A Different Question About AI (And Why It Matters!)
Over the past two years I’ve been blessed to have some fantastic conversations about integrating AI into education. Most of these conversations began with a question that falls into one of three categories:
Basic Use Questions: What exactly is AI and how does it work?
Specific Use Questions: What is the best way to create a prompt to complete a task (Escape Room Challenge, Faculty Murder Mystery, etc.)?
Proper Use Questions: What should my school be doing to make sure students are using it in an ethical, God-pleasing way?
These are all practical and applicable questions.
But there is one question I haven’t been asked, and it’s one that should be at the forefront of every administrator and teacher’s mind:
How is my AI use impacting my students’ learning?
If you have read my previous blog posts, you know how much I value John Hattie and his research on visible learning. His rallying cry for all educators is simple but demanding: Know Thy Impact! He argues that all professional educators have a responsibility to understand the effect (positive and negative) of their instructional decisions on student learning.
That same responsibility applies to how we use AI.
When generative AI first began appearing in schools, teachers were encouraged to experiment. Tools like ChatGPT and MagicSchool AI were introduced as supports for planning, assessment, and instructional design. And the most common and enticing message (which I consistently shared with teachers, too) was the five words every teacher loves to hear:
It will save you time!
To be clear, that message is not wrong.
AI does save time. It has helped me generate formative assessments more efficiently, unpack standards more quickly, and adapt substitute teacher lesson plans with far less friction. It even handles a few mundane tasks in my personal life with impressive speed. (If you’re not using it to create a weekly meal plan and shopping list, you’re missing out.)
In fact, I would venture to say that nearly all of my AI conversations with educators at some point addresses the topic of saving time.
Would you say the same is true for you in your conversations with colleagues, administrators, and parents?
This repeated conversation topic forced me to challenge my own thinking.
Returning to Hattie’s call to Know Thy Impact, I realized something uncomfortable: my default tendency was to treat efficiency as evidence of impact. If AI helped me work faster, I assumed it was helping students learn better.
But impact isn’t measured by efficiency.
It’s measured by effectiveness on student learning.
With that realization, the guiding question changes, and we are forced to ask a far more challenging question:
Am I using the right metric to evaluate how I’m using AI?
That distinction between efficiency and instructional impact has become the catalyst for how I now think about generative AI in education. It’s also the reason I created a new online course called AI for Impact.
Rather than offering another collection of AI tools or prompt ideas, the course is designed to help educators evaluate AI use through the lens that matters most: student learning. It’s intended for teachers and leaders who are already using AI and are beginning to sense that saving time, while valuable, may not be a sufficient measure of success.
I know that there are many free AI training programs available today, and they often serve an important purpose, especially for schools just beginning their AI journey. Those resources typically focus on understanding what AI is, how it works, and how to use it for common teacher tasks.
But when educators are already using AI, a different kind of professional learning is needed.
This is the purpose of AI for Impact.
To make the course accessible, schools need to purchase only a single $99 license and the videos can be viewed by their entire faculty. Some schools are choosing to view one lesson per month during faculty meetings and use the time for guided discussion and reflection.
Earlier this week, I was interviewed for the WELS Tech Podcast. A majority of our conversation centered around generative AI and how it is being used in schools and churches. Towards the end of our conversation, they asked me to use my crystal ball and predict what education will look like five years from now.
You can listen to the podcast if you want to hear how I responded.
As I am sitting at my computer and thinking about that question, my response is far more succinct.
I hope in five years all educators aren’t just using AI more frequently or efficiently.
I hope we are all using the right metric.
Questions for Faculty Discussion
How confident are you that your current AI use is improving student learning? What is your evidence?
If two students in different classes use AI today, how likely is it that they experience similar expectations about thinking, ownership, and learning?
If a new teacher joined your faculty tomorrow, how well could you explain the role generative AI plays in student learning at your school?
For more information about AI for Impact, Blueprint School’s newest online course, visit this link or contact Ryan at ryan.kirchoff@blueprint-schools.com.
