While most agree that artificial intelligence (AI) technology will continue to impact education, educators differ on the extent of the impact. In a 2024 Forbes survey, 60% of educators see an increased use of AI technology in the classroom, but don't think it will have a central role in education (Artificial Intelligence in Education: Teachers' Opinions on AI in the Classroom). The results reinforce the idea that AI technology will not replace core skills and knowledge. Rather, AI technology becomes an additional resource or tool to use when learning new skills and knowledge. To support educators, Ohio leaders took steps to develop a comprehensive strategy to address AI technologies and better prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow. InnovateOhio collaborated with Ohio's AI in Education Coalition to launch Ohio's AI in Education Strategy. The Strategy and AI K-12 Toolkit gives educators guidance and resources to develop policy and integrate AI literacy into the classroom. The Management Council and INFOhio support the coalition by helping Ohio K-12 school districts use statewide resources to develop policy and find quality instructional materials to teach AI literacy skills to students.

This blog series will explore the five guiding principles in Ohio's AI in Education Coalition: AI Strategy:

• Provide All Students with Responsible AI Experiences
• Reflect on Methods to Teach AI While Maintaining a Balanced Curriculum
• Provide AI Learning Opportunities to All Ohio Educators
• Inform Parents on How AI Supports Learning
• Connect with Local Employers on AI Workforce Needs

Each blog in this series will unpack one or more of the five guiding principles along with the following resources:

• Professional Learning Materials for Educators: eBooks from INFOhio’s professional learning collection to help educators grow more confident as they use AI technologies.
• Instructional Materials for Students: eBooks, lesson plans, units, and modules to use with students to bring the five guiding principles into the classroom and school building.

These professional learning and student materials are available to Ohio’s educators, students, and their families at no cost. 

The series will end with tools and resources from INFOhio to support communities of practice. INFOhio serves a unique role as a space for Ohio educators to create AI communities of practice and offer digital resources and instructional support on AI teaching and learning.

Reflect on Methods to Teach AI While Maintaining a Balanced Curriculum

The second principle of Ohio's AI in Education Coalition: AI Strategy, asks educators to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) skills into the core subject areas. Teaching AI skills is not the sole responsibility of the technology or computer science educator. An integrated approach helps students see AI technology as a resource, instead of a replacement for key skills and knowledge.

In the INFOhio eBook, AI and the Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Priten Shah describes integrating AI skills into the core subject areas as an instructional shift. This shift prepares students to become evaluators of AI-generated outputs. To effectively evaluate AI-generated outputs, students will ned to become better equipped as experts in their field. In the workplace, students will combine their content expertise with their understanding of AI shortcomings to successfully use these tools in their future professions. 

Professional Learning Materials for Educators

To integrate AI skills instruction across the content areas, identify which are most relevant to each subject. For example, in chapter 3, Shah defines important AI skills for the classroom, including the following: 

• Computational Thinking—The ability to logically break down complex problems into smaller, manageable steps. This helps students to understand AI algorithms. 
• Critical Thinking and Evaluation—The ability to assess AI systems. This allows students to recognize potential bias in AI outputs and the limitations of AI systems. 
• Ethical Awareness—The ability to identify ethical and social implications of AI use. This helps students understand how AI systems use and collect data. With this understanding, students can make informed decisions about using AI tools in professional and personal life. 

Shah encourages administrators and educators to help each other see how to bring these skills into the science, art, and social studies classroom.

• Computational Thinking about AI in the Science Classroom—Ask students to use AI to analyze and predict environmental changes. 
• Critical Thinking about AI in the Art Classroom—Teach students how to explore AI-generated art or use AI tools to create artwork. Then, discuss the intersection of creativity, technology, and culture. 
• Ethical Awareness about AI in the Social Studies Classroom—Help students structure and engage in a debate on the ethical implications of AI applications in different fields, such as criminal justice. 

These additional professional learning materials can help Ohio educators identify AI literacy skills that will remain relevant as the technology evolves. Using these resources, brainstorm ways to integrate AI literacy skills into your classroom to complement and extend your curriculum. 

• AI and the Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, INFOhio 
• AI Appetizers: A Taste for Ethical AI for Educators—Session 3, PBS Western Reserve Educational Services 
• Building Student AI Literacy, AI for Education

Instructional Learning Materials for Students

Once educators have selected the AI skills they want to develop in their students, the next step is to find instructional materials to integrate these skills into the curriculum. Again, Shah reminds educators to select and develop lessons that help students see AI as a resource, not a replacement. 

• Browse this collection of lesson plans, AI Snapshots, from Verizon Innovate Learning. This collection includes 45 classroom warm-up activities for science, social studies, math, and English, grades 7-12.  For example, build computational thinking skills in middle school science students as they develop questions to determine the cause of the car's braking response in the warm-up below. 
• Use this collection of Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom from ISTE to find "no-tech" projects to strengthen AI literacy skills within content-area classrooms. This collection of five guides supports elementary, secondary, elective, and computer science educators in grades K-12. For example, reinforce critical thinking skills in K-5 students by exploring how humans and animals use their senses compared to how robots use sensors to explore their environments. These lessons are aligned to the ISTE Technology Standards. 
• High school educators can take a multidisciplinary approach to AI literacy education using Classroom-Ready Resources About AI For Teaching (CRAFT). CRAFT lessons were created by Stanford Graduate School of Education and the Institute for Human-Centered AI. For example, develop ethical AI awareness in high school music students as they compare AI-created music and lyrics to human-generated music. Guide students through a debate on the positive and negative effects of AI on the arts. 

AI Resources for Students and Educators

INFOhio provides resources to support Ohio's educators as they work to bring the guiding principles from Ohio's Education Coalition: AI Strategy into the classroom and building. Explore additional resources below as you work to establish AI skills in subject-area classrooms. 

• AI Resource Collection, INFOhio 
• AI Appetizers: A Taste of Ethical AI for Educators, PBS Western Reserve Educational Services 
• AI Strategy, InnovateOhio

Find INFOhio on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Follow us for more blogs in this series.