Campfire Session — AI Literacy Course for Teachers: Level 1

Overview of contents and suggested implementation of the new Flint AI Literacy Course for Teachers Level 1: Fundamental AI Literacy.

Lulu Gao, Head of Teacher Experience at Flint | LinkedIn

Sun Paik, Head of Marketing at Flint

After launching our Student AI Literacy Course, we got many requests for a teacher-facing course. This week, we were excited to announce the first of a three-part certification course for teachers! The course (overview here) can be accessed from the Flint community here for free.

The course is meant to appeal to all teachers regardless of where they're starting off with their level of understanding of AI. It covers the basics for teachers who are new to AI and dives deep into important concepts that seasoned AI users might not have known about. The self-paced course ends with a comprehensive quiz that, if passed, will grant teachers a badge and certificate of completion.

In this session introducing the course, we covered:

Contents of the course
Implementation suggestions
Shareout of feedback and discussion about the importance of training teachers on AI

Slides from the presentation can be found here.

Got more questions, comments, or feedback for this topic? Feel free to raise them within the Flint Community.

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Introduction • 00:00

Lulu introduces the session and agenda.

Ice-breaking news • 00:43

A survey from 2023 revealed that a quarter of teachers believe AI harms education.
Another survey of US adults and AI experts showed huge gap between optimism around AI.
Teacher training on AI is projected to rise significantly to 75% by fall 2025.
Connection (or correlation) between lack of knowledge about AI and fear of AI is pointed out. The importance of training to enable teachers to have informed conversations about AI use is emphasized.
Gisela shares concerns about students cheating using AI tools. Creative methods were implemented to utilize Flint effectively in the classroom.

Certification contents • 05:28

Lulu Gao introduces certification content. The course includes videos, text, and a quiz for educators.
Accessibility issues with images in the AI course were highlighted. Suggestions for adding alt text were made to improve user experience.
Feedback on the quiz format and content was provided. Concerns about the quiz length and specificity were expressed, indicating potential difficulties for teachers.
Discussion on potential improvements for quiz feedback was initiated. Suggestions for actionable insights beyond pass/fail results were proposed.

Course implementation • 12:55

Time required to go through the content is estimated and shared.
Potential methods of implementation are shared, including options for single PD days, PD weeks, supplement to PD, and enrichment option for teachers demonstrating high interest (who can then go teach their peers).
The structure of the rest of the AI literacy course is outlined. Three levels of training are described, with level 2 focusing on history and technical aspects, and level 3 focusing on specific use of Flint.
Goals of implementation are highlighted. Addressing concerns of teachers regarding AI implementation are emphasized. The importance of understanding AI's capabilities and limitations is highlighted to address these concerns.
Empowerment through knowledge for informed conversations about AI is discussed. The goal is to inspire innovative uses of AI in education beyond traditional methods.
Substitution using AI is clarified. An example would be when AI is utilized to create educational materials that teachers already make on their own. Personalized tutoring through AI is discussed as a higher-level task that AI could do.
A successful implementation of AI in a classroom setting is shared by Gisela. Feedback from students indicates positive learning experiences with AI.

Shareout and discussion • 24:29

The use of live polling to gauge teacher familiarity with AI is introduced. Teachers' current usage of AI in education is assessed.
Training teachers and students on AI usage is discussed. A focus on empowering teachers to use AI effectively is emphasized.
Concerns about students using AI to cheat are raised. Suggestions for training students to use AI as a learning tool are shared.
Concerns about AI's limitations are discussed. The importance of teaching AI literacy is emphasized.
Flint's student AI literacy course is mentioned. The course focuses on student-centered learning about AI.
Training for teachers using Flint is highlighted. Opportunities for further training sessions are offered.
Gisela Cordero-Cinko discusses the evolution of Flint's platform. The importance of community feedback and adaptation is emphasized.
Lulu Gao highlights the rapid changes in AI technology. The need for continuous training and updates is stressed.
Courtny Drydale shares insights on the current state of AI. The improvements in AI's math capabilities are noted.
The importance of training AI with specific context is emphasized. Specificity in instructions leads to better AI performance.
The role of teachers in guiding AI behavior is discussed. Teachers are encouraged to define the AI's persona for effective communication.

Conclusion • 48:04

Feedback on the course and future sessions is solicited.
Upcoming campfire sessions were announced. Topics include summer work and reading and strategies for running a successful pilot of Flint.
Lulu also shares QR codes for the Campfire Calendar and new Flint Community forum.