- The Asian American Parents Association held a virtual seminar on Oct. 16 discussing the use of generative AI in local high schools.
- The panelists included chief technology officers, assistant superintendents and other district-level staff from Cupertino Union School District, FUHSD and Sunnyvale Elementary School District.
- Local schools are looking to foster a productive relationship with AI for students and teachers.
The Asian American Parents Association held a seminar on Oct. 16 to discuss the potential of artificial intelligence in supporting students’ learning and teachers’ daily tasks and how it may challenge the standards of today’s education system. The association was formed in 1991 to connect local school districts, discuss prevalent topics and develop community awareness.
The seminar, which gathered district-level staff such as chief technology officers and assistant superintendents from Cupertino Union School District, FUHSD and Sunnyvale Elementary School District, began by discussing each district’s approach to the rising use of AI among students. One concern brought up was how the use of AI can alter students’ learning processes. To address this, panelists focused on talking about ways to foster a productive relationship with AI and tackling how AI should be used in learning.
“We thought about the paradigm of tasks versus learning,” FUHSD Chief Technology Officer Menko Johnson said. “At work, I might have a task that I need to complete, and no one cares how I get it done. Learning is not the same thing. Learning is an environment where you put challenges in front of students that help them progress through a process.”
Panelists agreed that AI can be useful in reinforcing material taught in class, but fails to create an effective learning environment when not challenging students.
“When you have ways to get results immediately, what does that mean for your sense of accomplishment and purpose?” Jeremy Nisihara, SESD assistant superintendent of human resources and information systems, said. “There’s lots of things we have to think about, given that we serve students as young as preschool, on the mental side.”
He said that AI’s quick gratification may lead students to believe they have proficiency in a topic and motivate them to put less effort into school. Finding a compromise, the panelists said they hope that schools will strive to ensure students acquire skills and knowledge, but maintain a healthy relationship with AI to supplement student learning.
Students have found methods to use AI productively to supplement class materials and boost learning.
“The usage of technology and generative AI are definitely on the rise as they have proven to be very useful in a lot of cases,” junior Keyi Xue said. “I think a lot of people use it if they have some problem or question that they need help with as it is an efficient and accessible tool.”
The conference also discussed instances of students utilizing AI with teacher guidance in class. This may include having AI evaluate and give feedback on writing, help with test preparation or create assignments. English teacher Evyenia Ene, for example, designed an assignment that had students discuss the novel they were reading in class with chatbots on Character.Ai, which are instructed to emulate the behavior of characters from the novel. Students were graded on their ability to analyze responses and ask high-level questions. Ene said she considers AI a powerful tool that people shouldn’t be afraid to use, but should be using wisely.
“AI crosses the boundary when people stop using it as a tool and use it to do the thinking for them,” Ene said. “If that happens increasingly in our society, then we are at the mercy of others doing the thinking for us.”
Although policies surrounding AI use are emerging, districts like SESD are considering a “humanistic” approach, focusing on how AI can be used to supplement rather than replace human creativity and critical thinking.
The meeting concluded with a Q&A session with attendees. As the use of AI increases both in and out of the classroom, many districts advocate for the community to stay informed about its uses and impacts.
“Ultimately, the biggest question for us to talk about is what do our students need to know about AI as they become the next leaders and creators in this world,” Nisihara said.
