Weekly Reflection #5

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Taking part in a Artificial Intelligence Literacy professional development workshop

Photo credits: Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Today, we were given the opportunity to sit in on numerous EdTech professional development workshops hosted by Focused Education. I chose to sit in on two of them. This included workshops on student AI literacy lessons, and the digital classroom. The one I found especially compelling was the one on AI literacy. The workshop began with the host asking participants about worries that they had with the emergence of AI, and its movement into education. Responses included the loss of critical thinking skills, the rise of plagiarism and cheating, the rise of students taking shortcuts to complete work, and the effects that AI is having on the environment. The host was quick to tell us participants that these concerns are completely valid as research shows that over 78% of Canadian secondary students have or are currently using AI to complete assignments and schoolwork. However, the host then went on to assure participants that AI is just another tool. It is not good or bad, and the most important thing is how we use it and how we show out students how to use it as there are both positive and negative uses. They argued it was incredibly important to teach students AI literacy. 

The host then showed us a series of lesson plans that Focused Education has designed to do just that. She and the rest of the Focused Education team have designed over 21 AI literacy lessons for all ages, from primary all the way up to secondary. These lessons use kid language to explain key concepts and to relate to their intended audience. These lessons are currently being used by teachers in the West Vancouver school district with the hope that they will eventually be used province wide. These lessons were designed to be delivered one per each month of the year (minus December, March, and June), and it’s best to do them in order as they overlap each other. Each lesson plan includes links to slides, videos, and really interactive activities that are intended to stick with that particular age group. 

I truly believe that all of these lessons will be useful in the classroom, and I definitely do plan on using them. I have already saved the resources they provided to us in my teaching folder on my computer. One that particularly interested me was lesson four on ethics, deepfakes, and disinformation. I personally think ethics are the number one topic when it comes to AI. There truly aren’t any regulated ethics currently, and it’s almost like the wild west. This lesson includes a PowerPoint that features detailed explanations of ethics, deepfakes, and disinformation, and then space where you could include your own examples. There is also an instructional video that goes through the slides, so you can get a better sense of what things mean before delivering the lesson yourself. In addition to the instructional video for teacher use, there is also a video for students that you can play during class about deepfakes and ways that you can spot them easily. Lastly, the lesson plan features an activity where students get into groups and rotate around various ethics stations around the classroom, spending a short period of time at each. These stations include scenarios include: 

  • Hiring Bias: A company uses AI to screen job applications, but it tends to favor certain names or schools.
  • Surveillance AI in Schools: Cameras use AI to detect student behavior. Is this for safety or invasion of privacy?
  • Predictive Policing: Police use AI to predict where crimes might happen. It targets low-income areas more often.
  • Healthcare AI: AI helps diagnose patients. What if it makes a mistake?
  • AI Friends: A student relies on an AI chatbot for emotional support. Is that healthy?

At each station, students answer the following questions:

  • What’s the ethical issue?
  • Who is affected?
  • Is this use of AI fair? Why or why not?

Upon visiting every station, the class regathers for a larger group discussion to reflect on the learning process and some of the talking points from each station. This activity could be useful for several reasons. First, it helps develop skills when it comes to identifying ethical issues, understanding the various stakeholders or groups who are involved within each scenario, evaluating fairness and bias in artificial intelligence, and developing informed opinions.

Screenshots courtesy of AI Literacy Lessons Teacher’s Guide

Sources:

Focused Education Resources. (n.d.). Student Artificial Intelligence Lessons. https://focusedresources.ca/student-artificial-intelligence-lessons