[David Owens]

I agree AnnMarie, teachers are not going to be victims of AI. New technologies for teaching have been introduced in every generation. Although it will be transformative and challenging from ethical and legal perspectives, it will enhance the classroom. Teachers will embrace it, hone it to their specific setting and make it an effective route to new learning.

[David Owens]

Hi Caroline, I agree that the range of products available can be overwhelming, and expensive if want “all the stuff”. I think that mastering a small range of products that specifically suit your setting and experimenting along the way is the way to go.

[David Owens]

I think the term transformational is appropriate when talking about AI as well. Particularly, as you referenced changing dynamics in the classroom every day. Bright, engaging and differentiated classes can now be produced in moments when teachers are put on the spot.

[David Owens]

The first thing to do is consider what AI resources are available to you free and what resources you have used up to now that you have found useful. Secondly, I would access any new AI teaching resources that caught my eye whilst doing this course. I would experiment with the newer resources, keeping the tasks simple and assessing how effective they might be in my setting.

There are several elements that make AI much more useful than the teaching technology that preceded it. In the special setting it is now possible to finely individualise tasks for learners whilst staying in the broader context of the lesson. Presentations should be much more visual and dynamic than what preceded them. Assessment can also take many new forms and it would be my intention to explore the possibilities there.

<u>Lesson plan</u>

<u>Objective</u>

Learners will appreciate that the quality of the prompts will determine the quality of the outcome

1. Display a vivid picture of a horse carrying a jockey in full flight crossing the finish line in a race
2. Ask learners what prompts I should input to produce that picture
3. Input the suggestions and see what they produce
4. Discuss the initial outcome and how we might refine it
5. Refine the initial picture produced by the learners adding the new detail
6. Discuss descriptive terms, action verbs, setting and characters to produce further refinement
7. Compare and contrast the initial picture with the more refined version.
8. Give learners a new picture to copy with all of the suggestions on the board to assess the learning

[David Owens]

Hi Pauline, I also think Scratch Basics would work with some of my learners as an intro to coding and the concept of AI as it caters for was wide range of ages and abilities. The development is ongoing and is recommended for 8 to 16 year olds.

[David Owens]

Although my learners can range from twelve years old upwards, the majority of them have significant gaps in their formal education. Traditional educational settings have not worked out for many of them. Consequently, they can present as young teens, with a similar level of basic educational participation as other teens, yet that assumption often leads to issues, as many of the building blocks for effective progression are missing.

They can be very vulnerable to online bias and misinformation. I thought the section  demonstrated stark contrast between the Republican perspective and the London Times perspective on the 1916 Rising, pulled from the ChatGPT database very effective.

I felt that active learning, high interest tasks could also be developed by the learners, based on their personal interests, as many of them need contexts that they are familiar with to benefit from compare and contrast approaches.

[David Owens]

Many of the learners in my setting have confidence issues stemming from trauma. We try to address those confidence issues by placing value on the expression of thoughts and opinions. Functional reading and writing often mask underlying confidence and Speaker Coach would be of great benefit in coaching the learners for short presentations.

Magic School seems like a very comprehensive one stop shop for dynamic learning environments. As learners with specific needs can be mixed with others with similar needs, it is often necessary to produce quizzes, translations or other fun activities in the moment to compensate. The range of activities, readily available on Magic School will contribute to the overall quality of engagement in this context.

With regard to the development of AI as a suite of learning tools within the classroom and as administrative templates beyond the classroom, the impact will be significant. Individualised Learning plans will become much more specific. Expectations in planning and progress are already being introduced to a level where only, with the embedding of AI in the system, can they be achieved.

Module 3 advised on the safe and appropriate use of AI in classrooms. We, as teachers, can often be blinded by enthusiasm. Beyond the teaching profession taking responsibility for upskilling, The AI Literacy in the Classroom Initiative, seems to be playing catch up. However, the rapidity of fresh AI innovations is challenging for all stakeholders in all fields.

The choices available to teachers can be overwhelming in AI that complements learning, planning and assessing the participation of students can be overwhelming. I believe the more successful teachers will draw from a very specific and well chosen suite of software that works specifically for their setting.

[David Owens]

The introduction of the National AI Strategy, AI Here For Good, has been a positive development, particularly as it relates to Primary School education. With its stated goal being the “provision of digital, technical and complementary skills at all education levels, from primary school upwards” (strand 6) and the provision of a fully resourced and well structured strategy, I am hopeful that Ireland will be well set to effectively embrace AI in education, at all levels.

As our setting provides copilot and the Microsoft suite of software, I was somewhat surprised that I had never used Immersive Reader as a teaching aid. It is a simple tool that is quite easily mastered, yet it took the basic demonstration presented in Module 2 to draw me to it. What is particularly appealing, is the simplicity of the interaction. Many of my students are suffering trauma and can react angrily when they perceive guidance as undermining. I’ve no doubt I will integrate its use into my classroom and it will enhance the learning.

I have found the range of AI teaching options a little overwhelming, so I have had to limit my review to products that are readily available through Microsoft and another that I have tried is Minecraft, which I shall try to implement on my return to the classroom. Many of my students crave familiarity with classroom activities as a buy in for learning, I believe Minecraft will be effective in providing this.

[David Owens]

Yes! You used the term “guiding our students”. We are now overseeing a revolutionary transition in how teachers approach teaching tasks at all levels. Primary amongst these innovations is the guidance we get as teachers and our ability to give exceptional levels of guidance to our students.

[David Owens]

Although I am familiar with basic AI, I have not been using it to its potential. Given the increasing workload on teachers, it would seem absurd that many of us are not squeezing every ounce of help we can get form AI. I have been using Copilot, Canva, ChatGPT and whats available of Twinkl.

On the face of it, it would seem like I am moving forward at a reasonable pace in accessing the advantages of AI, however, I have never used Vidnoz, Pictory or MS Designer. Unfortunately, I have been reluctant to delve deeper for multiple reasons, but mainly because I feel the pressure of time constraints, yet ultimately, I know effort now will save me a lot of time and effort in the future.

With regard to the future of AI in the classroom, two issues will override all others, I believe. Early learning and participation will be enhanced by active and more exploratory tasks. Student expectation that this type of learning is the norm will emerge. As children develop a more mature awareness of their world, their ability to prompt and the ability of their teachers in developing that skill will be their primary route to learning.

[David Owens]

I agree, formatting and framing encouraging comments and effective responses can be time consuming and challenging. Like others, I have found that more regular use of AI can help us to hone our input, to develop specific, more enlightening responses to student work.

[Author]

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