Using various online tools in education

Presentation of Darcy McNee from SD63 was very resourceful in learning about what kind of materials and programs are used in schools right now. One thing that was reassuring with Darcy was the previous lectures’ discussion around privacy and her example of a teacher using it to take photoshopping app for learning purpose turning into an exposure of student pictures to an unknown public felt so alarming. I sure think that these processes around privacy can slow the teacher down a little, especially when they have to respond to the students’ needs and benefits on the go, but the necessity makes a lot more sense and seems vital, as we’re ultimately supporting the students’ best interest. I really enjoyed her explanation of using greenscreens to allow students to better visualize their learning and ideas through them and how it enhances their learning better, which is the best use of technology in education. Along that I didn’t know there was Minecraft for education, which looked like a great tool to gain so much virtual experiences that are enriching student imagination and creative thinking as well as understanding the interconnectedness with nature and communities.

AI for students and in education system

To start my reflection on AI, I must point out that I personally have a very skeptical point of view when it comes to the use of AI in current state. I do understand that schools are providing such great tools and some guidance recently, but the reality of students overly using AI with any sort of barrier seems to be a more abundant. My first concern aligns with what was mentioned in class. The highly persuasive nature of AI, regardless of the truth and false of the answer. Students are taught to read and write and ask questions, but in recent years the importance of asking good questions have increased significantly. This vital part of digital literacy along with the AI not being 100% reliable is proving more and more important within the education system. I do agree that we are not getting rid of this tool in our education system and how useful it can be, especially when it comes to administrative tasks and using it to fit the wide range of learners and their individual needs. However, I do want to cautiously question how we could limit the misuse of AI that significantly impact the critical thinking abilities of students and the hands-on learning that comes from engaging in the material and projects. Combined with Darcy’s presentation, I think we have the resources and the ideas for a digital literacy, but must move more quickly in order to limit the negative impact on the current students’ learning journey.