AI Innovator Cohort Program Partnership
by Jessica Fritz, Librarian, Rugby Public Schools, K-12 librarian
I teach our fifth and sixth grade library classes, one of the biggest goals I have every year is to explore innovative technology with them. Maybe it’s things they already know, but when I saw the AI, Artificial Intelligence, cohort classes being offered I thought it would be good for me to take the class to become more informed as the librarian on what is out there for our students. Through the class though I was able to learn so much more and bring it to our school and our regional rural consortium.
AI: A Tool for Everyday
I wanted teachers to know AI isn’t only for students to use to cheat, it is a tool that we are going to be using in our everyday lives. It’s here whether we are ready or not!!
I started off the week after taking the class a little overwhelmed as I was asked to present that following week at our local NCEC (North Central Education Consortium) PD day. It was daunting to know where to start and I just started with the basics. In a 45 minute session for 30 educators, we spent the time talking about how we could make their lives easier and they shared stories of how it is being used. This was useful for me and also the fellow educators who were willing to use it. I think it opened up the ideas of how it could save teachers time and how easy it was to use the many different tools available.
Jessica Fritz
Rugby Public Schools, K-12 librarianDigital Literacy: Lessons in Trust and Leadership
There is no better way to introduce a new topic than to just jump in. I introduced it to my 5th and 6th graders by looking at WHO, WHAT, WHERE , WHEN and WHY. We started by talking about what AI is and how it works. The kids loved looking at pictures and comparing what was and wasn’t AI generated images. We talked about what is trustworthy and finding things that you can trust. We talked a lot about not everything on the internet is true. This was eye opening for some of them. I have a son that’s a 5th grader and he would always be adamant about ” I saw it online so it’s true”
Imagine the power it gave our students to see right in front of them how AI can generate FAKE NEWS. My son slowly started to change his tune when I was showing his class the AI images that were generated and the videos that can easily be altered also. It was fun to see it firsthand as a teacher and also a parent. Adults need this class too!! So many people believe everything they need to see on the internet.
Reading about AI and hearing about it is one thing, but to participate in this class on AI and applying it to my students in real time was eye opening.
Jessica Fritz, Rugby Public Schools District Librarian in North Dakota