Six months out from when it broke the internet, ChatGPT — and its numerous clones and adaptations — have drummed up great interest, and concerns, for teachers, school leaders and districts.
The introduction of generative AI into society shines a bright spotlight on these educators. Soon, they will have to understand it, regulate its use and also implement it in their own pedagogy.
So education leaders are investing in new training and professional development for teachers on the best use cases for AI. Most crucially, educators want to get a handle on what generative AI is in order to know what skills their students have to be proficient in as they leave school and enter the workforce.
“They were born into this technology. We weren’t. They’re going to figure it out before we figure it out,” says Tracy Daniel-Hardy, director of technology at the Gulfport School District in Mississippi. “We’ll be doing them a disservice if we don’t figure it out.”
For leaders like Daniel-Hardy, the introduction of generative AI to the teaching-learning process “feels different,” even though they’ve seen multiple waves of disruptive technology circle in and out through classrooms. What’s unprecedented about ChatGPT and its clones is access, says Brian Stamford, program director for accountability and innovative practices for Allegheny Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, a regional public education body that provides services like professional development for educators in suburban Allegheny County.
“When we roll out hardware or one-to-one edtech in schools, we need to purchase laptops and carts and wireless access points. These generative AI tools work on the web, and quite a few of them are available at no or very low cost. Students and teachers in schools rich and poor will have access to these tools,” Stamford explains.
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