AI Literacy: Bridging the AI Literacy Gap in Education
On April 19, 2024, the Office of Educational Technology hosted the U.S. Department of Education’s first AI Literacy Day, a “nationwide day of action inviting students, parents, educators, and other community members” to better understand the role of AI in education. National AI Literacy Day is supported by the EDSAFE AI Alliance, a global initiative coordinated by InnovateEDU and powered by a coalition of organizations representing stakeholders across the education sector to provide global leadership for developing a safer, more secure, more equitable, and more trusted AI education ecosystem through a focus on research, policy, and practice.
The event’s aim was to inspire further reflection, conversation, collaboration, and action with regards to AI in our lives. Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten welcomed the audience in pre-recorded remarks; she called upon all of us to continuously learn and adapt, acknowledging that there will be challenges but advising that a strong, shared vision for an AI-literate education system will unlock the transformative power of this new technology.
With a diverse lineup of speakers and insightful presentations, the event explored the many ways AI literacy might shape teaching and learning.
Speakers with Spark
The event’s keynote speaker, Vanessa Parli, works to empower the next generation of AI leaders at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). Through the historical iterations of AI, one can note the progression of AI systems and the growing AI integrations that have sparked and enhanced productivity and quality. “There is so much to know and not enough brain space or time to learn it,” said Parli.
Nevertheless, she encouraged the audience to not be paralyzed by the feeling of “AI FOMO,” even though she predicts almost everyone has it. During this early stage of development, AI holds a vast potential from benefiting from a diverse array of voices. An interdisciplinary team with society-centered, community-centered, and user-centered members can meaningfully identify the needs and wants from emerging technology, thereby fostering genuine societal benefits. This concept is the essence of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) which advances AI research, education, policy and practice to improve the human condition, the heart of Parli’s work at Stanford.
Next, Matthew Taylor (Professional Learning Facilitator and Curriculum Developer, MIT RAISE) posed a pivotal question: “How should AI literacy happen?” Engaging teachers and students in a humanity-centered approach to AI is the most important first step. Schools and universities need professional development in AI that will teach educators and students how AI works while addressing biases, data privacy, and mindfulness in lesson planning.
From Taylor’s professional learning sessions, teachers experienced increased confidence in AI literacy and curiosity, demonstrating momentous engagement. To effectively implement AI, teachers need to be well-engaged, given the necessary skills and time to apply them in practice, and provided space to reflect on their implementation.
Innovative Practitioners
The National Science Foundation’s Dr. Erwin Gianchandani introduced the event’s Spotlight Series, which showcased four professionals and their intentional approach to AI literacy to support students, educators, and families.
Sallie Holloway, Director of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science at Gwinnett County Public Schools
Sallie Holloway is a Computer Science for All advocate and an educational leader in building high-quality and future-ready learning experiences. She works in Gwinnett County, Georgia, a large school system with diverse students, and is focusing on ensuring future readiness through AI readiness. Since 2019, Holloway has helped develop a framework to highlight essential skills for students in order to embed AI at all grade levels and content classes. Keeping humans in the loop has resulted in a shift in the tone of educators. According to Holloway, it is one of the most empowering moments in an evolving journey to hear teachers speak about the value they feel they have because of their shared leadership in this work.
Katherine Moore, Research Scientist, MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program (STEP) Lab
Kate (Katherine) Moore is a research scientist and program manager in the Everyday AI for Youth project at the MIT STEP Lab. Under the leadership of PI’s Irene Lee and Helen Zhang, she served as key personnel in two NSF-funded studies to improve teacher and student AI literacy, focusing on middle school students. Moore believes AI literacy is crucial for informed decision-making and interdisciplinary learning. Almost everyone interacts with AI daily; for this reason, understanding AI is fundamental for making informed decisions. By giving students an age-appropriate definition of what AI is, students explore, sort, and discuss examples of AI technologies that are relevant to their everyday lives. Consequently, students activate their own ethical ideas as they design algorithms for diverse stakeholders using an ethical matrix. Lee, Zhang, Moore and their team incorporate and uplift student voice through intentional engagement as a foundational approach to developing critical thinking skills for and responsible use of AI in students.
David J. Malan, Gordan McKay Professor of Computer Science, Harvard University
David Malan is a Harvard professor for Computer Science 50 — one of Harvard’s largest courses. Malan designed his classes to use software and the Rubber Duck Method to impose pedagogical guardrails. He also uses Generative AI (GAI) APIs to put downward pressure on being too helpful and instead, encourages critical thinking and academic honesty. Malan’s initial embrace of the technology has resulted in his students responsibly and strategically using GAI as a thought partner and tutor to augment their educational experience. to augment their educational experience.
Elizabeth Cohn, Assistant Professor of Foreign Policy & Global Security, American University
Elizabeth Cohn discussed the impact of AI on student learning outcomes, focusing on the skills and knowledge needed for them to identify arguments and evaluate evidence. She suggested that AI can be helpful in various aspects of education, such as reading and writing. However, she also warned that the quickness of AI can lead to students giving up, asserting the need for persistence and grit in teaching and learning. In her classes, Cohn prioritizes providing an environment in which students feel good about asking for help. She intends to uphold and maintain academic integrity, academic rigor, and instructional tasks with exceptional quality in the student learning process.
Thought-Provoking Panelists
Knowing that AI has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning, the panel addressed the need to embrace and then equip educational practitioners and learners. The panelists discussed the importance of AI literacy in teaching and learning, focusing on factors such as access, teacher-centered design, and ensuring all students have access to these tools.
They outlined the challenges and opportunities of infrastructure development, accentuating the need for ongoing professional development (PD) for educators and media literacy. Vera Cubero, Western Region Consultant: Digital Teaching & Learning, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction emphasized: “[we] have to consider the children. I believe in getting the plan down and educating the district, stressing that educators need PD first that is ongoing and embedded. [That] needs to happen before we get the students on the tools.” According to Cubero, involving teachers in the design process should be top of mind when implementing AI-generated content across the curriculum. They also highlighted the need to ensure children can think critically about AI before learning with AI.
Equitable access to education was a foundational theme during the panel discussion. While leveraging the technology in the classroom, educators should be mindful of racial biases that have surfaced in generative AI tools. Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies & Director of the Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at the Brookings Institution, explained the integration of race and technology in education is a complex issue that requires careful consideration.
“Educators must ensure that all students are aware of the use of these technologies, as AI has the potential for us to use them in a way that they’re not intended,” said Lee. She noted that educators and leaders must build excitement for the technology and training to foster mindfulness of tools within a “culturally-efficacious and -centered framework”, particularly for students of color. As well, adopting a community-centered and society-centered approach and making the conscious effort “to ensure parents are engaged in student’ learning” may aid in preventing inequitable uses of AI. Therefore, as per Dr. Lee, it’s fundamental to extend AI literacy beyond the classroom.
Additionally, panelists elevated the digital access divide. Alex Kotran, Founder and CEO of aiEDU said: “to talk about AI, we have to talk about the digital access divide. Let’s make it a broader connectivity problem.” The Education Trust’s Nathan Kriha emphasized elevating the voices of teachers of color and students of color and students that are in lower income communities to understand their experiences with these technologies. “Visiting schools, especially schools most affected by the digital divide, is necessary to robustly understand this issue,” stated Nathan.
The Charge Towards Optimism
The closing speaker, political analyst and DreamMachine.org’s Van Jones, urged the audience to adopt a techno-optimistic outlook on AI. According to Jones, generative AI as a disruptive technology is creating a golden opportunity to “place jetpacks on those who are often left behind or overlooked.” Shifting away from the fear associated with AI encourages educators and educational leaders alike to ultimately embrace AI literacy as a tool of empowerment and innovation for the sake of students.
For more information, visit the first post in the multi-part blog series on AI literacy: AI Literacy 101: An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.
This blog contains examples of resources that are provided for the user’s convenience. The inclusion of these materials is not intended to reflect its importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered. These materials may contain the views and recommendations of various subject matter experts as well as hypertext links, contact addresses, and websites to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. The opinions expressed in any of these materials do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any outside information included in these materials.
