#286 - 'Learn Fast, Act More Slowly' to Leverage AI

Listen to this episode from The Edtech Podcast on Spotify. We've all seen the headlines - AI is revolutionising everything from how students learn to how teachers teach. The promise of personalised learning paths, automated grading, and AI teaching assistants has created a gold rush mentality in education technology. But in our rush to adopt these powerful new tools, are we moving too fast? Today we'll explore why when it comes to AI in education, we need to learn fast but act more slowly and thoughtfully. We'll look at both the tremendous opportunities and serious risks that AI tools present for students and educators. We'll examine where AI can truly add value in education versus where human teachers remain irreplaceable. And most importantly, we'll discuss why comprehensive AI literacy and training is absolutely crucial - not just for educators, but for everyone involved in shaping young minds. Drawing on insights from leading experts on the frontlines of AI in education, we'll provide a framework for thinking about how to implement AI tools responsibly and effectively. Whether you're a teacher, administrator, policymaker or parent, this episode will give you practical guidance for navigating the AI revolution in education. Talking points and questions may include: Opportunities and risks of the tools: Adaptive or personalised learning paths, automated marking and feedback, content generation, analytics and teaching assistants, but also inaccuracy and lack of transparency, data risks, biases, ethics and safeguarding, and like social media, the unintended lasting consequences Where AI is best placed: Is it EdTech and tools in the classroom, the augmentation and elevation of human intelligence, or is it just learning about AI and what it can do and why (is knowledge=power enough?) Why it is so important that understanding and training are emphasised and why everyone needs to have such training Without it there can be safeguarding disasters, skills training can be insufficient, many AI tool providers are offering free training to learn to use their tool but this is consumerised and inadequate and can be ethically questionable; do we want successive generations to only be producing AI tools that are exploitative and using our data and our IP without our consent, or do we want to help people with technology and for the partnership to be of most benefit to them? Guests: Rt. Hon the Lord Knight of Weymouth, Jim Knight Rob Robson, ASCL Trust Leadership Consultant