Artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating the current conversation about teaching and learning. Educators recognize AI is here to stay, but we’re all still exploring the best ways to put this technology to productive, safe use in schools and classrooms.
The U.S. Department of Education’s (USED) Office of Education Technology recently released a new policy report, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations, to help education and technology leaders navigate the quickly evolving landscape. The report recognizes two significant AI-driven shifts in technology use in schools–going from simply capturing data to recognizing patterns in data, and from facilitating access to learning resources to actually automating decision making about teaching and learning. It also calls out several areas of potential when it comes to AI, including opening up new avenues of interaction between teachers and students; helping educators personalize and adapt learning to support individual student needs; and supporting educators with time-saving tools. However, the report also acknowledges the risks of AI, especially those that we have yet to recognize, especially as related to data privacy and algorithmic discrimination.
Everyone in the education community is working hard to apply AI in thoughtful, equitable ways that will help both students and teachers truly accelerate learning. As this report calls out, AI will not replace human-driven teaching and learning. Instead, it’s another tool, and as with any tool, to be successful in the education setting, teachers and students will need to be kept closely in the loop and education-specific guidelines and guardrails will need to be developed.
Have you reviewed this AI report from the USED? Share your thoughts and how you are leveraging this technology in your schools and classrooms in the comments.
