Embracing AI in the Classroom: Insights from Early Adopters

Over the last month or so, I've been interviewing various K12 pioneers about the incorporation of AI into their teaching tasks, and I thought I would relay some of the tools, uses, and experiences that came up in our conversations. Their stories will appear in detail in several chapters of my upcoming book, so I am only providing snippets here. (Sorry, I guess this post is a bit of a teaser!) While most of the tools, uses, and experiences mentioned didn't surprise me, a few raised eyebrows.

Canva emerged as the single most named tool in discussions regarding AI-infused tools with students. What became clear is how widely Canva uses cut across disciplines and grade levels. For instance, a Spanish teacher I spoke to leverages Canva with students to create animated characters and scenes in which the characters converse in Spanish. An elementary teacher uses Canva with students to portray scenes that accompany written stories produced by the students. Several other teachers spoke of how they use Canva to create images or graphics for their handouts and presentations. They all spoke glowingly of its ease of use, versatility, and pre-made templates.

Many educators described using MagicSchool, SchoolAI, or Mizou to put AI tools into the hands of students for personalized learning. A math teacher told me she leverages MagicSchool to provide feedback for her "high needs" students, while a science teacher configures AI chatbots in SchoolAI to "coach" her students on scientific topics. An English teacher leverages MagicSchool to provide "instant feedback" on drafts students are writing. A World Language teacher uses Mizou, available in 50 languages, to customize AI chatbots for 1-on-1 student language interactions. [I had never seen Mizou, so I went straight to the website after our conversation.] A few teachers expressed a desire to explore Khanmigo, now that it's free for teachers, and potentially introduce its chatbots to students to it next year.

Diffit came up in conversations with English, History, and World Languages teachers. They love the way Diffit is able to craft a wide range of student activities from a reading or passage. For some reason, I hadn't explored Diffit for World Languages instruction before these conversations, and, sure enough, Diffit is available in over 70 languages.

Perplexity came up in discussions with humanities and science teachers as a great AI chatbot for research. They appreciate how resources are current, sources are cited, and the suggested prompts help promote deep dives into topics. The teachers were struck that their students had never heard of Perplexity. A science teacher told me that when she showed her students how to ask questions of a scientific article and make it easier to understand, "their jaws hit the desk."

A few other observations from my conversations with these pioneering teachers:

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- Reactions to the arrival of ChatGPT ranged from "shock" and "anger" to "glee" and "excitement." But all the teachers I interviewed felt a need to explore the impact of ChatGPT on teaching. Many are blocked by their districts from using it with students in classrooms, but others were introducing it under close teacher supervision.

- The vast majority of these teachers work in public school districts but some operate under vastly different tech environments. One described hers as "the wild west," where teachers can basically do as they wish, while another said their administration "locks down" student access to all AI tools.

- Concerns over plagiarism and cheating surfaced, but sparingly, as teachers did not seem overly concerned with the issue. Likely not coincidentally, all the teachers (or teacher supervisors) I interviewed spoke to students about AI, demonstrated AI use in the classroom, and discussed best uses and inappropriate uses.

- Personalizing learning was the stated or implied goal of AI integration for many of the teachers I interviewed. Many talked of AI "tutoring," "assisting," or "reaching" the diverse types of learners in their classrooms.

- I can't recall a single instance of a teacher building a GPT for teaching purposes or signaling an interest to do so. Instead, teachers were configuring AI chatbots available in AI teaching assistant platforms.

- Many teachers expressed a desire to nurture "more independent learners" with AI in the school year ahead.

The overriding message these teachers had for those hesitant to introduce AI was: "Don't ignore it. Don't be afraid, but take it slow."

In all, it's heartening to see these early adopters embracing the technology with a mix of enthusiasm and caution, paving the way for new avenues of instruction. Their experiences offer some valuable insights into how teachers navigate our changing teaching and learning landscape.

[I’ll include the AI Tools and News section next week. Been engrossed with finishing the book!]