K12 Tech Talk Episode 226 - Back to School with Gemini... or Not?
In this episode, we talk about AI (and other things)! We discuss the growing concerns surrounding school surveillance tools, examining case studies where innocent student jokes have led to harsh outcomes due to automated threat detection. Shifting gears, we look at the availability of AI tools like Gemini Pro and ChatGPT for college students, including student discount programs. Also, we analyze a recent Common Sense Media report on AI teacher assistants, discussing their moderate risk rating, potential for invisible influence, concerns about novice teachers taking content as fact, and the risks associated with using AI for high-stakes circumstances like IEP creation or grading.
Much of the episode is spent unpacking Jay's K12TechPro survey regarding Gemini and NotebookLM in classrooms, revealing current district policies on AI use for staff and students, and the presence (or absence) of board policies.
Referenced URLs:
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/07/ai-school-surveillance-gaggle-goguardian-bark/473cb556-737e-11f0-84e0-485bb531abeb_story.html
- https://apnews.com/article/ai-school-surveillance-gaggle-goguardian-bark-8c531cde8f9aee0b1ef06cfce109724a
- https://gemini.google/students/
- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10986084-student-discounts-for-chatgpt-terms-of-service
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/featured-content/files/csm-ai-risk-assessment-ai-teacher-assistants-final.pdf
00:00:00-Intro
00:14:21-Gemini & ChatGPT Student Promo
00:16:00-Surveilling Students
00:19:15-Common Sense Media - Bias in AI
00:25:43-Are you enabling AI for students?
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Music by Colt Ball
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