“How much of a negative impact do you foresee AI having in the classroom in the years to come?”
-Stacy Henderson, ESOL Teacher, Georgia
Hi, Stacy. Thank you for asking this timely, important question. I think it’s on many a mind as we learn about and think about how this “new” technology will impact the classroom.
For some, it creates worry. It threatens to undermine what we do and how we do it. Really, more aptly, what we have done and how we have done it–for years.
For others, it creates wonder. It promises to upheave what we do and how we do it. And as aptly, what we have done and how we have done it–for years.
And, ultimately, whether worry or wonder, it will make us face the why in our work.
Why are we doing what we’re doing? And, then, we have to examine (reexamine) what and how.
If AI can do it, should we be asking kids to do it? How can we leverage this “new” to create new (better) experiences for our kids?
The charge (positive or negative) of AI’s impact rests in the heads of the adults.
It will be as we see.
I see it as positive.
~sy
I could not agree more. There are so many possibilities with AI, but if you have to assess LOs or Standards that AI can do, then we just have to rethink the assessing environment. For example, we could have students write assessment responses on paper (gasp!) but that also means creating shorter assessments that can be done in a sitting too. If we need longer assessments that need to be done online then perhaps ongoing individual conferencing is the way to go. Informally talking with the students while they are working on at least a weekly basis (daily is even better) will show what they know and can be able to do. This presents opportunities to assess students at deeper and deeper levels.
Thank you, Mike. I always appreciate your perspective. Happy Thursday, my friend.