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Like a precocious but uncontrolled student, artificial intelligence causes controversy wherever it appears, no matter industry, field or application. This is very true when it applies to education, where the stakes are much higher given the fundamental way we all relate to this topic. Whether it’s the education we educate ourselves, our staff and children, or the educational standards we select for our entire community, we all have high standards for teachers, educators and the curriculum they use – and there is little doubt that artificial intelligence is a major disruptor in this area.
The emergence of artificial intelligence and its impact on the education system have to be actively managed. Educators themselves admit that some elements of the system we have built together and the best practices associated with them are often outdated and anachronistic, and when it involves changing and improving these best practices, there is no higher tool than artificial intelligence. In many ways, that is what it was designed to do.
However, to achieve success, we all have to have an open mind about the possibilities, potential and possible pitfalls of artificial intelligence. And it so happens that an open mind is one of the founding principles of an exceptional education, right? artificial intelligence have to should be seen as a useful gizmo for improving the education system at all levels and should be used thoughtfully and responsibly to get the best results, so let’s look at one of the most vital keys to achieving this goal – artificial intelligence skills.
Each of us is on a personal education technology journey
The commonest thread that connects just about all of us in our journey through the education system is that we all have technological touchstones. To illustrate this, I’ll use my personal “EdTech” journey, which has been a remarkable one to say the least.
I grew up in the USSR, so my education was completely different. Believe it or not, not only were calculators not allowed, but we actually were had use an abacus. No other alternative was offered or provided; the methodology was strictly monochromatic.
From a technological perspective, there are some useful similarities in the US. In America, teachers and parents were horrified when Texas Instruments first made advanced calculators available to the public in the early Seventies.
These fears, after all, turned out to be unfounded. Calculators became extremely useful tools that allowed gifted students to amass higher-level math skills much more quickly, and this speed probably helped usher in the era of private computers – which was equally terrifying at first.
However, once teachers and parents began to see PCs as potentially powerful educational tools, they quickly lost their fear and computers became commonplace. This same fear emerged when tablets and smartphones entered classrooms, and is now a large a part of the initial response to today’s artificial intelligence.
Many of those concerns are unfounded, although there are many other concerns about critical considering, ethics, and many other topics that are actually real.
Here are some examples as an example these unfounded fears.
Using artificial intelligence to support critical considering and creativity in education
It’s easy to do to speak about using AI to spice up critical considering and creativity in learning, but that is all the talk is, so let’s discuss some easy, hypothetical examples that show how teachers can develop independent considering and problem-solving skills.
Start with a easy essay. The proven fact that students can easily use AI to jot down essays has caused all types of hand-wringing because it allows them to “cheat.” Students will likely be find a approach to use artificial intelligence to do this, but it’s a word loaded with a lot of negative consequences, so let’s flip the concept.
What if students were presented with an AI-generated essay and then asked to take it apart and revise it or write a barely different version in which they selected a different standpoint or perspective? Suddenly, using AI becomes an exercise in critical considering, i.e Exactly what education is imagined to be about.
Now let’s move on to the math side of the AI equation. In this instance, we will cover basic geometry, which requires spatial skills that include visualization, image manipulation, and the ability to resolve problems in three dimensions.
Artificial intelligence seems to be a useful gizmo to assist in this process. It may also help students generate, understand and manipulate 3D images, and AI may also help them solve geometry and physics problems as students are taught the right way to ask questions and effectively assist with technology. This is a basic skill that becomes much more necessary as advanced concepts are introduced, and like that old ICT calculator, it may well help speed up your learning process exponentially.
Critical considering, complexity and AI literacy as an essential skill
To some extent, these two examples oversimplify the complexity that is inherent in using AI as a critical considering tool in the educational process at many levels, from middle school to senior skilled development. Using AI is inherently a multi-faceted activity – it makes mistakes and often has biases and limitations – similar to humans. The way people interact with AI tools and critically evaluate the results they produce is quickly becoming one of the most vital skills of today.
How should we change into higher at AI and more accepting of the results it produces? The process starts with recognizing AI skills as a fundamental skill to be learned, and learning requires curiosity, adaptability and a continuous approach to improvement.
It also requires that every one educators, teachers and students recognize the destructive power of artificial intelligence. Sudden change is normally not easy, and this is very true when it involves artificial intelligence. In many ways, we are all on the same level when it involves learning the right way to use AI as an essential skill.
Preparing for the era of artificial intelligence also means many fundamental changes to our current educational system as we know it, and the complexities associated with these changes will not be a comfortable process for many of us.
However, the payoff is potentially huge. Teaching and implementing AI skills at all levels can make learning exponentially more practical and efficient, no matter what is being taught and what the learning goals are. Knowing artificial intelligence is the first step towards providing education that is personalized to the needs of people, based on their strengths and weaknesses. This kind of personalized learning experience will even exponentially increase levels of engagement and motivation.
Artificial intelligence literacy requires cooperation and collaboration to enhance education
I teach often AI skills workshops and provide AI keynote presentations to organizational leaders across multiple industries in a number of environments, and one of the concepts I typically emphasize most is the need for collaboration and collaboration. In the case of educational implementations of AI, which means all of us, from corporate leaders to teachers and parents, must understand that AI will release our time and increase our productivity enormously, not just add layers of complexity requiring more resources and constant attention.
Developing a strategy and providing effective AI literacy education is the first step most organizations have to take now. Almost all of us need this skill Now adapt, learn and grow, so we must prepare for the opportunities and challenges of an AI-powered future. The urgency of this need can’t be overstated, and the overall message is clear: act quickly to take control of your future and develop AI skills, or risk falling behind those that are doing so.