This year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) entered the classroom, opening new opportunities for students.
“AI is in the workplace,” AP Psychology teacher Mark Moore said. “The best thing to do is embrace it and teach students how to use it responsibly.”
Moore uses AI in various ways in his own class, from writing fake papers for students to criticize to brainstorming lesson plans. He also has been creating AI songs on suno.com to review content.
Many teachers are starting to use AI in creating lesson plans and images to help students understand the lesson. This comes amid a commonwealth-wide initiative to expand the role of AI in education.
“We have to be open to change,” Moore said. “The more that you are resistant to change, the harder it is to implement AI.”
The songs have helped students recall the information, according to Moore.
“I can make slideshows more engaging by adding AI backgrounds to them,” AP European History teacher Jakob Saunders said.
In Jan. 2024, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order outlining guidelines for the usage of AI in education. On Nov. 5, Virginia Beach City Public Schools made its next step towards implementing those guidelines by giving students access to Google Gemini during school hours. The rules for usage of this resource were noted in every teacher’s classroom expectations. It ranges from Level 0 with no use at all, to Level 2 with limited usage of AI on assignments.
“AI implementation needs practice,” Principal Dr. Leslie Ittner said.
AI, if implemented properly, could help students with brainstorming and reviewing. It can be beneficial if used in the right way, but anything beneficial comes at a cost. Improper usage of AI deprives someone of understanding the core concepts of what they are learning. Without understanding the concepts, one will not learn anything.
“According to some psychological research studies, AI is also reducing critical thinking skills,” Moore said.
Students and teachers should prepare themselves for AI in the classroom soon.
“I think that AI definitely has its place in society,” said Moore.
