Are you worried about AI creeping into your child’s screen time or schoolwork?
If these and other questions have been swirling around in your mind:
- Should I allow my child to use AI?
- How is AI going to impact my child’s education now and in the future?
- Can schools manage it properly?
- Can AI be ignored?
… you are not alone!
After writing this blog, I asked AI these questions, and it summed it up perfectly – “In short: yes, with guidance!”
There are many positives to allowing school-going children to use AI, which include:
- Helping children do research for their school projects. Hey, don’t freak out! Their grandparents had to work through heaps of encyclopaedias at the library – you just ‘Googled’ it – so what’s different now? The focus has always been, and should still be, on how the researched information is used and presented.
- AI can support a child when working parents are unavailable. Don’t feel guilty! Instead, take some time to educate your child on how to navigate and use AI tools when you’re tied up in another boring “Zoom” call, or stuck in peak-hour traffic!
- Developing skills for tertiary education and future jobs. We can’t run away from technology, so let’s rather empower ourselves and our children.
- Learning how to effectively use smartphones, laptops, and tablets as key resources is valuable. It’s unavoidable, our children are going to use devices, let’s help them use technology wisely.
- AI can help to reduce language barriers by assisting with translation. In a country with 12 official languages, and a global village with over 7000 languages, AI can help connect us all.
Just like a delicious slice of cake, there is a negative side to consider too. (Who mentioned those calories?)
Here are a few of the downsides:
- The greatest concerns are around reduced skills such as creative and analytical thinking. Learners may develop an over-reliance on AI and stop thinking for themselves! We need innovative and creative young minds to generate new and better ideas and solutions.
- Ethical concerns around cheating and plagiarism are real. If our kids are caught handing in AI-generated content at school or university this may lead to them failing – or even worse, being expelled. If they do it at their place of employment one day without the company being aware, they could be dismissed.
- Not every child or school has access to technology and AI, widening the digital divide and further increasing inequality in access to quality education. However, those who don’t embrace AI may be left behind in the future and have limited job prospects in some sectors.
- Children’s research and problem-solving skills may be reduced and we may be making kids dumber.
- AI has the potential to reduce interpersonal contact and communication skills. Instead of engaging with people, children may turn to machines, losing out on critical social and emotional development. This may negatively impact their ability to communicate effectively and collaborate in the future.
- “My child writes well and is now being accused of generating the content using AI!” Or, your child had poor writing skills, worked hard to improve, and is also accused of cheating – it’s a tricky space to navigate!
So, what’s the best way forward?
Take time to do your own research and guide your child on how to integrate AI into their learning and use it responsibly. Just like discipline and values, it’s not all up to their teachers!
Schools must also be proactive. They need to teach learners how to use AI effectively and ethically. Policies should be put in place to manage this. Encourage your school to develop clear measures and guidelines.
Conclusion:
By the time you read this blog, there will be new developments and opinions on AI – it’s evolving so fast!
And yes, I can also confirm that I wrote this blog myself! It’s a strict policy we have at WorksheetCloud.com – only humans allowed. However, I did use AI to double-check my grammar, spelling, and tone – now that’s how you use a tool to work smarter!
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