AI and I

 I have a complicated view of AI. It is not something that I will typically use in my day to day life, but it is something that I have previously used in school and at a former job (that required we use it). However I do feel very guilty whenever I use it since I think about all the negative impacts that AI has. I found some parts of Gallant and Rettinger's reading had topics that I could relate to. I have used AI in the academic setting to help me understand class concepts more. I felt like I could not approach professor's about questions I had because I was going to seem dumb or like I just wasn't paying attention. I was scared of failure and I preferred to ask AI instead of reaching out to a professor or even the tutoring center. My non-work related use of AI stems from me trying to present myself as a "smart" student who immediately grasps concepts because I was so scared of seeming like someone who was going to fail the class. I have grown a lot since then and I am more opening to asking professors and peers questions. But AI remains a part of my life because it has become so unavoidable. 

The reading by Ferlazzo was something that brought up many thoughts (mostly negative) for me. My first thought was; why are we telling teachers to use this tool because they are overworked instead of addressing the actual issue? Teaching is a rewarding yet EXHAUSTING job. It takes so much out of you , it is difficult to create/mold lesson plans to fit a class of 30+ students who have such different learning styles. We have classes of MLL's who are on different levels and students with IEP's/504's, it is tricky to create a lesson that will serve all your students. I also thought it was silly of Ferlazzo to suggest using AI to create welcome letters for students or their families. I could see how someone would want to use it for translation purposes, but it seems a bit disconnected to have AI write a letter from you to the students/families. That is something that can be so personal and I personally would not appreciate having an AI letter sent to me from an educator who wants me to grow and use my own brain. 

I understand that it is important for educators to evolve with technology and make sure we are fluent with tools our students will be using. But it is also important for us to make sure that we are not becoming reliant on AI. 

Prensky and Spiegel Response

After reading the article, I agree with Spiegel's point of view. It seems like Prensky views younger generations, or "digital natives" to be much more tech savvy individuals who are able to multitask and need the educational system to cater to their technological skills in order to serve them best. Prensky believes that newer generations are more knowledgeable of the way technology functions. I do think that it is important to evolve with newer generations in education, but not all of our students will be harnessing the skills that we expect "digital natives" to have. 

It is true that more kids today are growing up with access to technology, but it is not fully developing their skills as a digital citizen. Most kids are playing games, watching videos, or on different social media platforms when they are using their devices. Most of them are not on their devices typing essays, finding peer reviewed work, or using it to organize different kinds of information and data. I appreciated how Spiegel placed an emphasis on children having varying levels of skill when using technology depending on their own exposure. 

I think that Prensky's perspective makes sense as his essay came out when technology was still fairly new and becoming something common in a majority of households. But it does not fully take into account how much guidance students still need when using technology. Students can navigate certain apps, but they still need explicit directions when learning to use certain tools or apps that are used in education and most likely in their future jobs. 

A student's savviness with tech is also highly dependent on the devices they are exposed to, a student who has only been using a phone or a tablet will not have the same skills as a student who also has a computer or printer at home. All of this has to be learned. Someone who passively scrolls and consumes media will not have the same technological knowledge as someone who uses their devices to create. I think that the term "digital native" is too broad to define generations that have grown up surrounded by tech. Every student has such varying skills and they need to be taught how to use technology in the academic setting. 

We live in a world where tech is constantly evolving and ways in which we can use it are always changing. It is important that we are making sure that all of our students are able to use technology in ways that can help them with their own learning, but we need to also teach them how to be responsible digital citizens. 

This is an article from Edutopia (Poth, 2023) on Digital Citizenship skills that brings up important points!

https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-digital-citizenship-skills/ 

Intro

 Hiii! I'm Karen (she/her) I work at Achievement First Providence Elementary as a 3rd grade math teacher. I love being with friends and family and I love to be out in nature. I also have a bunch of hobbies and interests so hmu ~( ˘▾˘~).