Created by Samara Marin using Microsoft Copilot 2024

During COVID, when the world switched to online learning, education shifted. Suddenly, every teacher and student in my district was 1:1 on devices to make it through remote learning. However, while we were all focusing on learning the ropes of a new learning terrain, a new program was emerging alongside the technological evolution: ChatGPT. More and more AI began popping up from this Generative AI. As a teacher, I hid from it in fear until I began the ADL program. Then I learned that Grammarly, while not a GAI back then, had become one in the years since. As I learned more about AI through my research in the ADL program, I learned that AI is not inherently good or bad it is just a tool. A tool that has various conversations revolving around it that will involve educators whether we like it or not. AI is not going anywhere anytime soon as a recent study conducted by the PEW research center states, “majority of Americans – 97% – now own a cellphone of some kind. Nine-in-ten own a smartphone,” (2024) and “by 2024, a considerable 80% of global schools had implemented technology for educational use” (Star, 2024).

However, like many other educators, I did not initially embrace AI. All I saw was how students used it to cheat on assignments by having it answer their questions, write their essays, complete their math assignments, etc. It was a problem plaguing every subject across multiple grade levels. Teachers already overwhelmed with returning from a global pandemic were now dealing with this new invader. As an English teacher, it took me a while to remember that words have power and that how we look at a situation can change the connotation associated with an object. Once I joined the Applied Digital Learning (ADL) Program at Lamar University Beaumont, I began to learn what a flipped classroom was and what technological advances were being made in classrooms around the area and country through my research. As I began researching the idea of a flipped classroom environment for my innovation plan, I quickly realized that AI can enhance what teachers already use. On top of the idea that AI can make lesson planning more accessible for educators, we cannot teach students about something we do not understand. If we as educators can change our perception of AI from the enemy to a tool, then we can change the students’ perception of AI from a tool for cheating into a tool for learning.

Created using Microsoft Copilot by Samara Marin 2024

Before we begin to have campus-wide professional development (PD), we must first teach the leaders on the campus. AI is not going anywhere, and educators are a part of the discussion over the ethical use of AI, whether we like it or not. However, just as we cannot teach what we do not know, we cannot effectively discuss what we do not know. We know what works in a classroom setting, and our PDs are simply classrooms for our educators. If we have grade level or content area, leaders learn how AI affects their area first; then, each area will feel better supported regarding professional development. Each educator will choose how they see fit to incorporate AI into their classroom. Below is a PDF that demonstrates how the five principles of professional development can be applied to create an effective series of PD for integrating AI into the classroom setting.

Constructivism is based on the idea that everyone takes their understanding from every lesson due to starting the lesson with different levels of knowledge. Allowing educators to each attend a PD and then create a follow-up mini-session after implementing the concepts from the PD is one way to develop constructivist connections. We can collaborate with other campuses and districts by adding an online component to PD. One of the topics we discussed when conducting our podcast for the summer courses was how districts close to each other can have varying perspectives on the same topic; therefore, by adding an online community aspect to PD, different perspectives are being shared. In Order for collaboration to truly work, those within the collaborative space must be willing to bring something to the table and take something away. A learner’s mindset is needed to be ready to learn new concepts instead of just collaborating because we are told we need to collaborate.

Created using Microsoft Copilot by Samara Marin 2024

When I started the ADL program, my innovation plan was because I believed that how we do homework was not beneficial to anyone involved. So, I created a plan to create a flipped classroom using technology. Initially, I had the big picture solid; however, the more I zoomed into the specifics, the more the picture became blurry. How could I propose completely changing what we already do without creating more work for overwhelmed educators? Then, I remembered trying to focus on one problem at a time and not the entire picture. AI was being used to cheat by students; how can we combat something we know nothing about?

So, I set out to learn all I could about AI to combat it in the classroom. However, the more I learned about it, the more I learned about its usefulness. I began to have conversations with my students about AI because who better to learn from than those using it? I quickly learned that Sal Khan was embracing AI. The more I learned, the more I began to see how AI could help teachers create their flipped classrooms by taking some of the weight off an overwhelmed teacher’s shoulders.

The more I learned about AI, the more I learned about its benefits and pitfalls. Students were using AI without knowing much about it. Some students are blindly trusting AI without knowing the full extent of how AI works, even though chatbots have limitations. We are seeing articles pop up, such as the NY Times article, AI Can Write Poetry, But it Struggles With Math. This lines up with a conversation I recently had with a student who stated they made a failing grade on a math test because they attempted to learn from ChatGPT.

Which brings me my current location on my learner’s journey. I have been using various online resources to create PD for my campus and lessons for my students. This blog post alone used:

• Vecteezy-Stock Videos
• Epidemic Sound-Royalty music
• Microsoft Copilot- Research and image creation
• Adobe Firefly-Image reference creation
• Luma AI- Animate images created using AI or Create AI videos
• Pika Lab- Animate images created using AI or Create AI videos
• Canva- Video Creation
• PowerPoint-To create the PDF of my PD plan
• Snipping Tool- To screen record
• ETC. – I have a long list of programs I use.

I look for the sparkles on the screen that indicate AI and have conversations with students to garner their thoughts. They will be the ones entering a workforce filled with AI experts, and I am only trying to get their educators caught up.

Created using Microsoft Copilot by Samara Marin 2024

Lohr, S. (2024, July 23). A.I. Can Write Poetry, But it Struggles with Math. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/23/technology/ai-chatbots-chatgpt-math.html

Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the Teachers Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability. Center for Public Education. http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/system/files/2013-176_ProfessionalDevelopment.pdf 

Pew Research Center. (2024, January 31). Mobile Fact Sheet. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/

Star, E. L. | P. (2024, May 20). What Percentage of Schools Use Technology in the Classroom in 2024?. TechBullion. https://techbullion.com/what-percentage-of-schools-use-technology-in-the-classroom-in-2024/