Workshop

Workshop on Generative AI in K-12 Education

Jacob Witmer — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:58:05 +0000

Workshop on Generative AI in K-12 Education Jacob Witmer Thu, 08/29/2024 - 13:58

Event Details

Date: Monday, November 4th, 2024
Time: 8:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Location: St. John's-Kilmarnock School (SJK)

About the Workshop

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming every sector of the economy and reshaping the very fabric of our society. Large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Meta’s Llama are at the forefront of this revolution. The accessibility of these models presents both tremendous challenges and opportunities, particularly in the field of education. At the post-secondary level, responses from educators vary widely, ranging from enthusiastic adoption to cautious skepticism. Regardless of perspective, one thing is clear: generative AI is here to stay, and it is imperative that we develop and share insights to help equip our institutions and their constituents for the future.

This workshop aims to address the pressing issues at the intersection of generative AI and K-12 education. We are bringing together educators, researchers, AI experts, and other stakeholders for a full-day, in-person collaborative exploration.

Workshop Goals

Assessment: Develop a realistic understanding of the current capabilities and limitations of LLMs, both today and in the near future.
Challenges & Opportunities: Surface and discuss the many challenges and opportunities that generative AI presents to K-12 education.
Best Practices: Share initial efforts and best practices that have already begun to emerge in this space.
Community Building: Foster a community that can work together towards a vision of the future, supported by a realistic plan of action.

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for educators, researchers, policy makers, and AI professionals who are currently engaged in or interested in the implications of generative AI for K-12 education. Whether you are actively integrating AI into your curriculum or seeking to understand its potential impact, this event offers valuable insights and the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing conversation.

Be part of the dialogue as we navigate the future of education together. We look forward to your participation!

Workshop Agenda

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. | Arrival and Registration (coffee and a light breakfast will be served)

9:00 – 9:15 a.m. | Opening Remarks

9:15 – 10:30 a.m. | Session 1: Overview of Generative AI

The Challenges and Opportunity of ChatGPT and Generative AI
- Jimmy Lin – Professor, Computer Science and Co-director, ��ݮ��Ƶ.AI, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Generative AI in K-12 Education: The Post-Secondary Perspective
- Amanda McKenzie – Director, Office of Academic Integrity, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
- Trevor Holmes – Associate Director, Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Microsoft: Empowering Education with Artificial Intelligence
- Steven John Stronach – Modern Education Platform Lead

Bios

Jimmy Lin

Professor, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. Co- Director, ��ݮ��Ƶ Data & Artificial Intelligence Institute

Bio: Jimmy Lin is a professor and the Chair of the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, previously from the University of Maryland. He completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT in 2004, and his research aims to build tools that help users make sense of large amounts of data, through information retrieval, natural language processing, and infrastructure for data analytics.

Amanda McKenzie

Director, Office of Academic Integrity, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Bio: Amanda McKenzie, M.A., is the Director of Office of Academic Integrity at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. She has been at the forefront of academic integrity initiatives on a provincial, national, and international level. Amanda is a subject matter expert in this area and has spoken around the world. She has also published a number of articles and book chapters in this field. In addition, she has created several learning modules on academic integrity for undergraduates and graduate students. Her current areas of interest are the intersection of academic integrity and quality assurance and the impacts of GenAI on education.

Amanda served as part of the International Center for Academic Integrity since 2014, founding the Canadian branch of ICAI, and was an Officer on the Board of Directors from 2018-2023. She is an active member of the Academic Integrity Council of Ontario (AICO) and served as the past Chair and Secretary/outreach Coordinator. She currently sits on the Editorial Board of Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity and the Business Ethics and Leadership Journal.

Trevor Holmes

Associate Director, Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Bio: A full-time faculty developer with over 25 years' experience in multiple roles across six Southwestern Ontario universities, Dr. Trevor Holmes is currently Acting Director at ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Centre for Teaching Excellence. He has also taught university undergraduates in humanities disciplines since 1994, with an emphasis on experiential learning and new technologies.

Steven John Stronach

Modern Education Platform Lead, Microsoft

Bio: For the past 27 years, Steven has been a driving force in transforming educational experiences through cutting-edge technologies. His passion and expertise have established him as a trusted advisor and a dynamic advocate for innovation in education. Known for his ability to demystify complex technological concepts, Steven is celebrated as a compelling speaker and a visionary leader in educational technology. Today, he leads the charge in integrating advanced Microsoft AI into the education sector, empowering both students and teachers to reach new heights.

10:30 – 10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break

10:45 – 12:15 p.m. | Session 2: Current Best Practices

Short lightning talks followed by panel discussion.

Panelists:

Peter Sovran – Director of Education, Upper Grand DSB

Denise Mouton – JK PYP Teacher, St. John's Kilmarnock School

Jennifer Scotchmer – Intermediate teacher, Kitchener-��ݮ��Ƶ Bilingual School

Luis Gomes – Senior Manager of IT, Wellington Catholic DSB

Martha Jez – Fairchance Learning

Aasha Khan – Youth Tech Lab

Moderator:

Janice Aurini – Associate Professor, Sociology and Legal Studies, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Bios

Peter Sovran

Director of Education, Upper Grand District School Board

Bio: Peter Sovran’s career portfolio over the past 30+ years has included a variety of high profile, extensive and demanding senior leadership positions with the Upper Grand District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth, York Region and Toronto District School Boards, and the Ontario Ministry of Education.

He has a proven track-record of strategic, transformative leadership that has resulted in impactful changes to public education in Ontario with a particular focus on improving student achievement, well-being and equity of outcomes as well as innovation.

Prior to becoming Director of Education/CEO in 2021, Peter held a series of senior roles including Associate Director, Chief Information Officer, and Superintendent of Student Achievement. He has also played a pivotal role in advancing Ontario's eLearning programs and Early Reading/Early Math initiatives across the province. Peter is currently the Chair-Elect for the Public Council of Ontario Directors of Education (PCODE) and serves on various K-12+ education working tables. Peter is committed to regularly visiting classrooms and engaging with students and staff across the district.

A lifelong learner, Peter is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy at OISE/UofT with a focus on Artificial Intelligence in education. He holds a Master of Science in Behavioural Neuroscience from McGill University, a Bachelor of Education (Science and Math) and Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biomedical Ethics from the University of Toronto

Denise Mouton

JK PYP Teacher, St. John's Kilmarnock School

Bio: Denise Mouton is a passionate, enthusiastic, and experienced professional educator with 10 years of international experience teaching in a variety of educational settings and systems. Mouton has thoroughly enjoyed designing and delivering innovative as well as established curricula, along with developing creative, play-based environments for young learners. She is comfortable leading and working within diverse teams, as a means of providing authentic, engaging, and educational experiences that inspire and motivate children.

Luis Gomes

Senior Manager, IT Wellington Catholic DSB

Bio: Luis Gomes is the Sr, Manager IT Services with the Wellington Catholic District School Board where he is responsible for computing services, security, and privacy. He is also a member of the Ministry of Education Cyber Protection Framework group, the OSBIE Advisory Committee, the Joint OASBO ICT/PIM working group, and the ECNO VASP Steering Committee which developed standards for the vetting of free apps and web services for privacy and security. Prior to joining the Wellington Catholic District School Board, Luis worked in the Defense, Forestry, Telecommunications, Industrial Manufacturing, Transportation and Consulting Industries, where he held senior IT and Executive positions, and specialized in M&A, Logistics, Procurement, Security, Privacy and Operational Effectiveness. Luis is a 3rd Dan and teaches taekwondo and weapons, is a board member of the local community theatre and a stage and improv actor.

Martha Jez

CEO and Founder, Fair Chance Learning

Bio: Martha Jez, the Founder and CEO of Fair Chance Learning, is the driving force behind the organization, dedicated to fostering growth and education. With a Master's in Critical Disability Studies from York University, Martha champions inclusive and accessible learning experiences for all, and has had the opportunity to lead the development of learning and skills programs in Canada, the US, Algeria, and Kenya. Her recent focus has been on the development of FCL's learning experience platform, Achieva, aimed at removing barriers to learning, growth, and development for small and medium-sized businesses in Canada. Martha understands the importance of community and global engagement, actively contributing her time to the Canadian Accessibility Network, the OISE Curriculum and Review Committee for Continued Professional Learning, the Town of Newmarket Accessibility Advisory Committee, and serving as a Board Member of Inn from the Cold. Martha is currently serving as an Expert in Residence for a Professional Fellowship with OISE CPL. With her signature motto, "LET'S DO THIS!" Martha is enthusiastic about making a significant impact in the realm of learning and development, ensuring opportunity and education for all.

Jennifer Scotchmer

Intermediate Teacher, Kitchener-��ݮ��Ƶ Bilingual School

Bio: Jennifer Scotchmer is in her tenth year of teaching, with most of her time spent teaching English, science, and drama in the Intermediate grades. Beyond the classroom, she serves on the YouthTech Labs advisory board for a second year.

Scotchmer firmly believes in the importance of lifelong learning, and the potential of AI both fascinates and terrifies her. Jennifer’s goal is to harness the power of AI to enhance teaching methods and empower learning while advocating for its responsible and ethical use in the classroom for both her and students.

Aasha Khan

Founder and Lead Organizer, Youth Tech Lab

Bio: Aasha Khan, a Grade 11 student from Kitchener-��ݮ��Ƶ, is a passionate and dedicated advocate for social justice and AI literacy. She serves as the United Nations Girl Up Teen Advisor for Canada, committed to advancing gender equality. Aasha has also delivered a TED Talk titled "How to Have a Constructive Conversation", focused on bridging divides through meaningful dialogue. Additionally, Aasha founded Youth Tech Labs, Canada’s first AI literacy organization for youth, which provides young people with essential AI knowledge and skills and has received endorsement from the Prime Minister of Canada.

Moderator: Janice Aurini

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Bio: Janice Aurini is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. She received her Ph.D. at McMaster University and was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University. Her research primarily examines education policy, education inequality, and parenting. Her projects include a province-wide study on summer learning inequality (or ‘summer-setback’), a three-country comparison of parenting, and a Canada-wide project examining remote teaching and health.

12:15 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. | Session 3: Parallel Breakout Sessions

Suggested Themes:

Existing educational resources
Development of policies and guidelines
Legal and privacy concerns
Operational and administrative efficiency
Prompt engineering for the classroom
Activities in the ed-tech startup space
Engagement with hyper-scalers
Equity and disparities in access
Voices of students and parents
Alternative paths to post-secondary education
Deepfakes and cyber-bullying
Indigenous issues and data soverreignty

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. | Coffee Break

2:45 – 4:15 p.m. | Session 4: Call to Action! Plans for Next Steps

Moderator:

Andrew Duszczyszyn – Executive Director, Advancement, St. John's Kilmarnock School

4:15 – 4:20 p.m. | Closing Remarks

Workshop Organizers

Co-Organizers

Jimmy Lin

Professor, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. Co- Director, ��ݮ��Ƶ Data & Artificial Intelligence Institute

Janice Aurini

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Andrew Duszczyszyn

Executive Director, Advancement, St. John's-Kilmarnock School

Organizing Committee

Luis M. Gomes

Senior Manager IT Services, Wellington Catholic DSB

Martha Jez

CEO and Co-Founder,Fair Chance Learning

Scott Miller

Associate Director, ��ݮ��Ƶ Region District School Board

Peter Sovran

Director of Education, Upper Grand District School Board

Event Sponsors

Sponsored by the ��ݮ��Ƶ Data & Artificial Intelligence Institute (��ݮ��Ƶ.AI) and St. John's-Kilmarnock School (SJK), with additional support provided by the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Faculty of Arts and the Locking Arms Foundation.

The Ethics of Automated Warfare and Artificial Intelligence

Nichola Harrilall — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 16:19:50 +0000

The Ethics of Automated Warfare and Artificial Intelligence Nichola Harrilall Wed, 04/28/2021 - 12:19

The ��ݮ��Ƶ.AI Institute, in partnership with Dr. Bessma Momani and Jean-François Bélanger from the Department of Political Science, are pleased to be hosting a series of webinars exploring the ethics of artificial intelligence and automatic warfare. Each webinar will explore a different aspect of AI and warfare, bringing together both technical and policy experts to discuss the big questions, concerns, and developments in the field.

The series will be developed into a digital series by the Centre for International Governance Innovation in 2022.

You will find more about the webinars below, including how to register and descriptions of the topics and panelists.

Recordings are also available below.

Webinar 1: The Ethics of Automated Warfare and AI

Our first webinar explored how interconnected the development of artificial intelligence and warfare is. This is a broad question, but one that is the overarching backbone of this webinar series. Discussions around the military application of AI are nothing new, and have sparked their lot of controversy, including the “Stop Killer Robots” campaign that has seen important AI scholars advocate against AI automated warfare. As the opening webinar, panelists will be tasked to define for the audience what artificial intelligence is, what it has been used for in the military context, and the state of the art today.

This webinar was also done in collaboration with the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) as well as the Defence and Security Foresight Group (DSFG).

Our panelists included, Drs. Maura R. Grossman (University of ��ݮ��Ƶ), Matthew Kellett (Department of National Defence), and Robert Engen (Canadian Forces College). Dr. Bessma Momani (University of ��ݮ��Ƶ) moderated the panel.

View "The Ethics of Automated Warfare and AI" on YouTube

Webinar 2: The Big Question: What is the Future of Warfare?

Artificial intelligence in warfare is here, and it is here to stay. While the public debate in recent years has been centered whether “killer robots” should be developed and deployed, the question is no longer “should we automate warfare” but “what is the future of AI backed warfare.” This is the broader question asked of our panelists for this opening webinar. As the opener, panelists will be tasked to define for the audience what is artificial intelligence in this context, and where we are today. From there, they will engage with questions such as: what are the new frontier of AI in warfare? Should AI simply be used for threat assessment, or should we go as far as we can and have automated systems fight wars for us in the future?

View "The Big Question: What is the Future of Warfare?" on YouTube

Webinar 3: AI, Conflict, and the Laws of Armed Conflict

This webinar engaged two interrelated questions. First, as AI progress we will see more and more development meant as a way to counter the AI of an adversary, as in the development of most new technology of warfare. What is the implication of adversarial and counter AI technology from a normative and international law standpoint? Second, what happens when this type of decision no longer has a human element attached to it? How can we be certain that the balance between the necessity to use force in certain situations versus how it should be limited by the need to respect the dignity of those involved. How can AI make this distinction? Additionally, what are the legal and normative implications of targeting AI infrastructure and personnel in war? Can artificial intelligence meet the legal responsibility countries face with the Laws of Armed Conflict? This opens up the question of how AI can be used, when, and the intricacies of such use.

View "AI, Conflict, and the Laws of Armed Conflict" on YouTube

Webinar 4: The Morality of Artificial Intelligence in Warfare

What does AI in warfare really look like? What are the possible applications, and how will they be used? Who will use them and who will they be used against? This webinar will discuss the future of AI in warfare from a practical standpoint and seeks to make explicit how these weapons will be developed, deployed and used—and by whom. Rather than discussing the development of autonomous weapons in technical or logistical terms, this discussion aims to tease out how autonomous weapons operate within and augment the current geopolitical landscape and what the moral consequences of their deployment might be. We will also discuss what this means for those who work in the field of AI, and what responsibility we all have to ensure that the work we do leads to a more just and equitable future.

View "The Morality of Artificial Intelligence in Warfare" on YouTube

Webinar 5: What Happens when AI fails? Who is Responsible?

Artificial intelligence is bound to fail. It is a given. But what happens when it does, especially if it is designed to make policy decisions or execute orders in theater? While it may be able to identify its query 95 percent of the time, a tank or types of boat for example, the remaining 5 percent is elusive and difficult to predict. Moreover, why it did fail is often counter intuitive to us. The question then becomes: how do we handle AI failures? How can we mitigate those mistakes, and is it actually possible to mitigate those? When failure happens, who is responsible for the decisions taken, or recommendation made, by AI? More importantly, what happens when the person who is responsible does not understand how artificial intelligence programed and works in the first place? Are there areas/tasks where AI is better suited and more accurate than humans? How is responsibility distributed when you have human and AI interact? Does a human operator bear the same liability as AI when it comes to making a mistake? One way or another, what prior knowledge is required for the operator to be able to accept the risks of such a situation? Finally, how would accountability work in this case?

Webinar 6: Is AI the Solution? Or Is It Already Being Overused?

Artificial intelligence is the cutting edge in decision-making and computer science. However, there is also the sense that AI is nothing more than a buzzword used in almost every facet of our lives right now. Given the current buzz surrounding AI, it is relevant to ask: what are the limits of AI? In many instances, such as with military technology, the availability of artificial intelligence is what made the technology possible in the first place. Can we expect systems to achieve decision-making capabilities and performances that are better than human across domains? What are the trade-offs of acquiring such capabilities? This session wraps up the webinar series and asks the panelists to reflect on our AI centric future. Is it the panacea it has been described to be? The answer is likely not. However, the panelists parse out the unrealistic expectations we have about artificial intelligence and give us a clearer view of what the future actually entails.

View "Is AI the Solution Or Is It Already Being Overused?" on YouTube