ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — With artificial intelligence tools now easily accessible on smartphones, students can ask AI to write a book report or solve math problems, sometimes letting the technology do the work for them.
That growing concern is one of the reasons behind the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) launching an Artificial Intelligence Fellow program, aimed at helping educators learn how to guide students in using AI as a tool for learning rather than a shortcut.
Dr. Jennifer Spiegel, an English teacher at Elizabeth Forward High School, recently completed her fellowship through the program.
“I started 26 years ago with a paper grade book,” Spiegel said. “Now, grades are online 24/7 and accessible to teachers, parents and students at any time.”
As technology evolves, so does the need for educators to adapt, said Brian Stamford, an educational technology specialist with the AIU.
“If you talk to CEOs and CTOs of Fortune 500 companies, there’s an expectation that new hires are fluent in using AI as a co-pilot in their work,” Stamford said.
The AI Fellow program brought together 20 educators from 20 different school districts. Over several months, they developed projects and lesson plans to help integrate AI tools into their classrooms.
Spiegel created a professional development course using the school’s learning management system to help fellow teachers explore AI platforms and design lessons incorporating those tools.
Other fellows used chatbots to build coursework or provide tutoring support to students. The success of the program is already evident — Spiegel is now training other teachers in her district, which plans to implement AI tools in classrooms this fall.
“As educators, we have a responsibility to our kids to make sure the technology they use in the classroom is appropriate,” she said. “If we don’t teach them how to use it responsibly, where will they learn it?”
The AIU hopes to continue the fellowship program and expand it to more school districts, pending future funding.
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