“Why are we still teaching students the same thing we taught them 100 years ago?” Partovi asked.
He said that AI should become an integral and innovative part of teaching and learning in K–12. He maintained that if schools don’t act now, AI in schools could suffer the same fate as computer science. Although there has been a bigger push to teach computer science in K–12 in recent years, only a small percentage of students take these elective classes.
Partovi said that taking courses in AI shouldn’t be optional, as not including it in the K–12 curriculum could lead to a further digital divide, as explored in the 2024 update to the National Educational Technology Plan. He said that AI should be a basic part of the curriculum, much like reading, writing, math and science.
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Who Benefits Most From AI?
While Trucano said that he sees the value of using AI to support personalized learning and help lighten the load on teachers, he proposed careful consideration to best integrate it in education.
“The great promise of educational technology that we’ve had for 40 years is about the ability to tailor learning for the specific needs of our learners and better diagnose where they are,” he said. “I think that is a good place to look into AI.”
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Still, Trucano and Partovi shared similar concerns about equity and who would benefit most from AI.
“My worry is that the poor kids will have the tech and the rich kids will have the technique,” Trucano said. He noted that students in less-advantaged communities often struggle to gain access to the internet, much less broadband.