Artificial Intelligence

Meet the Updated CIDDL Chat: Explore Evidence-Based Resources Through AI

What if you could explore CIDDL’s resources by simply asking a question? With the newly updated CIDDL Chat, educators, families, researchers, and other stakeholders can engage with CIDDL’s resources through an AI-powered conversational interface. During a recent CIDDL Office Hour, Daniel Neugent, a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Kansas and a Graduate Research Assistant for CIDDL, introduced the updated CIDDL Chat, demonstrated its features, and answered questions about how the tool works.

Building AI Literacy in Teacher Education

Generative artificial intelligence has rapidly entered higher education and K-12 settings, yet teacher candidates and faculty may have limited guidance for using AI professionally, ethically, and instructionally. Dr. Michelle Kelley and Dr. Taylar Wenzel identified gaps in AI literacy and in how teacher education programs prepare candidates for a dual role: using AI for their own professional practice while also learning how to guide K-12 students in responsible AI use. Their work addresses this challenge through professional inquiry, assignment redesign, transparent expectations for AI use, and discipline-specific approaches to AI literacy.

Research on the Screen Time Question

Screen time is often treated as a relatively homogeneous, duration-based construct, despite substantial differences in how, why, and in what contexts screens are used (Kaye et al., 2020). During this CIDDL Office Hours session, Dr. James Basham and Dr. Matthew Marino challenged that framing and discussed why understanding screen use in education requires a much more nuanced approach.

person looking at their cell phone at their desk with a laptop

Before the Phone Call: Using AI Simulation to Practice Family Engagement Conversations

Strong family-professional partnerships depend on communication, equality, trust, and respect (Blue-Banning et al., 2004), yet educators may have limited opportunities to rehearse these practices. Simulation in teacher preparation offers one way to practice, receive feedback, and reflect before higher-stakes interactions.

From Local Problems to Community Solutions: Join the Fall 2026 CIDDL AI Community Challenge

What could students improve in their community if artificial intelligence became a thought partner rather than an answer machine?
The Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning (CIDDL) invites students and teachers in Grades 7–12 to answer this question through the Fall 2026 AI Community Challenge. Teams across the nation will identify a consequential local issue, investigate its causes, and design an evidence-informed solution with support from artificial intelligence (AI). The challenge places human reasoning at the center of every submission.

Reimagining Learning Through AI and Extended Reality

The brief begins with context on the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) in supporting students with disabilities and the opportunities and challenges these technologies present for educators.

Designing AI-Integrated Learning Experiences for Pre-Service Teachers: A Real-Classroom Example

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept but a present reality that is reshaping how we teach and learn. Dr. James Basham, Yerin Seung, and I recognized that for pre-service teachers, developing a proactive attitude and the ability to leverage AI are fundamental competencies they must possess before entering the field. We designed our course to move beyond mere tool usage, aiming to foster a deep-seated AI literacy that balances technological benefits with pedagogical integrity. This post explores how we integrated AI into our curriculum to prepare the next generation of educators for a tech-driven classroom.

Beyond AI Adoption: Why Asking Better Questions About Privacy and Security Matters

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become part of conversations about teaching and learning. Much of the discussion has focused on what AI can do for education—personalizing instruction, increasing accessibility, reducing teachers’ workload, or supporting student learning. As these opportunities continue to expand, schools are increasingly faced with another challenge that receives far less attention: How do we know whether an AI tool is trustworthy enough to use with students?

Signal or Noise? Sorting Through AI at ISTELive and ASCD Annual 2026

I went into ISTELive and ASCD Annual 26 expecting AI to show up often. I did not expect it to show up everywhere I turned, in the session catalog and on the expo floor alike. As a Graduate Research Assistant supporting CIDDL, the Center on Inclusive Design and Innovation in Learning, I work on AI and assistive technology research daily. I am not AI averse. Even so, the sheer volume at this conference gave me pause. This post is not an argument for or against AI in schools. It is simply a look at the numbers, drawn from the conference’s own program search, with a few observations as an attendee.