LANSING, Mich. – Alongside statewide education partners, Michigan Virtual is today releasing a sample K-12 AI Guidance document that specifically addresses educators’ approach to AI use.
The workgroup includes top leaders from 13 organizations including the Michigan Education Association, Michigan Association of School Boards, Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators, Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals, Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, and more.
“Artificial intelligence is beginning to impact schools each day, often without clear guidelines or directions, and it’s critical that our educators are supported,” said Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute Senior Director Ken Dirkin. “We’ve partnered with education leaders around the state to establish best practices and guidelines in the hopes that such standards are considered when developing local policies around this new technology.”
This AI Guidance document was written specifically for K-12 educator use, an area currently in need of such guidance. It focuses on the impacts of data compliance, ethical use requirements, and the challenges around disclosure for educators.
“We have entered a crucial time in the education landscape where coordinating the resources of the most influential and knowledgeable education organizations in our state is more valuable than ever, as together we can provide common guidance on artificial intelligence understanding and integration to benefit our K-12 environment,” said Mark Smith, Executive Director of MACUL. “We are proud to partner with Michigan Virtual, as well as this collaborative group of professionals, to embrace and empower AI for education across our state.”
Statewide, this is the first group to come together and establish an AI workgroup or focus on AI learning in schools, led by Michigan Virtual’s recently established AI Lab.
“As AI has the potential to greatly impact education and learning. Michigan Virtual and our partners have a responsibility to Michigan’s education ecosystem to lead the way in establishing best practices for learning, development, and educational policy around AI,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, CEO of Michigan Virtual. “These guidelines are a good first step in building a coalition of support and a clear educational standard for our educators.”
“The Michigan ASCD is pleased to collaborate with other leading K-12 education organizations and associations in an effort to better identify important AI-related trends, challenges, and opportunities facing Michigan school districts and to provide guidance for our membership,” said Gary Wood, Executive Director of the Michigan Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
The AI Guidance document can be found here, and was created as a complementary resource to Michigan Virtual’s Planning Guide for AI. Additional resources from the Michigan Virtual AI Lab can be found here.
