Kari Peterson Week 4

Part 1:  The lesson content in the generated lesson is somewhat rigorous in the fact that the students learn not only the name and location of each flower part, but also its function. I like that it has group and independent practice, as well the suggestion to use real life flower examples in addition to visuals, a plant model, and showing a video. However, the lesson objectives/standards that I requested are not the objectives/standards that are targeted in this lesson. I was referring to Oklahoma second grade standards that focus on Phonics and Word Study, and it gave me  a lesson on identifying and describing parts of a plant and their functions. The assessment they suggest is aligned with the lesson procedure/content presented. They do list the ISTE standard that I requested under the Aligned Standards topic, but I’m not sure where they would say they focus on the use of technology besides showing a video. But I do see opportunities where technology could be used to enhance the learning objectives, and that would be a way to improve the lesson. The extension activity could be done digitally using an app or website to design an infographic like we did last week.

In my expert opinion, I do think that this tool could be used to create rigorous lesson plans, if they are analyzed first to check for accuracy in the standards that are being met. Also all parts of the lesson should be evaluated before being taught since it was generated by AI. The content of this generated lesson reflects our recent readings in that it builds and expands on background knowledge- linking new knowledge with prior knowledge and incorporating several ways of involving students and to motivate them to learn.

Part 2:  I tried the Song Generator tool. It asks for a song topic and then a list of details to include in the song. I can see using this as a fun introduction to a new lesson topic, a practice tool to help students learn new information, or a way for students to input learned information and create their own study aid. Their product could also be used as an assessment.

Part 3:  We actually had a teacher recently present this website and its resources to our staff recently. It seems pretty useful. I think the most important thing is to always evaluate the generated information and make sure that it is reliable and conveying what it was meant to convey. She showed us how it can be used to adjust the reading level of a passage so that kids of all abilities can read about a given topic. She also pointed out a tool that can watch a video and generate questions about it to check for comprehension. The IEP tool looks tempting, but I would be overly cautious when using AI to write a legal document. My concern with using AI programs is that it could change the meaning or intention of something I was trying to say. But this could be corrected by reading everything that is generated, and not just using it as “is”. 

My school is using AMIRA this year, an AI based reading assessment and tutoring program. We have a few teachers in our building that opposed using AI, but we were able to satisfy their concerns because the company has safeguards in place. I think AI can be a useful tool in the classroom as long as it is used appropriately.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.