181: In Conversation with Mary Beth Hertz: Unveiling the Realities of AI in Education and its Ethical Implications

aarmau@gmail.comSeptember 6, 2023Uncategorized

In this episode, I am excited to have a really excellent conversation with Mary Beth Hertz. Mary Beth Hertz has been teaching young people in Philadelphia since 2003. She has been on the forefront of technology integration in the classroom through local, national and global connections with other educators and leaders in the educational technology field. Her work has encompassed both the infrastructure and the academic areas of educational technology as well as nearly two decades of classroom experience teaching young people Art, Technology, Media & Design and entrepreneurism. She was named a 2010 ISTE Emerging Leader, a 2013 ASCD Emerging Leader, 2013 PAECT Teacher of the Year, and was a co-founder of EdCamp Philly and the Edcamp Foundation. She is also the founder of Walkabout Philly, an experiential school based on the Walkabout Education model that she is building in Philadelphia.

More information can be found at: http://marybethhertz.me.

LISTEN NOW:

 

CHALLENGES & GOALS

The discussion revolves around the ethical implications of integrating AI into education. Concerns include data privacy, misinformation, digital literacy among students, potential negative impacts on mental health, and the need for educators to understand these technologies better. The goal is to navigate these challenges while maximizing the benefits of AI in enhancing learning experiences.

TAKEAWAYS

  • Even highly educated individuals can mistake AI-generated content for real content. Another point was that some AI tools are unable to code imperfections into their generated images, contributing to unrealistic beauty standards.

EMERGING PATTERNS

  • Need for transparency and open conversations about the use of AI in education.
  • Concern about how data is used by AI tools and companies.
  • Ethical considerations when using AI tools in education.
  • Potential psychological impacts on students due to misuse of technology.
  • Unequal access among students to technology.

KEY MOMENTS

1) “I think there’s valid arguments across the board… I think that the creators have valid arguments.”

2) “We don’t send kids off in the playground without teaching them about safety… But with social media, we gave them this playground and we just kind of ignored it.”

3) “Nobody is an expert in any of this…even the people building them are like, well, that’s cool.”

4) “We should have some kind of shared value around assessment…we have to rethink the how not the why.”

5)  “Are we actually doing what’s best for kids or do we need to start putting more focus on where’s the engagement, inquiry and strategies?

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