Campfire Session — Introducing Flint to Students

Suggestions and ideas for introducing Flint to students in a way that encourages both curiosity and responsible use of AI.

Lulu Gao, Head of Teacher Experience at Flint | LinkedIn

Our team has recently been having more conversations with proactive students who have been creating in Flint and spreading the word about it to their peers. Giving students access to an AI platform and having them use it responsibly can be tricky. Flint aims to make this easier with its built-in educational guardrails, but the strategy for how you introduce students to Flint and continue to educate them on the best ways to use it can make a huge difference in student outcomes.

In this live session, our team shared:

Key considerations for introducing Flint
Introduction methods and examples
Shareout from a student

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 • 01:29

A study from MIT is introduced. The study examines the impact of using ChatGPT on student brain activity and critical thinking.
Findings indicate a measurable increase in cognitive debt for students using LLMs. Students using ChatGPT felt less ownership of their essays.
The importance of teaching students to use AI responsibly is emphasized. Concerns about students not being trained to use AI effectively are raised.
A comparison is made between AI and social media's initial introduction to students. The need for critical evaluation of AI's impact on learning is discussed.
A comment highlights the responsibility of educators in teaching proper AI usage.
Concerns about AI's impact on higher level thinking are raised. The future of written expression as a skill is questioned.
The potential of AI to enhance teaching methods is discussed. Teachers are encouraged to adopt project-based learning with AI support.
The need for updated assessment methods in education is emphasized. Administrators are urged to rethink evaluation strategies to prevent over-reliance on AI.
A discussion about the importance of studies on AI in education is held. Michael Rybak emphasizes the necessity of continuous feedback from such studies.
Lulu Gao highlights the need for critical evaluations of AI in education. The focus is on how AI is implemented in learning environments.

Key considerations • 18:01

The difference between Flint and tools like ChatGPT is highlighted and encouraged as a topic of conversation with students.
Concerns about students perceiving AI as a cheating tool are shared. Gisela Cordero-Cinko recounts a student's experience with AI usage.
A discussion on students advocating for themselves with AI occurs. The importance of teaching AI literacy is emphasized.
Craig Griebenow highlights that the goal of using AI is the development of thinking. The focus on conversation rather than just answers is stressed.
Lulu Gao agrees on the importance of restructuring assignments. The conversation shifts towards recognizing student work processes.

Defining acceptable use • 27:45

Concerns about acceptable AI usage are discussed. Acceptable platforms should share with students as well as acceptable ways of using AI. Examples of policies that outline usage are shared within our AI Policy Library.
The importance of AI literacy for students is emphasized. Resources, such as the AI Literacy Course for Students, are highlighted.

Introduction methods • 33:06

Methods for introducing AI tools to students are outlined.
Parental consent, sharing about Flint with students, and modeling positive use are outlined as three key steps.

Middle and upper school use • 35:34

Suggestions for using Flint in middle and upper school classrooms are provided. The importance of critical evaluation of AI outputs is emphasized.
Examples of activities to engage students with AI are shared. The goal of fostering creativity and curiosity in students is highlighted.

Lower school use • 38:27

Strategies for teaching lower school students about AI are discussed. The need for students to understand AI's artificial nature is stressed.
The importance of practical activities for students is emphasized. Engaging students through real-life applications is suggested as an effective introduction method.
The concept of ownership of truth in AI is discussed. Students are encouraged to explain their AI-generated outputs for deeper understanding.

Shareout from a student • 44:35

A student named Izzie is invited to share her experiences. Izzie has been creating activities to aid her learning and assisting peers.
A transformative experience with AI in education is shared. The ability to learn in controlled environments is emphasized by Izzie.
The importance of promoting positive AI usage among peers is discussed. A journey of learning and collaboration is highlighted.
Concerns about academic integrity with AI are addressed. A level system for AI usage is proposed as a solution.
Izzie Golding shares her learning experience with AI. She emphasizes the importance of prompt engineering for effective results.
Lulu Gao expresses appreciation for Izzie Golding's insights. Questions are raised about prompt engineering training for students and faculty.
Donna Dubinsky discusses the challenges of teaching prompt engineering. Concerns are raised about varying learning styles among students.

Conclusion • 58:43

Next sessions will cover topics for preparing for the upcoming semester, like how to run a Flint PD session and workspace management.
How students can create activities in Flint similar to how teachers can is demonstrated.