AI in Education
I strongly encourage school leaders and district leaders to collaborate with your teams to explore ways to integrate AI into your workflows and curriculum to enhance your students’ learning experiences and skill development using this new technology. With the rapid advancements in this field, it is crucial that we take proactive steps in this direction. Let’s seize this opportunity to transform our education system and equip our students with the necessary tools to thrive in the future.
At this point, you have probably heard a lot about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and the impact it will have on the world of work. As educators, one of our goals is to ensure that our students are best prepared for their future. With any new technology comes the need for careful planning and implementation. Here are some steps educators can take to prepare for and implement AI in their schools or districts:
- Understand how AI works.
Before you can effectively use AI in your classroom, you need to have a basic understanding of how it works. AI is a broad term that covers a range of technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics. Take the time to research these technologies and how they can be used in education. Familiarize yourself with the terminology and the key players in the industry. I developed this course on “prompt engineering”, a skill necessary to utilize AI effectively.
Here’s a list of the top free Al courses:
- CS50’s Introduction to Al with Python (Harvard)
- Data Science: Machine Learning (Harvard)
- ArtilicialIntelligence (MIT)
- Machine Learning (MIT)
- Machine Vision (MIT)
- Advanced Natural Language Processing (MIT)
Here’s a top Al booklist from @forbes:
- Al 2041:10 Visions for Our Future
- A World Without Work
- The Alignment Problem
- 2084: Al and the Future of Humanity
- A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence
- Artificial Unintelligence
Here’s a list of top 10 AI podcasts:
- The TWIML AI Podcast
- Data Skeptic
- The AI Podcast
- Eye on AI
- Adventures in Machine Learning
- Learning Machines 101
- Voices in AI
- DeepMind: The Podcast
- Lex Fridman Podcast
- Use the new product as soon as possible.
One of the best ways to understand how AI works is to use it yourself. Look for AI-powered tools that you can use in your classroom, such as chatbots, adaptive learning platforms, or grading systems. Experiment with different tools to see which works best for you and your students. Start with ChatGPT but also get on the list for Google’s version Bard, and below are a list of others.
The best way to learn how to use ChatGPT is by practicing and interacting with it regularly.
Here are some steps to help you get started and make the most of your experience:
- Familiarize yourself with the basics: Learn about GPT-4, its capabilities, and its limitations. You can find this information in OpenAI’s documentation, research papers, and blogs.
- Access ChatGPT: There are various ways to access ChatGPT, such as using OpenAI’s API, integrating it into applications, or using third-party platforms. Choose the method that suits your needs and follow the guidelines to set it up.
- Start with simple queries: Begin by asking simple questions or providing prompts to see how the model responds. This will help you understand its strengths and weaknesses.
- Experiment with various topics: ChatGPT is designed to be a general-purpose language model. Test its knowledge by exploring different subjects and asking questions related to them.
- Refine your prompts: If you’re not getting the desired response, try rephrasing your query or providing more context. This will help the model better understand your intent and provide more accurate results.
- Learn from the community: Join online forums, communities, or social media groups dedicated to discussing GPT-based AI models. This will help you learn tips, tricks, and best practices from other users.
- Study the potential impact on jobs and careers.
As with any new technology, there may be concerns about the impact of AI on jobs and careers. Take the time to research these concerns and understand how AI could change the way you teach and work. Consider new skills students need and the shifts in teaching styles to work effectively with AI. Consider how AI could enhance your work and help you better meet the needs of your students. This is a recent study by UPENN & OpenAI . I’ll dive in here in a future post.
- Incorporate the new tech in your day-to-day work and master prompting.
Once you have a good understanding of how AI works and how it could impact your job, start incorporating it into your day-to-day work. Look for opportunities to use AI to streamline tasks or enhance your teaching. For example, you could use a chatbot to answer common student questions or an adaptive learning platform to personalize instruction. Be sure to master prompting when working with AI to ensure it is used effectively and efficiently.
- Get involved in AI and emerging tech communities.
Finally, to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in AI and emerging technologies, get involved in professional learning communities and/or attend conferences and workshops. Network with other educators using AI and share best practices and insights.
AI can potentially transform education, but it requires careful planning and implementation, and we can not wait for top-down leadership. This technology will move faster than our bureaucratic systems are structured to support the dynamic nature of preparing students for their futures.
With these steps, educators can prepare for and effectively use AI in their classrooms, and stay ahead of the curve and ensure our young people are building the necessary skills to thrive in a new and emerging economy.
In a future post, I will lean into the impact on literacy skills and how we should rethink our approach to literacy in the age of AI.
Here’s a top ChatGPT prompt guide from AI expert @dralandthompson: – basic prompts – advanced prompts – training data
Lifearchitect.ai The ChatGPT Prompt Book