Artificial Intelligence in Education - Navigating AI Literacy
A blog by Laura Barker
Laura is the Senior Education Consultant at InnovatEd Consulting and a member of the CWAA AI Advisory Committee.
Artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLM), Chat GPT, and Co-pilot –terms that barely entered our vocabulary a year or two ago – are now common in staff rooms worldwide. Even my 4-year-old son surprised me last night by saying, ‘you know the AI, Mum? Well, I used it on the iPad playing chess with my cousin. The AI helped us get the queen away.’
AI is not a new concept. In fact, it has existed since the 1950s. What has changed is its accessibility. Nearly every product or service we use, whether in our personal lives or at work, is now utilising or exploring how to integrate AI.
Like many educators, Curriculum Writers Association of Australia (CWAA) is grappling with the implications of AI, with a particular focus on AI literacy. During the most recent committee meeting, members raised challenges, noting that different stakeholders – teachers, curriculum writers, students, and businesses – have varying interpretations of what AI literacy entails. This challenge is not unique. In October 2023, Philip Colligan, CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, noted, ‘“The first problem is defining what AI literacy actually means’” (Colligan, P., 2023, What does AI mean for computing education?, Raspberry Pi Blog). Nearly a year later, organisations are still wrestling with how to unpack and define the term.