"Every student and educator deserves the opportunity to learn about AI,
understand its risks, and explore the power it has to enhance human
capabilities like cognition, creativity, and interaction."
When I first read that quoted line from Pat Yongpradit, I knew this was someone that had given thoughtful consideration to the way-ahead for Artificial Intelligence in education and academia. As I learned more about him, that thought became quite an understatement. Early in his career, for nearly 12 years, he worked in Montgomery County Public Schools as the Curriculum Lead/Writer, a Computer Science and Science Teacher, as well as the New Teacher Induction Coordinator. In 2010, Pat was recognized as a Microsoft Worldwide Education Innovator. In 2013, he was featured in the book, "American Teacher: Heroes in the Classroom" by Katrina Fried. He led the development of the K–12 Computer Science Framework, a collective pathway, curriculum, and professional development strategy for bringing AI and CS education to all schools and districts. For over 10 years, Pat has served as the Chief Academic Officer at Code.org. Today, Pat Yongpradit is everywhere (figuratively speaking of course).
As the leader of
TeachAI, an initiative designed to shepherd education leaders and policymakers in the transformation of education and academia in the AI era, Pat is a leading voice calling for moving past fear or simple denial of AI to a future that embraces and leads with it in the classroom. To do this, Pat's primary call at the moment is to educate intentionally with a goal of "
AI Literacy." And as Yongpradit explains it, it just makes sense.
What is the goal of primary and secondary education? Very simply put, it is to give students the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need for adulthood. In the AI era, this calls for an education complete with a clear understanding of how AI works and how it can be used safely, responsibly, and effectively. "AI literacy represents the technical knowledge, durable skills, and future-ready attitudes required to thrive in a world influenced by AI. It enables learners to engage, create with, manage, and design AI, while critically evaluating its benefits, risks, and ethical implications."1
My personal key takeaway and idea for classroom implementation with adult learners is the use of AI to augment problem decomposition. Recognizing both a human's and AI's limitations to decompose problems into suitable tasks for myself/my students and an AI assistant is a fundamental first step toward effective use of AI.
To hear more from this very inspirational voice in Educational Technology, check out any of the links above, or listen to Pat Yongpradit's conversation with Cognia Leader Chat. I highly recommend it!
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