What does the future hold?
Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash
What I think has stood out to me the most about SEL is that it’s complex and there isn’t just one way of supporting students. As a teacher, we seem to have more and more responsibilities every year and I feel it really does take a village in raising the next generation.
So how what does this all mean? My hope is that this free inquiry assignment has provided you with enough information and resources that it gives you a place to start, a little bit of knowledge and some confidence to proceed with your diverse learners. There won’t be a cookie cutter approach to SEL. Every student will have different needs but there are some things you can do with your class as a whole.
As we deal with our ‘anxious generation’ and our society’s mental health crisis, my hope is that SEL education will continue to make waves! I think SEL will only become closer to the forefront of education and learning as we move into the future. My only concern is with the boom of AI. What will that look like? Are we going to be able to create regulations and legislation around technology when it comes to our young people? And currently, there is some research pointing to AI, technology and social medial being a direct cause of mental health struggles but we really don’t have enough information to move forward and moving forward requires buy-in and everyone working together. I don’t see a future without these tools and devices. And that’s the trick. Using technology as a tool can be very beneficial and something I hope to see more of, but depending on technology solely for SEL is not healthy and should be avoided.
So like everything in life, it’s a balance! The future is uncertain. The direction we are going with technology is uncertain and probably won’t slow down anytime soon. My hope is that we continue to talk more and more about SEL and support our young people with their mental health and overall development.
And of course, this blog post would be complete without a little check in with Chatgpt. I’m curious to see what it has to say about the future of SEL.
ChatGPT’s opinion……
The future of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) looks promising and will likely continue evolving in response to technological advancements, educational priorities, and societal needs. Here are some key trends and predictions:
1. Increased Integration with Technology & AI
- SEL-focused apps & platforms: More AI-driven tools and virtual reality (VR) experiences will help students develop empathy, self-regulation, and social skills.
- Personalized learning: AI will provide real-time feedback on students’ emotional well-being and offer tailored strategies to support their growth.
- Virtual coaching & chatbots: Schools may use AI-powered mentors to help students navigate social challenges.
2. SEL in the Workplace & Beyond Schools
- Corporate training: SEL will be more embedded in professional development, especially for leadership, teamwork, and emotional intelligence.
- Lifelong learning: More adults will seek SEL training for career advancement, parenting, and personal growth.
3. Greater Emphasis on Mental Health & Well-being
- SEL as a preventive tool: Schools and workplaces will use SEL to address stress, anxiety, and burnout before they become serious issues.
- Trauma-informed practices: More institutions will integrate SEL with mental health strategies to support those affected by trauma and adversity.
4. Policy & Curriculum Expansion
- Mandatory SEL standards: More states and countries may adopt policies requiring SEL to be a part of the school curriculum.
- Integration across subjects: SEL will be woven into traditional subjects like math, science, and language arts rather than being taught separately.
5. Focus on Equity & Inclusivity
- Culturally responsive SEL: SEL programs will increasingly consider diverse backgrounds, cultures, and identities.
- Global perspective: SEL will be emphasized in global education initiatives to build empathy and cross-cultural understanding.
6. Parent & Community Involvement
- Family-focused SEL programs: More initiatives will train parents to reinforce SEL skills at home.
- Community partnerships: Schools will collaborate with organizations to create supportive environments for emotional growth.
That conversation with ChatGPT was really promising and I’m happy to see that like me, SEL continues to be at top of the list for both educators and society as a whole. I’m excited to see what the future brings us and don’t forget to keep that balance!
Hope you found this all helpful and thanks for joining me ♥️
Free play
Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash
As someone who was born in the 80’s, I often look back and wish my children could have experienced my childhood. Every generation comes with its fair share of pro’s and con’s and I’m not saying my generation was better than what my children are experiencing but I wish they could experience a childhood free of technology, devices and social media. I wish they were able to stay children longer. I wish their imaginations and sense of freedom was inspired by more free play. Now I realize my children have it pretty good. I think they have a decent life balance between school, recreation, sport etc., but I do wish free play was more evident in their teenage lives. Why?? Because I think it’s at the core of human happiness.
The Canadian Public Health Association states the following:
“In Canada, between 1996 and 2010, the use of health services for youth mental illness increased by 43.8% among ten to fourteen year olds and 34.5% among five to nine year olds. Evidence shows that play enables factors that support good mental health and is important to children’s overall wellbeing. Further research is needed to confirm these finding. This project is funded with the generous support of the Lawson Foundation.”
And the above statement was made before the boom of social media!! I can only guess it’s now worse.
The research found that unstructured play promotes positive feelings, builds resilience, improves concentration, helps develop and maintain healthy relationships and improves undesirable behaviours. All these factors also play a huge role in social emotional development. Therefore, free play or unstructured play is a key aspect in SEL and mental health.
https://www.cpha.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/resources/play/play_5reasons_infographic_e.pdf
Now it’s not only technology that has limited free play in children of today. We have also developed a culture that is dominated by structured routines and overbearing or overprotective adult supervision. The following article/podcast suggests that this type of societal structure can hold children back from developing a locus of control which can set a child up for depression and anxiety.
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/edcast
What can we take away from this? Free play can help children with the following in relation to SEL:
- Allows children to practice social skills, learn to negotiate, cooperate, and resolve conflicts, all of which are essential for building healthy relationships.Â
- It provides opportunities for children to explore their emotions, learn to manage frustration, and develop empathy for others.
- Unstructured play enables children to self-regulate and learn to deal with a range of emotions, including anger and frustration.Â
As we can see, the topic of SEL what is best for children is complex. As we are deep in a mental health crisis it’s important to not just blame technology. Although it play a major role in causation, we can see there are other factors that relate to children learning and health. Finding the balance can be hard and it will look different for every child.
Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash
The Anxious Generation
I’ve taken a little break from diving into the issue around social emotional learning over the past couple weeks because I really wanted to think about what I’ve covered so far and pause to reflect and observe what’s been going on around me within the school systems and listen to what other people are talking about on this topic.
One thing that has really stuck out to me over the last bit has been on the topic of what is being called the ‘anxious generation’ and what is being said about it. I have a friend who works in SD62 as an Engagement Facilitator and she’s also a trained counsellor. She’s been posted a bunch of information on this topic around the use of technology for children and youth. She recently posted this video:
I sat with this information for about a week or two and then I also heard a bunch of my fellow PDP students speaking about his book they’ve been reading. It took me a bit to put two and two together but it was the book “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt (which is who is in the above video). They said they highly recommend it and it got a group of us speaking about the use of cell phones and technology with our young people.
As I go on to read more and more about his book and the topic of technology in our children’s lives, it’s got me thinking more and more about what I’ve posted so far. At first, I was against the idea of integrating technology into the classroom to help with social emotional learning. Then after doing some research, I saw how it could be used as tool in various forms including supporting the teacher, parent and student. Now I’m rethinking this all over again. And I think that’s the point!! Ideally, students would be engaging in independence, free play, socializing with their peers and having authentic human interactions. But is there a balance? Can technology still play a role or to the cons outweighs any pros. Are children and youth mature and developed enough to find the balance?
Haidt makes these recommendations:
Needless to say, I feel there may be no right answers. I think it’s a case by case basis but I do feel that I tend to sway with the idea that children need more time away from their screens. When teaching social, emotional learning, let’s try other tools and ways of engagement first, and then if we bring it technology, keep it simple, minimal and balance it with authentic human interactions.
This topic is far from complete and since the use of technology and it’s affect on our children is still so new, these conversations are just starting. But I do feel we are on the brink of change. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next 10 years!!
AI in Education
AI is coming at us at a rapid rate! Today in class we discussed the topic of AI not only as teacher candidates and how we may use it within education but how we use it in our day to day lives and it’s impact, both positive and negative.
When I think I about AI in my own life, I use it or see it being used when I’m accessing google maps, Siri, google search, social media algorithms (predictive), Spotify, Netflix and Youtube (predictive, recommendations). Most recently, just in the past 6 months as I have entered the world of being a student again, I’ve been using more direct forms of AI such as ChapCPT, Canva and image and lesson plan creators.
As someone who is slightly older, I’ve know the world without the internet and AI. In 1993, the internet became accessible to non-experts. I remember having a big clunky computer in the corner of my home and no-one really used it. Sometimes we would play games or do a search, but it wasn’t something we really used as a tool. In high school, I remember there was a computer lab but all we really did was learn how to type and use a keyboard. We followed typing programs/lesson plans and then performed a test to see how efficient and fast we were. There were no chrome carts in classrooms, we didn’t use the internet to advance our learning or assist us. Almost everything was hand written and I don’t have much of a memory about how the internet or computers changed our lives in any way.
Somewhere between the introduction of the internet and today, I got a little lost. I remember I was really against getting a cell phone but finally gave in around 2012. We had a computer or laptop in the home but never used it and although I used social media, I really had no need to use anything else!
Now shift to 2022. Image generators started to become a big deal really quickly. issues generating real people that aren’t real and we are seeing it in our schools. In 2023, AI became accessible to non experts. I missed a lot!!! This year at UVIC has been a very steep learning curve for me and I feel like all I’ve been doing the last 5 years or so is stumble through being a parent to teenagers and try my best to navigate this new world with no instruction manual. It’s been a little scary!
In education, I can see how technology, including AI can be used as a tool but I feel we are in a similar situation. It’s rapidly developing and people are left to make up the rules with no guide book. My thoughts immediately go to our most vulnerable population…..our older individuals, our younger individuals and those with disabilities. As a parent and educator, I want to model the ability to critically think and teach our students to critically examine the AI technology with how fast everything is going. In the classroom, I can teach students trusted sources, trusted media and how to examine through use of strategies.
Below is an example that Michael gave us in class today about students use of AI in Canada. AI can be used to be creative and generate ideas but here is the catch….some students are using it to skip the learning process. This is where the balance of education and being an engaged educator comes in. Sometimes new forms of AI can entice learners to skip steps in learning as AI offers to do things for you and take over. Focus on the process of learning rather than just the product. In learning, the destination is the journey.
There are also lots of hidden costs of generative AI https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/04/generative-ai-is-cool-but-lets-not-forget-its-human-and-environmental-costs/
For personal use and in educating students, we need to think about your usage (in all aspects) and educate young people. Both google searching and AI inquiries both have global implications. It’s often much to easy to sit behind a device or screen and be totally disconnected from how the usage of these tools leave a global footprint. This is part of the educator and the interconnectedness that we need to circle back to!!
We also need to remind our young people about data privacy-anything you put into generative AI is now part of the model. This means user dates might be exposed to others as AI output, used to train AI models and stolen by bad actors. This is ethically and morally an issue.
A great tool that Michael introduced today was Common Sense Education. It’s a great tool for the pedagogical implication of how to handle AI, concerns, biases, teaching ideas. It’s like a review cite for pedagogical and educational tools. It can give a rating for appropriateness- much more descriptive to assess media you can use in your classroom.
Overall, like everything in life, the usage of AI and technology in education is a balance. From class today, here are some recommendations for teachers:
-Demystify AI- teach learner the nature of generative AI
-Honour learner agency and orchestrate multiple sources of motivation
-Celebrate humanness- develop and cultivate skills that AI cannot do.
**Remember to be creative, curious and open to finding ways in which we can coexist with AI in a healthy way**
Lastly, to show how AI can be used as a tool, I used ChatCPT to help me create a lesson plan. It did a pretty good job. I would still need to access the curriculum to put in more specifics and I would need to tweak it a little to make it my own, but I appreciate the use of this tool 🙂
Here is what I asked:
“write a fun badminton unit plan for grade 8 with a mixture of skill development, games and activities”
Here is what ChatGPT generated:
Here’s a fun and engaging Badminton Unit Plan for Grade 8 that incorporates skill development, games, and activities. The focus is on keeping students active, improving their skills, and making learning fun!
Grade 8 Badminton Unit Plan
Duration: 4 Weeks (8 Lessons)
Lesson Length: 45–60 minutes
Objective:
Students will develop fundamental badminton skills, learn game strategies, and participate in fun activities that enhance their love for the sport.
Lesson Overview
Week 1: Introduction & Basics
- Lesson 1: Badminton Basics & Grip Techniques
- Warm-up: “Shuttle Tag” (students run while passing a shuttle)
- Learn: Forehand and backhand grip
- Activity: Grip relay – students switch grips as they run to a cone and back
- Game: “Balloon Badminton” (use balloons for slow-motion rallies)
- Lesson 2: Serving (High & Low Serves)
- Warm-up: “Footwork Freeze” (students move like badminton players and freeze when called)
- Learn: High serve (for singles), low serve (for doubles)
- Activity: Serve accuracy challenge (aim for hula hoops on the other side)
- Game: “King of the Court” (students rotate in small courts based on winning rallies)
Week 2: Developing Control & Rallies
- Lesson 3: Clear & Drop Shots
- Warm-up: Agility ladder footwork
- Learn: Overhead clear (defensive) & drop shot (offensive)
- Activity: Partner drill – one player does clears, the other does drop shots
- Game: “Drop Shot Duel” (only drop shots allowed, players must move opponents)
- Lesson 4: Net Play & Drive Shots
- Warm-up: “Mirror Movement” (students mimic partner’s movements)
- Learn: Net shots and drive shots
- Activity: Net shot ladder – players move closer to net with each rally
- Game: “Drive Wars” (players rally using only fast, flat shots)
Week 3: Strategy & Game Play
- Lesson 5: Smash & Defensive Lifts
- Warm-up: “Reaction Time” (coach points left or right, students shuffle accordingly)
- Learn: Smash technique & defensive lifts
- Activity: Smash accuracy challenge (hit targets on the court)
- Game: “Smash Survivor” (players must return opponent’s smashes to stay in)
- Lesson 6: Singles & Doubles Strategies
- Warm-up: “Shadow Badminton” (students practice footwork without a shuttle)
- Learn: Court positioning, attacking/defensive formations
- Activity: Singles & doubles rotation drill
- Game: “Mystery Matchups” (randomized teams play short doubles games)
Week 4: Tournament & Fun Games
- Lesson 7: Mini-Tournament & Trick Shots
- Warm-up: “Badminton Yoga” (dynamic stretching)
- Learn: Fun trick shots (behind-the-back, between-the-legs shots)
- Activity: Round-robin mini-tournament
- Game: “Trick Shot Challenge” (students attempt creative shots)
- Lesson 8: Ultimate Badminton Challenge & Reflection
- Warm-up: “Shuttle Toss” (throw shuttle into targets for points)
- Activity: Obstacle course (weave through cones, hit targets, play quick rallies)
- Game: “Crazy Rallies” (play with random rules: no smashes, only net shots, etc.)
- Reflection: Group discussion on skills learned and favorite moments
Assessment & Evaluation
- Skill Checklists (serving, rally consistency, footwork)
- Peer & Self-Assessment (students rate their improvement)
- Participation & Sportsmanship (engagement, teamwork, attitude)
This plan keeps students engaged, active, and learning in a fun way while progressively building their skills. Let me know if you’d like adjustments! 🚀🏸
How does SEL connect or benefit other health factors including academics?
So far in this blog I have take a deeper dive into SEL and what it encompasses. I’ve been really focused on the definition of SEL, how we manage the learning in the current school system, resources and tools.
But so what now? Why do we actually focus on SEL? I’ve spoken about the benefits it provides for mental health and its connection to emotional regulation but how do we keep building on this?
And what’s the bigger picture. How does SEL connect to other health factors and what is the research saying about why educators should continue to focus on SEL.
We have looked at CASEL in previous blog posts, but here is what they have to say about the research in this area:
“When students have supportive relationships and opportunities to develop and practice social, emotional, and cognitive skills across many different contexts, academic learning accelerates.”
“While SEL does not replace the need for mental health interventions for students who need it, SEL can cultivate important “protective factors”—caring relationships, safe and supportive environments, social and emotional skills—that buffer against mental health risks.”
“Students who engage in SEL programs see consistent improvements in social and emotional skills, and stronger social and emotional skills contribute to positive lifetime outcomes up to 18 years later. Students with stronger social and emotional skills are more likely to reach milestones”
“Analysis of six evidence-based programs has demonstrated that the benefits significantly outweigh the costs, estimating for every dollar invested in SEL there is an $11 return.”
“SEL is consistently effective across demographic groups; socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; and urban, suburban, and rural communities both inside and outside the United States.”
“A growing body of evidence demonstrates that focusing on educator social and emotional competence can also improve teacher well-being.”
The above was take directly from CASEL’s website and provides additional links into the research
It has also been shown that SEL has impacts on overall health. Here are some benefits that are correlated with SEL:
-strengthen your immune system.
-decrease loneliness which can have dramatic impacts on health including disrupted sleep patterns, increased cortisol levels.
-lower rates of dementia and mental health decline.
-lower rates of obesity.
-increase overall mental health and a key factor in long term psychological resilience.
-lower levels of self destructive behaviours.
-healthy individuals also make for healthier communities.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/Strong-relationships-strong-health
This is just the tip of the iceberg. As we can see, the benefits are about so much more than teaching children how to self-regulate and get along with their peers. SEL benefits us throughout our entire lives. SEL promotes health in every way possible and it’s important that adults continue to learn.
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
The future of SEL- Rethinking
This week took a bit of a turn when I unintentionally came across a video on social media from a Canadian based company that is rethinking the future of SEL and how we can support our students, teachers and communities. The companies name is moozoom. Below is their mission:
“Our students are dealing with the biggest mental health crisis of the century. Our teachers and principals are overwhelmed and exhausted. We need a change NOW. moozoom is the only Social-Emotional Learning platform revolutionizing the way SEL is implemented schoolwide. We are creating change from inside out. Join us in our mission to support every student in every school in every district. We are the future of SEL.”
In past posts, I’ve spoken about the relationship between SEL and AI including apps and AI such as ChatGPT. Moozoom looks different though. It’s a step above all the rest and I’ve never seen anything like it. On their website they offer a blog, demos, case studies, testimonials, student check-ins and more. Moozoom is marketed to educators to use in their classes. In one of the videos below, you can see how it takes an educator through a quick tutorial of how they can use moozoom as a tool for SEL. There are different themes and lesson plans. Moozoom is not free though. It would be an investment for a school or teacher. In saying this, SEL is part of the core competencies of the BC curriculum and it’s important that teachers feel prepared and supported. This is definitely an area that I’m not seeing a lot of direct teaching for. There needs to be an improvement and teaching in this area needs to be more intentional.
Other than their website they also have a YouTube channel with really great videos. I’ve also included a variety of videos below which include their advertising video, a couple sample videos and a video directed towards how educators can use moozoom in the classroom.
Home Page
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdg8ShZN56O_qtOlUg9POiw
Overall, I was very impressed by the way moozoom connects and engages with the learner. I also really like how it specifically sets out lesson plans and tools for the teacher. It’s an interactive platform that is appropriate and educational. And what I like most about it, is I feel it’s a great balance with incorporating educational technology into the school while keeping the social aspect a priority. I would personally love to try this as an educator.
The one downfall is that you do have to pay for moozoom. I’m unsure what the exact cost is, as you have to go into their website, give a bunch of information and receive a quote but it may be worth looking into. It’s not just a tool but also a resource centre so schools may be open to financially supporting the cost.
I look forward to educational technology supporting more SEL resources in this way rather than students using AI or apps which seem to be more individualized and segregating.
Photo by “My Life Through A Lens” on Unsplash
Today we started our day doing a peer review with each other for our WordPress websites. I really liked being able to see a peers format and ideas. It made me reflect on the fact that I want to take some time to work on formatting my website to look more user friendly and reflect my thoughts. It was a good reminder though that these spaces are a personal expression of ourselves and our creativity. It’s a really great way of capturing moments and the journey of our education.
Next we moved on to speak about this really neat concept I’ve never heard of before- EdCamp.
EdCamp is an idea that allows for opportunity to facilitate large groups for learning in a democratic way. The goal is to empower educators and give them the choice of speaking about something that is important to them. EdCamp gives space for collaboration and conversation that identify a common theme or topic to explore and what they can teach others about. It takes the pressure off of an educator or individual to be the expert. It’s a great space for individuals to share experiences, generate questions, be curious and explore a topic in more depth.
In class today, we ran a mini EdCamp to explore certain topics that were proposed in class. We all had the opportunity to come up with ideas. After everyone contributed, we were give stickers and we got to vote on our top three that we were interested in speak about in more detail. Through this voting system, Michael chose the top 4 and we got to chose which topic we wanted to follow and speak about in more detail. Ideally, this would last longer and the groups would be closer together which would allow peoples to vote with their feet, encouraging individuals to move from topic to topic. Today though, I stayed with one group. We spoke about how to incorporate and support gardening within a classroom. It was really great to hear a group of people who were passionate about a topic come together and purpose ideas and speak positively about a topic. To highlight some of the conversations:
-can be used in indoor and outdoor spaces
-community or collective gardening
-gardening is experiential but here is a lot of cross curricular and curricular outcomes,
-Also incorporates and highlights core competencies, SEL, sharing, leadership, mental health, Indigenous learning, collaboration, responsibility
-Sometimes you need to get creative
-Look for grants and work with administration for financial support
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
How are students and teachers using AI to support SEL?
This week I wanted to look specifically into how students are using AI as a tool for support. Now I need to be upfront, my thoughts about AI are not great. I see benefits, but when it comes to SEL, I don’t feel AI by itself is a good tool. It can supplement learning but I don’t feel it should be relied on solely and in a setting without additional tools and strategies in a social context. The reason I want to be upfront about my bias is because it may show in this post, but I’m going to try my best to take an open and curious approach.
To begin, kids are using AI. It came fast and there is no rule book. AI is being developed faster than the legislation and regulations needed to keep on top of it. And younger generations are becoming more efficient at using and naviagting technology than the adults which can lead to potential gaps in understanding how to move forward in a healthy way.
In saying this, there are benefits to AI and people are embracing what it has to offer. There is a lot of information on the internet. And it’s all a double edge sword. There are benefits and there are drawbacks to using AI as a SEL tool. And we can’t ignorer the mental health crisis that seems to be surrounding our communities that has also been linked to the development and increased use of technology including social media.
I found this really interesting book on supporting SEL through AI. It made some interesting points. Below is a link and a download if you wish to read more in depth. Here was their conclusive findings:
“AI-based systems such as therapeutic chatbots, virtual assistants, and SARs have a strong potential to positively impact mental health by helping people deal with depression and anxiety, as well as offer a sense of companionship, evoke emotional attachment, and even assist with social and emotional development. While some concerns regarding the effectiveness, dependability, and cost of this technology still exist, we hope that as technology progresses and becomes more affordable, people will increasingly benefit from AI-based tools to improve their social and emotional well-being.”
What I find so interesting about all of this is SEL is deeply connected in human interaction. There are some aspects of SEL such as self regulation that are more independently learnt but still relies on co-regulation and your environment. It’s not something that an be learnt or taught by being in a room with yourself and a computer or technology device. Although AI is getting more advanced every day, it lacks this human touch. You can not replace human beings and human learning with AI. Humans posses qualities such as critical thinking, empathy and creativity that can not be replicated in AI. Students need to be able to connect and develop relationships in order for SEL to be successful but AI has a place in this learning as a supportive tool.
Another article I found that was a really informative read is linked below. It. highlights many of the questions that we ask ourselves as students, educators, parents and humans.
https://edtechbooks.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pdfs/713/13346.pdf
I believe that it does a great job at looking at AI as a tool. I feel they summed it up quite well here:
“AI-driven tools demonstrate the ability to improve and enhance SEL programs. Although AI tools cannot entirely substitute for the unique abilities that define human teachers, like critical thinking, emotional connection with students, immediate understanding, human interaction, and the ability to comprehend complex issues, AI tools are useful and valuable in the education sector because they facilitate self-reflection, stimulate creative thinking, and improve overall learning productivity.”
Lastly, I also took a look into ChatGPT. I think this is one of the biggest AI tools that some children and youth are using for advice and a sense of companionship. It’s very accessible and comes at no cost to the user. The concerns about ChatCPT with children and youth are the same as the AI concerns listed above. For SEL, some children are having intense conversations with ChatGPT and seeking advice that may not be appropriate and can possibly be unsafe or harmful. Here are some key points to consider:
- Misinformation and inaccuracy:ChatGPT can generate responses based on vast datasets, which may contain outdated or incorrect information, potentially misleading children who lack the critical thinking skills to verify facts.
- Reduced critical thinking:Constantly relying on ChatGPT for answers can discourage children from actively researching and evaluating information, hindering their ability to think critically and solve problems independently.
- Over-reliance on AI:Children may become overly dependent on ChatGPT, leading to a lack of personal responsibility and initiative in decision-making.
- Bias in responses:As AI learns from large datasets, it can reflect biases present in that data, potentially providing biased or harmful information to children.
- Inappropriate content:Depending on the questions asked, ChatGPT may generate responses that are sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise inappropriate for children.
- Privacy concerns:Children may unknowingly share personal information with ChatGPT, raising concerns about data collection and privacy.
What parents and educators can do:
- Monitor usage:Actively supervise children’s interactions with ChatGPT and discuss the responses they receive.
- Teach critical thinking:Encourage children to verify information provided by ChatGPT with other reliable sources and to evaluate the credibility of the answers.
- Open communication:Have open conversations with children about the limitations of AI and the importance of independent thinking.
- Age-appropriate use:Consider age restrictions and only allow children to use ChatGPT with appropriate supervision.
- Use educational tools:Explore child-friendly AI platforms designed specifically for learning and development.Â
*These key points were produced by a Google search and were AI generated (kinda ironic, hey?!) https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=concerns+with+children+using+chatgpt+for+advice&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
So in closing, I see AI as a benefit to SEL but it needs to be used intentionally and appropriately. All the research and information agrees it can be a great too to supplement learning but should not be relied upon solely.
*Picture generated using ChatGPT (“please generate a picture of social emotional learning”)
Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash
Today we did a class meeting via Zoom. I know there can be downfalls to Zoom but I actually really like it. I definitely miss the social aspect of learning but it was nice as a one off. I was able to still focus on the class while also get my daughter to her soccer tournament and I appreciate that aspect!
So in saying that, because I was in my truck at my daughter’s soccer game, I played around with the blurred background image hoping people wouldn’t notice where I was. I didn’t quite work, people were still able to guess I was in a vehicle but it was definitely better than not having that option. I’ll need to go back into Zoom and play around with the different virtual background and see if there is something that may work better next time.
I also didn’t know that you can use Zoom to record and make videos. It makes sense but I just never thought about Zoom in that way. It would obviously really benefit if you had multiple users making a video together but I could also just use Zoom to produce videos on my own.
Another different way to make videos and to store and share information is through YouTube. I have to admit, I’ve never really been a YouTube person. I’ll access some videos if I’m trying to learn about a topic or do some research, but I haven’t used it for much more than that. Today also happened to be the 20th anniversary of Youtube!! I know 20 years sounds like a long time, but it reminds me that technology and educational technology is still pretty new. It’s developing at a rapid pace but we are still learning so much. Michael mentioned having a YouTube profile that maintains a lower profile is also a great way to produce educational videos or a great way to connect and share with your students. We can create a profile that is ‘unlisted’ and it is very accessible at little to no cost. This is something I have never thought about before but I can see the benefits. I’d really like to look into this topic more deeply. I think it’s a great option for someone like me who isn’t very techy but is still looking to be a part of the educational technology world.
Videos made in Zoom and YouTube are a way of building my resource library as a teacher candidate that will help me support and connect with my future learners but I also wanted to think more about digital curation. I currently have just started using Google docs to store and share my work. Before that, I just kept files on my computer and they were somewhat organized but didn’t really allow me to network with other people. What I like most about Google docs is that we can share resources quite easily and I can open these documents and resources from any other computer. It’s not just locked into my own files on my own computer.
With my digital curation, some tips I took away from today’s class was to be intentional, use good names so it’s easier to remember and find things and to get started! Being a networked teacher and having another way to connect with others teachers and students will not only make my life easier but it’s a great form of multi-modal learning and ties into UDL. I need to stop thinking of educational technology as something outside of my scope that I don’t know anything about. It doesn’t need to be complicated and I can use the tools I already know and build from there.
Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash