Dear Parents and Guardians,

Our 2024 parent survey revealed that only 15% of our parent community feels well-informed about Generative AI and its implications for education. As technology continues to transform how our students learn and prepare for the future, we recognize the importance of building a shared understanding within our community.

I am pleased to introduce this new series of newsletter articles designed to educate and inform you about AI in education. Over the coming months, we'll explore various aspects of this rapidly evolving technology, empowering you to engage in meaningful conversations with your children about responsible AI use.

Our Series Will Cover:

In this first edition, we'll cover the basics of Generative AI. Future articles will explore:

• How students might use Generative AI
• The benefits of AI in education
• Concerns and limitations
• Our College Policy on AI use
• Developing AI literacy at home
• Balancing AI with independent thinking
• Spotting AI-generated content
• Future skills and workplace readiness
• Resources for ongoing support

What is Generative AI?

At its core, Generative AI refers to computer systems that can create new content—text, images, music, computer code or videos—that resemble what humans might produce. Unlike traditional computer programs that follow specific instructions, these AI systems learn patterns from vast amounts of existing content and can then generate original material based on what you ask for.

Think of it this way: a traditional search engine like Google finds existing information for you, while Generative AI creates new content based on your request. For example, you or your child could ask ChatGPT (a popular Generative AI tool) to ‘Write a poem about climate change in the style of Dr. Seuss.’ Within seconds, it would create an original poem that mimics Dr. Seuss's distinctive rhyming pattern and vocabulary while addressing environmental themes—something that doesn't exist anywhere else until that moment.

Key Terms to Know Include:

• Large Language Models (LLMs): These are the sophisticated AI systems (like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini) that power Generative AI tools. They've been trained on vast collections of text from books, articles, and websites to understand and generate human-like language.
• Prompts: These are the instructions or questions you give to Generative AI. The quality of what you get back depends on how clearly you express what you want. For instance, "Write an essay" will produce different results than "Write a 500-word persuasive essay about renewable energy for a 10th-grade science class."
• Hallucinations: This term refers to when AI systems present incorrect information as fact. Because these systems are trained to produce plausible-sounding content rather than retrieve verified information, they sometimes "make up" details that sound right but aren't accurate. This is why critical thinking skills remain essential when using these tools.

In my next article, I will explore specific ways students can use Generative AI tools for learning and how these applications might enhance education when used thoughtfully and ethically.

I welcome your questions and feedback on this series. Together, we can ensure our students develop the skills they need to responsibly navigate this innovative technology.

Warm regards,

Ian Hayne

Director of Professional Practice and Technology

Acknowledgement:

I used an Ai application called Claude to help me draft this article. I used the following prompts and then edited the response to ensure its accuracy and that it reflected my intention.

1. You are a school leader responsible for technology in curriculum and pedagogy. You need to educate parents about generative Ai. Create a list of topics that flow logically from one to the next to educate parents about what they want and need to know. Include ten topics in your list.
2. You are a school leader writing a newsletter article for parents. The topic is on Ai. Use a professional and friendly tone. Use active voice. Draft an article: start by referring to a 2024 parent survey that showed only 15% of parents felt well informed about Generative Ai and that this is the first in a series of articles designed to educate. Then explain that in this first edition we will go back to basics about what generative Ai is. In following articles I will: explain how students might use generative Ai; the benefits of Ai in education; concerns and limitations; our College Policy; developing Ai literacy at home; balancing Ai with independent thinking; spotting Ai generated content; future skills and workplace readiness and resources for ongoing support. In a new paragraph, use everyday language to explain what generative Ai is, provide some real-world examples such as using ChatGTP to write a poem about climate change in the style of Dr. Seuss, the difference between Ai and traditional search engines and define key terms such as Large Language Models, Prompts and Hallucinations.
3. Great start. How could you make this better?