Teddy Kim - CIDDL

A group of professionals talk through a presentation, What is AI Literacy. They all are using tech devices.

Teaching AI Literacy: Efforts, Challenges, and Emerging Practices

AI literacy has rapidly become a cornerstone for preparing learners to thrive in a technology-driven world. As Ng and colleagues (2021) argued, AI literacy consists of four interrelated domains—know and understand, use and apply, evaluate, and ethics—reflecting both conceptual and behavioral dimensions of human–AI interaction. This framework positions AI literacy not as a technical specialization but as a foundational cognitive and ethical competency.

Let's Talk AI and Special education with hosts Sean Smith and Samantha Goldman. Topic: Using AI for Grading.

CIDDL Office Hours: Harnessing AI for Grading and Progress Monitoring

The latest CIDDL Office Hours featured Dr. Sean Smith and Dr. Samantha Goldman from the University of Kansas, who presented their U.S. Department of Education–funded Stepping Up Project, introducing AI SCORE, an innovative AI-based writing assessment and feedback platform. The session explored how AI can enhance writing instruction by providing real-time, formative feedback that maintains data privacy and supports struggling writers.

Webinar Series: Promoting Self-Determination with Technology

This webinar highlights how technology can support the development of students’ self-determination. We invited Dr. Karrie Shogren, who conducts various studies related to self-determination, and discussed how the Goal Setting Challenge (GSC) app was developed and how it can help students practically.

Let's Talk AI and Special Education with Host James Basham. Topic: Starting to Discuss AI Literacy.

CIDDL Office Hours: Exploring AI Literacy in Education

The latest CIDDL Office Hours brought together educators, researchers, and technology developers to discuss the growing importance of AI Literacy in education. Led by Dr. James Basham, Professor at the University of Kansas and Director of CIDDL, the session explored how educators can integrate AI responsibly into classrooms and prepare students for an AI-driven future.

AI generated image with a robot, teacher, and young student

Cool Tools for the New Semester! Enrich Your Teaching and Lighten Your Workload!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept; it is already embedded in the ways students learn and teachers work. For educators, AI has the potential to significantly reduce the burden of lesson planning and grading, allowing more time to focus on meaningful engagement with students (Goldman et al., 2024). For students, AI provides personalized support in reading, writing, studying, and research (CIDDL, 2024). Banning AI in schools is not only unrealistic but also unwise, because such restrictions prevent teachers from showing students how to use these tools responsibly and effectively. The question is not whether AI will appear in classrooms, but how educators can guide its appropriate and ethical use.

AI Literacy in Teacher Preparation

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into daily life and educational settings, teacher preparation programs face a critical challenge: ensuring that pre-service educators are equipped to navigate, integrate, and critically assess AI in their practice. AI literacy refers to the ability to understand, utilize, and critically evaluate AI technologies, including their functionality, societal implications, and how to engage with them responsibly (Long & Magerko, 2020; Ng et al., 2021). However, many in the education field still approach AI with uncertainty, often viewing it as a potential threat to academic integrity. As Dr. Victor Lee noted, misconceptions about AI’s capabilities, such as assuming it is highly intelligent or inherently subversive, can limit meaningful integration. Without shared understandings, practical frameworks (e.g., AILit Framework, CODE.org), and intentional dialogue, there is a risk of reducing AI to a reactive concern rather than embracing it as a powerful tool for teaching, learning, and innovation.

office hour image with james bashams picture highlighted

CIDDL Office Hour: Welcome Back! Start the Semester with CIDDL Updates

On August 19, 2025, CIDDL hosted an Office Hours session that brought together faculty, researchers, and practitioners to discuss one of the most pressing topics in education today: how to responsibly integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into teacher preparation and special education. Led by CIDDL Co-PI Dr. James Basham, the conversation highlighted both big-picture frameworks and low-lift classroom practices, making AI integration approachable for educators at all levels.

Episode 2: Rethinking Agency in the Age of AI: Why Does Agency Matter in the Age of AI?

In today’s classrooms, generative AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming ubiquitous. But while these tools may appear to be merely technical aids, students’ decisions about how and when to use them are deeply value-based. Recent studies suggest that student AI use is shaped by a complex set of psychological, academic, and social factors. Rather than being passive users, students weigh the benefits and costs of AI use, often in the context of academic pressure, peer influence, and personal confidence. This raises important implications for educators who want to support healthy and productive use of AI in learning. This blog post synthesizes three research articles by Acosta-Enriquez and colleagues (2025), Mariñas and colleagues (2025), and Zhang and colleagues (2024) on how students conduct cost-benefit analysis to decide AI use.

Young girl and male adult using an ipad with a robot

Learning AI at Home: How Families Can Grow Together in the Age of Smart Technologies

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a constant presence in our homes, whether through voice assistants such as Alexa and Siri, or recommendation systems on YouTube and Netflix. As these technologies become more deeply embedded in family life, it’s increasingly important to understand how children—and their caregivers—can learn about AI together in meaningful, critical, and empowering ways.

Episode 1: Rethinking Agency in the Age of AI: Gaining an Initial Understanding

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a transformative force in education, offering personalized learning, automation, and new forms of engagement. However, beneath these promises lies a fundamental question: How does AI influence human agency, particularly for students with disabilities (SWD)?

Author: Teddy Kim (page 2)