Artificial Intelligence - Resources & FAQs

Slide Deck: Guide to Co-Creating AI Behavior Expectations

The theory behind co-creating classroom norms with students is that behavior norms are a community agreement that all members of the community (students and teacher) need to adhere to in order to create a safe and productive learning space. 

In an MTSS guided system, there should be some set of boundaries or character traits to start with. These character traits can then become the basis for behavior norms (i.e. what does it look like to be kind in this classroom space?)

The hope for this kind of work is that students will better understand how to meet behavior norms because they spent time considering what behaviors will help the learning environment and how they can enact those behaviors to be successful and supportive of the community. 

So, what does this look like with AI norms? 

Create Your Classroom With Students for a Powerful Start to the School Year
 

• Grammarly (How We Use AI to Enhance Your Writing)
• Canva (Magic Write, Magic Design, Image Generator, Photo Editor)
• Snapchat (What is My AI on SnapChat?)
• Wordtune (AI-Powered Writing Companion)
• Quillbot (Paraphrasing Tool)
• ChatGPT (ChatGPT 101)
• Google Docs, Presentations, & Gmail (AI and Google Workspace)
• 30 AI Tools for the Classroom (with descriptions)
   

Generative language models are algorithms that gather information about how language functions in various situations to generate unique responses to questions based on patterns of language and information. 

According to ChatGPT: “Imagine you're trying to teach a computer to understand and generate human language, just like how you learn to read, write, and have conversations. Large language models are like super-smart virtual assistants that have been trained on huge amounts of text from the internet, books, and other sources.

To train these models, experts feed them with millions or even billions of sentences and paragraphs, allowing them to learn patterns, grammar, and even some of the nuances of language. Just like you learn by reading many books, these models learn by analyzing vast amounts of text.”
 

How does ChatGPT work?

ChatGPT is not sentient.  It does not think for itself.  Rather it is a large language model that predicts common responses based on the information it’s been fed.  For this reason, it can create incorrect answers, especially when providing quotes.
 

ChatGPT allows users to share links from a conversation, showing their process, and the prompts that they are using to generate the responses they’re looking for.

An example of this can be seen on the PSD Artificial Intelligence Principles and Beliefs page.

Artificial intelligence tools can be used to reduce learning gaps, especially when students are taught how to autonomously use AI to meet their learning needs.  For example, a multilingual learner can use ChatGPT to create sentence stems for a prompt, or to translate content into the target language to increase comprehension.  Likewise, a student reading below grade level can use AI to summarize a reading, pull out pertinent vocabulary, and even adjust lexile level.  These examples have been in use with tremendous success within the Peninsula School District.  Check out this document for more information.
 

We know that AI will have a high impact on the field of education.  As the field continues to develop, the US Department of Education is rolling out more information.

The Peninsula School District has a philosophy outlining the district’s stance on artificial intelligence tools.  Key to this philosophy is the belief that AI can intensify the human element in education, and that learning is a collaborative process.  In order to support students' fair and ethical use of AI tools, it is vital that educators initiate clear conversations on use and expectations in the classroom.  These conversations should be collaborative; facilitated by the teacher, and co-created by the classroom community.

• Build a day trip plan using ChatGPT or Bard
• Create a card for a grandparent using Canva
• Have a story writing contest using ChatGPT
• Here’s a list of additional ideas from ChatGPT.
   

Beyond the sample policy we provide for teachers in our Principles and Beliefs Page, here are others from outside groups:

Sample ELA Classroom Guidance 
Common Sense Media: ChatGPT and Beyond: How to Handle AI in Schools
FlexSchool Policy
How to develop a policy – sample template at the end
 

Edsurge: Getting started with AI in the classroom
ISTE secondary classroom instructional guide
Common Sense Media: AI Lesson guide
MIT Daily Middle School Curriculum
If you’d like more examples of how this is being used in PSD classrooms, please contact your building’s Digital Innovation Lead, or any member of the AI Action Research team.
 

Artificial intelligence tools are being used widely in many sectors.  A few examples can be found below:

• Copilot X for Coding
• Adobe Generative Fill/Firefly for digital art/photography
• Runway.ml for video editing and generation
• https://beta.elevenlabs.io/speech-synthesis for Text to Voice Synthesis
• Dall-e 2, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, for Text to Image Generation
• Careers in AI video series
   

• Educator Considerations for ChatGPT

• Class Companion - AI powered Teaching Assistant and Classroom Management
• Curipod: generates slides on topics and standards
• Google Duet AI - AI powered Google Workspace Apps
• Microsoft Copilot - Ai powered Microsoft Apps
• Khanmigo - Khan Academy’s AI assistant/tutor
   

This field is rapidly growing, and it’s important to note that relevant information can become outdated very quickly.  Here are a few leaders in the field who provide insights on artificial intelligence in education:

• International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
• TeachAI
• Newsletter with Updates in the Field of AI
• MIT Technology Review
   

We recommend lessons focused on topics such as digital media literacy, understanding what machine learning is, and recognizing bias for students in the elementary grade band.  In middle school, as students are transitioning to the secondary level, we recommend an emphasis on the importance of process over product, where students show their workflow and corresponding learning.  Finally, at the high school level, students need to demonstrate their capabilities using the tools, as well as the depth of their ability to discern the ethical use of AI in their processes and projects.

• Process over product
• Assessment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
• Incorporating ISTE standard language into rubrics – 1.2b (ethical use) and 1.4a/1.4b (intentional designer)
• Assessments that include reflection elements/tasks and multiple checkpoints in process
• Generative AI & Assessment
• Strategies for Creating “Generative AI-Resistant” Assessments
• Suggestions for assignment and assessment design

Assessments that lead students to intentionally or unintentionally replace their own thinking with the information generated by AI are ineffective. Assessments that are solely based on the final product, especially if it is a written product, have become difficult to accurately assess with the evolution of AI products. Therefore, assessments that are based on final products in conjunction or verified through process-related tasks and assessments may be more effective. 

• Turn-It-In AI Detector Inaccuracy 
• Turn-It-In's Guidance on False Positives
  • Know before you go—make sure you consider the possibility of a false positive upfront and have a plan for what your process and approach will be for determining the outcome. Even better, communicate that to students so that you have a shared set of expectations. 
  • Assume positive intent—in this space of so much that is new and unknown, give students the strong benefit of the doubt. If the evidence is unclear, assume students will act with integrity. 
  • Be open and honest—it is important to acknowledge that there may be false positives upfront, so both the instructor and the student should be prepared to have an open and honest dialogue. If you don’t acknowledge that a false positive may occur, it will lead to a far more defensive and confrontational interaction that could ultimately damage relationships with students.

Absolutely.  Perplexity AI provides the sources searched for when a student uses AI within the tool.  Class Companion is a Social Studies specific AI tool, built to provide feedback on the use of AI in Social Studies.

• Check your resources, especially the process that the student has turned in.  As a rule of thumb, AI detection tools (such as turnitin.com), have all been proven to be highly ineffective.  While they can be one point of reference, AI detection tools should NEVER be the ONLY source of information when a teacher believes AI has been used in an unfair or unethical manner.
• Have a conversation with the student.  Our goal is to co-create classroom expectations and norms, which means that these conversations need to take place to ensure students understand expectations.