The world history teacher often transports his students back in time with props to reinforce the subject matter, but sometimes he turns to generative artificial intelligence tools, such as the image creator Midjourney, to provide another layer to the lesson.
That may be philosopher John Locke and rival Thomas Hobbes appearing to come to fisticuffs, he joked, or bringing famous paintings to life.
“Seeing any historical character in any kind of novel situation or dynamic posture is something that’s interesting,” St. Clair said. “It’s enjoyable (for students).”
Although he takes a hands-on approach in his classroom, St. Clair said he sees value in the proper use of AI by both teachers and students. That’s why he demonstrates potential positive implementations of the technology in his lessons.
“We need to demonstrate to children there are skills they can use with this,” St. Clair said.
One caveat, he said, is that it’s important that anyone using the tools is already familiar with the material to avoid mistakes.
In addition to image generation, St. Clair uses AI to search curriculum rundowns to see if he’s missed anything, and for the high school tabletop role-playing game club that he advises. He uses Midjourney to create scenes, backgrounds and tokens for games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
These additions help provide depth to the experience for students, St. Clair said.
St. Clair isn’t alone in his AI usage. Several local teachers and administrators have adopted some form of the technology into their work since the newest versions were introduced three years ago.
MARK DIMAURO
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown professor Mark DiMauro speaks to Greater Johnstown teachers on artificial intelligence and its impact in the classroom on Friday, Jan. 12, 2023.
Mark DiMauro, a University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown assistant professor of digital humanities who specializes in AI studies, said educators regard artificial intelligence as “begrudgingly inevitable.” They’ve realized it’s not a fad and not going away, so now it’s time to learn to use it, he said.
DiMauro travels the region holding seminars at schools about the proper use of artificial intelligence and the possibilities the technology holds, such as providing frameworks for lesson plans or helping tutor students.
Several AI-based educational websites, such as MagicSchool AI, have been launched in the past few years as tools to help teachers.
'POLARIZING TOPIC'
Since starting his presentations, DiMauro said he’s found that teachers often fall into three schools of thought: those who advocate for AI and use it; those who are hesitant to start; and those who vow to never touch it.
“This is the most polarizing topic of all time,” DiMauro said.
THE RISE OF AI LOGO
When ChatGPT, a generative text model developed by OpenAI, released in November 2022, it created a splash in educational communities, with many raising alarms that the large language model could be used by students to cheat on writing assignments.
A Pew Research Center report from November 2023 showed roughly one in five teenagers they polled, ages 13 to 17, “who have heard of ChatGPT say they have used it to help them do their schoolwork.” But St. Clair said he hasn’t had that issue in his classroom to date.
Despite any potential negative uses, teachers are also implementing artificial intelligence to help students with their writing.
Central Cambria School District Superintendent Jason Moore said his English Language Arts staff uses AI to give students feedback, which has been successful.
“When students take the state tests in the spring, the evaluators are almost certainly using AI tools to do their summative evaluations of the students’ open-ended responses,” he said. “Therefore, teaching students how to use AI formatively to improve their writing will not only help them come test time, but it will also help them in whatever their next step in life is — whether that is college, the workforce, et cetera.”
According to a May 2024 Pew Research Center poll, a majority of kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers were timid about AI in education. The results show 35 percent were not sure about its use; 32 percent were mixed on whether it was good or harmful; 25 percent said there was more harm than benefit; and 6 percent saw more benefit than harm.
A National Education Association study provided a different result. The teachers’ union reported that members said they were “brimming with excitement over the time they have saved planning lessons with artificial intelligence, the creative jump start AI provided their music class when composing a new song, and the scene-reader that is helping their visually impaired students get a mental layout of the playground or classroom that surrounds them.”
Richland High School Principal Timothy Regan said one of the best uses of AI is for checking work. He will sometimes use the tool to examine an email before sending it out, and that’s a point the district impresses on students.
“We want kids to utilize it to further their intelligence,” he said.
Richland is an early adopter of the new technology. Not only does the high school offer an “Exploring AI” class taught by computer science teacher Becky Piscitella, but the district also brought AI guru Matt Miller in for this year’s national speaker series for area educators.
“It truly is an area if we don’t expose kids to what’s out there, then we are not preparing them for the jobs that we don’t even know exist yet,” Piscitella said.
Her class explores a variety of artificial intelligence models and how to train them properly and improperly, while also diving into coding aspects.
“The course in general … is built around exposing them to the foundational knowledge of AI so they can get a clear understanding,” Piscitella said. “The course covers all sides of it – the good, the bad, ethics issues with AI.”
The students have responded well to the first-time offering, Piscitella said. However, she stresses students that they should not be overly reliant on the technology.
Piscitella said “research time and time again shows AI is most effective when it enhances human abilities rather than replace them.”
“The best analysis of AI that I have heard was that we should worry less about AI taking our jobs and more about someone who knows how to use AI more effectively taking our jobs,” Moore said.
DiMauro encourages his students to explore artificial intelligence, he said, but to not become reliant and to never trust any technology implicitly. He does this by removing their fear, teaching them how to properly use it and motivate them to play with these tools, he said.
“I try to foster curiosity,” DiMauro said.
POLICY PROGRESS
In response to the implementation of AI in schools, many area districts, such as Central Cambria and North Star, have adopted policies to regulate its use. The item is filed under the operations section of district manuals and typically numbered 815.1.
The policies note the “potential that Generative Artificial Intelligence offers in enhancing educational opportunities” while also outlining “guidelines for the proper management and responsible use” of the tool.
That use is limited to approved educational purposes and needs to comply with applicable state and federal laws, the policies state.
Additionally, “tools and resources used in district schools and programs shall be evaluated and authorized on an ongoing basis for age-appropriateness, bias, privacy protections, accessibility standards and data security,” the document reads.
Glenn Gaye, Windber Area School District director of education, said it’s important to maintain a policy-driven approach when dealing with AI.
“We are constantly evaluating the potential benefits for staff, students and families,” he added.
Gaye said his view is one of cautious optimism when dealing with artificial intelligence in education.
However, there is the possibility of disciplinary issues related to AI technology. Richland was the first local district to address that situation in November when high school students allegedly used the tool to create and distribute obscene images of peers. An investigation in cooperation with local authorities was launched and the matter was handled internally.
Regan said with new technologies comes new territory, and disciplinary matters are examples of that intersection. For administrators, that means finding a cross-section of precedent and new guidance to properly address the situation, he said. This is another example of the need to educate students on proper AI use, Regan added.
“My biggest takeaway is learning to live with it responsibly as educators so we can properly convey it to our students,” Regan said.
DiMauro said if educators and students are willing to put in the work and be trained to use AI properly, real learning can begin.
Large language models, such as ChatGPT, are the start of this, St. Clair said, not the end.
DiMauro agreed, saying the development of quantum computing — advanced computing using quantum mechanics — and AI agents, which are autonomous intelligent systems to perform tasks, will revolutionize the field moving forward.
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