As highlighted by studies conducted at local, state, or international levels, the digitization of society is currently an unquestionable necessity, given that digital technologies are increasingly present and play an important role in our lives. The shortcomings observed in digitization at different social levels are evident, and measures need to be taken to address these shortcomings. Determining which actions to take requires prior analysis and planning, but in all the studies conducted, there is a key action “digitalization training” that must be adapted to the target audience.
The digitization of society is currently a necessity.
Among the digitalization strategies, one clearly identified objective, among others, is training in Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially for young people (high school students and vocational training -FP-). This is a large population, and training them in AI requires a broad collective of teachers who are not necessarily experts but have knowledge of AI. We do not have enough AI experts who can train the group of high school and FP students, so an interesting strategy would be to adopt a pyramidal structure where experts train high school and FP teachers in AI so that they can then train their students in the general culture of AI, knowing what AI is and what it can be used for, even knowing how to use it at a user level. It would also be interesting for teachers to learn to use the tools that AI provides in teaching.
AI has great potential in education to improve teaching and learning. It can be a very useful tool in education since it can help both students to improve their skills (critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, etc.) and teachers develop interactive and personalized educational materials. Teachers can design learning activities that adapt to the needs and abilities of each student, and create systems that allow them to monitor their student’s progress and thus improve their performance.
But we must not forget that AI is a tool that we can use to improve the education of students, but it does not replace teachers in the classroom. Teachers are essential for learning and the development of social and emotional skills in students. We must see AI as a valuable tool that complements and improves teaching but does not provide the human interaction and individualized attention that teachers provide to their students.
Teachers are essential for the learning and development of social and emotional skills in students.
Therefore, it is important for educators to have a general understanding of the concept of AI in order to transmit it to their students and to be able to use it in the classroom, in any subject, such as history, philosophy, language, mathematics, etc., with the aim of improving the academic performance of learners.
Incorporating AI in teaching can be a complex process and requires careful planning. To this end, ValgrAI, the Postgraduate School and Research Network in Artificial Intelligence of the Valencian Community, has created its first project for the dissemination of Artificial Intelligence. This is the course “Inteligencia Artificial para Docentes” aimed at teachers of all educational levels and areas of knowledge. The aim is not to create experts in AI, but to provide them with knowledge and tools for the application of AI in their teaching programs and to be able to transmit the culture of ‘AI’ to their students. The course has been developed and will be taught by AI experts from the five public universities in Valencia.
Participants in the course will learn about the basics of AI, how it is used to solve problems, and how they can apply it in their own teaching. Important topics related to ethics and privacy in AI will also be discussed to understand its impact on society. Upon completion, teachers will acquire the necessary skills and competencies to work with AI technologies and integrate them into the planning and design of new educational models, improving their efficiency and the quality of teaching and learning processes in the classroom.
“Inteligencia Artificial para Docentes” is a unique opportunity to prepare for the AI revolution in education and society in general. ValgrAI is proud to lead the initiative and hopes that this project will be the first of many to disseminate the knowledge and skills necessary to make the most of the possibilities of AI. The project is supported and funded by the Conselleria d’Innovació, Universitats, Ciència i Societat Digital de la Generalitat Valenciana, in collaboration with the five public universities of the Valencian Community.
