Artificial Intelligence Academic Integration in South Florida

Artificial Intelligence Collaboration in Schools is NOW

According to NPR reporter Christine DiMattei and Education Report Natalie La Roche Pietri, Broward County Schools will implement Microsoft’s CoPilot AI in their education curriculum under the philosophy of teaching the students and teachers to use the CoPilot AI educational tools “ethically” and “responsibly” (Sherry Wilson).  Manuel Castañeda, the Broward Director of IT Operations and Director of Innovative Learning Sherry Wilson collaborated with students and teachers to establish a preliminary set of guidelines that set standards for academic integrity when using artificial intelligence and found that there was common ground between the two groups on what plagiarism looks like.  This experience encouraged student-driven decision-making and established the beginning of a new partnership between teachers and students whereby teachers must check for student understanding and their ability to apply Bloom Taxonomy’s Higher Order Thinking Skills so they can ultimately create and innovate using AI as a tool. 

As a high school educator, I think Broward’s approach is a breath of fresh air. As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, Broward’s AI framework will also continue to grow and adapt—and we can use their experiences to help school districts across the country. Broward is guiding its students through an already opened AI window with guardrails that ensure they retain their capacity for critical thinking and avoid a brain drain. This experience will give Broward high school students additional resources and the AI literacy skills they’ll need for life, regardless of their post-high school plans. Our nonprofit, AI Human Ethics, applauds Broward School District for their forward-thinking approach and for empowering our youth in what I believe is a global innovation race. We are excited for Broward County’s new academic AI journey!