Photo: Flickr/Rainer Stropek
The topic of AI has become stale, but don't let that fool you. It's not a trend. This feels more like an “atmospheric river” storm hitting California. Phenomenons we might not have heard of or known about just a few years ago are now changing the way we view rain, landslides, fires and insurance. The storm also brings much-needed life-giving water to the West.
Artificial intelligence is an atmospheric river that will impact everything we do—how teachers teach, how students learn—and create opportunities to rethink and redesign the 200-year-old institution that is public education. Some people may see AI as a threat, but I see it as breathing new life into education.
With education at a critical time, the recent K-12 AI Summit in Anaheim provided education, policy, philanthropy, and industry leaders (from 31 states and more than 100 localities) how to integrate these new technologies into the K-12 experience. provided an opportunity to explore. For both students and teachers. Led by key partners such as Anaheim Union High School District, Digital Promise, AI EDU, and UC Irvine, the summit arrived at one powerful message: the powerful role of AI as an assistant and thought partner rather than a replacement for teachers.
AI technology provides the opportunity to personalize the learning experience, provide immediate feedback, and identify areas where students need support. This complements teachers' expertise, fostering a person-centred approach to teaching while improving learning outcomes. Other themes that emerged included the need to:
Addressing equity and accessibility gaps. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into classrooms, we must ensure that all students have equitable access to these resources. Participants will focus on closing the costly AI digital divide, providing training to educators (rather than the traditional top-down approach that edtech has delivered in the past), inclusive design practices for AI development, and closing infrastructure gaps to promote equitable access to AI. emphasized the importance of technology.
Integrate ethical and responsible use of AI in education. Concerns have grown about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the ethical implications of automated decision-making. Participants will focus on a framework for ethical use of AI that promotes transparency, accountability, and equity as AI becomes a tool for improved curriculum and instruction, and for the reinvention of schooling that breaks down learning barriers between schools and communities. and emphasized the need for joint efforts to establish guidelines.
Equipping students with skills for an AI-driven economy. AI can help teachers not only help students gain technical proficiency and practical knowledge, but also in critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and collaboration. Participants highlighted how AI can accelerate interdisciplinary education and practice, preparing students for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Share knowledge and collaborate. Partnerships between schools, universities, industry, and community organizations are essential to develop AI curricula, provide professional development, and pilot initiatives that link school experiences with career opportunities.
Sharing best practices and research creates a community dedicated to advancing AI education. It is estimated that more than 30% of current jobs require some type of AI skill set. This number is likely to increase rapidly in the coming years. School leaders who ignore AI are doing their students a serious disservice when it comes to their competitiveness in the job market.
I believe this “movement” in the K-12 space can fuel the vibrant community school initiatives happening across California where people are rethinking schools and teachers are developing experiences for students to address local and national issues. I believe it. The future of AI has tremendous potential to empower teachers, students, parents, and community members about the purpose of their schools. By leveraging the community schools movement—a relationship-driven, inclusive process that elevates the voices, needs, and assets of historically marginalized students and groups—advanced AI tools can help teachers develop more personalized instruction, promote equity, and promote ethical use. and prepare students to grow through civic engagement and find real solutions to real-world problems. AI can also help gather evidence about student learning and teacher leadership, as well as insights from community stakeholders, in ways that have not been possible until now.
The journey to integrate AI into K-12 education is just beginning, and Summit partners are committed to continuing this important work. So, let’s take this opportunity to rethink and imagine what school is. As Martin Luther King Jr. once emphasized, “Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, adapt to new ideas, remain alert, and face the challenges of change.”
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Michael Matsuda He is the Superintendent of the Anaheim Unified High School District.
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