Fifth Blog Using AI as Educational Technology

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 Walking the Ethical Rope: A Media Specialist’s Stance on Generative AI in K-12 Education

 The digital era is dominated by clever machines and synthetic content, the role of the school media specialist has never been more critical or more ethically multifaceted. As generative AI tools like Grammarly, ChatGPT, and DALL·E AI become progressively common in classrooms, teachers must weigh innovation against accountability. For a media specialist, the choice is particularly nuanced: balancing the responsibility to promote digital literacy and inquiry with a commitment to intellectual integrity, authenticity, and equity.

There are people who see AI as a transformational tool, but many media specialists view generative AI with caution. According to Hailey (2025) in “Advantages and Disadvantages of AI in Education” (Schools That Lead), AI enhances efficiency, makes things accessible, and creates personalized learning. Nevertheless, she warns of significant downsides: overdependence on machines, data privacy concerns, the erosion of critical thinking, and algorithmic bias. These topics strike at the core of media center ethics, access, truth, and scholar empowerment.

Promoting engineering or AI literacy

      https://altc.alt.ac.uk/blog/2024/02/prompting-engineering-or-ai-literacy-how-to-develop-a-critical-

                                               awareness-of-generative-ai-in-education/#gref

Why Might a Media Specialist Ethically Counterattack Generative AI?

Media specialists are champions of information literacy, which involves teaching scholars how to question, evaluate sources, and research. Generative AI is one of the most powerful shortcuts, and it can blur the line between curation and creation. When scholars use AI to generate artwork or write essays, they undergo a struggle to revise, develop an area for deeper learning, and risk losing personal authorship.

Media specialist advocates for equity for all. AI tools often require access to devices, stable internet, and premium subscriptions. Scholars from marginalized communities may be left behind, widening the digital divide. Media specialists also raise alarms about bias embedded in AI models that can amplify and reproduce stereotypes deflating inclusive education.

AI Literacy in Action (Video Resource)

Common Sense Education: “How to Talk to Scholars About AI”
Runtime: 5:08 mins | A practical breakdown of teaching AI literacy in K-12 classrooms.

Being Supportive to Learning While Protecting Ethics

Now as we continue to explore, how can media specialists embrace the inevitability of AI while upholding ethical integrity?

  1. Teaching Serious AI Literacy: Don’t ban AI tools outright, a media specialist can lead instruction on how AI works, when to use it appropriately, and its limitations. Suggested lessons could include comparing outputs from and outputs from various tools.
  2. Promote Original Authorship: Encourage scholars to use AI tools for idea generation and brainstorming but require revision and reflection to ensure authorship and maintain a personal voice.
  3. Facilitate Ethical Discussion: Host a setting or library displays where the end users can explore ethical AI use. Pair books like “Hello World” by Hannah Fry with student-created blog responses and infographics.
  4. Equitable Access and Champion Open: Speak up for school procedures and policies that provide unbiased access to AI tools or proposed curated alternatives that do not require data sharing and scholar logins.

In conclusion, media specialists don’t resist generative AI out of fear or nostalgia but out of a deep ethical responsibility to guide scholars in becoming thoughtful, creative, and critically engaged digital citizens. In the world of education where content can be manufactured at the click of a button, media specialists remain vital champions of inquiry, meaning, and authenticity.

References:

Hailey, T. (2025, June 11). Advantages and disadvantages of AI in Education. Schools That Lead. https://www.schoolsthatlead.org/blog/ai-in-education-pros-cons

Comments

  1. Madison FrankJuly 20, 2025 at 1:09 PM

    Your post really resonated with me, especially as someone who is just beginning to explore AI beyond basic communication tasks. As a middle school science teacher, I recently started to dip my toes into using generative AI to help brainstorm and design engaging lesson ideas, but I hadn’t yet considered the deeper ethical implications that you highlight.

    I really appreciate how you outlined both the promise and the potential pitfalls of AI in education. The tension between innovation and authenticity is so real. I’ve already seen how easy it is for students to rely on AI tools as shortcuts, and your point about the struggle for revision and deeper learning really hit home. Encouraging critical reflection after using AI is something I want to be more intentional about in my classroom.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Madison Frank

    ReplyDelete
  2. In the Moody to ReadJuly 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM

    Hello, thank you for sharing this post.I like how you talk about the opportunities and challenges that generative AI can bring to the education world. I conducted my research on digital citizenship, and I also agree on how important it is. I even see it vital for the littlest of learners, and they do understand it too when taught to them in a meaningful way. Pairing student work with ethical discussions is such a good idea. It made me think of a time when I was teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was chosen as the first-grade teacher who taught virtually, which was a challenge, but some parents opted for that choice. I recall a student asking Alexa, “What is an example of a nonfiction text?” while I was teaching through a screen. Alexa provided an answer that made sense, but in that moment, I was able to address it with the student, as they were using AI (specifically a virtual assistant) for class participation in first grade. -Katie Moody

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