
Creating policy
Many leaders I’ve spoken to are developing their own AI policies and watching how nearby districts are adapting. Agnew says leaders can use the data from his team’s research to understand better how teachers want AI to be integrated.
Simply put, teachers should be leaders’ first thought when rolling out an AI initiative.
“We know teachers are busy,” he says. “Teachers are asked to do a lot of things. If there are tangible ways that districts can facilitate teachers getting more face-to-face time with their students, I’d predict there would be positive outcomes.”
This idea should be complemented by a comprehensive AI literacy strategy that educates students on how AI can contribute to their development as well-rounded citizens.
“That includes providing teachers AI literacy so they can be smarter, savvier users of AI.”
More from DA: Why career-connected learning is about more than jobs
