Mondays with Mike: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education at PCA

A student focused on typing on a laptop in a classroom, with other students working in the background.

Welcome back to Mondays with Mike!

As I write this, we are expecting a pretty good snowfall, the first one for the season. I hope it is a blessing for you and yours, and that you are safe, warm, and enjoying God’s amazing creativity through winter in New England.

Today is Martin Luther King Day, and as a school we reflected on his life, Christian faith, and service at last Friday’s chapel. I encourage you to get a sense of the amazing spirit for it in the following photos as well as here. Take note: this streaming effort was done 100% by PCA students (their teacher, Mr. Raines, was home with his newborn daughter and wife–congrats and blessings, Raines family!). Also, note our commitment to increasingly include your kids in our programs. We do this to grow them and provide them experiences most have to wait beyond high school for. Finally, PCA is grateful to Pastor Yves Perodin from Eliot Baptist Church for delivering a compelling, gospel centered message.

A person stands on stage pointing and smiling, with microphones and a keyboard nearby. The background is dark.
Two musicians on stage, one holding a guitar and the other a microphone, with a backdrop displaying "Martin Luther King Jr.
A person in a blue sweatshirt stands at a microphone on a dimly lit stage, reading from a music stand.
Young girl singing into a microphone on stage, accompanied by a woman playing a keyboard. Another woman stands beside them, with an audience silhouette in the foreground.
A group of students in uniforms stand and clap in an auditorium filled with red chairs.
A group of people seated in rows at an indoor event, listening attentively. Some are dressed in formal attire.

Check out PCA’s All-School MLK Chapel held last Friday. Thanks to all the students who participated, up front as well as behind the scenes, especially the AV Tech Crew who pulled this off! To God be the glory, and you all do this so well. Thanks as well to Pastor Yves Perodin of Eliot Baptist Church. 


Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education at PCA

This week, we’re continuing our series on important topics impacting your child’s growth and education. Last week, we explored safety and mental health with Steve Howe, our operations officer, and Jolene Sbriza, our school nurse, who shared keen insights to support and encourage our families. This week, I’m joined by Dr. Connie Lawrence, PCA’s Dean Emeritus and teacher coach, to discuss the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Dr. Lawrence has been working behind the scenes with our team to navigate AI’s potential at PCA and how it can be used wisely and responsibly. AI is a rapidly evolving tool that brings both opportunities and challenges. Dr. Lawrence helps us unpack its implications for personalized learning and offers parents practical advice for fostering their child’s growth at home in this increasingly digital world.

Key Takeaways: PCA’s Approach to AI and Guidance for Parents

  1. PCA’s Use of AI for Personalized Learning
    PCA leverages tools like NWEA tests, Lexia, Map Accelerator, and Khan Academy to provide personalized education. These platforms adapt to each student’s learning needs, offering targeted support in reading, math, and SAT preparation, while keeping teachers at the center of the educational experience.
  2. Balancing Technology with Human Interaction
    PCA prioritizes blending technology with face-to-face interaction. Parents can encourage unplugged time, family conversations, and creative, hands-on activities to ensure technology complements rather than replaces meaningful human connections.
  3. Building Critical Thinking and Ethical Use of AI
    At PCA, students are encouraged to use AI as a tool to enhance learning rather than replace it, focusing on developing foundational skills and practicing intellectual honesty. On campus, assignments are structured to emphasize critical thinking, collaborative learning, and real-world applications. Parents can support this effort by having open discussions with their children about the importance of integrity and encouraging them to reflect on their learning processes at home.
  4. Encouraging Reflection and Quiet Time at Home
    Dr. Lawrence highlights the importance of setting aside time for quiet reflection and centering practices, such as prayer or time spent outdoors, to help children process their experiences and deepen their spiritual and emotional resilience.

For the full context and an engaging discussion with Dr. Lawrence on how AI impacts education and parenting, listen to the extended 45-minute interview. Gain deeper insights into how PCA is preparing your child for the future while staying rooted in Biblical principles.

Podcast Summary

In this insightful, extended episode of “Mondays with Mike,” we dive into the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on education with Dr. Connie Lawrence, Dean Emeritus and esteemed teacher coach. As we approach the end of the first semester, Dr. Lawrence joins Mike to discuss the fast-evolving presence of AI in educational settings and its potential to revolutionize personalized learning.

The conversation explores the definition and scope of AI, its current applications in classroom settings, and the opportunities it presents for personalized education. Dr. Lawrence elaborates on adaptive learning tools like Lexia and Map Accelerator, which tailor educational experiences to meet students’ unique needs, thereby enhancing learning efficiency and engagement.

Dr. Lawrence highlights the significance of maintaining a balance between digital and human elements in education. They discuss the safety concerns and ethical considerations surrounding AI, emphasizing the importance of developing digital literacy and critical thinking skills in students to navigate this new landscape responsibly.

The episode also touches on the critical role of human interaction in an AI-augmented world, stressing that AI should be viewed as a tool to enhance, but not replace, human creativity and communication. The necessity for lifelong learning and the skills needed to thrive in an AI-influenced future are thoroughly examined, pointing to the need for flexibility, curiosity, and soft skills among students.

Tune in to this engaging episode as we contemplate the future of AI in education and the strategies needed to ensure it serves as a beneficial, supportive tool within our learning environments.

Resources

Book cover of "2084 and the AI Revolution" by John C. Lennox. Features an eye design and text indicating it is an updated and expanded edition.

As mentioned by Dr. Lawrence, from Amazon’s posting:

“You don’t have to be a computer scientist to have discerning conversations about artificial intelligence and technology. We all wonder where we’re headed. Even now, technological innovations and machine learning have a daily impact on our lives, and many of us see good reasons to dread the future. Are we doomed to the surveillance society imagined in George Orwell’s 1984?

Mathematician and philosopher John Lennox believes that there are credible responses to the daunting questions that AI poses, and he shows that Christianity has some very serious, sensible, evidence-based things to say about the nature of our quest for superintelligence.” 

Find out more HERE


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