As AI becomes a fixture in schools, educators are shifting from skepticism to strategic integration. Winnetka Public Schools’ Patrick Dawson shares insights on building a foundation for AI and using it to tackle challenges and drive achievement for all students.
Originally hosted by SmartBrief.
The use of artificial intelligence in education is evolving rapidly. Educators have largely gone from being apprehensive and skeptical about AI to accepting that the technology is here to stay and seeking ways to use its abilities.
SmartBrief connected with Patrick Dawson, director of Innovation, Teaching and Learning at Winnetka Public Schools, to examine the big questions about AI use in education, particularly how to ensure responsible use and maximize its benefits to students and educators.
SMARTBRIEF: What are the components of ethical AI use? What should school leaders do to ensure ethical use, and where should they exercise caution?
PATRICK DAWSON: How much and at what point within a student's career should we be exposing them to AI? We need to think about how we scale experiences from an early age to lay a foundation for students to increasingly interact with AI. And how do we help students not diminish their own purpose within an activity? If they are using AI, we want to make sure it's a copilot that's helping them along the way, not doing the work for them.
SB: Education leaders see promise in AI’s ability to help tackle some of the big challenges in education, such as chronic absenteeism and delayed learning recovery for students. How do you see AI doing this? What successes have you seen?
Dawson: One of the things that really excites me about AI in schools is the ability to monitor data 24/7 and notice things that we, as humans, might overlook. With chronic absenteeism, AI can synthesize a lot of data and potentially indicate where we should lean in because of an early indicator we missed. There’s also huge potential in meeting students where they're at. We’re talking about using AI in language arts classes to adjust an anchor text’s Lexile level so students all access the same text, but it's accessible to everyone.
“None of us have 20/20 vision about what students will need in the future, but they are going to need structured, safe environments and opportunities to explore technology with people who know them; people they trust.”
- Patrick Dawson
SB: Personalized learning is a big plus for AI. What does this look like for educators working with students who are neurodiverse or have unique learning needs? What opportunities do you see here? Any potential pitfalls educators need to watch for?
Dawson: We have a number of students who use communication tools and I'm curious to see how AI can help them have more of their own voice and communicate more fluidly. An AI assistant that knows a student's IEP or 504 can help a teacher make modifications or accommodations to assessments or homework. A pitfall would be teachers becoming overly dependent on AI. A teacher has different inputs in terms of body language and a relationship and rapport with a student. We want teachers to still be equipped to critically evaluate whether something’s appropriate.
SB: Data security remains a top concern for school leaders, especially as the use of AI tools increases. What security practices should educators adopt to better safeguard student data privacy? Are there certain security mistakes that you see often in schools?
Dawson: Here in Illinois, schools require a contract with any vendor or third party they share student data with. They agree not to share student data, and we get insight into their security protocols. Data will follow our young students for a good period of their lives, so that's a big responsibility. What gives me some anxiety are tools that have added AI since we signed on with them. Do we need to reevaluate each one and make sure we still approve of them having student data?
SB: Plans fail without the right culture. How do schools build a culture that supports the use of data and AI tools?
Dawson: We need to engage parents and community members as we develop our plan, let them provide feedback, and encourage them to come in and learn. None of us have 20/20 vision about what students will need in the future, but they are going to need structured, safe environments and opportunities to explore technology with people who know them; people they trust. The world we live in will be very different in five to 10 years, and we have a responsibility to help our students be ready for that, even if we're not.
Patrick Dawson is the director of Innovation, Teaching, and Learning for Winnetka Public Schools, an Otus partner school. Otus combines assessment, data, and insights in one solution, helping educators track progress, close learning gap, and personalize instruction.