Technology and AI in learning and teaching

Today technology affects almost every aspect of our lives today and the field of education is not an exception. Not only has it changed people's lifestyles, but also it has altered the way we learn, work and interact (Tira Nur Fitria, 2021). Technology has become an educational tool with the help of which we acquire knowledge. However, Cloete (2017) argues that it should not merely be seen as a tool, but as a medium which shapes our culture. Many education experts believe that, when applied properly, digital technology has a great potential to improve teaching and learning processes (Jelfs and Richardson, 2012). The use of technology in classrooms gives learners great advantages and provides them with the opportunity to: 

• have more intercative tools, such as, smartboards and interactive displays
• online learning tools and quizzes (Kahoot, Socrative, Quizziz)
• virtual reality tools, 
• collaborative platforms (Padlet, Google workspace), 
• gamification tools (Minecraft: education Edition, Classcraft). 

All these features of technology have made the journey of learning more fun allowing learners to explore new ways of gaining knowledge so that they would not be limited to conventional methods of teaching.

With the advancements in technology, another innovation which is called AI penetrated the world of education. The rise of AI chatbots has also revolutionized the nature of learning and teaching. However, the use of  AI is not necessarily a new conception, in fact it dates back to the 1950s where computer-assisted instruction was introduced (Chan and Tsi, 2023).

My experience of using technology and AI in my teaching practice

As an educator, I frequently make use of various digital tools and AI to improve my teaching practices. These tools provide assistance to create more engaging lessons with fun activities. Moreover, with the help of AI, I could manage my time effectively in lesson planning, it relieved the burden of lesson planning. The AI tools that assist me in creating lesson plans are ChatGPT and Perplexity When I started a job at a private school, it was very difficult for me to create lesson plans at first, and I used to spend a considerable amount of time planning my lessons. It was due to issues with the organization of the lesson and time management. When I asked AI for some assistance in lesson planning it provided  me with a quite good lesson plan. As time progressed I developed a better grasp of it and described what topic I will be teaching ( be it grammar, vocabulary, listening or reading), it gave me examples of lesson plans tailored to my teaching. Although some people view AI as a replacement for teachers, it can be integrated into educators' teaching practices without regarding it as a replacement for them. In order for the teachers to understand how effectively AI cooperates with teachers and students, they need to develop AI literacy (Chan and Tsi, 2023). This can help them to avoid the potential pitfalls of AI, as well as the primary concerns of ethics, privacy, biases, cheating, data protection and reliability (Lynch, 2023).  As a researcher, I apply AI to help me at different stages of my research as well. AI can also be very useful for researchers to conduct comprehensive literature reviews, organizing references, check for plagiarism, design experiments and so on (G Rathinasabapathy, R Swetha and K Veeranjaneyulu, 2023). To sum up, applying AI has aided me tremendously as a teacher, student and a researcher in lesson planning, finding reliable resources of information. 

Reference list

Reference list

Chan, C.K.Y. and Tsi, L.H.Y. (2023). The AI Revolution in Education: Will AI Replace or Assist Teachers in Higher Education? [online] arXiv.org. doi:https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.01185 

Cloete, A.L. (2017). Technology and education: Challenges and opportunities. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, [online] 73(4). doi:https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v73i4.4589.

G Rathinasabapathy, R Swetha and K Veeranjaneyulu (2023). Emerging Artificial Intelligence Tools Useful for Researchers, Scientists and Librarians. [online] 36(3-4 (2023)), pp.163–172. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374631928_Emerging_Artificial_Intelligence_Tools_Useful_for_Researchers_Scientists_and_Librarians.

Jelfs, A. and Richardson, J.T.E. (2012). The use of digital technologies across the adult life span in distance education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(2), pp.338–351. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01308.x.

Lynch, L. (2023). AI In Education: Introduction» Britannica. [online] Britannica. Available at: https://britannicaeducation.com/blog/ai-in-education/.

Tira Nur Fitria (2021). Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Education: Using AI Tools for Teaching and Learning Process. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357447234_Artificial_Intelligence_AI_In_Education_Using_AI_Tools_for_Teaching_and_Learning_Process.