What Parents And Guardians Should Know About AI In Education
Imagine being a student-athlete after an exhausting day of school and practice. You sit down with an AI tutor on your phone that understands your unique learning pace, areas of strength, topics of interest, and subjects needing improvement. Your AI tutor has instant access to the world's information, is available 24/7, and can provide intelligent feedback on your work without simply giving away the answer.
Sounds promising, right?
With the rise of artificial intelligence and its inevitable impact on education, there's potential for student-athletes to receive unprecedented, personalized support at their fingertips so they may thrive in academics.
However, there are new risks that come with this brand-new technology. Just as social media continues to promise endless connections, we learned it also reinforced negative behavior for many people. Students may be incentivized to outsource their thinking to their AI tutor, becoming dependent on it for answers, or worse, for connection. The algorithms built into AI tutoring programs — designed to engage — might end up creating an addiction, much like the endless scroll on feeds of social media platforms.
For parents, and guardians, the challenge could be seen at twofold:
Understanding AI in Education: Navigating the evolving and confusing landscape of AI in education can help ensure that young student-athletes get the best of both worlds: Personalized learning and safe usage of educational AI.
Setting Boundaries: Just as we set practice hours, study hours, and rest periods, it might become essential to set “AI/tech hours.” This ensures that while students benefit from the use of technology, they don't become overly reliant or addicted to it.
The promise and perils of personalization and why AI in education matters for student-athletes.
AI's biggest selling points are personalization and ease of access. For student-athletes, this could mean content bespoke to their academic strengths, weaknesses, curiosities, sports played, and even lifelong passions — while tailoring workloads to their athletic schedules. Although personalization and access sound great in theory, there might be negative consequences to this hyper-personalization.
It could potentially create a bubble around the student-athlete and limit their exposure to diverse analog perspectives, real-world problem-solving, and growth opportunities outside the “digital classroom.” It’s akin to having a football field, controlled, whereas it never gets too hot or cold, and has no bugs flying into an athlete's eyes, or rain and mud inhibiting their performance. Most often unwanted messiness supports antifragility, and ultimately independence.
The potential benefits of ethically-implemented AI include:
Flexible Learning: AI-driven platforms can adapt to the erratic schedules of student-athletes, offering learning resources precisely when they need them.
Personalized Training: Just as every athlete requires tailored physical training, AI can customize academic lessons to suit individual learning paces and styles, for example, ACT/SAT test preparation training.
Performance Tracking: AI tools can provide insights into a student's academic performance, much like how sports analytics offer feedback on an athlete's game.
Here’s common questions & concerns parents and guardians might have about AI in education.
Parents and guardians are understandably interested in how AI in education may change the educational landscape and are occasionally concerned about how this technology will affect their children's learning. In this section, we examine some often asked questions and concerns in an effort to shed light on the topic and offer new perspectives on AI's place in education.
What about data privacy?: In an age where personal information and digital representations of people are a commodity, both bought and sold by tech companies, how do educational AI tools ensure the privacy of our children's data? It's essential to understand what data is being collected, how it's being used, and the measures in place to protect it.
Is the AI content relevant?: AI-driven tutors are designed to filter out distractions, ensuring that students access only relevant and safe academic content. But, how effective are these filters? Can they be too effective? Do we want AI platforms to be a core gatekeeper to our children's information access?
What kind of guardian oversight/parental controls are there?: Many software platforms provide monitoring tools, allowing parents and guardians to keep track of both academic progress and online activity. Will these controls work on an AI platform? Is there a dashboard where they can monitor progress/conversations, set limits, or intervene if necessary?
Should I be worried about screen time?: AI-assisted learning necessitates screen time. How can we strike a balance to ensure our children aren't overexposed to screens, considering the already ballooning screen time with existing commitments to online classes, entertainment, and social media?
Will there be negative AI influence?: Just as social media algorithms can sometimes promote divisive or harmful content, is there a risk of AI educational tools inadvertently promoting misinformation or biased perspectives? How do these platforms ensure the accuracy and neutrality of the content they deliver?
Will there be a loss of human connection?: With the rise of AI tutors and assistants, is there a risk that students might miss out on the invaluable human connections that come from traditional in-person learning and one-on-one tutoring? Teachers provide mentorship, empathy, and connections that go beyond academics, so how do we ensure that the human connection remains central in AI-enhanced education?
Is AI in education providing genuine value, or is it just another marketing gimmick?: The goal should be holistic development — utilizing AI to enrich traditional modes of quality instruction. Platforms like CheggMate and Khanmigo are making headlines, but it's essential to discern the real impact AI has in education. Are these tools genuinely enhancing the academic experiences of student-athletes? Is the primary aim to foster holistic development, or is it merely to stay trendy in a tech-driven world?
We seek to address these critical issues, from data privacy to the potential loss of human connection, to assist parents and guardians in making wise decisions in this digital age. The use of AI in education is not some distant possibility. It is a reality right now. It's important for parents and guardians to maintain knowledge and establish boundaries. Similar to worries about social media's effect on kids, it's crucial to make sure student-athletes get the most out of AI without being unduly dependent.
Sports teach perseverance, devotion, and discipline. Our responsibility is to help student-athletes use these resources efficiently while avoiding overreliance as AI transforms education. Students need to have access to tailored learning without becoming isolated within echo chambers, keeping in touch with others, and refraining from becoming addicted to technology. It’s important to strike this balance and give them the tools they need to be successful both on and off the field.
Want to help your student-athlete excel both academically and athletically? Get started here.
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