176: A Roadmap for AI in Education (with Dr. Benny Fong)

Dr. Benny Fong joins co-hosts Heather Brown and Keane Fine to share perspectives and tips for leveraging AI as a teacher. Dr. Fong provides practical applications, ethical considerations, and how AI, when used wisely, can help minimize the mundane and allow educators to focus on relationships for Kingdom impact. What are your experiences with AI in your classroom or school? Share with us at [email protected].

• Episode 147: Being Human in the Age of AI
• “The misconception is that the kids will just shift totally to using an artificial teacher or something. [...] We know that book learning is really only one part of learning. The bigger part of learning comes from a mentor, a teacher, a guide to light that fire of curiosity.”
• “The whole idea of generative AI is to generate new content based on past context and experiences and information.”
• “You have to treat it as a new technology, emerging technology. What are you comfortable with?”
• “As with any technology, we [have] to know the ethical boundary and the privacy first,”
• Suggestions for practical application:
• ChatGPT for lesson planning with differentiation
• Perplexity or Copilot search engines
• Real-time translation
• Multi-modal feature
• “We don’t want to shortcut the process for beginning teachers to become good teachers. We don’t want to shortcut the process for students to learn their content.”
• “I think the danger obviously is always viewing tools as good or bad. It’s always nuanced. I think that the more that we understand the tool [...] the better we can wield this tool [...] for God’s work and for His Kingdom.”
• “As educators, we are lifelong learners.”
• “AI is really just the latest in terms of tools that forces us as educators to be flexible in how we engage our stakeholders.”
• “Education leaders have to start [...] They need to recognize that things are changing. They need to work with the teachers and parents and students to formulate prudent policies first to get on the same page. Then, once things are on the same page, then that frees up the teacher to the next step, which is to innovate and learn.”
• “We want to build [...] salt and light and ambassadors to the world that needs the Gospel. What does that look like with the help of AI?”
• “Minimize the mundane stuff so that I can maximize the relationship.”
• “Real leaders are created through mentoring and through relationship. So, what I feel is that AI, if used properly, can actually maximize that relationship building and mentoring aspect with those around us.”

Learn more about TeachBeyond’s Transformational Teaching Conference here.

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Doodling on a Boogie Board LCD writing tablet
• Heather: HabitShare app
• Benny: Being reminded about grace at a recent marriage conference

Weekly Spotlight: Belize Christian Academy

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Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
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