The quest to save teachers’ Sunday evenings with AI
Dec 17, 2023
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Sian Cooke discusses the potential of generative AI in education, particularly in saving teachers' time and workload. She emphasizes the importance of technology access and addressing the digital divide. The chapter also highlights the need for AI literacy among teachers and addresses misconceptions and concerns about AI in education.
29:32
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Quick takeaways
Generative AI has the potential to reduce teacher workload and give them their Sunday evenings back.
Government policies should focus on balancing the integration of technology in education, protecting data privacy, and ensuring equitable access for all students.
Deep dives
Using technology to save time and improve teaching
The podcast episode discusses the use of technology in education, focusing on how it can save time and enhance teaching. One main point is that technology, such as generative AI, has the potential to reduce teacher workload and give them their Sunday evenings back. Numerous examples are provided, including using technology for planning, resource generation, modifying texts for different students, and supporting children with disabilities and English as an additional language. The episode also emphasizes the importance of understanding the risks associated with technology and making informed decisions about its use in schools. Overall, the aim is to find ways that technology can provide practical, time-saving solutions for teachers while keeping human interaction and well-being at the forefront of education.
Policy considerations and the role of government
The podcast explores the role of government in shaping policies regarding generative AI and technology in education. The guest, Sean Cook, head of the emerging tech unit in the Department for Education's Digital Strategy Division, discusses the challenges and opportunities of integrating technology into the education system. The conversation includes topics such as protecting children's data and intellectual property rights, creating a balanced approach that values human interaction in education, and ensuring equitable access to technology for all students. The guest emphasizes the importance of evidence-based decision-making, collaboration between educators and policymakers, and the need to address the digital divide in order to provide equal opportunities for all learners.
Practical applications and challenges of generative AI
The podcast highlights specific applications of generative AI in education. It mentions the potential of AI in tasks such as lesson planning, resource creation, grading, and providing personalized feedback. The guest acknowledges the limitations of AI and stresses the importance of retaining human judgment and critical thinking in the education process. The episode discusses the need for teachers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of generative AI technology, as well as the risks and biases associated with it. It also encourages experimentation and collaboration between teachers and technology developers to explore how AI can enhance teaching and learning.
The future of AI in education
The podcast explores the potential future scenarios of AI in education. One optimistic vision is the integration of AI into various educational tools to streamline administrative tasks and provide personalized support for students. However, the guest also points out the possibility of a dystopian future where AI exacerbates inequalities, creating a larger digital divide. The conversation emphasizes the need for comprehensive conversations and collaboration between government, educators, and society as a whole to ensure that AI is used ethically and in a way that prioritizes human well-being and teacher-student relationships.
Introduction: Join two former teachers - Libby Hills from the Jacobs Foundation and AI researcher Owen Henkel - for the Ed-Technical podcast series about AI in education. Each episode, Libby and Owen will ask experts to help educators sift the useful insights from the AI hype. They’ll be asking questions like - how does this actually help students and teachers? What do we actually know about this technology, and what’s just speculation? And (importantly!) when we say AI, what are we actually talking about?
In the fifth episode of this series, Libby and Owen talk to Sian Cooke, about her quest to save teachers’ Sunday evenings! Sian is Head of the Department for Education’s Emerging Tech Unit in England, who are doing a lot of thinking about what generative AI means for the whole education system. Come and hear what it’s like responding to generative AI from a policymaking perspective.
Sian talks about where she sees the immediate low hanging AI fruits for teachers, and why she thinks generative AI tools are particularly promising for low stakes high frequency tasks. We often hear that there are no silver bullets in education but Sian thinks there might be some bronze bullets that we shouldn’t overlook in the excitement about new technologies.
Sian used a lot of technology in the classroom when she was a teacher, but from a policy perspective, she started working on education technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing internet access and laptops to children who couldn’t get online for remote learning. Since 2020 she’s been working on the DFE’s strategy for technology in schools and more recently she’s been heading up the Emerging Tech Unit in the digital strategy division.
