Welcome AI to our schools

By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica

Photography: ROCIO GRANADOS | FC

FORT LAUDERDALE | Brother Lombardo D’Auria agrees with the use of artificial intelligence in education “if it works for the kid’s learning.” He teaches religion and social studies to third- through fifth-graders at St. John the Apostle School in Hialeah.

He added that educators need to be careful with technology, because “you can’t give the child everything already done, they can’t learn what they don’t do.”

During a presentation on artificial intelligence (AI) at the Professional Development Day of Catholic schools, Brother D’Auria remarked how technology has changed a lot in recent years.

“It helps us to do things faster, commerce is quicker, and communication is instantaneous or live,” he said. “We are united by this technology, which is artificial intelligence, but we have to be very careful, as Holy Father Francis says, because it is a weapon that can be helpful, but it can also be harmful. It cuts off man’s ability to create.”

More than 2,000 teachers and administrators from all Archdiocesan schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties attended the event, with the exception of the Basilica School of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Key West, which was unable to attend due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. It was held Sept. 27, 2024, at the Broward Convention Center.

Gabriel Cambert, archdiocesan associate superintendent for government programs of schools, said they plan several professional development days, but “we haven’t  held to this magnitude in severalyears.” Teachers were intentionally seated at tables with similar grade levels and subject areas and from different schools.

“We wanted educators to meet others from different schools around the archdiocese to talk about the application of this presentation in their subject area or grade levels,” Cambert added.

The event started with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski. In his homily he said Catholic school teachers have a mission that goes “far beyond conveying factual knowledge of history, science, literature, or even religion.”

“Yes, we teach those subjects, and we do teach those subjects well – but we also have to teach the Catholic faith,” the archbishop said. “It’s important to gather as a community dedicated to our educational mission. So today is all about celebrating the Eucharist together, but it is also about learning. The best teachers are lifelong learners.”

Jim Rigg, archdiocesan superintendent of schools, agreed with the archbishop, saying, “We are students, too.”

“Technology is impacting teachers and students of all grades, from preschool through 12th grade. So, it’s important that we, as Catholic educators, understand how to use technology to benefit the faith formation and learning of our students,” Rigg said.

Teachers face questions about how artificial intelligence can and should be used. What are some of the things that they should worry about and embrace about AI?

“I should say it is pervasive in our culture, and I think kids already know how to start using it, and we need to be prepared,” Cambert said.

The keynote speaker was Father Nate Wills, director of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program at the University of Notre Dame. He teaches and directs the Higher Powered Learning Program, which promotes technology in Catholic schools. He started his presentation with “what’s the role of artificial intelligence in today’s schools and what could it be in tomorrow’s schools by explaining what artificial intelligence is.”

His presentation referred to machines mimicking human reasoning and communication. He explained AI development progressed from the 1950s to the 1980s as computers became more sophisticated, particularly with systems that learned from historical data. In the 2020s, generative AI emerged, exemplified by tools like ChatGPT.

“This is what generative AI is,” said Father Wills, adding that the technology allows computers to engage in human-like conversations, mimicking communication more closely than ever before.

Father Wills noted most teachers have heard about the possibilities of artificial intelligence, yet very few use it in the classroom.

“We have to think about what it would mean to welcome this AI into our schools,” he said. “I think our approach might be somewhere between the post notion of excited and fearful. I’m going to say circumspect or cautiously optimistic. Even though I help teachers use technology in the classroom, I really promote this idea of using technology meaningfully, not just using it for the sake of having technology in the classroom, not just when you could actually do another task more effectively.”

Deacon Michael McDonald, a religion teacher at Cardinal Gibbons High School, said he loved the presentation.

“(AI is something) we want to use in the classroom, we guess at it all the time, but to actually hear it from someone who is such an expert puts me at ease with his knowledge.”

He expressed concern about students using AI, stating, “our students do a lot of writing assignments, and we want to know that it’s their original writing, it’s them.”

Bianca Acosta, principal of Immaculate Conception School, said she was grateful for the professional day.

“I think it’s wonderful as a school community that we can gather together and not only talk about our faith, but we have the opportunity to learn from each other,” she said. “As a principal, having the opportunity to sit with pre-K teachers and effectively plan strategies for back-to-school is something I am very grateful.”