Jul 15, 2024

Adaptive Teaching and Learning: Artificial Intelligence in the K-12 Environment

Artificial intelligence (AI) promises vast transformations of society, some of which make many people uneasy with their potential for replacing skills – and the workers who possess them – in a wide range of industries. Yet understanding AI is fast becoming a core competency for the future. That is why AI-enabled classrooms supported by the networking and services provided by CENIC are so exciting for Julie Judd, Ventura County Office of Education Chief Technology Officer.

“Our students need to learn about AI – its strengths and its limits – so they can function in the 21st century,” said Judd. “And CENIC with its talented engineers enables our work to ride its network highway and use the tools in a safe environment.”

Judd and her colleague Dana Thompson, VCOE Director of Education Technology, presented on AI’s transformative role in K-12 education and administration during CENIC’s March 2024 conference “The Right Connection.” The two delivered a compelling case for the usefulness of a range of AI tools in the classroom, from teaching assists for personalizing student assignments and administrative tasks to working with a chatbot to keep older students engaged with learning.

The Need to Overcome Reluctance

Both Judd and Thompson however noted that a reluctance to adapt to new technologies is a familiar barrier. When the Internet first came out, many teachers sought to ban it from schools. It’s the same now with AI.

“As we learned with the Internet, if schools don’t teach students to use AI responsibly, who will?” said Thompson. “Think about our kids in kindergarten right now who will graduate in 2036. They need to know how to use AI appropriately in their future.”

CENIC board member and UC San Diego professor emeritus Larry Smarr, a noted pioneer in driving network innovation, made a similar call to action at the conference during his keynote address on the CENIC AI Resource saying, “We can’t sit back. This isn’t a normal moment in history, and CENIC allows us to move forward quickly in California.

“And it starts with the willing,” Smarr added. “It starts with those who want to move forward.”

Thankfully, Judd and Thompson have both noticed that this reluctance can be overcome. “We’ve learned that when teachers begin to appreciate how AI can provide a learning path that adapts to a specific student, they become very interested in understanding how to use AI tools,” said Thompson. “Take for example a teacher trying to assess a student’s understanding of a history lesson when English is their second or third language. AI can generate lessons in a student’s language so they can demonstrate their knowledge in their first language.”

AI as Valuable Teaching and Learning Partner

Some of the skills required to engage effectively in the society and economy of the 21st Century are becoming clearer as we move into the second half of the 2020s. Among those are an understanding of the deep learning and machine learning that help fuel artificial intelligence, encompassing all technologies that mimic human behavior.

“Sure, there are many things AI can do, but to guide its output, our students need critical thinking skills,” said Judd. “That’s what our schools need to deliver to our classrooms to ensure we’re equipping the future with critical thinkers who fact-check sources and recognize AI as a productive partner in their work rather than a replacement for it.”

Judd and Thompson are also working with classroom teachers to provide helpful AI tools that automate administrative tasks as well as creating differentiated content and student assessments for each student.

“We’ve found that even reluctant teachers will embrace AI tools that free up more classroom time for teaching,” said Thompson.

Addressing Privacy Concerns

Due to privacy concerns, there is limited use of AI tools directly with the 122,000 students in Ventura County, particularly for younger students.

“For older high school students, we are introducing the use of AI,” said Thompson. “If I’ve given an assignment that invites use of AI tools, then I make certain our students fully understand the acceptable use policy for our computers as well as the academic integrity policy so that they recognize the consequences of cheating or presenting AI work as their own.” She then added, “It’s all about expectations and getting parent approvals while introducing AI at an appropriate grade level to protect student privacy.”

For the Ventura County Office of Education, AI is one more component of the computer science and media literacy skills needed in the years to come, and through its networking and events, CENIC is an invaluable part of enabling California’s K-12 system to play its role in creating that future.

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