{"id":15423,"date":"2023-11-11T02:00:45","date_gmt":"2023-11-11T02:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.edublink.co\/?p=15423"},"modified":"2026-03-22T22:56:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T15:56:37","slug":"shaping-future-generations-with-pedagogy-perspectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/2023\/11\/11\/shaping-future-generations-with-pedagogy-perspectives\/","title":{"rendered":"K\u201312 Experts Share How to Best Embrace AI in Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

As recently as the 2022-2023 school year, only 10% of teachers had used generative artificial intelligence tools in their classroom,\u00a0according to HMH<\/a>. But in the organization\u2019s\u00a02024 report<\/a>, 76% of educators said they found value in generative AI solutions, and 73% said the technology saves them time.<\/span><\/p>

As district leaders race to implement AI policies for teachers and students, EdTech: Focus on K\u201312<\/em>\u00a0brought together a virtual panel of IT and educational leaders. They discussed how AI is already changing education, how districts are managing the transition and what impact the technology might have on schools in the coming years. The roundtable included Leah Austin, president and CEO of the\u00a0National Black Child Development Institute<\/a>; Nyree Clark, equity and access coordinator for\u00a0Colton Joint Unified School District<\/a>\u00a0in California; Amos Fodchuk, president of\u00a0Advanced Learning Partnership<\/a>s; and Tom Ryan, co-founder of the\u00a0K-12 Strategic Technology Advisory Group<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

EDTECH:\u00a0How are you seeing K\u201312 districts responding to AI?<\/span><\/h2>

LEAH AUSTIN:<\/strong>\u00a0There\u2019s some fear, and there\u2019s also excitement. Educators are hoping these tools will help unload some of their\u00a0administrative burden<\/a>\u00a0so they can focus more on teaching and learning, which is what they signed up for.\u00a0However, the technology is emerging so quickly that people are experiencing whiplash as they try to decipher what is \u201cgood\u201d AI and what is \u201charmful\u201d AI.<\/span><\/p>

AMOS FODCHUK:<\/strong>\u00a0Artificial intelligence has come on the horizon very quickly, and there are so many solutions now flooding the K-12 market. Many people started from a place of fear, but over time, we\u2019re seeing an evolution toward a more nuanced understanding.<\/span><\/p>

EDTECH:\u00a0What are some key problems that AI can help schools solve?<\/span><\/h2>

AUSTIN:<\/strong>\u00a0There are opportunities for teachers to use these\u00a0tools in lesson planning<\/a>\u00a0and unit planning. I also think there are opportunities for educators to use AI for their own research. AI can be like the research assistant you could never afford, if used properly.<\/span><\/p>

TOM RYAN:<\/strong>\u00a0Some districts think they\u2019re going to use AI to reduce teaching costs. That\u2019s the wrong way to go about this. We should be looking at how to increase efficiency with AI so we have more money to pay and train teachers.<\/span><\/p>

NYREE CLARK:<\/strong>\u00a0Custom-created AI tools in the classroom can act like teammates that collaborate with students in a variety of tasks so that we can achieve more. This isn\u2019t just limited to the classroom. Imagine a chatbot that parents can tap into when they come home at 9 p.m. and have some questions about busing. We also have principals who want to use AI tools to help them write better school plans. With education being an industry where people feel overwhelmed, this extra support from digital employees can free people\u2019s time to focus on what matters most.<\/span><\/p>

EDTECH:\u00a0How can AI help schools with back-end operations, such as IT and finance?<\/span><\/h2>

FODCHUK:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019re seeing a lot of creative ideas around school scheduling, bus scheduling and clerical tasks. There\u2019s a really powerful opportunity for HR teams to build AI into job descriptions. One way to magnify talent is to identify redundant and low-level tasks and enable employees to engage with the technology in a way that allows them to amplify their impact.<\/span><\/p>

CLARK:<\/strong> We have used AI to code more than 700 student empathy surveys. In 2023, it took us hours to manually code those surveys to find common themes. This year, we did it in minutes, and then we were off and running.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

EDTECH:\u00a0How should districts address student data privacy concerns with AI vendors?<\/span><\/h2>

RYAN:<\/strong>\u00a0You need to embed cybersecurity metrics into your\u00a0procurement<\/a>. Vendors need to show that they\u2019ve had\u00a0penetration tests<\/a>, and that they\u2019ve done all the things they can do to prevent a breach. Any data that isn\u2019t necessary for the system to operate shouldn\u2019t be shared with the vendor, and any legacy data should be removed from their system.<\/span><\/p>

FODCHUK:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s the Wild West right now. A lot of companies that are here now will not be here later. Many contracts say that data can be resold to acquiring parties or that it can be repurposed upon the dissolution of the company. We\u2019re not at the point where I would feel comfortable with all district data being processed in a large language model.<\/span><\/p>

EDTECH:\u00a0How important is it for schools to institute an AI policy, and what should it cover?<\/span><\/h2>

AUSTIN:<\/strong>\u00a0Districts are managing more than 2,500 separate ed tech tools on average, overwhelming the capacity of technology directors to\u00a0vet and manage them<\/a>\u00a0all. Without a comprehensive set of policies, schools must respond to the introduction of AI tools on an ad hoc basis, without the guidance and time to assess what is best for their students.<\/span><\/p>

RYAN:<\/strong>\u00a0It is critical for schools to institute an AI policy accompanied by a strategic plan. Operating without such policies and plans significantly increases the likelihood of encountering risks, such as breaches of student privacy, biased algorithms and data security threats, while missing opportunities for improvement in teaching,\u00a0operations and efficiency<\/a>. An effective AI policy should address ethical use, data privacy, equity, staff training and continuous monitoring to maximize benefits and minimize risks.<\/span><\/p>

FODCHUK:\u00a0<\/strong>Our experience working with over 175 school systems to implement AI tells us to resist the urge to start with policy. The capacity of various LLMs is evolving quickly. Policy that is instituted too specifically or in the absence of principles, guidelines, frameworks and systems-level plans will require unsustainable resources to reinforce.<\/span><\/p>

Instead, align existing policies wherever possible to aspects of AI procurement, implementation and usage.<\/span><\/p>

EDTECH:\u00a0There\u2019s been some talk about AI causing another digital divide among students. What should educators watch out for?<\/span><\/h2>

FODCHUK:<\/strong>\u00a0There is already a massive\u00a0digital divide<\/a>, and it will be exacerbated by AI tools. We\u2019re going to see massive variations between school systems that can teach kids how to think with AI, versus AI that outsources thinking for kids.<\/span><\/p>

AUSTIN:<\/strong>\u00a0There are two main ways that AI can expand the digital divide. First, it will exclude those who don\u2019t have access to this or other emerging technologies. Second, it will shape the experiences of those who have access to the technology. The algorithm may end up defining what students are experiencing. Biased AI tools can also lead to student tracking. People think these tools eliminate human error, but the human error is in how the technology is built.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

\"Amos<\/span><\/div>
We should be looking at how to increase efficiency with AI so we have more money to pay and train teachers.\u201d<\/span>

Amos Fodchuk\u00a0President, Advanced Learning Partnerships<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>

EDTECH:\u00a0How can schools use AI for personalized and differentiated instruction?<\/span><\/h2>

CLARK:<\/strong>\u00a0In the past, differentiation has been very time-consuming. With AI,\u00a0teachers can tailor<\/a>\u00a0their lessons to the needs of their kids with the books they want to teach.<\/span><\/p>

RYAN:<\/strong>\u00a0One-on-one tutoring is the fastest, best way to educate a child, but we can\u2019t afford to have one-on-one teachers. I think there are a ton of opportunities for districts to build out AI resources and make decisions about providing students with activities that are relevant to them and at their level.<\/span><\/p>

EDTECH:\u00a0How important is professional development to successful AI implementation?<\/span><\/h2>

FODCHUK:<\/strong>\u00a0The most important component of this phase is AI literacy for adults. The technology is evolving so rapidly. The best thing you can do in the short term is educate your stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>

RYAN:<\/strong>\u00a0Training is an enormous key to being successful. People are not looking at bias in the system, they\u2019re not looking at hallucinations. Those are critical problems. The technology part of this needs to be embedded into the pedagogical practice and content. The training shouldn\u2019t be about AI itself. It should be about how to use the technology to support teaching and learning.<\/span><\/p>

EDTECH:\u00a0How do you see AI changing K-12 education in the coming years, and what can educators do to prepare for that change?<\/span><\/h2>

AUSTIN:<\/strong>\u00a0 AI is moving much faster than some previous technologies and with a different intent. We have to demand that it work for us, not control us. Educators should be vocal about how they see AI helping and harming their students. Don\u2019t just assume because an ed tech vendor says their app will differentiate instruction for your students more quickly and efficiently that it’s true. Ask questions. Speak out.<\/span><\/p>

CLARK:<\/strong>\u00a0We all need to find ways that we can start\u00a0tapping into AI<\/a>. We need to find our first use case, and we also need to give parents opportunities to see what it looks like in action, because this can be scary for them. Change is coming. This isn\u2019t a genie that you\u2019re going to be able to put back into the bottle.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As artificial intelligence tools become ubiquitous, districts must make critical decisions that could reshape teaching and learning for years to come.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[10,15],"class_list":["post-15423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-tech","tag-child-education","tag-future"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/images-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15423"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23027,"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15423\/revisions\/23027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dakanvics.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}