Blog Prompt Idea: How can you adjust your planned learning activities to meet the needs of your learners if an unexpected event occurs?
Original Plan
In our interactive learning resource assignment – Artificial Intelligence (AI), we have targeted middle school students for this learning. Originally, our basic designed learning activities are delivered by reviewing materials, presenting information, self-exploring, discussing in small groups and assessing.
For reviewing, we recommend students to watch a few YouTube videos of AI introduction, read a few research articles about how AI influences and applies in real life and download some AI apps to experience how AI works in specific fields. For presenting information, educators are going to explain the definition of AI by using some research outcomes and videos and they will present this information in a PowerPoint. For exploring, students will pick two AI applications that interest them and then the students will do some research on their chosen apps: How do they feel about using the AI apps? When comparing them with other apps which have similar functions, what are the differences they experienced? Which parts of these apps do you think needs improvement? For discussing, educators will give students time to discuss some questions to help them develop deep and critical thinking on the AI apps: What did they learned from their own exploring experience? What do they think about the research paper that they read before the class? What’s their opinions towards AI? For assessing, teachers will ask students to write down the two most important things they learned from this lecture (write on a paper and hand it in/submit it by email).
Adjusted Plan
When a pandemic arises, all the teachers and students need to work and study at home. Making the accessibility of computers and or tablets necessary for this course, smartphones could work but are not ideal. Seven to ten days before the first lecture, students who do not have access to these devices can try to borrow them from family or friends. For students who are not able to borrow them from family or do not have access to those devices due to financial hardship or other inequality barriers, they can contact their teachers, the school will then lend them the computers or tablets that they need for this course. These devices will then be mailed or delivered at no cost to the students, if any students do not have a fixed address the student can arrange to pick up the device from their closest school. Now that all students have had their technology needs met with equitable access to computers/tablets, they can finish the preview and self-exploring.
Two or three days before the first lecture, educators divide students in small groups (3~4 students per group) and email them their group members and the questions needed to be discussed for the first part. At this time the educator will email each individual student to find out if they have any other learning challenges or equity needs that need to be met or addressed for student success. There are so many different equity and equality changes that could be made to access this course, some examples could be text in alternate formats or alternate ways of handing in the assignment other than via written means, students individual needs are as diverse as the students themselves and their needs must be met on a case by case basis in order to insure maximum equity especially with the additional barriers put in place by online learning. Educators will set a whole class chat and each group will also set their own chats. Students will discuss the questions in their small group chats based on the things they learned for preview and their self-exploring experience.
On the lecture day, teachers will have a live lecture by using apps like Zoom. They will send the link to every student’s email address to invite them to join the meeting 20 – 30 minutes before the lecture in order to make sure everyone can join the lecture on time. Educators will do the PowerPoint presentation online and encourage students to share their groups’ ideas based on their discussions, students can feel free to text in the whole class chat. In the last 10 minutes, teachers will ask students to write down the two most important things they learned from this lecture and submit it by email unless other equity means for submission had been discussed previously. For the educators themselves they may require some training on how to use some of the specific technologies used for online education. Teachers may also need to check out equipment from the school in order to deliver the online lectures via the selected chat apps. If the educators do not have a place suited to stream a lecture, teachers may also use school facilities that are practicing proper social distancing measures in order to successfully fulfill the needs of their students.
Hi Song,
Thank you for sharing about your revised lesson plan for your topic on AI! Given the current situation with COVID-19 on how all education is still primarily delivered online, I appreciate how relevant you made your post by addressing the disparities faced by many students when it comes to accessibility of technology. Overall, I think you did a great job in developing a contingency plan for “unexpected” events (in this case you used the current situation with COVID-19). You not only outlined what the revised plan is, but you also listed detailed steps to take to execute your plan (e.g. mailing of technology to students who have difficulty securing them). However, looking at your adjusted plan, one area of concern I have is in your plan of having educators contact each student to inquire about additional learning needs. While this is great in that it helps to ensure that learner needs are met, I think that it puts an enormous toll on teachers (all of whom may already be under significant stress as they adapt to the digital classroom). Therefore, I am wondering if you’ve considered having a designated support team in the school to offer this kind of student support? (Kind of like our UVic Learning Assistance Program) Or is there a reason that this interaction must be done by the teacher themselves?
Thanks and looking forward to your final project on AI!
Victor
Hi Victor,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about my inclusive design. I agree with you that in my design, teachers definitely have a high workload. Establishing a contacting team could help with reaching out to students and getting their individual needs. However, with the Centre for accessible learning “CAL” at UVic, students still have to contact their instructors with their individual learning needs, this is done by a letter provided by the CAL. So, in the end the instructors will still have to go over each individual student’s needs.
I do agree with you that establishing a similar system to the CAL and a team to deliver the learning devices could be a better choice.
Thanks,
Song
Hi Song,
Thanks for sharing this with everyone! Artificial Intelligence (AI) fascinates me. Obviously AI will impact the future of education. Do you have any thoughts on how it will do that? I’m sure initially it will make traditional education easier for both instructors and students. However, when AI likely takes over most simple jobs (for example: most jobs at a grocery or retail store), the need for education will be drastically different. What skills do you think people might need to have in the second half of the century that will set them above AI? I personally think it will be skill revolving around consciousness, maybe emotional intelligence and logic? Lots to think about…