My Experience with AI in Education
This semester, I saw Artificial Intelligence in Education not only through an academic’s eyes but also as a deeply transformative experience. When I explored how AI was changing the ways teaching and learning were approached, I became much more open to what this technology could do. I saw firsthand how AI isn’t just some theoretical thing we’re using in the classroom. It’s a real world tool that can be applied to real-world problems.
Engaging with AI Tools and Platforms
Hands-on engagement with a variety of AI tools was one of the highlights of the semester. These platforms were not demonstrations, but they were an active part of my learning. For example:
- ChatGPT and Google Gemini: These two platforms became incredible companions during writing tasks and brainstorming sessions. It helped me over writer’s block, helped me to script down my ideas, and even suggested some creative ideas to improvise my work.
- QuillBot and Grammarly: These platforms open ways for me to improve my academic writing’s grammar and sentence structure, as well as my tone and overall sense, making the whole writing more polished and professional.
- Canva Magic and Stable Diffusion: These tools enabled me to design appealing graphics and presentations which are informative, interactive, and visually appealing for visual content creation.
Regardless, these tools didn’t just help me get work done, these tools were also learning tools, teaching me how to critique feedback and how to improve my outputs in ways that weren’t about taking another shot at task completion but about finding new ways to attack a challenge or approach a problem.
Real-Life Applications in the Classroom
In our coursework, we performed simulations of the way AI could be embedded in everyday classroom situations, specifically. This approach to the theory made the approach practical. For example:
- Automating Administrative Tasks: We researched tools such as ClassPoint AI to create quizzes as well as grade assignments automatically. Through this exercise, teachers have seen how they could save time and spend more on student centered instruction.
- Personalised Learning Paths: Khan Academy showed how AI adapts the speed and difficulty of lessons to a student’s progression. What was interesting was that these systems accommodate each student’s needs in learning so that every student could succeed.
- AI-Driven Research Tools: Using Explainpaper and Elicit for research assignments taught me what confuses and simplifies how AI can help out with such tasks as summarising lengthy texts and creating elaborate outlines.
These experiences speak to how AI can be a companion teacher and student, improving productivity, creativity and engagement.
Challenges Faced Along the Way
These experiences were exciting, but they weren’t easy. Understanding the underlying algorithms and limits of the AI tool was one of the biggest hurdles. These systems are meant to help, but they are not perfect. For example:
- Bias in AI Systems: Working in a student group, we found that some AI tools preferred certain types of data, and the output would come out biased. This brought ethical considerations to the use of AI in education.
- Data Privacy Concerns: Uploading personal or academic data to cloud-based AI platforms was legally questionable on matters of data security and ownership. All of which made me a little more cautious and critical of the tools I chose to use.
- Learning Curve: There are some tools, especially those for really advanced design or video editing, which feature a steep learning curve. It took some time to learn their full potential, but the result was great.
While these were obviously not easy, they were great learning opportunities, where they helped me build a better understanding of AI’s impact on education.
Reflections on Learning
I wasn’t only learning technical skills as I journeyed with AI this semester, but also building larger perspectives about education’s changing landscape. AI is something much more than a tool, it’s a partner in education. For example, the use of AI for customised feedback allowed me to go about my studies more actively. It was not just task, it was about learning concepts and building them. While working with peers to discuss, the ethical use of AI furthered the importance of technologically responsible use in education.
Concluding Ideas
The experience of working with AI in education has been an eye opener on rethinking education from how I teach, to how I learn. AI has brought about changes from simplifying tasks to encourage creativity. It’s not a perfect fit, but the opportunities outweigh the challenges by far.
In the next section of this blog, I will discuss the challenges I encountered trying to understand and use AI and the lessons I learned in the journey. While often daunting, these challenges have played an integral part in how I have travelled this field and understand it now.