HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – If you think students are using generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini just to write papers or cheat, think again. <\/p>\n
Education experts say AI is changing how kids learn, and teachers need to adapt to tap into that potential. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s the focus of Mid-Pacific Institute\u2019s second annual AI EdFuture Summit this week, where students, educators and business leaders from across the country are learning from each other and discussing responsible ways to use AI in the classroom and beyond.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a refreshing change for some. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe teacher becomes the student. You learn as much as the person that you\u2019re teaching,\u201d said Gisele Hunt, a junior studying AI at Mid-Pacific.<\/p>\n
A recent IDC study shows education leads all industries in generative AI adoption with 86% of organizations reporting its use. <\/p>\n
Critics worry students will become overly dependent on AI and lose critical thinking skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe skepticism more than anything is pretty traditional at this point. You know, is it used for cheating? And when we explain that what we\u2019re looking at are durable skills and that that really very difficult problem we want to break through barriers,\u201d said Mid-Pacific President Paul Turnbull.<\/p>\n
Adopters say when used strategically in schools, AI actually enhances student learning and gives them a competitive edge in a world where AI will be everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the fear is not knowing what it is, but if you use it, then you\u2019ll learn… what the different strengths are and that you can shape it to your own needs and it won\u2019t be this scary thing that will take over your jobs. It\u2019ll be something that can help you with your job,\u201d said Brennan Fong, a senior and member of Mid-Pacific\u2019s AI Advisory Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some assumptions people make around what and how young people are doing with AI and thinking maybe they\u2019re going to skip just for an answer, and this is a call to action for educators to look at how they design learning and more importantly, how they design assessment,\u201d said fellow AI council member Mark Sparvell, global education director at Microsoft.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we need to be doing is focusing more on assessing the learning process, not just on the product,\u201d Sparvell said.<\/p>\n
Supporters say the process supports learning as free-flowing and evolving, not a one-directional experience.<\/p>\n
School administrators say they\u2019re taking a cautious and scientific approach to integrating AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a magic bullet. There should always be a human in the loop, right? And we understand that it is a tool so use it as such, use it as a tool,\u201d said Hawaii State Department of Education tech integration specialist Shane Asselstine.<\/p>\n