Press release from the Chappaqua Central School District :
In a world that’s increasingly reliant on technology, it’s no surprise that artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly important topic in education. At the forefront of this trend is ChatGPT, an advanced AI language model that’s transforming the way we think about teaching and learning. As schools look to the future and explore new ways to engage and inspire their students, ChatGPT is something that should definitely be on their radar.
On March 17, 2023, CCSD faculty and staff learned about artificial intelligence and machine learning and explored their impact on education, instruction, and our students. ChatGPT was one of the tools some of these conversations focused on. In fact, the entire first paragraph of this article was generated by the AI chatbot.
The day of learning began with learning sessions focused on AI. Staff members joined differentiated sessions facilitated by district administrators, staff developers, and teachers. In this session, they explored ChatGPT and learned about disruptive technologies in education and developed action plans to explore the opportunities and concerns these technologies present.
A keynote panel of experts in the field of artificial intelligence then joined via Zoom to share their expertise. The panel was facilitated by staff members and students who asked insightful questions to help our staff learn about the ethics of AI and suggest next steps for our own learning and exploration. As Adam Pease, Assistant Superintendent notes, “Only a few times in my educational career has an emerging technology blown my mind; this is one of those times. The potential for #ChatGPT and other similar tools to change the educational landscape is profound.”
Following the panel, staff members participated in two choice sessions focused on the themes of diversity, equity and inclusion; sustainability and environmentalism; technology and digital media; and civics, economics, and business. These learning sessions were facilitated by district administrators, staff developers, teachers, and even some students.
Learning sessions explored the impact of AI for learners of all ages, in writing assessment, lesson planning, and more. In the PotluckPD, staff members shared brief showcases of lesson plans, instruction, and student work. In our Edcamp sessions, staff and students facilitated conversations around a range of topics including assessment, data collection, diverse texts, building classroom community, and more. Other topics included topics like special education co-teaching, teacher leadership, grade 9 science curriculum exploration, and virtual manipulatives in math.
During this time, our physical education and health department also participated in an exciting opportunity for professional growth and learning, hosting a regional PE Consortium learning event. Districts from across Rockland and Westchester Counties joined for collaboration and learning.
We are proud to have offered over 50 learning sessions facilitated by our faculty. The opportunity for our staff to learn together and explore emerging issues like artificial intelligence will allow our district to continue to develop innovative, rigorous, and supportive learning environments for our students and staff.
This press release was produced by the Chappaqua Central School District. The views expressed are the author’s own.
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