As the world evolves and changes every aspect of life technology is going to be the main factor driving the change. Technology has without a doubt taken over our lives and influenced the way we live as humans. Everyday some new form of technology is produced that provides endless possibilities. For example the app Uber, Uber not only provided users easy access to transportation 24/7, it also provided unemployed workers jobs and means to provide for themselves, computers managed to change the way people work, learn, and view entertainment. But technology is not perfect and comes with its positives and negatives, depending on the person creating said technology could be used to harm the environment, people and food. Throughout this paper we will be discussing technology’s newest product, AI and how it could lead to the changing of how students are taught and how teachers provide their lessons. We will be talking about what AI is, the positives and negatives that come with implementing AI, and some challenges implementing AI.
AI or artificial intelligence can best be described as “the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.” “TechTarget.com”. AI is capable of just about anything you can think of such as painting, creating apps, playing video games, coming up with laws and regulations and mimicking human voices. Ai can be involved in the schools by providing higher level material and lessons based on each student’s learning type and preferences. Ai would be able to provide lesson plans that not only benefit the students by implenting the class or individuals best learning strategy. AI would also provide lesson plans that help the teacher cover everything they need to with enough detail in the amount of time they are given to teach the lesson. Another possible way to implement AI in schools would be in ESLlearning. If the database the AI is given includes the language learners are native in then it will be able to speak to learners and provide lessons with 100% accuracy no matter what language is necessary, providing ESL learners with equal opportunities as English speaking learners. Another thing AI is capable of is monitoring students while taking exams or quizzes. Ai would report suspicious behavior to the teacher and the teacher would be able to determine if the student was cheating or not. Ai would do this through the use of cameras, keystrokes ,web browsers. “This AI technology benefit in education has proven to be one of the most effective online examination solutions.” “Medium.com”
When disucsussing AI it is important to talk about of coure the positives but the negatives as well. Like previously stated technology comes with its flaws it isnt perfect. AI is a form of technology so it should be treated the same. A positive that comes with implementing AI in the school districts is the opportunity to have AI chatbots that provide students 24/7 assistance no matter if the student is at school or at home. This allows students if they miss class to still be taught the material they missed that day, it also allows for help with homework when the teacher is unavailable. A possible negative when implementing AI into school districts could be, “As computers interact in new ways with teachers and students, they are also collecting new forms of data. Collecting a student’s voice or likeness (whether in a video or a photo) is different from collecting their answer to a multiple-choice question. These forms of data contain more personal information than what was collected by older forms of educational technology, which can create risks in terms of identity and privacy.” “Medium.com”. Privacy and identity risks could lead to lawsuits from parents and cause a bad look and reputation of the said school districts. A solution to this issue would be to ask parents to fill out consent forms and explain the benifits and negatives of AI. Another Positive that comes with implementing AI is having a secure decentralized learning system. When teachers lose assignments or grades or even material for that matter it could set back a class for the day or the week. If AI is implemented it is capable of data protection, and the ability to back up data in case a teacher needs to redo a grade. AI could aslo sort and manage grades and scores.
Implementing AI into school districts is not an easy thing to do. There are many unforeseen challenges and complications that come with it. For exmaple from elearning.com “Teachers who are not familiar with AI may find it difficult to integrate this technology into their teaching practices, and they may need support and training to get started.” What they are trying to convey is that many teachers who have been teaching for a while have their own system and own way of providing material, asking them to switch and change the way they teach in a big way like AI may be scary and intimidating. Some educators may need additional training inorder to feel comfortable and confident with AI. The training would take time because AI is a relatively new form of technology that not everyone understands yet. Some teachers may refuse to implement AI into their classrooms while others may be very excited to receive help from AI. Another challenge with Implemnting Artifical Intellegence in to school districts is the cost of it. AI is not a cheap technology and because no school districts have implemented it, it is hard to say exactly how much it would cost the school. It also depends on what the school district is looking to use the technology for; some schools may use AI in the classroom, others may use AI to find faster and more effective buse routes. For simple AI soulutions it would cost schools anywhere from $6000 to $300,000. “WEBFX.com”. Another challenge when implementing AI is finding someone to actually implement it. Like previously mentioned AI is a new form of technology so many of the schools IT employees may have never heard of or never worked with making school districts either send the IT guys as well as educators to training or find someone who is fluent in AI and can actually implement it in the schools. A possible solution for this would be to partner with a reliable AI provider which could be a company or university that focuses on AI. This would allow the school to not have to worry about finding someone who knows AI; they would just allow the provider to implement the technology. But it would be very difficult and time consuming to find a legit provider in the school district area.
In conclusion AI is technology’s newest baby, AI would help benefit school districts in many ways such as providing higher level material that is tailored to students specifc learning type, observing suspicious behavior when taking exams, enhancing ELS learning to the same standard as regular english speaking students. But like everything else in the world AI is not perfect so implementing it would come with its positives and negatives, for example, AI is going to collect more personal data potentially leading to lawsuits and backlash from parents who dont agree with the implementation, a positive would be the 24/7 chat bots that provide assistance with assignments and homework wherever whenever. Another positive is having a secure decentralized storage system where grades and work can not be lost. Implementing AI is not an easy process; it comes with its challenges and complications. For instance some educators will feel that their way of providing material and teaching the class is best, some teachers may not be comfortable using that technology they may be old school. Most educators would have never used AI in teaching so they are going to require trannings and teachings on how to operate using AI. Another challenge is the cost of AI. Like most new technologies, AI comes with a hefty price tag that some school districts may not want to pay, not only would said district have to pay for the AI progam or solutions itself, you would have to pay and find someone to install the AI as well.
WORK CITED
“Artificial Intelligence.” Office of Educational Technology, 13 Oct. 2022, https://tech.ed.gov/ai/.
Tech, Office of Ed. “Ai and the Future of Teaching and Learning: New Interactions, New Choices.” Medium, AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning: 25 Apr. 2022, https://medium.com/ai-and-the-future-of-teaching-and-learning/ai-and-the-future-of-teaching-and-learning-new-interactions-new-choices-c726bcf03012
“AI Applications and Benefits in Education Sector.” Appinventiv, 27 July 2022, https://appinventiv.com/blog/10-ways-artificial-intelligence-transforming-the-education-industry/.
Melo, Nouridin. “Incorporating Artificial Intelligence into the Classroom: An Examination of Benefits, Challenges, and Best Practices.” ELearning Industry, 14 Feb. 2023, https://elearningindustry.com/incorporating-artificial-intelligence-into-classroom-examination-benefits-challenges-and-best-practices.
Burns, Ed, et al. “What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? – Ai Definition and How It Works.” Enterprise AI, TechTarget, 31 Mar. 2023, https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/AI-Artificial-Intelligence.