206: Help Students Consider the Ethics of AI with this Free PBL Unit

AI is here. And everyone is paying attention. Many people are wondering if AI will take over their jobs, others how it can help them do their jobs. Some folks are asking if AI can help us solve global warming, while plenty of people fear that SuperIntelligence might eventually evolve beyond humanity and stop caring about us, dystopian sci-fi style. 

And what about our students? Maybe they're wondering how it can help them with their work, while still making room for their originality, creativity, and sense of morality.

Maybe they're wondering how it will change their future professions, or create the profession that will someday be theirs. Maybe they’ve heard some people say it should never be used in schools, and others say that to shut the door on it is like abandoning the calculator in favor of pencil and paper, except times a million.

At this point, the questions on our minds as educators and the questions on our students' minds might not be so different. After I interviewed Ben Farrell from the New England Innovation Academy last spring, and he talked about bringing students into the conversation to let them share their ideas on how AI should be used, I was inspired to create my own version of an AI Ethical Use PBL unit, and now I want to share it with you. I designed this project in consultation with John Spencer, because I've always admired his work in the PBL and Design Thinking spaces.

Today on the podcast, we're walking through the whole project, which you can sign up to have delivered free to your email right here. I'll guide you through the steps of the project, and hopefully by the end of the show you'll feel ready and excited to find space for this unit in your curriculum this year.