School districts, educators and students are living in a rapidly evolving world of AI. What we understand about AI today will inevitably change tomorrow, so our approaches must change along with it.
How education adapts and shifts to these changes will depend on the culture we create around the responsible use of AI. As we better define education’s relationship with AI, now is the time to look at how your district can create a culture that values the safe use of AI and takes advantage of the benefits it can bring to educators and students.
Being purposeful at the district level can set the tone for teachers and help them feel more comfortable navigating this change. Most importantly, we can reinforce that AI is a tool to help teachers, not replace them.
Setting the tone for safety
Just like creating a culture of physical safety, creating a culture that emphasizes the safe, ethical use of AI needs to be intentional and ongoing.
Luckily, there are many resources on the responsible use of AI in education that administrators can reference. Start by looking into any policies in your state that dictate what is or isn’t okay for the use of AI in education.
In states that don’t have a policy, schools are adopting their own temporary policies using resources such as an AI toolkit for school districts from Common Sense Education or the EDSAFE AI Alliance InnovateEDU Policy Lab. Some schools even provide teachers with tips or guidelines while drafting a more official policy.
These guidelines can help educators understand which tools are safe, appropriate ways to use them and any data privacy concerns.
Beyond policy or guidelines, ensure educators across the district have equitable access to resources to help them along the way. Offer resources to help teachers learn about how AI works and its impact, compile high-quality AI lesson plans and consider AI rules to implement in their classrooms.
Districts may also have conversations with educators about AI risks and limitations, including hallucinations, bias, copyright infringement risk and security concerns. A district technology coach is a great resource for educators to turn to with questions.
By having guidelines and other tech resources for teachers, districts can set the tone about the importance of safety and data privacy.
Students also need resources to help them understand safe and ethical use of AI in the classroom in a grade-appropriate way. Consider developing district digital learning agreements for students to sign so they understand what’s expected of them and the do’s and don’ts for using AI for class work.
For example, districts might offer kindergarten to fifth-grade teachers a digital learning pledge for students to sign, while teachers for sixth to 12th grades receive a digital learning agreement for students.
Make AI a district- and school-wide conversation
Being literate in AI means having the knowledge, skills and ethical awareness learners need to understand, use and critically engage with AI tools and systems. In this context, we are all learners!
While there may be apprehension about adopting AI tools, putting this learning in the context of being a good digital citizen can help educators think about how students need to be ready to use AI without fear.
There are three entry points to building AI literacy into your district culture:
- Teaching students about AI: helping them understand what AI is and how it works.
- Teaching students with AI: educators using AI as part of their lessons — for example, having students write a story and receive feedback via AI.
- Teaching staff and educators how to use AI tools in the classroom.
By making space for AI-related knowledge and experiences at the district and school level, administrators can help bring AI into the everyday lexicon in their classrooms and hallways:
- Build awareness through AI visuals posted throughout the school. This could include labeling where AI is used throughout the school or displaying do’s and don’ts for AI use.
- Encourage learning through school activities or programs that involve AI. The district could recognize teachers who implement an impactful use of AI in their classrooms. It could also display student work throughout the semester to track learning.
- Develop critical thinking skills through district presentations, guest speakers or more specific AI challenges. This could look like a school-wide fact check challenge every Monday and/or giving students a question to analyze and answer by Friday. Alternatively, the district might host an AI coding challenge, which students could join by scanning a QR code.
By proactively embracing AI, districts can set expectations and create a culture focused on learning and sharing ideas. It is possible to safely incorporate AI in the classroom to accelerate learning for all students.
