Part 1 Teaching “with” or “about” AI

Machine bots run on patterns. They take in huge amounts of information, learn what usually comes next, and spit out answers based on those patterns. The problem is that if the data they’re trained on leans a certain way, the bot can lean that way too without anyone meaning for it to happen. That bias can show up in the results. So we need to not treat every answer as being completely accurate.

Tools like Khanmigo can take a lot of busywork off our plate. They can walk students through problems step by step, give quick feedback, and free us up to focus on the parts of teaching. As far as using AI as an assistant or tutor, it can be good support, but I don’t think it’s a replacement for a teacher.

Machine bots work by analyzing huge amounts of data to find patterns and generate responses that match what they’ve learned. Because they rely on existing data trends but not necessarily reliability, unintended bias can appear when that data leaves out certain groups or perspectives. Tools like Khanmigo can be valuable in the classroom by giving students instant feedback, hints, or explanations while freeing teachers to give more personalized support. I think AI can be a great tutor or assistant when used carefully, but it’s important to remind students that these tools aren’t always correct or neutral. They should still think critically and verify what the AI produces. In Health class, I could use AI tools like Khanmigo to help students review body systems, practice health scenarios, and get instant feedback on wellness or decision-making activities.

Machine bots are able to perform specific tasks. They use massive amounts of data, algorithms and patterns to produce results that could be predictions, recommendation or text. Unintended bias could impact the results received causing data collected to be skewed, reinforce sterotypes, and erosion of credibility in the research provided. 

Khanmigo could be used in the classroom to personalize tutoring, differentiation, providing feedback and content generation. I have used AI to create practice questions, quiz questions and lesson ideas. I'm curious to see the that Khanmigo would allow a level of support for students and potentially provide me with feedback about what students need help with. 

I think that AI when thoughtfully integrated, can change the learning environment as I could use it to better differentiate and personalize learning for my students. I would be able to use AI to help refresh content, generate lesson plans, engaging lesson hooks, better rubrics and formative assessments (exit tickets, quizzes, discussion questions). I will have to spend some time this summer to investigate how it can be best integrated in my classroom.

• Explain how machine bots work.  How might unintended bias impact what machine bots may produce as “results?”

 A Machine bot is trained by being “fed” data and it is used to identify or categorize data based on the patterns it detects. This does not have to be simply images. Words/text can be used as well. Now where is this data coming from? The Internet. Who put this data there? Humans. That is where the potential for bias comes in. The data might be biased or perhaps the bot was fed data is a biased way. For example maybe most sports information was selected from Dallas. This could lead to bias in terms of questions like “Who is the best Running Back in NFL history?” Perhaps there was more data about Emmitt Smith given where the data was pulled from.  

• How can tools like Khanmigo help teachers in the classroom?  What are your thoughts about using AI as a teacher assistant or tutor for your classroom?

 It was interesting to say the least. I think the idea of generating a progress report for a student that is struggling (translating it to another language cuts out Google Translate and is a one stop shop) is a great plus to save some time, much like a tutor would. I think the refresher option is a nice study aid. You can assess yourself or you can also have a conversation by talking about certain aspects of a play or maybe a body systems function in science. The Rubric creator was what MOST intrigued me. I have used AI to create rubrics before and I have liked it and used them….but, I had not included or thought to include standards in the request itself, definitely more specific!!

PART I It is my understanding that a bot works (like the fish bot example) by being able to quickly categorize information, be it words or pictures like in the example, based on the data it trained on. That is to say, the information the developer programmed into the bot.  By inputting information to the bot, a student can better understand the way an algorithm is used in generative AI, specifically the large language models.  The output is completely tied to the information it is fed. Like any programming, it can only give out what it receives in.  This is why when using AI one must be sure to test and fact check information that it spews out as it can only be as correct as its sources. In fact, if the source material is bias in some way, obviously what is produced by the bot (or other AI tool) will also have that bias attached.  In short, what is generated is contingent on the data on which is trained.  This is important to note even when using any AI tool, l even those intended for educational purposes. Khanmigo is one of those tools.  Based on the video it does seem helpful and frankly I would need much more time to see how or if this tool would be suited for the modern language classroom.  That said, I do see the promise of so great learning that could develop from the use of such tools. I student could really develop their use of French based on their unique ideas and personality and use vocabulary, for example that really suits them and their need.  It seems like we, world language teachers, are always discussing VOCABUALRY! Though initially seen as only an identification level in Bloom's taxonomy (yes I said it) I can see with AI, that the language level for some students, may be able to be more advanced, sooner.  It could involve a much higher level vocabulary and grammatical syntax, earlier on in the development of proficiency on the ILR , CEFR  or ACTFL language scales. 

Machine bots work based on a system of data input, practice with the data, and then exposure to new data. This new data is evaluated to make designs or predictions based on the AI’s training with the original data. If we want the bot to be more precise or advanced, there must be more data for the bot to work with. Since humans are inputting the original data for a bot, there is a chance for bias within the tool. Individuals working with AI must be thoughtful in their approach and outcomes, deciding if more data needs to be provided, or if the wrong data is contributing to unintended bias in the AI results. 

I am amazed by the ease and time-saving abilities of Khanmigo. I had already explored a little bit of the tool after being introduced to it in the previous videos of this series. Diving into class snapshot, I can immediately see the benefits. Immediate data, individualized reports on students, and the ability to communicate swiftly with parents are just a few of the benefits Khanmigo provides. I have no doubt that AI assistance and AI tutors in the classroom will help close the learning gap in education and decrease teacher burnout! 

1. How do machine bots work?...
Machine bots are designed and programmed to perform certain tasks. Bots can run on their own, following the instructions given them without needing a person to start them. Many bots are designed to do things humans normally would, such as repetitive tasks, accomplishing them much faster than a human can. The example that was used in the video was training a bot to identify and recognize images of fish versus those that are NOT fish. Bias comes into play because the person who is doing the training is providing input data to the bot by categorizing their images, information, etc. The AI bot then looks for patterns based off of the information that was provided to it in the beginning of its training.

2.How can Khanmigo help teachers?...
Khanmigo can automate activities like writing a rubric or moving from a set of standards to a set of learning objectives. It can also digest data and generate reports on student progress to the district. Each of these items achieves the goal of returning time to teachers. It sounds like it's a huge time saver for teachers (which is always a good thing)! Being able to create lesson assignments, activities, and assessment tools such as rubrics, etc. So in other words, it definitely becomes a "teaching assistant." It's able to provide teachers with information that is needed, information that needs to be re-taught, creating assignments, activities, and assessment tools. It's always great being able to "refresh" lessons, documents, resources, and assessments from year to year. And with the help of AI as a "teaching assistant," it seems very easy, doable, and user friendly! =)

• Explain how machine bots work.  How might unintended bias impact what machine bots may produce as “results?”

Machine bots work to consistently check things to see if they follow a certain rule or pattern with minimal human interactions.  Over time and with enough data the bot becomes increasingly accurate.  Unintended bias may impact what machine bot produce based on the limited interactions and what information is presented to them.

• How can tools like Khanmigo help teachers in the classroom?  What are your thoughts about using AI as a teacher assistant or tutor for your classroom?

Khanamigo is a computer teacher assistant or tutor for students.  This can provide a class snapshot to show what your students are doing well in and what they may need more help with.  You can also have khanamigo refresh your knowledge on a certain topic.  It can also be used to co-create rubrics to be used.   In math class, I could see using khanamigo to celebrate students, identify who needs additional support and most importantly help group students.