The October/November/December issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s member magazine, is focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and literacy education.

This edition’s guest editor is Kip Glazer, principal of Mountain View High School in Mountain View, CA, who has worked for nearly a decade with learning science researchers in connecting research to practice in the K–16 education space. She is a 2023 Computer Science Teachers Association Equity Fellow and a member of the Engage AI Practitioner Advisory Board.

“As a school leader and educator, I am passionate about supporting fellow educators and school leaders in making safe and ethical choices when it comes to AI tools,” she wrote in her opening note to readers.

Read on to learn more about the issue, how Glazer approached its curation, and what she hopes readers take away from it.

Tell us how you developed your vision for this issue. What were your goals? How did you choose your authors and topics?

I value learning about different perspectives immensely, so I posted a form on LinkedIn to ask if anyone was interested in submitting an article to the issue. I also reached out to a few colleagues, such as Bill Bass, Stacy Lovdahl, Vera Cubero, and Nneka McGee, who I have worked with in the past. I focused on representing different perspectives, and I believe I succeeded.

You’ve worked with learning science researchers and have a background in connecting research to practice. How does that experience inform your views on integrating AI into literacy education?

I believe in forming my opinions based on rigorous learning science research, and I have been fortunate to have access to the learning science research community since 2012. It is extremely important to me that my fellow educators and school leaders know what I share with them has solid research behind it, and I work hard to be a thoughtful participant in both research and practice fields.

Your opening letter mentions the importance of ethical AI use in education. What do you think are the most pressing ethical considerations for educators adopting AI tools?

Never forgetting that good pedagogy and caring teachers shaping the learning experiences of their students are so much more important than any shiny new tool that is being introduced. Fast and more aren’t always better. Students of today can acquire discrete pieces of knowledge from all sorts of sources with or without AI, and being deliberate to ensure that the students’ (and staff’s) data and privacy are protected is extremely important.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions educators have about AI, and how does this issue of Literacy Today aim to address them?

That AI is so new and so complex that a “typical” educator couldn’t possibly understand, or that it is capable of replacing educators. The fact is that AI has been around for several decades, and no AI will replace teachers. I believe that this issue of Literacy Today has shown the depth of strong pedagogy and collaboration among researchers and practitioners to emphasize that point.

Stacy Lovdahl’s article, “The Urgency of AI,” emphasizes the need for educators to “move fast and innovate responsibly” when it comes to incorporating generative AI into the classroom. Why was this angle important to highlight in this issue?

Stacy has done a lot of work in policy and educator AI literacy development, and she understands the importance of responsible iteration that is required in today’s educational environment. She has been a huge advocate of a balanced approach focused on student examples, and she has done a fantastic job of reminding us why a student-centered approach is important.

Jennifer Elemen’s piece on cultivating critical GenAI literacy explores how critical digital pedagogy can empower students to engage with GenAI in ways that promote social justice and counter harmful narratives. Why did you feel this was a crucial topic to include in the conversation?

Jennifer has been a huge advocate of social justice in ensuring that we don’t introduce or implement yet another tool that can augment previous harm, which is extremely important as we continue to bring in more AI-enabled tools. Just as a doctor takes the Hippocratic oath, I would love to see the tech companies focusing on the idea of “first do no harm” when it comes to developing any classroom-ready tool. I believe that Jennifer’s article highlights the importance of staying vigilant.

Carey Swanson’s article, “Whose Intelligence Is Needed in the Classroom?,” highlights the need for educators to be supported with proper training when incorporating AI into their classrooms. Why was it important to include a focus on professional development in this issue?

We all now live in an information-rich society, and educators and school leaders are bombarded with so much information. With generative AI (GenAI) rapidly advancing, educators and school leaders are asked to be the voice of reason in this new educational environment, and we must support them with time and resources to carry out that important task. I believe that Carey did a great job of highlighting that need.

Bonnie Nieves’s article, “AI and Experiential Learning: A Powerful Combination for Culturally Relevant Teaching,” explores how GenAI can help create personalized, culturally relevant learning experiences. How do you think this topic helps to broaden the discussion of AI in education?

Bonnie highlights the importance and true potential of GenAI in being able to create personalized learning experiences. Her argument of making sure these experiences are culturally relevant is so important because, as we bring in more tools that are creating refinement based on big data and mass user groups, true personalization can be lost, and I believe educators need to guard against off-loading that critical perspective.

Vera Cubero’s article, “Navigating the Future: North Carolina’s AI Literacy Initiative,” emphasizes the importance of careful and purposeful integration of AI literacy into education. Why was it important to feature this initiative?

Vera has been a leading voice in the educational policy area, and I appreciate her wisdom and perspective in this space so very much. She brings a well-researched perspective of planning forward while keeping the past in sight. Her work of guiding North Carolina’s AI Initiative is a model to follow as other states continue to create and implement their AI policies and frameworks. It was my honor to have her add her thoughts to this edition. 

Khechara Bradford and Nneka McGee’s article, “AI on the Edge: Embracing Tech in Early Literacy Education,” discusses the potential of AI in supporting early literacy development. What made this angle significant in terms of shaping the future of AI in literacy instruction?

Although I don’t know Khechara very well, I have been on the same panel as Nneka multiple times. I really appreciate their perspective of beginning early with literacy development that is tool-agnostic. Nneka has always spoken about how to improve literacy with or without digital tools, and how important it is to develop fundamental skills. I think the article speaks to that well.

What do you hope readers will take away from this issue of Literacy Today, and how do you envision it sparking further conversations about AI in education?

I hope that the readers get a wise insight as to how the research and practice fields are grappling with AI literacy from varying perspectives that are both hopeful and cautionary. I also hope that they were introduced to many wise writers whose work has inspired me! I am proud to have been the guest editor of this issue, and I hope to come back after some time to see how we have changed.