1. AI Episode 1: Intro to Artificial Intelligence in Teaching
  2. AI Episode 2: What Does An AI Teaching Assistant Look Like?
  3. AI Episode 3: Implications for Thought Leaders and Policy Developers
  4. Introducing Simulations into Teacher Preparation Programs
  5. Assistive Technology to Support Writing
  6. Enhancing Instruction and Empowering Educators with AI Tools and Technology
  7. So, AI Ruined Your Term Paper Assignment?
  8. Step by Step Use of Chat GPT
  9. CIDDL ChatGPT: Summarizing Text
  10. CIDDL ChatGPT: Solving Multiple Choice Questions
  11. Equity, Diversity, and Access to Technology in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
  12. CIDDL ChatGPT: Writing Programs
  13. CIDDL ChatGPT: Solving Word Problems
  14. Artificial Intelligence: Positives and Negatives in the Mathematics Classroom
  15. AI to Support Literacy
  16. Using the AI Bill of Rights to Guide Education’s use of AI and the European Commission’s “Ethical Guidelines for Teaching and Learning” to Guide the Future of AI in Education Part 1 of 2
  17. Using the AI Bill of Rights to Guide Education’s use of AI and the European Commission’s “Ethical Guidelines for Teaching and Learning” to Guide the Future of AI in Education Part 2 of 2
  18. Three Free & Easy Tools to Support Tiered Reading in Your Classroom
  19. The Question of Equity in the Age of ChatGPT
  20. CIDDList: 5 AIs You Need to Check Out This Summer!
  21. Mixed Reality Simulations, Personalized Learning, AI, and the Future of Education with Dr. Chris Dede
  22. Foundations for AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning from the US Department of Educational Technology
  23. Apple Enters the AR/VR/MR/XR Scene
  24. ChatGPT, AIs, and the IEP?
  25. There’s An AI for That: A Site Dedicated to Curating AIs
  26. UDL, Design Learning, and Personalized Learning
  27. Embracing the Future: How Teachers Can Harness AI at the Beginning of the School Year
  28. Empowering Special Education Faculty: Navigating the AI Landscape in Higher Education for 2023-2024.
  29. CIDDList: Back-to-School Checklist for Technology in Teacher Preparation Courses
  30. Cracking the Code: Students with Disabilities in the Computer Sciences 
  31. UNESCO Discusses Artificial Intelligence
  32. AI-integrated Apps for Those with Visual Impairments: Camera-Based Identifiers and Readers
  33. Publishers Respond to Generative AI
  34. K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist
  35. CIDDL Talks How AI Will Change Special Education at TED
  36. Re-designing and Aligning an Intro to Special Education Class to the UDL Framework through Technology Integration: Minimizing Threats and Distractions
Graphic of a human brain surrounded by interconnecting data points

AI Episode 2: What Does An AI Teaching Assistant Look Like?

Jill Watson, an AI teaching assistant developed at Georgia Tech, turned 5 this year. Jill has been steadily improving since her 2016 rollout in Ashok Goel’s computer science course. The course has more than 350 students each semester. Students participate in online discussion groups with teaching assistants and the professor each week. Jill was designed to respond to questions emerging during the course. To do this, Dr. Goel and his assistants entered multiple semesters of question and answer data into Jill’s AI. They categorized questions and taught Jill to formulate responses with 97% accuracy. Five years later, the technology has been adapted for other courses. Jill now provides students with answers to their questions in Biology. Click here to see Jill’s development.

Dr. Goel presented a summary of his research on Jill Watson in 2016 at TED San Francisco. The video below is 20 minutes.

 

Dr. Ida Comacho is another researcher at Georgia Tech who is investigating how AI can improve social interactions in online environments. She is examining factors (e.g., location, hobbies, pets, etc.) that lead to successful course engagement and small group formation. Students can opt-in at the beginning of a semester to be connected with others in the course. The AI pairs students based on weighted factors. You can learn more about Dr. Comacho by listening to this 22-minute podcast.

These examples show that AI teaching assistants can respond to student questions with 97% accuracy. They are on at all hours of the day, providing students with feedback to their questions in seconds. In addition, Dr. Comacho’s research is demonstrating how AI can identify personal attributes that lead to positive social networks. Here is a word of caution before we engage in a new AI education system. Dr. Chris Piech, a lead researcher into AI tutors at Stanford states,

Current algorithms can’t read motivation, and are far from engendering long-term learning gains, instead of focusing on engaging students for the short term. The technical challenges are enormous…

The potential benefits for students seem to outweigh the technical challenges. An AI tutor can provide students with answers to their questions at any time of day, 365 days a year. The technology has the potential to decrease student inequalities resulting from a geographic location or social status. The only requirement is internet access. But what are the unintended consequences associated with AI?

Jordan Harrod gives us a reality check about how AI is used in colleges today. She notes the primary purpose is grading assignments with a secondary focus on tracking student progress. Check out her 8 & ½ minute video summary here.

In the next episode, we dive into some of the things that can go wrong. Preview it by watching the following video if you’re interested.