Adapting with AI & Online Learning

Tim Odell
Jul 8
4 min read

My daughters and I just finished watching The Matrix (1999), where the machines take over the world by weaponizing humans as batteries. They were fixated on the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on human lives. One of their questions was how people learn and if “plugging in” was the same as learning. This was the scene where Neo learns Kung Fu in a matter of seconds. So is AI good?

Whether we welcome AI with open arms or push it under the rug for another day, it is very much a part of our everyday lives. We are seeing more and more of it on social media, in the news, at work, and in schools. Whether it's receiving personalized recommendations, getting a quick summary of a complicated topic, or breaking down the steps for a challenging math problem, AI is behind much of the technology we use every day.

Benefits of AI

AI has transformed the way people learn on every level. Some of the major benefits include the ability to build a personalized learning path that can be broad or focused. It provides instant feedback and can help to foster greater creativity and brainstorming of ideas. It breaks down languages to explain complex vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and phrases.

Concerns

So how can someone adapt to the changing world...and what does that mean for education? For teachers, students, and parents, it means embracing a mindset of lifelong learning. Some of the learning will be organic, while much of it will have to be intentional. It’s a shift to be more flexible and to learn how to utilize the tools for guided support - more on this in a future blog post. AI does not replace foundational thinking, it enriches and connects ideas. Here are the top four fears (and solutions) expressed by teachers and parents I work with.

1. What if my child becomes overly dependent on technology and AI? It’s the fear that the AI is doing the student’s work for them which can result in a lack of understanding, critical thinking, the ability to question and analyze, and loss of independent thought.

Encourage my students to learn from the AI by asking it questions or asking it to explain an idea. For example, have students ask AI to outline an essay on a particular topic or explain when to use the Pythagorean theorem or the inverse Pythagorean theorem. It's the student's responsibility to do the bulk of the writing and determine if they agree or disagree with the outline. Asking AI to explain helps students to analyze and make connections between topics/subjects.

2. What if the AI is biased or untrue? There is a lot of misinformation and the AI can’t always sweep through all the information to determine what is correct and what is not. Depending on the AI it can also hold biases and incorrect computations if not checked.

Encourage students to work through the process with independent checking. This means starting with paper and pencil and using AI as a tutor. Working through the steps of writing or a math problem and asking the AI for guidance when the student is stuck. It also means finding mistakes that AI may have made. It is still the student’s responsibility to fact-check and make logical leaps.

3. Students are only writing the answers without showing their steps for understanding. This was one of my biggest concerns as a jr. high mathematics teacher. Students are only providing answers and are not checking corrections. They miss out on logical reasoning, problem-solving strategies, and links between concepts.

Encourage students to talk about their results and questions to determine if they agree with the suggestion provided. This helps students develop digital literacy.

4. Students lack voice and depth in writing. Students lose their confidence in writing and do not develop a voice. The writing is very robotic and lacks depth and personal anecdotes.

Most importantly, encourage parent, teacher, and peer involvement. It means getting everyone's feedback by asking thoughtful questions, understanding the technology used, and thinking critically about what they see/read.

Learning to navigate AI and recognize the function of English and mathematics. English is about communication and mathematics is about reasoning. This means students must be able to ask the right questions, understand the responses, and analyze the content created in order to properly grasp how the AI system works or judge its reliability.

What AI is and isn’t

Thus, AI can help students to write essays and solve complex problems, but it’s up to the students to understand what is happening. AI does not completely replace the teacher/parent either. AI is a tool that can simplify learning, provide instant feedback, and spark curiosity; however, it does not provide the human connection, guided practice, and consistent effort to build the foundations for understanding. With teacher and parent support, students receive explanations of concepts in a way that matches the student’s learning style. They get help with the interpretation of answers. Tutors and parents can guide students to build confidence by encouraging executive functioning skills and structure when students face challenges with math problem-solving, writing clarity, or test preparation. When we can get students, AI, tutors/teachers/parents to work together, we develop the whole student.

To answer my daughters, I shared that it's neither good nor bad. The knowledge we obtain in school, books, and AI can only be realized when we act upon what we learn. Our actions then demonstrate true mastery. In the same way, Morpheus responded to Neo’s statement, “I know Kung Fu.” with, “Show me.” It's the learning how to work with machines that we can truly excel in learning.

Checklist to Help Learn with AI