LIBE 477B Assignment #3: Vision for the Future

Rationale

As Miller and Bass state, “Modern librarians are curators of information, tools, and strategies; they see everyone who walks through the doors of their schools as potential learners.” (2019, p. 1). Librarians must be at the forefront of technology and be willing to share their expertise with others (Miller & Bass, 2019). The ISTE standards suggest that educators act as learners, leaders, citizens, collaborators, designers, facilitators, and analysts (ISTE, 2023). Classroom teachers spend the most time with their students, so a TL can provide ideas and technologies that enable classroom teachers to better support student success (Miller & Bass, 2019). 

Source

One of the realities of today’s teachers is that they are struggling with burn-out. It can be a lot to handle when you have twenty-nine students in a classroom. Some students have Individualized Education Plans, some are English language learners, and some have socio-emotional concerns such as anxiety. On top of that, you have to respond to emails from upset parents, mediate conflicts between students, get your report cards done on time, plan your lessons, mark your assignments, and the list goes on and on. A teacher librarian can listen to the struggles of classroom teachers to meet all the demands placed upon them, and introduce technology, such as artificial intelligence, that will help make their jobs more efficient and increase student performance (Miller & Bass, 2019). In addition, there needs to be a focus on equity of experience – ensuring that all students are given rich, authentic learning experiences no matter who their teacher is. Technology can be a struggle for many educators, so providing guidance to teacher on their journey to implement new technologies can ensure success for all (Miller & Bass, 2019). 

 

Artificial Intelligence is a brand-new technology that has been gaining traction in education since its release in 2022 and teacher-librarians should inquire into its uses and share with the school staff. Many saw the technology as potentially threatening because student could use the tool to cheat and complete assignments for them (van den Berg & du Plessis, 2023). There were always ways for students to cheat with the advent of the internet. This is not new. However, this technology is here to stay, and educators should look at the positive ways it can benefit education and incorporate AI guidelines in each school’s academic integrity policies to ensure that it is used in a constructive way. 

 

By learning and understanding AI and its uses in schools, I am learning how to use the tool, modelling safe, legal, and ethical practices, sharing my ideas with other educators, and utilizing AI in a way that helps accommodate learner differences, design authentic and engaging learner activities, and alleviate some of the stress of administrative tasks.

 

Lesson Planning

The first area that AI can support educators is with lesson planning. Teachers can ask AI program, such as Chat-GPT to design an engaging lesson for a specific grade using specific standards. AI has the ability to create texts to explain a specific concept at a specific grade level, multiple choice, short-response, or open-ended questions based on those texts, practice problems, and rubrics to assess assignments and projects (Arora, 2022). Using Chat-GPT has many benefits (van den Berg & du Plessis, 2023):

• allows teachers to explore various approaches to a lesson 
• generates innovative ideas that would not have been thought of otherwise and helps inspire creativity
• is more efficient and effective
• can be tailored to the preferences and interests of the classroom community
• equal access to resources for educators from different geographical, social, and cultural backgrounds
• is open-access
• allows for critical thinking

The critical thinking piece is crucial if a teacher is going to use Chat-GPT to support lesson planning. AI has its limitations. It can only generate content based on the data that has been provided to it. It is possible that Chat-GPT will provide inaccurate and false information (Mollick & Mollick, 2023). As a result, teachers must confirm that all the facts provided are truthful and unbiased (van den Berg & du Plessis, 2023). It is a “recipe which still need[s] a chef” ((van den Berg & du Plessis, 2023, p. 6). 

 

Differentiation

The second area AI can support educators is with differentiation for students with Individualized Education Plans or for students who are English Language Learners. Chat-GPT can help tailor assignments and projects to the needs of each learner much for efficiently than a teacher could (van den Berg & du Plessis, 2023; Chen, 2020). When students are given materials that are within their zone of proximal development or in their first language, they are more likely to understand and master the content (van den Berg & du Plessis, 2023). Personalized learning allows for (Paktar & Kumbhar, 2021):

• more engagement
• more motivation
• more support
• better time management

When less time is spent planning for individual students because of the support of AI, the teacher can spend more time with the students themselves, developing relationships and supporting them (Lepre, 2023; Coschool, 2023). AI has the potential to act as a 1-1 tutor for students in the future as suggested by Sal Khan, which would increase student achievement. Khan Academy has developed a program using AI called Khanmigo, that acts as a 1-1 tutor and provides personalized feedback to students based on their responses (TED, 2023). This could transform education and ensure all students around the world could receive quality education (if they have internet access).

 

Administrative Tasks

The third area AI can support educators is with dreaded administrative tasks. Drafting an email to all the students’ families can be daunting. A parent’s email might be negative, and you want to ensure your response shows calmness and professionalism (Lepre, 2023). AI can help draft emails that would take much longer to write otherwise. AI can mark assignments or quizzes if you give it a rubric or an answer key. ChatGPT can find mistakes or provide feedback on areas that you may have overlooked (Lepre, 2023). AI can also help write report card comments in professional and constructive language (createdreamexplore, 2023). Finally, AI can take attendance, organize class schedules, and track student performance (Seoofficial, 2023).

 

With the high rate of burnout, AI can help alleviate some of the stress and time it takes to lesson plan, differentiate, and complete administrative tasks. AI in “education is a testament to how technology can complement and enhance human efforts” (Coschool, 2023). It allows teachers to focus on what is most important – make connections with each student and supporting their growth academically, emotionally, and socially. 

 

Concerns with Artificial Intelligence in Schools

School districts and the Government of British Columbia have started thinking about how artificial intelligence is used by government employees, which includes teachers. There are concerns about the validity of the information provided by AI, privacy and security risks, and the ethical implications of where AI generates its content from (Ritchie, 2023). As such, government employees must ensure that they are using AI responsibly and transparently, that it aligns with values and ethics of public service, that the information generated is checked for accuracy, generated texts must be revised to ensure it is inclusive and respectful, and not input any confidential information into generative AI tools (Ritchie, 2023). Connected to the privacy issue, when using AI, users must follow FOIPPA (the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act) which protects private and personal information such as name, marks, and birthdates and outlines storage guidelines, especially if an online company stores their data outside of Canada (Scarfe Sandbox, 2020). AI use in schools is still relatively new and decision makers are still in the process of creating an appropriate use policy to help guide educators in its use (Ritchie, 2023).

My AI as a Teacher's Assistant Video and "Cheat Sheets"

Reflection

At the outset of choosing a topic for focus on for the final vision project, I never thought that I would land on artificial intelligence. I was a bit hesitant about the idea of AI and about the privacy and security concerns surrounding it. If there are no ads on a website, then you realize that you are the product. In addition, I didn’t even really realize what AI was capable of. But I am so glad that I chose this topic because it has transformed my teaching. I am more efficient with my time both in lesson planning and administrative tasks and it has improved my ability to differentiate for the unique learners in my classroom. I felt energized with this new tool because it allowed me to get new perspectives on lesson plans that felt stagnant, translate texts, level texts so they were academically appropriate, and create math word problems based on my students’ interests. The possibilities were endless, and it took no time at all to employ!

 

I then began looking at what other AI tools were available besides Chat-GPT that were geared more towards teachers and education. Let me tell you…. there are a lot. It appears this has created a brand-new sector in the education industry. I listened to several podcast episodes where the host would interview the creators of these new tools. These tools work very similarly to Chat-GPT but provide more guidance and built-in parameters such as grade level, subject, type of assignment, etc. I also found websites, such as AI for Education, that helped provide prompts for different scenarios and functions. 

 

Next came the part about sharing my new learning with other educators. As a TL, it’s important to be knowledgeable about the current technologies within education, but then also to be able to share your knowledge with others, whether it be the teachers in your school or to a wider audience through your personal learning network. Kristen Mattson stated that videos are a great way to share your learning with others (Miller & Bass, 2019). It allows viewers to access it when it is convenient for them, they can pause and rewind to their hearts content, and it has the ability to reach a wider audience with ease (Miller & Bass, 2019). That is why I decided to share my knowledge through a video that provides step-by-step guidance with visual support so viewers can see exactly what it looks like to use AI tools as a teacher assistant. I thought it would be simple to create a video and the video creation itself was simple, but I got very hung up on what I was going to stay and not stumbling over my words. I found a script helped make sure I covered all of my important points. I used Loom to do the screen-recording and I used iMovie to cut all the clips together. 

 

I began playing around with Chat-GPT using some prompt guidelines from various educator websites. At first my prompts were too broad, and it was not providing the results that I was looking for. With more practice in clarity and specificity and with the support of AI for education’s prompt library, I was provided with structured lesson plans and ideas that were useful to me. This made me think that having a “cheat sheet” would be beneficial for educators to refer to when using generative AI tools so that they could get quality results more quickly. 

Overall, I've learned so much in this course about technology and the importance of teacher librarians being knowledgeable about emerging technologies and suggest them to teachers when they see fit. It was so wonderful to see the other student's in this course undertake different inquiries and I have come out of this course having learned so many new ideas that I can keep in my back pocket for the eventual (hopefully soon) time that I become a teacher librarian.

 

Where To?

Now that I have created a video on how to use AI tools and cheat sheets on how to create prompts to get your desired results, I have uploaded the video to YouTube, I plan on emailing them to all of the teachers at my school, sharing on my Personal Learning Networks (X and Instagram), and signing up to lead a professional development workshop in the future (either our local union’s Pro-D day or the Provincial Intermediate Teachers Association Pro-D Day in October 2024). I also plan to continue to learn about AI tool capabilities within the classroom to help me more productive and efficient. This way I don’t feel as exhausted and have more energy and time to make real connections with my students and ensure they are successful in my class. There are many times where I feel I’m not a good teacher because I’m not able to reach all my students in the way that they need. I know that AI is not going to fix that, but I feel more positive about the support I’m able to provide.

References:

AI for Education. (2013). AI for Education. https://www.aiforeducation.io/prompt-library

 

Arora, V. (2022). Artificial Intelligence in schools: A guide for teachers, leaders, and technology administrators. Routledge. 

Bresko, L. (2023, August 19). 50 ChatGPT prompts for teachers | TeacherMade. TeacherMade; TeacherMade (Work On Learning). https://teachermade.com/50-chatgpt-prompts-for-teachers/

Chen, L., Chen, P., & Lin, Z. (2020). Artificial Intelligence in education: A Review. IEEE Access, 8, 75264–75278. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.2988510 

Coschool. (2023, November 8). AI as a Teaching Assistant: Amplifying Creativity and Critical Thinking. Medium; coschool-learningskills. https://medium.com/innerscorelearningskillstest/ai-as-a-teaching-assistant-amplifying-creativity-and-critical-thinking-f196a09f09b6#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20concerns%20were%20raised%20that,at%20the%20heart%20of%20teaching.

createdreamexplore. (2023, January 22). Write Report Card Comments Faster Using ChatGPT AI. Create Dream Explore. https://createdreamexplore.com/2023/01/write-report-card-comments-faster-using-chatgpt/

Eduaide.Ai: The All-In-One AI Teaching Assistant. (2023). Eduaide.ai. https://www.eduaide.ai/app/generator

ISTE Standards: For Educators. (2023). ISTE. https://iste.org/standards/educators

‌Lepre, K. (Host). (2023, Feb. 7). How ChatGPT Can Transform Teaching (No. 110) [Audio podcast episode]. In Teachers Need Teachers. I Heart. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-teachers-need-teachers-116228046/episode/ep-110-how-chatgpt-can-transform-116229412/MagicSchool. (2023). 

Magicschool.ai. https://app.magicschool.ai/tools

Miller, S., & Bass, W. L. (2019). Leading from the library: Help your school community thrive in the Digital age. International Society for Technology in Education. 

Mollick, E., & Mollick, L. (2023, April 26). Harvard Business Publishing Education. Harvard.edu. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/let-chatgpt-be-your-teaching-assistant

MyEdTech. (2023). Episode 199: Integrating AI Into Lesson Planning [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NshOXfH0WI&ab_channel=MyEdTechLifePodcast

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Patkar, M. K., & Kumbhar, V. S. (2021). Artificial Intelligence and Personalized Learning. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 12(13), 2411–2416. 

Player FM. (2023, June 6). Ep 124 Best ChatGPT prompts for teachers - how to get the most from AI. Teachers Need Teachers. 

Privacy: protecting your students | Scarfe Digital Sandbox. (2013). Educ.ubc.ca. https://scarfedigitalsandbox.teach.educ.ubc.ca/privacy-protecting-your-students/

Seoofficial. (2023, November 7). AI Teacher Assistant: Revolutionizing Education | Teach Assist Ai. Medium; Medium. https://medium.com/@seoofficial43/ai-teacher-assistant-revolutionizing-education-teach-assist-ai-1c6c29722117#:~:text=AI%20Teacher%20Assistants%20offer%20instantaneous,deeper%20understanding%20of%20the%20material.

Ritchie, C. (2023). Appropriate Use Policy - Province of British Columbia. Gov.bc.ca. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/services-for-government/policies-procedures/appropriate-use-policy

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TED. (2023). How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education | Sal Khan | TED [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJP5GqnTrNo&ab_channel=TED

van den Berg, G., & du Plessis, E. (2023). CHATGPT and Generative AI: Possibilities for its contribution to lesson planning, critical thinking and openness in teacher education. Education Sciences, 13(10), 998. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13100998