Like her fellow panelists, educator Lucy Yang described artificial intelligence as a tool during a 90-minute discussion Friday at Indiana Tech about AI and the future of education.
“It’s no different than my rice cooker,” said Yang, dean of the university’s Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences.
But students need guidance on how to use AI platforms, panelists including Kai Blakeborough said.
“The seeds that we plant today and how we teach our children how to use AI and how we bring AI into different domains or different areas of life will blossom – or not – in how the next generation experiences AI when it is fully integrated into society and within reach,” said Blakeborough, a parent and AI strategy consultant.
The event, hosted by AI in Fort Wayne, was the group’s final community meeting of the year and featured speakers with experience in K-12 education.
The rising popularity of AI makes it a valuable topic of conversation, says group founder Angie Carel. AI chatbot ChatGPT reached 100 million users in two months, she said, noting that it took the Internet seven years to reach that threshold.
“Our teachers have a very difficult task,” said Carel, who moderated the discussion. “Not only do they learn artificial intelligence, but they also learn how to teach artificial intelligence.”
The unknowns add to the challenges faced by instructors who want to be the experts, said Josh Wenning, executive director of the Region 8 Education Service Center.
“We want to fully understand everything before we implement anything in the classroom,” he said. “We want to know exactly how it’s going to work, all the possible outcomes, what’s going to happen. … With AI that’s not going to happen.”
AI will influence teaching and assessment practices, Yang said.
“We can’t prevent students from using the tools,” she said. “We can’t discourage them from using the tools if the tool helps them learn the material faster.”
Michelle Chambers, who teaches high school students at Amp Lab at Electric Works, said AI can help her identify gaps in her teaching.
“Why did this student put this information into (ChatGPT) and get this answer and think it was a correct answer? I’m missing something in my lesson plan,” said Chambers, who is also a member of the Fort Wayne City Council.
Parents and teachers should guide students on best AI practices, says Amal Khalifa, assistant professor of computer science at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
“It’s our job to show them the way and help them navigate,” she said.
Students would benefit from clear expectations about using AI, panelists said.
“What students often need is a safe place to explore, but also consistency and understanding of where to find the rules,” Carel said.
Wenning described an idea that Carel previously shared with him. Teachers could use the colors of a traffic light to indicate how much AI use is allowed for specific assignments. Red would be the most restrictive, and green would be the least restrictive.
“How simple and easy is that to implement in a classroom tomorrow, something any teacher could do?” Wenning asked, adding that teachers have faced such issues over computers, tablets and smartphones.
