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Conscious AI: Teaching Students to Think Before They Prompt

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Innovator Talk
Virtual Session
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Session description

Your students already use AI, but have they stopped to think about how and why they use it? In this interactive session, experience how to guide students in creating their own AI Code: a framework for making values-aligned AI choices that support (not replace) authentic learning.

Outline

Welcome & Framing (5 mins)

Interactive discussion: “What do my algorithms say about me?” (5mins):

- Share quick examples of algorithmic predictions (e.g., TikTok or Spotify feeds).

- Participants reflect: “What would your students’ algorithms say about them?”

Discussion: “AI isn’t truth—it’s prediction.”

Mini-Lesson: How AI Works (and Why Bias Matters) (10 mins)

- Quick overview: AI → ML → Generative AI.

- Case study: Amazon’s biased hiring algorithm to illustrate bias in data sets.

- Prompt: “What classroom conversations could this spark?”

Case Study Exploration (15 mins)
Participants work through condensed versions of two student scenarios:

Scenario 1: Using ChatGPT for an essay in a class without an AI policy.

Scenario 2: AI recommendation algorithms on social media.

Each small group discusses tradeoffs and drafts a “conscious AI decision statement.”

Build Your Personal AI Code (10 mins)

Facilitator models creating their own code.

Participants complete a short reflective framework:

Identify core values (e.g., integrity, growth, privacy).

Draft 2-3 personal statements that guide conscious AI use.

Classroom Debrief (5 mins)

Discuss: “How could this process look in your classroom?”

Identify curriculum integration points (e.g., digital citizenship, English reflection journals, computer science ethics units).

Commitment + Closing Reflection (5 mins)

Prompt: “One conscious AI choice I’ll commit to modeling this year is…”

Takeaway: Link to free resource folder + editable Personal AI Code template.

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Outcomes

-Help students name what integrity looks like in an AI-integrated world by examining real classroom and personal scenarios.

-Guide students through creating their own Personal AI Code so they can make conscious, values-aligned choices about how and when to use AI.

-Model reflective conversations that help students recognize the difference between AI that enhances learning and AI that replaces it.

-Use curiosity-driven discussion and reflection tools to explore ethical dilemmas around privacy, bias, and academic pressure.

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Supporting research

Dignum, V. (2019). Responsible Artificial Intelligence: How to Develop and Use AI in a Responsible Way.

Buolamwini, J., & Gebru, T. (2018). Gender Shades: Intersectional Accuracy Disparities in Commercial Gender Classification.

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about

https://www.aclu.org/news/womens-rights/why-amazons-automated-hiring-tool-discriminated-against

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Presenters

Photo
Speaker + Consultant
The Strategic Classroom

Session specifications

Topic:

Artificial Intelligence

Grade level:

6-12

Audience:

Curriculum Designer/Director, Teacher, Technology Coach/Trainer

Attendee devices:

Devices useful

Attendee device specification:

Smartphone: Android, iOS, Windows
Laptop: Chromebook, Mac, PC
Tablet: Android, iOS, Windows

Subject area:

Interdisciplinary (STEM/STEAM)

ISTE Standards:

For Educators: Citizen, Facilitator
For Students: Knowledge Constructor

Transformational Learning Principles:

Spark Curiosity, Ignite Agency