Engaging Classrooms with AI
Exploring Teaching with AI by Wharton Interactive
NotebookLM Audio Overview of this Newsletter:
This week, we’re exploring how AI can transform our classrooms with Wharton Interactive’s Teaching with AI platform. This tool is designed to help educators incorporate AI simulations into their lessons, offering students hands-on learning experiences that build critical thinking skills. Whether you’re looking to enhance student engagement or make AI an integral part of your curriculum, this platform has something for you. Plus, we’re diving into articles on AI ethics and practical uses of AI for your day-to-day tasks!
AI Tool of the Week: Teaching with AI by Wharton Interactive
We’re highlighting Teaching with AI by Wharton Interactive, a platform supporting educators in using AI tools like GPT-4 to create engaging, hands-on learning experiences. With AI-driven simulations and resources, educators can create interactive lessons across subjects, helping students develop critical thinking skills and preparing them for real-world challenges.
Wharton Interactive emphasizes ethical AI use, providing resources to help students understand AI’s societal impact. This platform is ideal for creating simulations, enhancing assessments, and adapting teaching strategies with AI in meaningful ways.
Learn more about Teaching with AI here.
Lesson Plan: Exploring AI through Wharton Interactive Simulations
Grade Level: 9-12
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: Computer Science, Social Studies, or Ethics
Objective:
Students will explore AI's role in real-world scenarios using interactive simulations. They’ll gain an understanding of AI’s applications, ethical implications, and the skills to navigate AI-driven technologies.
Materials Needed:
Devices with internet access
Access to Wharton Interactive’s Teaching with AI platform
Pre-selected simulation based on your subject focus
Lesson Steps:
Introduction (10 mins): Discuss AI’s growing role and its impact on various industries.
Setup (10 mins): Demonstrate how to access and navigate the simulation.
Simulation Activity (25 mins): Students work through the simulation, observing AI’s influence on decision-making.
Group Discussion (10 mins): Reflect on AI’s impact, ethical considerations, and real-world applications.
Conclusion (5 mins): Discuss AI’s importance and assign a short reflection on AI’s future impact.
Assessment:
Evaluate students based on their participation in the simulation, group discussion, and insights from their reflections.
AI Ethics Corner
“Nevada Used A.I. to Find ‘At-Risk’ Students. Numbers Dropped by 200,000.”
This week’s AI Ethics Corner highlights Nevada’s new AI system from Infinite Campus, which redefined how “at-risk” students are identified, reducing their count from 270,000 to just 65,000. Critics argue that AI's lack of transparency could overlook student needs, sparking concerns about fairness and accuracy in education.
Read more here.
AI Reading List
“6 Things to Know About AI” – The News Literacy Project
Learn about AI’s rapid growth, ethical implications, potential for misinformation, and why AI literacy is essential for navigating today’s media landscape. Read here.“With AI Warning, Nobel Winner Joins Ranks of Laureates Who’ve Cautioned About the Risks of Their Own Work” – CNN
Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton warns of AI’s potential to surpass human intelligence, echoing similar concerns from other pioneers about technology’s risks. Read here.“I Let AI Handle Complex Excel Formulas for Me — You Should Too” – MakeUseOf
Discover how AI tools like ChatGPT and Excel Formula Bot can simplify complex Excel formulas, saving time and enhancing productivity in data analysis. Read here.
AI Professional Development Opportunity
Cyber Assist: Using AI as Your Teaching Assistant:
Free Webinar from the Ohio Educational Technology Conference and Eric Curts
October 16th from 4-5 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Cyber Assist: Using AI as Your Teaching Assistant
It has been said that with generative AI, every educator now has their own personal 24-hour assistant. Learn how to use tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Brisk Teaching, EnlightenAI, QuestionWell, MagicSchoolAI, Khanmigo, Diffit and more to help you generate presentations, create lessons, write emails, provide feedback and much more. Save more time so you can spend more time impacting students!
Register for free here - Registration link
As always, I hope these resources spark new ideas for incorporating AI in meaningful ways. From reflecting on ethical AI use in identifying at-risk students to simplifying tasks like Excel formulas, AI’s potential is immense. If you have questions or need help integrating these tools and strategies into your lessons, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s continue to shape our classrooms into dynamic, tech-enhanced spaces that empower our students.
Have a fantastic week ahead!