Researchers from the University of Newcastle have released a wold first report which aims to assist schools with adapting to new technologies and integrating artificial intelligence into their work.
The report was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training and led by Associate Professor Erica Southgate with Dr Karen Blackmore and Dr Susan Grimes.
It aims to provide advice to teachers navigating new ethical conundrums caused by AI and familiarise schools with emerging technologies in education.
These emerging technologies include augmented, mixed, and virtual reality.
Associate Professor Erica Southgate says these innovations introduce a new ethical responsibility that teachers, students, and parents must adapt with.
Professor Southgate said the aim of the report was three fold.
"The first was to write a report so teachers could understand the implications of emerging technologies, in particular Artificial Intelligence and VR for classrooms," she said.
"It was also to provide info-graphics for students to use in classrooms so they can understand the technology, and finally to do a curriculum mapping of really good resources that teachers in Australian schools can use."
The report offers the first custom designed framework for ethical use of technology in schools and
explains the complex social, technical and ethical issues associated with the technologies in an accessible fashion.
"This is a world first report. There's no other reports like this on artificial intelligence and virtual reality for the school sector." Southgate confirmed.
The report includes a number of case studies on AI and VR that demonstrate the practical aspects of introducing the technology into classrooms, how to use them effectively, and how to teach students about them.
"We know that AI will come through intelligent tutoring systems and helpers in educational computer programs, and also be part of learning management systems" Professor Southgate said but assured that AI is already utilised in search engines and phone assistance like SIRI.
"It (Artificial Intelligence) probably wont come in the form of robot teacher anytime soon or if ever but we are really interested in the way we can harness that technology so that we can create personalised learning.
Image Source: The University of Newcastle
