Introduction to the Topic
A general overview including a brief video and short slideshow to introduce you to the ideas of this topic and provoke your thinking.
Resources
A selection of online readings/resources to explore and review for further understanding.
Questions
A few discussion prompts to get you thinking and talking with others.
Activities
Opportunities to dig deeper into the topic and apply it to your own teaching.
Introduction
So far in our previous topics, we have focussed on the fundamentals of generative AI, how we might use it in our classrooms, and why we should also interrogate it with a critical eye. In this final topic, we want to emphasize the importance of teaching our students not only how they can use the tools or why they should resist them but also what these tools are, what they mean for our culture, how we as educators are navigating this landscape, and how they can approach their own future in an AI-inflected world.
Fundamentally, we are suggesting that when we use AI in the classroom we cannot simply wield the tool. Instead we must invite our students into a conversation about what this tool is and what it means. We suggest this approach whenever digital technologies are explored in the classroom, but it seems particularly important when it comes to generative AI.
You will probably notice that this topic overlaps and intersects with the other ideas we’ve been exploring; that’s because at the heart of teaching ABOUT AI is a commitment to all the things we’ve already discussed: understanding the technology, learning how to use the technology, and critiquing the technology. It’s time now to explore how we invite our students into this conversation.
Resources
"Required" Resources
Nothing is really “required,” but we highly recommend these to ground yourself in this topic.
Annotation
If you like, you may use of Hypothes.is for group annotation of these resources. You’ll need to follow these steps to participate in DF annotation activity:
- If you don’t have a Hypothes.is account signup for one now. If you do, make sure you know your username and password.
- Join the Design Forward Hypothes.is annotation group.
- Visit each resource using the links on this page and login to the Hypothes.is panel.
- Begin annotating! Your contributions will be visible to members of the Design Forward Hypothes.is annotation group.
Additional Resources
If you’d like to dive a little further. . .
Eighteen pitfalls to beware of in AI journalism
Sayash Kapoor and Arvind Narayanan
While this piece focuses on journalism, it’s a useful overview of ways in which we mis-understand AI.
Generative AI exists because of the transformer*
Financial Times Visual Storytelling Team and Madhumita Murgia
A closer look at the technology behind generative AI.
Getting started with prompts for text-based Generative AI tools
Harvard University IT Department
How You Will Never Be Able to Trust Generative AI (and Why That’s OK)
Michael Feldstein
Proposed Harvard AI Code of Conduct
Harvard College Students and Teaching Fellows in Creativity,
David Atherton, Sarah Newman,
Kathleen Esfahany
*Unfortunately, the automatic Hypothes.is link for this URL is not currently working. You should still be able annotate if you have the Chrome browser extension and have followed the “Annotation” instructions in this section, making sure you’re working in the DF Hypothes.is group.
Questions
Join in on conversations with other module participants.
- Question submitted on
- by Martha
- 3 Comments
- Question submitted on
- by Martha
- One Comment
Activities
Consider completing one or both of the topic activities. If you like, share your work on the linked Padlets.
Teaching ABOUT an AI Tool
Return to the “Reflection on an AI Tool” activity we included in the Fundamentals topic. Revisit the tool you explored, but this time think less about how you could use the tool to teach and and instead consider how the tool could help you teach your students about generative AI. Consider the following:
- Does the tool raise any ethical concerns?
- How was the tool created? Was anyone harmed in that creation?
- What kind of generated content does the tool provide? Does it seem accurate. If not, why might that be?
- Review the terms of service for the tool; is there anything there that gives you pause?
- How is using the tool like collaborating with a person? How is it different?
Share your reflection on the padlet we’ve set up.
Final Reflection
Return to the discussion post in the Fundamentals topic and re-read what you shared about what your previous AI experiences and what you hoped to learn.
Reflect upon where you are now with your thinking about generative AI. What new ideas/concepts have you learned? What has been the most challenging topic or idea? What are you still confused about? What would you like to do a deeper dive on?
If you like, share your final reflection on the Padlet we’ve set up.
