Big ed-tech players are adding generative artificial intelligence tools to existing products already popular in the K-12 world. While some educators and AI experts are excited, they say these new tools make the need for teacher training on AI even more urgent.
鈥攊ts generative AI model鈥攁s an add-on for educational institutions using its Workspace for Education product. A lower-tier version of Gemini Education provides access to generative AI features in Google鈥檚 Workspace apps, such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Gmail, and access to the Gemini chatbot. The premium version offers additional features, such as AI-powered note taking and summaries in Meet.
are partnering to provide free access to Khanmigo鈥攊ts AI powered teaching assistant鈥攆or teachers. Both tools can help educators with administrative work and creating materials for students.
The announcements come as more educators try out the emerging technology and as school districts discuss and create guidelines and policies for AI use.
鈥淭his is a great example of the speed of AI tool development,鈥� said Pat Yongpradit, the chief academic officer at Code.org and a leader of TeachAI, an initiative to support schools in using and teaching about AI. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 really happy that the big companies are thinking about how to serve educators, and they鈥檙e not just focused on creating general purpose chatbot tools.鈥�
How do teachers use AI?
Educators who are using AI have mostly been using ChatGPT or other free AI tools available online. But these releases from Google and Khan Academy should increase access to AI tools, Yongpradit said.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e using Google stuff, which zillions of schools are, now you have [AI] stuff to play with,鈥� he said. And Khanmigo being free now is 鈥渨onderful, because cost has been an issue with accessing Khanmigo before.鈥�
Mark Erlenwein, the principal of Staten Island Technical High School in New York, has yet to try Gemini, but he has tried Khanmigo and said he鈥檚 鈥渋mpressed鈥� by what he sees so far. With Khanmigo, Khan Academy has provided ready-made prompts and activities that teachers could use. For instance, if a teacher wants Khanmigo to help her create an exit ticket, she would just click that button, input a grade level, subject, and topic, and then Khanmigo will produce the exit ticket.
In the past, Erlenwein has mostly used ChatGPT, but now with these new tools, 鈥渋t kind of comes down to: Do you want to go directly to ChatGPT to do the work or do you want to use these platforms that honestly would make it easier for a teacher?鈥�
It鈥檚 helpful that Khan Academy has figured out 鈥渢he mastery behind asking the prompt correctly,鈥� Erlenwein said, 鈥渨hich is what I think is going to be the difference-maker here鈥� because now educators don鈥檛 have to spend time figuring out the perfect prompt to ask the chatbot to get what they want.
Along with increasing access, these tools also most likely have better data privacy and security practices than some of the other free AI tools that have cropped up, Yongpradit said.
鈥淎 hit to [Google鈥檚 and Khan Academy鈥檚] reputation is a much bigger hit that has way larger ramifications than some ed-tech startup maybe messing up or not being as careful about privacy and security and age appropriateness and compliance with existing policies,鈥� he said.
Google said in its announcement that it isn鈥檛 using data that users put into Gemini to train its AI model without permission and that it isn鈥檛 sharing data with other users or organizations. And Khanmigo, which is powered by the same technology behind ChatGPT, is also not training the AI model. It does use feedback from educators to refine prompts.
Why training on how to use AI is important for teachers
Providing access to AI tools is great, educators and AI experts say, but it鈥檚 meaningless if educators don鈥檛 know how to use the tools properly.
Schools need funding and time to provide professional development for educators to understand how to use these tools, as well as how to evaluate the effectiveness of the tools, they say.
So far, more than 7 in 10 teachers said they haven鈥檛 received any professional development on using AI in the classroom, according to a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey of 953 educators, including 553 teachers, conducted between Jan. 31 and March 4.
鈥淭eachers are going to have to really figure out what makes the most sense for their context,鈥� Yongpradit said. 鈥淭hey still need to have that healthy skepticism and evaluation skills to make the most sense of [what the AI tool produces].鈥�
Glenn Kleiman, a senior adviser for Stanford University鈥檚 Graduate School of Education, said it鈥檚 also important to start thinking beyond using AI to improve efficiency. Districts, researchers, and policymakers need to start thinking about the changes in content and pedagogy as AI continues to advance.
鈥淭he advances in AI tools are running ahead of advances in the human capacity to use them well,鈥� he said.
School districts need to be thoughtful about crafting policies on AI use
The fast pace at which AI is evolving might make districts feel like they need to respond just as quickly, but they should keep calm and have a thoughtful implementation over time, Kleiman added.
Erlenwein has always been an early adopter of new technologies, and he鈥檚 excited about these new tools鈥� ability to increase efficiency and productivity. However he is concerned about the lack of research on what effects it will have on K-12.
鈥淎s an early adopter, I鈥檓 ready to adopt. But I don鈥檛 know if we really know what we鈥檙e adopting,鈥� he said.
Yongpradit of TeachAI said there are organizations that are trying to figure out how to fund the research that鈥檚 needed, but it takes time. For now, districts should trust their robust evaluation, procurement, and piloting processes, he said.
