Schools navigate AI challenges as technology disrupts traditional education

HINESBURG, Vt. (WCAX) – With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, educators are figuring out how to make sure they’re teaching their students and not ChatGPT.

It’s an ongoing conversation as many schools have tried unsuccessfully to use AI scanners or just completely banned the tech.

“Our students’ future is our future. If we don’t set them off right in the use of AI, then we’re gonna be in trouble,” said Marc Natanagara of AI Vermont.

One local nonprofit is trying to help schools embrace the change while also making sure students don’t use it as an excuse to take a back seat in their education.

Artificial intelligence is generating real challenges in Vermont classrooms.

“AI just kind of stormed in on everybody, and again, that’s not unique to schools, so it’s been a steep learning curve,” said Stan Williams, a learning facilitator at the Champlain Valley School District.

Williams says schools are still working on ways to ensure students are the ones doing the work.

“If you’re a novice or you’re learning a new concept or idea, you can’t let AI automate and kind of fake your ability to do this skill, or fake your understanding of the concept, because if that’s the case, then you’re going to kind of be at the mercy of the machine forever,” Williams said.

That’s where AI Vermont is trying to help. Natanagara from the nonprofit says they’re finding ways to help schools safely and responsibly use AI when appropriate.

“One of our fundamental underlying goals is to disrupt the status quo, to use this opportunity of AI’s disruption to look at our traditional way of doing education and turning it around,” Natanagara said.

Traditionally, students will learn something in class and then go home and work on an assignment with it. Now with AI, students could go home and have a bot create that for them, without internalizing what they learned that day. AI Vermont wants to encourage school leaders to change the way they teach to make the use of AI as a learning tool, or even irrelevant in some cases.

“We should not look at it as normal until we’re convinced that our use of it is safe, effective, ethical and meaningful,” Natanagara said.

Within the Champlain Valley School District, Williams says part of the process is being transparent with students about why they’re doing the assignments they’re given, especially when they can access anything they want to know at their fingertips.

“It is not that the world needs more essays about the impact of fear from ‘Lord of the Flies,’ but what it does need is it needs people who can make sense of something, who can come up with their own ideas and who can communicate that,” Williams said.

They also want students to learn there’s a time and place for AI, and that the tech is far from perfect.

Educators stressed that these are ongoing conversations for school leaders. The Vermont Agency of Education is creating its own set of AI recommendations for schools that should be available in the coming months.

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