Happy Monday!

Here’s everything you need to know about teacher AI this week… Plus a Life Update. 😲 Let’s dive in 👇️ 

AI in Education Reads

1. AI Guidelines for K-12 to Aim to Bring Order to the “Wild West” (EdSurge) 🤠 
   There's a new set of guidelines out, spearheaded by the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, designed to help us teachers effectively integrate AI in our classrooms. They cover key areas like ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated content, safeguarding student privacy, and navigating legal issues. It's all about finding a balanced approach to using AI—neither banning it outright nor letting it run wild—so we can use these tools thoughtfully and responsibly.

2. AI Can Transform the Classroom Just Like the Calculator (Scientific American) 🧮 
   This article explores the potential of AI to enhance educational practices by drawing parallels with how the calculator was integrated into classrooms. This has been an analogy I’ve always used to explain to others why responsible AI usage should be taught in classrooms. It discusses how AI, like the calculator, can be seen as a tool to better education rather than a threat.
   Here’s my favourite quote from the article:

3. Why I wrote an AI transparency statement for my book, and think other authors should too (The Guardian) 🪟 

   Although not written specifically for teachers, this article goes over how AI is inevitably apparent as it is present in almost all word processors. It suggests that authors should provide an AI transparency statement to maintain trust in their work until there is a reliable AI detector. The author researched online for an AI transparency template, and to their surprise, couldn’t find one. So, here are the 4 dimensions AI transparency statements should cover:

   1. Was any text generated using AI?

   2. Has any text been improved by AI? (e.g. Grammarly suggesting to reorder sentences and improve clarity)

   3. Has any text been suggested by AI? (e.g. a ChatGPT outline, or an offering to write the next sentence based on previously wrote paragraphs)

   4. Has any text been corrected by AI? (e.g. spell check, have suggestions for corrections been overseen by human discretion?)

   These are 4 questions we should consider when crafting AI policy and thinking about the types of assignments we give to our students. Believe it or not, spell-check (which has been around forever) is still AI!

Life Update: I am leaving teaching

Feeling very bittersweet, and I wanted to share this with my newsletter community before posting on Tiktok. Last summer, I decided I wanted more so I started my Tiktok and quickly grew to absolutely love teaching other teachers how to leverage AI to save time and make learning more engaging for their students. I loved the hustle, room for creativity, all of the new connections I made with like-minded educators. I truly felt like I was making a difference.

With the current educational landscape - massive class sizes, increasing needs, etc. I began considering leaves of absence from teaching given my love for the AI space. Luckily, in my division, I can take up to 2 years off to pursue other opportunities outside of teaching and have my job there when/if I choose to return to the classroom. I was approved for a leave next year, and I have secured a full-time remote position (excluding travelling) with an EdTech startup, and will continue creating content around AI and education and my general transition from the classroom into EdTech. I am also applying for various PT Masters in Management Programs. My full story is on my LinkedIn, so let’s connect there.

I am excited to pursue this new journey. It has been my dream since starting my Tiktok to learn more about business and tech so that I can benefit more teachers and students using this amazing technology. If you have any questions or want to learn more about how I made the transition, drop me a message on LinkedIn or IG. I’d love to chat, answer any questions and see how I can help!