ChatGPT ban in Australia’s public schools likely to be overturned

The ban on public school students using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT may be reversed next year, the federal education minister says, but students will probably face changes in how they are tested and graded.

<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/09/chatgpt-ban-in-australias-public-schools-likely-to-be-overturned>

Why the ChatGPT ban in public schools is being reversed

On Sunday, Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, announced that the ban on public school students using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT may be reversed next year, pending the development of a draft framework addressing concerns of plagiarism, cheating, and impacts on student learning.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/why-the-chatgpt-ban-in-public-schools-is-being-reversed/282834>

‘A profoundly unethical tool’: Experts urge caution on AI in schools [subscription]

A range of experts have weighed in on what rules should govern the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in schools.

<https://educationhq.com/news/a-profoundly-unethical-tool-experts-urge-caution-on-ai-in-schools-151029/>

Evidence-informed national framework coming for AI in schools [subscription]

Consultation will soon begin on a national framework for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schools, and Education Minister Jason Clare has indicated that states may need to unwind existing bans on the software.

<https://educationhq.com/news/evidence-informed-national-framework-coming-for-ai-in-schools-150916/>

Explore STEM lesson plans

* Sphero slalom | Years 5–6: Students explore slalom sports and how to maximise speed when completing a course. They investigate the impact of distance and friction on time to complete a course through digital and unplugged activities. They then apply their learning to program a Sphero to complete a slalom course.

* Industrial design challenge – separating materials | Years 7–8: This lesson is a great introduction to the idea of separating mixtures and enables students to consider separation as a process that operates on macroscopic levels. It provides students with an opportunity to engage in hands-on engineering using recycled materials.

* Visualising climate change | Years 9–10: In this lesson, students explore different approaches to data representation, with the aim of engaging audiences with scientific data. They explore local temperature and rainfall datasets over time and represent trends in innovative ways.

<https://www.thegist.edu.au/educators/stem-lesson-plans/>

Education ministers to spell out kids’ privacy safeguards for AI and ChatGPT in schools [subscription]

“How do we make sure that if our children are using a generative AI technology like ChatGPT, that what they type into the system doesn’t get spat back to them as an ad on Tik Tok?’’ Why federal Education Minister Jason Clare wants controls over AI in schools.

<https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/education-ministers-to-spell-out-kids-privacy-safeguards-for-ai-and-chatgpt-in-schools/news-story/13f430d56b5dfa610bf2044f716b452e>

Shaping Digital Education: Enabling Factors for Quality, Equity and Efficiency

... This report seeks to guide governments in shaping digital education. Offering a range of perspectives for governments and education stakeholders, it analyses enabling factors that can support quality, equity and efficiency in the use of digital technologies in education systems. It provides a comprehensive review of current trends and emerging policies, covering school education, vocational education and training (VET) and higher education, highlighting pathways to support a cohesive and holistic policy framework for digital education.

<https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/shaping-digital-education_bac4dc9f-en>

AI likely to spell end of traditional school classroom, leading expert says

Recent advances in AI are likely to spell the end of the traditional school classroom, one of the world’s leading experts on AI has predicted. Prof Stuart Russell, a British computer scientist based at the University of California, Berkeley, said that personalised ChatGPT-style tutors have the potential to hugely enrich education and widen global access by delivering personalised tuition to every household with a smartphone. The technology could feasibly deliver “most material through to the end of high school”, he said.

<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/07/ai-likely-to-spell-end-of-traditional-school-classroom-leading-expert-says>

AI Is Helping Us With Our Instructional Practice. Here's How

Artificial intelligence can be a timesaver for teachers and an eye-opener for students.

<https://www.edweek.org/technology/opinion-ai-is-helping-us-with-our-instructional-practice-heres-how/2023/07>

Instead of banning AI, schools should use it to enhance learning

I am 13, so I know first-hand the efforts to combat ChatGPT, and the enormous potential of such technologies, writes Amedeo Bettauer

<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/09/instead-of-banning-ai-schools-should-use-it-to-enhance-learning>

How kids pay the price for ransomware attacks on education

Modern ransomware attacks are as much about stealing data and threatening to leak it as they are about encrypting data. Which means that when a school or hospital is attacked, it's often students' and patients' data that's leaked if the ransom demand isn't met.

<https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2023/07/school-documents-outed-by-ransomware-gangs-can-have-long-lasting-consequences>

Can robots replace teachers in schools

The thought of having a robot teach students in a classroom may seem absurd, but this is something that scientists and engineers have been working on for a while. Trailblazing creators are gearing up to make such human-machine interactions feasible and beneficial to create a self-sustaining educational experience.

<https://www.educationtimes.com/article/careers-offbeat/99733149/can-robots-replace-teachers-in-schools>