Teachers share AI tools with peers at AI Discovery Fair

Greenwood teachers recently shared their tips and tools at a drop-in AI Discovery Fair during professional development time.

The AI Working Group hosted the fair, and invited Greenwood staff to lead sessions to demonstrate to their colleagues how to use an AI tool in a way that’s useful to their teaching practice.

Sessions covered a variety of tools, including Brisk, Gemini and Perplexity. Session leaders demonstrated the tools and shared how each can be incorporated into lesson planning and the classroom, and answered questions from their peers.

“It’s important to explore the tools and how best we can use them to enhance teaching and learning,” said Sarah Cooper, History and Social Studies subject team lead and AI Working Group member. “We can’t shy away from these technologies. These are out there, and it’s important we understand how and when to use them effectively.”

AI tools are having a huge impact on education and learning, Sarah said. Rather than forbidding the use of AI tools in the classroom, Greenwood’s approach encourages teachers to continually think about how to teach students to think critically and creatively, and encourages both teachers and students to explore how to use the AI tools to leverage learning.

“We must be intentional about the use of AI technology, consider how and when to use it most effectively, how to maintain academic integrity and how to best update and redesign assessments to reflect these technological advancements,” Sarah said. 

For example, using an AI tool to conduct research may be an effective use of time, but it’s important to teach students how to examine and evaluate the sources of information. 

“AI is happening,” Sarah said. “We need to stay up-to-date and understand the tools in order to use them appropriately to enhance learning and develop critical thinking skills.”