By Aviv Weiss
As an ardent follower of cutting-edge education trends (which is, admittedly, not hard to do considering the fact that I work for Khan Academy), I was thrilled to bring together Khan academy CEO and Founder Sal Khan and AI for education expert Danielle Sullivan from Khan Academy for Part 2 of our series on AI, “From Vision to Practice”. You can catch Part 1 here and Part 3 here.
The subject? A crucial one: how district administrators should be thinking about introducing artificial intelligence (AI) to schools. I invite you to watch the recording below and/or scan for my key takeaways under the video.
Here’s what was discussed:
- Necessity of digital transformation: Sal emphasized the importance of embracing technology, especially AI, in classrooms. Given the rapid evolution of the digital era, there’s a dire need to prepare students for the future. This is a must-do.
- AI as a learning aid: AI can be an excellent tool for personalizing instruction and facilitating adaptive learning experiences. It can provide real-time feedback and target individual learning gaps.
- Training for teachers: Sal stressed the need for professional development programs that empower teachers with the skills necessary to implement AI effectively. This is an important moment for the teaching profession, and we must invest in our teachers and students by properly developing these new skills.
- Accessibility: Technology must be inclusive. Sal suggested that administrators should ensure every student has access to AI resources regardless of their socio-economic background.
- Data privacy: As schools adopt AI, they must also develop robust data privacy policies. Safeguarding student information should be a top priority. Anyone who offers low-cost or free AI tools for students should be met with suspicion. Yes, the more accurate, safer, and less-biased frontier models cost more, but they are the only ones we should be using with children.
- Family engagement: Khan advocated for involving families in the digital learning process. With the right tools, parents can monitor their child’s progress and actively participate in their education. This was true before AI, and it is even more important with AI.
- Collaborative learning spaces: AI could assist in creating virtual collaborative learning spaces where students can engage, interact, and learn from each other.
- Continuous improvement: Sal advised administrators to embrace a culture of continuous improvement and regularly revisit their strategies for effective AI integration.
This isn’t the first time Sal has spoken out about the role district admins play in this moment. Sal also posted a great list on LinkedIn of must-haves and nice-to-haves for admins who are thinking about how to bring AI to students and teachers. You can get the recap of that post on our blog.
Make sure to catch my recap of Part 1 about the science of learning with AI with Dr. Kristen DiCerbo, as well as a post on Part 3 on our blog.
Learn more about bringing Khanmigo to your school district on our site.