How did you first get interested in computer science?

I am still recovering from my original position as a middle school science teacher for about 8 years. I had a passion for Chemistry (which my bachelor’s degree is in) and in teaching, which drove me into the classroom. One of the main things I sought to do in my classroom was to help students figure out the world around them using skills and ideas rather than just recalling scientific facts. While teaching, I also became interested in technology and the promise it held for impacting student learning. I always felt that technology was impactful for engagement and educational outcomes, and could be a potential equalizer in serving all students. This led me to getting my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Technology Integration. Currently I am a District Coach of Technology and Innovation, where I have the privilege to work with amazing teachers in my county to support the meaningful integration of technology into their instruction.

When I learned about Artificial Intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, and the power it has to affect teaching and learning, I was instantly hooked. AI can be a game-changer for all teachers and world-changing for students. Initially, I saw AI as a tool for me to become more productive and efficient but saw the immense potential it could have on education as a disruptive force to how we have always approached teaching and learning. After fully diving in, not only does it have a huge role to play in forcing education to shift to a more relevant pedagogy, but there are massive ethical considerations that need to be addressed across multiple stakeholders.

Through my research, presentations, and local connections, I was able to partner with Maryland Center for Computing Education to educate others on how AI could shape learning and teaching. MCCE allowed me resources and a platform for not only teachers to learn more and grow in their capacity, but also for me to refine my ideas and shape my understanding of how AI can impact education.

Share a story from your work.

I can think of two stories that really highlight some recent successes and challenges related to the AI work I am engaged in currently. I was working in an 8th grade class of students creating podcasts where they were talking about taking a stance on something that meant a lot to them. Many of the students had great podcast scripts talking about a variety of subjects. One student in the class though was selectively mute and did not want to record her voice for the podcast. Her script was phenomenal and spoke to important issues that mattered to her. In my work with AI, I had previously encountered a tool from ElevenLabs - which allows text to voice creation in a natural sounding way. I took her script, let her choose a voice she was comfortable with (she neglected to choose my cloned voice) and then I sent her the audio for her to use in her podcast. In this very literal sense, AI was able to give her a voice to express herself.

In another classroom, I was able to work with students to reimagine what writing essays and extended responses could look like in an age where AI can just write essays for students. The students were able to prompt AI to generate an essay, then in small groups were able to analyze the output to determine how well it supported its arguments. Through this activity, the students ended up editing and refining the original output (essentially rewriting what ChatGPT had given them to start) and engaging in further discussions about proper use of AI tools in learning and schoolwork.

There are so many other stories like this where AI has had great impact on those I have worked with - using it to create more engaging lessons where students interact with content in ways they have never done before, or to save time on menial tasks so that time can be redirected to other, more important things. There are so many great stories of leveraging AI for good, but it is also important to be aware of the stories where AI has marginalized and excluded, where it has been non-representative and biased, where it has hallucinated and erred. All these stories collectively help us learn how to integrate AI- and other emerging technologies- in ways that are safe, ethical, and equitable for all.

What are you excited about or looking forward to?

In my current work, I am excited first for my county’s openness to integrating and learning about AI. They have allowed me to create an AI Steering Committee in which we will be crafting policy for the use of AI across multiple grade bands and uses in our public school system. By engaging with multiple stakeholders, experts in the field, and district leadership, we will be able to create policy that will align the opportunities afforded from AI to our mission and vision for our students, while being cognizant and proactive in addressing the risks of AI. I am also encouraged in my work with MCCE. We have provided many opportunities for educators to ask questions, explore, and discuss AI implications, and then return to their organizations as leaders advocating towards the advancement of meaningful and ethical AI integration. When looking forward to the future, I hope that AI changes education - not simply allowing us to do what we have always done more easily. One of the biggest failures we could have related to AI in education is using it to perpetuate bad pedagogy more efficiently. I believe AI has transformative power for education. I hope it forces us to reflect on what our priorities should be in educating students, but I also hope that those changes to education include EVERYONE - all parties represented and benefiting from this awesome technology.

Why do you think that students in your district should have the opportunity to learn CS?

Describe something interesting about CS in your district that you have learned about CS

Describe some successes and/or challenges about implementing CS in your district. What are some of your strengths as a team?