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AI for education
Course: AI for education > Unit 1
Lesson 1: Welcome to the future of educationWhat is this course?
An overview of Khan Academy's new AI for education offering—a "mini-course" that is still a work in progress!
What is this course?
There are so many exciting developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and the future remains unwritten.
This course is somewhat unwritten, too!
This course is a work-in-progress!
We only have a few articles in a single unit so far, but as our understanding evolves, so will the course. For now, please think of this set of articles as an appetizing starter course!
We'll learn how some educators are beginning to use generative AI technology with their students, we'll answer some questions, make some suggestions, and we'll focus on two closely-related ideas:
1) The potential that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT hold to transform worldwide education practices and learning outcomes
2) The ways that educational technology like Khan Academy might be used to support teachers and learners in an “AI Age”
AI's potential in education
We believe AI has the potential to usher in a new age of education and revolutionize the way we learn. We believe that by working with AI, humans will be able to more quickly generate ideas to solve problems, brainstorm and create engaging learning experiences, and find exactly what they are looking for on their learning journeys.
Risks and responsibilities
In this course, we also will discuss some of the risks inherent in working with this rapidly evolving technology. For example, the text generated from LLMs should not be taken at face value, but should rather be independently validated whenever possible. This means that human judgment will remain as important as ever, if not more so!
Evolving our understanding
AI-powered tools are exciting, but they can also be alarming and strange. As we learn more from our learners, teachers, and parents about what they would like to better understand about AI in education, we’ll continue to build out this course so that you can use AI-powered tools with confidence.
Embracing change
New developments are calling into question what a formal education should include. By becoming more fluent in the variety of ways AI can be used ethically and responsibly, we can more confidently embrace the change it represents.
We are all still learning about these technologies, but join us—let's learn about them together!
Want to join the conversation?
what about people using chat gpt for their ela assignments,
does sal support that?(11 votes)
From the author:Hi Squid! No, we don't support that—unless it is part of the assignment and your teacher knows about it! But we are encouraging teachers and school administrators to have conversations about how to adapt their academic honesty policies to cover the use of AI, and to discuss ways that the technology can be used to drive engagement and learning. Read the rest of the articles in this course, and you'll see what I mean :-).(27 votes)
Was the course (or the above text) written by AI?(6 votes)- Nope. That's 100% genuine human content right there. :-) One of the things you'll learn in this course is that it generally is pretty inefficient to ask an LLM to create content about stuff that its training data wouldn't help it to know, like how Khan Academy thinks about AI, or about what is in a course that it has never seen. It would just make stuff up, and while it might sound good, a lot of it would be inaccurate. This course is human-generated!(17 votes)
I know this probably isn't the best place to ask, but it seems like a lot of the things that Khan Academy has been advocating for (like mastery learning) would actually go much better with AI.
For example, with mastery learning, it is much harder to just have an AI do your work for you because you expect the work to be very, very good. And, if you're needing to master the content anyways (because it's not just about how good your work is - it's also about understanding) then you will probably natrually care more and thus won't want to cheat as much. (Because if you are passionate, or at least care, cheating is really cheating - you understand the impact on an emotional level.)
Are there any plans to look into this link more in the research and communication around AI at KA? While I think KA is (or will be?) on the right side of history in terms of AI, I do worry that other important things might take a back seat when in reality it would be more beneficial to focus on using them together.(6 votes)- From the author:Hey Knot! You're a step ahead :-). Yes indeed, we are already thinking about ways we can integrate our Mastery system with AI, and creating an AI-powered experience that doesn't do the work for you, but rather encourages and supports you the way a great tutor would.(7 votes)
- Why are there no videos? I don't like to read long things!(0 votes)
- For those of us who find reading things quicker than watching a video?(15 votes)
- How long does the average duck live?(5 votes)
The average lifespan of a duck can vary depending on the species and various factors such as habitat, predation, and access to food. In the wild, the average lifespan of a duck is typically around 5 to 10 years. However, some species can live much longer. For example, domestic ducks raised in captivity can live up to 20 years or even more with proper care.(3 votes)
Can Artificial Intelligence understand "gaps" in a learners understanding and pathway, and help to remediate those learning "gaps". For instance, a student who struggles understanding number place value could recieve intervention guidance to understand what ones, tens and hundred values mean?(5 votes)- From the author:Hi Karl! Adaptive diagnostic assessments are indeed one use case that we are exploring with our research with Khanmigo. At the moment, the best way to "find your learning edge" and remediate gaps is to take "course challenges" in the courses you're considering, and bumping up against skills you don't know yet and getting those questions wrong. The Mastery system will flag those skills you missed in your practice experience.(3 votes)
- Can LLMs consider the age of a student ?(5 votes)
I'm not sure about the age, but I am certain they will be aware of a student's education level in order to determine how to aid.(3 votes)
Could AI be used to begin a project such as creating a step-by-step plan?(4 votes)
Perhaps. You'd have to feed it details about what you want from your project, and there's no guarantee that it'll even be correct, but it could help you out if you're stuck.(4 votes)
- Quite a few people say that there are some downsides to AI but frankly I don't see any. Can someone tell me a few downsides?(2 votes)
As AI advances, many people are worried that AI might take over their jobs. For instance, an AI that can easily write functional code could remove the need for real, human programmers. As things become more automated, we lose the need for human involvement. Hope this helps :)(7 votes)
What is A.I.?(4 votes)- Artificial intelligence! There are many, *many* different forms, but for the most part, you input some training data (input examples and the correct/possible correct outputs), and after being trained, the computer will try to ""guess"" what the answer should be for a given input. I highly reccomend this series by 3blue1brown (don't click the link, copy the URL): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aircAruvnKk&list=PLZHQObOWTQDNU6R1_67000Dx_ZCJB-3pi(3 votes)