What is AI?

Think about it for a moment: What comes to mind when you hear the term 'Artificial Intelligence' (AI)?





Do you use any AI tools in your daily life or for school?

Teacher Script: AI Ethics

Warm Up: What is AI? (5 minutes)

(Teacher says) "Good morning, everyone! Today we're diving into a super relevant topic that affects all of us: Artificial Intelligence, or AI, and how we can be amazing digital citizens when using it. Let's kick things off with a quick thought experiment.

Take a moment to think about this: What comes to mind when you hear the term 'Artificial Intelligence' (AI)? Don't overthink it, just share your initial thoughts.

And building on that, do you use any AI tools in your daily life or for school? Maybe you don't even realize some of the tools you use have AI built into them! Who would like to share their thoughts or experiences?"

(Facilitate a brief class discussion. Acknowledge all responses, even if they're not technically correct, and gently guide towards a broader understanding of AI as more than just robots.)

Introduction to AI Ethics & Digital Citizenship (10 minutes)

(Teacher says) "Great job sharing, everyone! It's clear that AI is already a part of our world. Now, let's explore this further with our slides. Please turn your attention to the Digital Citizenship & AI Ethics Slide Deck."

(Advance to Slide 3: AI in Education)

(Teacher says) "As you can see, AI is becoming a really powerful tool in schools and for learning. It can help us in so many ways – from finding information super fast to getting personalized help with subjects, and even creating new things. It's truly transformative."

(Advance to Slide 4: But Wait... Ethics?)

(Teacher says) "But here's the thing: just like any powerful tool, AI comes with responsibilities. Think about it like a hammer – it can build incredible things, but it can also cause damage if not used properly. We need to think critically about how we use AI and why. This is where ethics comes in."

(Advance to Slide 5: Ethical AI: Privacy)

(Teacher says) "First up, privacy. When we use AI systems, they often collect data about our interactions. What kind of data do you think an AI might collect if you're using it for schoolwork? Why is protecting your personal information so important when using digital tools?"

(Pause for student responses, guiding the discussion towards sensitive data and online footprints.)

(Advance to Slide 6: Ethical AI: Bias & Fairness)

(Teacher says) "Next, let's talk about bias and fairness. AI learns from data. If the data used to train an AI is biased – meaning it doesn't represent everyone fairly – then the AI itself will also be biased. How might this impact fairness in schoolwork or even in our daily lives? What are the potential consequences of biased AI in an educational setting?"

(Pause for student responses, discussing examples like search results or recommendations.)

(Advance to Slide 7: Ethical AI: Trust & Verification)

(Teacher says) "Another big one is trust and verification. AI can generate incredibly believable content – text, images, even videos! This means we can't always trust everything we see or read online, even if it looks legitimate. What's one way you could verify information you find online, especially if it seems too perfect or too extreme? Why is critical thinking so important when interacting with AI-generated content?"

(Pause for student responses, encouraging critical thinking strategies like cross-referencing.)

(Advance to Slide 8: Digital Citizenship)

(Teacher says) "All of these ethical considerations lead us to the concept of digital citizenship. What does it mean to be a good online citizen? Think about how you act in your community – what does that look like when you're online?"

(Pause for student responses, looking for keywords like respect, responsibility, safety, and critical thinking.)

Ethical AI Use Scenarios Activity (10 minutes)

(Teacher says) "Excellent points, everyone! Now, let's put our thinking caps on and apply these ideas. I'm going to hand out the Ethical AI Use Scenarios Activity. In small groups, you'll discuss different situations involving AI and digital citizenship. Your task is to identify the ethical dilemmas and propose responsible solutions. I'll be walking around to help. You have about 10 minutes for this. Let's get into our groups!"

(Distribute the activity. Circulate among groups, prompting with the process questions from the lesson plan: "What are the potential positive and negative consequences of using AI in this scenario?", "Whose perspectives might be overlooked if we don't consider ethical AI use?", "How does digital citizenship apply to this situation?")

Cool Down: Digital Citizen Pledge (5 minutes)

(Teacher says) "Alright, let's bring it back together. Great discussions, everyone! To wrap up our lesson, we're going to do a quick 'Cool Down' activity called the Digital Citizen Pledge Cool Down. On the small slips of paper I'm handing out, I want you to write down one commitment you can make to be a responsible digital citizen and an ethical AI user. It could be about verifying information, protecting privacy, or being mindful of bias. This will serve as your exit ticket for today."

(Collect pledges.)

(Teacher says) "As we continue to use technology and AI in our learning, remember the importance of being thoughtful, critical, and responsible. To help you reflect further on these ideas, I have a short assignment for you: the Responsible AI Assignment. This will be due next class. Make sure to pick up a copy before you leave."

**(Advance to Slide 9: Be a Pro-Active Digital Citizen!)

(Teacher says) "Remember: Be curious, be critical, be kind, and be ethical! You are all becoming amazing digital citizens, and I'm excited to see how you apply these principles."

Ethical AI Use Scenarios

Instructions: Read each scenario with your group. Discuss the questions that follow and be prepared to share your thoughts with the class.

Scenario 1: The Smart Essay Checker

Your English teacher introduces a new AI tool that can instantly check your essays for grammar, spelling, and even suggest improvements to your arguments. Some students start relying heavily on it, letting the AI rewrite entire sentences or paragraphs.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the benefits of using this AI essay checker?
   
   
   
2. What are the potential ethical concerns if students rely too much on the AI?
   
   
   
3. How does the concept of academic integrity apply here?
   
   
   
4. As a digital citizen, what would be a responsible way to use this tool?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Scenario 2: Personalized Learning Path

Your school implements an AI system that creates a personalized learning path for each student based on their performance in quizzes and assignments. It suggests specific videos, readings, and practice problems to help you master topics. However, you notice that the system always recommends materials from certain creators or websites, even when other, perhaps better, resources exist.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the advantages of a personalized learning path powered by AI?
   
   
   
2. What ethical concerns arise if the AI system only recommends materials from a limited set of sources?
   
   
   
3. How might bias creep into such a system?
   
   
   
4. What actions could you take as a responsible digital citizen to address this potential bias or limited scope?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Scenario 3: AI-Generated Group Project

For a history project, your group decides to use an AI image generator to create historical images for your presentation, and an AI text generator to write some of the descriptive captions. The images look very realistic, but some details aren't entirely accurate, and the text sometimes sounds a bit robotic or doesn't quite fit the historical context.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the benefits of using AI for creative parts of a group project?
   
   
   
2. What are the ethical concerns regarding accuracy and originality in this scenario?
   
   
   
3. How does critical thinking play a role when using AI for content creation?
   
   
   
4. What responsibilities do you have as a digital citizen to ensure the information you present is accurate and your own work?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Digital Citizen Pledge

Instructions: On the lines below, write down one commitment you can make to be a responsible digital citizen and an ethical AI user. This is your personal pledge to yourself and your community.

Responsible AI: A Reflective Journal

Instructions: In a short paragraph (5-7 sentences), reflect on the following questions. Your response should demonstrate your understanding of ethical AI use and digital citizenship.

Journal Prompt:

Imagine you are working on a major school project. You find an AI tool that can complete a significant portion of the work for you with very little effort on your part.

Considering what we discussed about ethical AI use and digital citizenship, what factors would you consider before deciding whether or not to use this AI tool? Explain your reasoning, including how your decision aligns with being a responsible digital citizen and an ethical user of AI in education.