Participate and share: Interactive session 
The potential of AI to revolutionize education is tremendous. School administrators need to understand the advancements that are being made and carefully consider how those advancements can best benefit the teachers and students they serve. The purpose of this session is to empower school and district leaders to make informed decisions about implementing AI in their institutions, as well as equipping them with some of the knowledge and skills needed to do so. Participants will also engage in discussion and consensus building strategies that they can in turn implement with their faculties.
Objectives:
Enhanced Understanding: Participants will cultivate a deeper understanding of generative artificial intelligence.
Thoughtful Integration: Participants will engage in discerning analysis when contemplating the integration of AI into the learning environment, carefully considering questions, concerns, and potential benefits for both educators and learners.
Hands-On Exploration: Participants will actively explore a diverse range of AI tools that hold the potential for utilization by both educators and learners.
Instructional Model: This session will be designed using the 5E instructional model, which is an evidence-based approach that engages participants in active learning. It is based in constructivist principles and facilitates critical thinking and deep understanding. Specific information about each phase of the 5E model is as follows:
Engage: this phase is used to capture the attention of participants, as well as assess prior knowledge and preconceptions
Strategy- magnetic statements: This instructional strategy is used to activate participants' thinking and uncover their interests and beliefs related to a topic by choosing statements that either repel or attract them.
Explore: In this phase, participants explore the topic through hands-on activities and group discussions.
Tools: Participants will be exposed to a variety of AI tools, including Adobe Firefly and Midjourney. It is likely that new tools will emerge prior to ISTE 2024 and will be included. The conversation around the tools will include potential benefits for teachers and students, as well as potential concerns.
Strategy- agreement circles: Through discussion and physical movement, participants practice persuasive communication and critically examine their own opinions.
Explain: In this phase, the facilitator provides guidance to help participants make sense of concepts, clarify misunderstandings, and connect new information to prior knowledge. This will include a group discussion of the tools, addressing questions and concerns that have arisen.
Elaborate: Participants deepen their understanding by applying their new knowledge to complex problem. Since this is an interactive session, participants will work in groups to resolve a hypothetical problem or scenario related to the use of AI. They will brainstorm strategies and conversations they will need to have in order to reach a resolution.
Evaluate: Both facilitators and participants will assess participants’ understanding of new information.
Strategy- 3-2-1: This writing activity enables participants to summarize their understanding of material, to evaluate understanding for gaps in knowledge, and to communicate this to their facilitator.
Evidence of Success: This session has been presented once before, at the K20 Center’s Leadership Seminar in Norman, Oklahoma. School leaders in attendance reported that it was timely and helpful, helping them feel more prepared to confront these issues as they arise in their schools. It will be presented two more times at this seminar prior to ISTE 2024, allowing facilitators to gather feedback and continue to make improvements.
I. Engage- (10 minutes)
-Share objectives
-Ask participants to give examples of artificial intelligence.
-Ask which of the examples can be considered generative AI.
-Establish a common definition of generative AI with more examples.
-Magnetic Statements Strategy- Thought provoking statements about AI made by experts in the field will be posted around the room. Participants will read them, and stand next to the one that attracts them the most. They will discuss their choice with the other participants who chose that statement and then with the larger group.
--Sample Magnetic Statement:
---"Artificial intelligence is the new electricity. Just as electricity transformed numerous industries a century ago, AI is now poised to do the same" - Andrew Ng, Computer Scientist and Co-founder of Coursera
II.Explore- (15 minutes)
-Agreement Circles- Participants form a large circle. The facilitator will read aloud polarizing statement about the use of AI in the classroom, most of which are directly related to teacher concerns. If participants agree with the statement, the will step to the middle of the circle. If they do not agree, they will stay on the outside. Participants will then find someone of the opposite opinion and share their thoughts.
--Sample statements:
---Generative AI is enabling student cheating.
---Generative Ai is perpetuating biases in education.
---Generative AI is a game-changer in education, allowing students to access high-quality, personalized learning materials instantly
III. Explain- (15 minutes)
-Participants are sorted into groups to explore a variety of AI tools. They are provided with basic instructions for each tool and told to identify potential benefits for teachers and students, as well as to look for concerns that may arise. After they have time to explore, participants will engage in a discussion in which they share their findings with the group.
--Tools that may be used: ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, AIVA, Curipod, Hello History, etc. New tools may become available prior to the conference and could be incorporated into this step.
IV. Elaborate- (15 minutes)
-Each group will be presented with a hypothetical scenario that poses a potential challenge or barrier they may encounter while integrating AI into the classroom. Together, they will collaborate to brainstorm innovative solutions and strategically outline actionable steps to address these challenges.
-Example scenario:
---As a forward-thinking school principal, you've introduced generative AI to assist teachers in creating customized learning materials. This AI tool has streamlined content creation, saving teachers valuable time. However, you've noticed that some teachers are concerned about the AI's potential to replace their role in instructional design and personalization. They worry that their expertise is being undervalued. How can you address these concerns and ensure that the AI enhances, rather than replaces, the vital role of teachers in curriculum development and instruction?
V. Evaluate- (5 minutes)
-3-2-1 Strategy: Participants identify the following:
--3- Ideas about how AI could benefit their teachers & students
--2- AI-related conversations they want to have- with who and what about?
--1- Burning question or concern they still have
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/24/technology/how-schools-can-survive-and-maybe-even-thrive-with-ai-this-fall.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgygRCdHbmc
https://hai.stanford.edu/news/ai-will-transform-teaching-and-learning-lets-get-it-right
https://bernardmarr.com/how-is-ai-used-in-education-real-world-examples-of-today-and-a-peek-into-the-future/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/14/ai-artificial-intelligence-disrupt-education-creativity-critical-thinking
Return
Trips and Tours