Dear Editor,
When people imagine artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, they often picture students using it to write essays or finish homework faster. However, in my online classroom, the conversation around AI and its use is nuanced. Increasingly, the most important lesson is focused on the responsible and ethical use of AI. Digital citizenship has been part of education since computers and the internet infiltrated the classroom. Due to this reality, students need to understand how to communicate respectfully, verify sources accurately, and protect their privacy within a digital world. Responsible AI use has become the newest, and perhaps most urgent part of that conversation.
Ironically, many teachers are adopting AI tools faster than their students. A growing number of educators are using AI as a professional tool behind the scenes. A national RAND survey of teachers and principals found that roughly 25% of K–12 teachers used AI tools for lesson planning or teaching. Another report from Gallup found 37% of teachers now use AI at least monthly for lesson planning or preparation, helping generate discussion prompts, customizing assignments to a specific student or grade level, or brainstorming creative activities.
For teachers balancing curriculum development and grading, the time-savings can be significant. Teachers who use AI weekly can save an average of 5 hours per week, allowing them more to provide meaningful feedback and support to their students. However, teachers need to always verify the output provided by AI tools to ensure accuracy. In other words, AI is a planning assistant for educators, not a replacement for a teacher’s expertise. While utilizing AI tools part of the teacher’s responsibility is to determine its necessity. The fact that AI generation consumes more energy and data is one that should not be ignored but analyzed. If one AI generation saves a teacher ten or more search engine entries then it’s worth it.
Students, meanwhile, are approaching AI in more complicated ways than headlines suggest. Yes, some students experiment with generative AI for brainstorming or editing, but many are also expressing skepticism about its role in creativity, especially when it comes to imagery and art. In creative assignments, I’ve noticed a pattern: students often prefer to produce work that feels tangible and imperfect. Instead of AI-generated visuals, they gravitate toward images that look like they came from a disposable camera or an old television screen.
Film photography, for example, is seeing a resurgence because of its imperfections like light leaks, grain, and unpredictability which signal authenticity. In a world where AI can generate flawless images in seconds, the appeal of something messy and human makes sense. Students seem to recognize an important truth: creativity is not just about producing something quickly. It’s about process.
That’s where digital citizenship comes in. Teaching responsible AI use isn’t about banning the technology or pretending it doesn’t exist. Instead, it means helping students ask better questions:
* When does AI support learning, and when does it replace thinking?
* How do we credit or disclose AI assistance?
* What does originality mean in a world where machines can generate content instantly?
In my classroom, we talk openly about these questions. Sometimes we use AI to generate ideas, then challenge students to improve them. Other times, we deliberately avoid it to focus on human creativity.
The goal is not to make students dependent on AI or be fearful of it, but to help them understand it. The reality is that AI will follow our students into college, the workplace and daily life. The most valuable skill we can teach them is how to remain thoughtful, ethical and creative in a world where technological tools can enhance the human experience but should not ever replace the human mind.
Brian Eisen
Educator for Arizona Virtual Academy, K12 Online Schools
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