Director of Technology Services
Chisago Lakes School District
E-12 Education has been hearing about Artificial Intelligence (AI) so much so in the last year and a half that it is easy to glance over the acronym when it comes up in your inbox.
I recently had the opportunity to work with a group of student leaders in grades 9-12 on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their school. Specifically, we had discussion around:
- How are you personally using AI, and how are you seeing others use AI around your school?
- What concerns do you have for AI into the future, and how do you think it will impact us for the better?
- What work do we need to do to prepare current 8th graders for the world they will leave here for in 2028?
After receiving a few funny looks from students who thought I was asking them, “Do you use ChatGPT to write your English papers?,” they dove in. Students spoke to what they know and, more importantly, what they don’t know about AI.
They highlighted how they strive to be efficient, use AI wisely, and the many ways they lean on AI tools in their daily lives. Some of their feedback sounded similar to the feedback many district leaders hear from stakeholders. A few students pointed out the need for policies addressing the ethical use of AI, including data privacy and security. They emphasized the importance of understanding how AI applications work and ensuring transparency in their use (ie. Let me use it to brainstorm ideas and understand concepts, but don’t call it cheating).
One notable example was a student who leans on AI as a tutor for their high school chemistry homework at 9:30 pm, when no one else is available to help them with their work. Their recognition of AI’s potential to provide personalized, on-demand support, enhancing their learning experience outside of traditional classroom hours was a consensus.
If Millenials had Facebook first when you could only sign up with a college .edu email address, our E-12 students today had AI first and knew it all, right? The amount of information they recognized that they didn’t know around AI and wanted to learn about was not expected. Thinking about the future and how to best support those who are entering high school, students expressed a desire for schools to introduce or teach classes specifically about AI – not a course in many high school offerings when registration went out earlier this year. They see the value in understanding AI not just as users, but as informed participants in its development and application. It was surprising to hear that some students felt like they were already behind and that we need to provide opportunities to learn more about how to leverage AI as early as grades 6-8.
Great work is already happening across your districts as well as at the state level, as evidenced by the 2024 Minnesota Thought Leaders Summit, held on June 17 at Tech High School in St. Cloud, MN (link and resources). This gathering provides thought leaders the opportunity to learn together and exchange ideas on leveraging Generative AI to change the “how” and “what” of our education system. Such collaborative efforts highlight the commitment to advancing educational practices and preparing our students for the future through innovative approaches. Many districts are publicly sharing their learning as they go and know that sharing your journey and work around AI within your schools is just as important as the guidelines that you end up with in the end.
To summarize the non-negotiables: AI is not something we can ignore. It holds immense potential to support and enhance learning. We must provide clear guidance and frameworks for its use. Embracing the positive use of AI in education is crucial, as failing to do so will leave our students behind in an increasingly AI-driven world. The focus for us is on teaching students both “how to learn AI” and “how to learn” with AI as a tool, emphasizing that teachers are guides, not replacements, in this process. By integrating AI thoughtfully and collaboratively, we can ensure that our staff and students are well-prepared for the future.
Eric Simmons, Ed.S.
Director of Technology Services
Chisago Lakes School District
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@ersimmons