The November 2024 issue of Tech & Learning focuses on integrating AI tools into education, offering educators a free guide known as "The AI Playbook." This resource purports to provide an overview of the latest AI tools, strategies, and essential guidelines to enhance learning environments. It covers topics such reimagining learning spaces to foster student empowerment, budgeting for tech upgrades, and improving data-driven decision-making.

One helpful feature for tech directors in this issue is the process of vetting AI tools, a crucial step given the influx of AI applications in K-12 education. Highlighted is the approach used by Mountain Brook Schools in Alabama, showcasing a structured process that involves data privacy checks, curriculum alignment, and cost analysis to ensure compliance with COPPA and FERPA regulations. This thorough vetting is aimed at helping districts confidently adopt AI tools that meet educational standards and privacy requirements.

Tom’s Take: The Tech & Learning AI Playbook feels more like an advertising vehicle than a substantial guide for educators. Nearly every other page is an advertisement, and the articles are mostly high-level overviews. Some articles are recycled Tech & Learning posts — such as “4 AI Tools in Education That Are Nothing Like ChatGPT” — without added information or updates. The content seems geared towards tech directors rather than classroom teachers, leaving those in the trenches with little practical guidance. In all, the publication comes off feeling like a flashy advertising vehicle.

If you’re looking for a more substantive guide to incorporating AI tools in teaching, you’re better off reading the following:

• Empowering Education Leaders: A Toolkit for Safe, Ethical, and Equitable AI Integration published by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology,

• Getting Started with AI-Enhanced Teaching: A Practical Guide for Educators developed by MIT Sloan's Educational Technology team,

• AI Tools & Uses: A Practical Guide for Teachers. Actionable AI Strategies for K-12 Subject Areas. My book delves deeper than the above-mentioned guides in exploring the effective integration of AI tools in K12 subjects.

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