As a teacher, I often see students struggle to share their learning. Sometimes, this is something that we are equipped with the necessary tools to help them with, but only sometimes. Students with exceptionalities or different learning needs are often given some support, but it needs to be more consistent and do how they need it. This can frequently lead to incomplete or missing work, frustration, confusion, and falling behind. With the development and easy access to AI learning support and the ease of use of Generative AI (GenAI), how can these tools be used to support learners in our K-12 system, and how can we ensure that these tools are used appropriately.
Although there are others within this course looking at AI use in the K-12 system, I will mainly focus on students with exceptionalities and learning needs instead of allowing access to all learners. This will allow me to compare the usage options between general learners and those requiring extra support. I will be drawing on the works of Bozkurt (2023) which tries to predict how GenAI will grow and change along with Selwyn (2024) to better understand the limitations of GenAI. Although those two sources will be a main focus, I will also be referring to work by Maughan (2014) and Roberts (2023) to help better understand ed tech and AI in the classroom.
References
Bozkurt, A., Xiao, J., Lambert, S., Pazurek, A., Crompton, H., Koseoglu, S., Farrow, R., Bond, M., Nerantzi, C., Honeychurch, S., Bali, M., Dron, J., Mir, K., Stewart, B., Costello, E., Mason, J., Stracke, C. M., Romero-Hall, E., Koutropoulos, A., & Toquero, C. M. (2023). Speculative Futures on ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Collective Reflection from the Educational Landscape. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 18(1). https://www.asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/709/394
Maughan, T. (2014, June 18). The future of ed tech is here, it’s just not evenly distributed. Medium; Futures Exchange. https://medium.com/futures-exchange/the-future-of-ed-tech-is-here-its-just-not-evenly-distributed-210778a423d7
Roberts, J. S. (2023, July 10). Decolonizing AI Ethics: Indigenous AI Reflections. Accel.AI. https://medium.com/accel-ai/decolonizing-ai-ethics-indigenous-ai-reflections-50dd4d6a2367
Selwyn, N. (2024). On the Limits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education. Nordisk Tidsskrift for Pedagogikk Og Kritikk, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.23865/ntpk.v10.6062
19 October 2024 at 5:34 am
Lauren, your focus on AI support for students with exceptionalities is valuable and much needed. To further develop this work, consider integrating real-life case studies or examples of AI tools currently supporting diverse learners in the K-12 system. This could help ground your analysis in practical applications.
Additionally, discussing ethical considerations such as privacy concerns or the risk of over-reliance on AI would enhance your exploration of appropriate use.
Finally, you could deepen your comparison by evaluating how AI might support individualized learning plans (IEPs) more effectively than traditional methods.
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts so far Lauren!