End of Semester Reflections

As I have reached the end of the semester and more importantly, the end of my practicum, I am left with a lot of growth, development, and ideas about incorporating technology, including AI, into my teaching practice. My mentor teacher has shown me a lot of tools, techniques, and mindsets to utilize when using AI in teaching. The most important thing when it comes to using AI is viewing it as an assistant or employee, and you, the teacher, are the supervisor or the employer. Using these tools can be beneficial in assisting certain aspects of teaching whether it is planning lessons, assessing learning, or making learning fun, but it is still ultimately the teacher's responsibility to check through the work the AI did and verify that it is appropriate for teaching. Very often, you may have to make edits or change certain parts of the work to better fit your intentions or to be more suited for student learning and outcomes, but when you are not letting it be the teacher and only using it as a tool to help guide learning, it can really be an asset in the classroom.

Throughout the last six weeks, I have had multiple instances of using AI for lesson planning. One of the main tools that I familiarized myself with is Magic School AI, which has an assortment of various tools that I can use, and that my mentor teacher uses. This tool was helpful when I had a lesson on watching a video and it could generate questions based on the video with just a few tweaks and edits from me. When writing my science quiz, I used this tool to also generate questions to give me ideas on what to use for my quiz as well. I also used ChatGPT a few times, such as when looking for random example questions for math practice, as well as when working on a science study guide, making my time more efficient but also being sure to review and be satisfied with what I present to my students. 

I would argue that my perception and comfortability in using technology in teaching has changed over time. I was not entirely comfortable or confident to use AI in my work or any work in general due to my prior views of seeing as replacing me or substituting itself for my work and being too easy. However, thanks to the school I was placed at being heavily involved with technology, as well as my mentor teacher also utilizing AI in his teaching practice, it made me be more receptive and change my view to looking at AI as more as another tool so long as I am remaining in control and designing how it is used. I feel like I would still use it at a less prominent level, especially as a new teacher, but I do think it does have its merits and uses. 

I would say I have answered my question on how to utilize technology without reducing student learning, as engagement and interesting concepts using technology often prevented my worried of students getting off task. Placing blocks or barriers to what students can do, such as only using a whitelist for approved websites like my practicum did, also benefits the learning atmosphere. Technology is also a wonderful tool in reporting student learning to parents and keeping track of student assignments, such as with SeeSaw, which allowed students to post their work and be easily accessible for me and their families, which makes me want to consider this program in the future for my own practice. With support, guidance, and the proper precautions that need to be taken, technology can really elevate the experience of learning for teachers, students, and parents alike.