In a Moncton middle school this week, students engaged in an interactive cybersecurity activity, trying to escape from a virtual dungeon guarded by a dragon. Following this, they participated in various tasks such as creating visual presentations, interactive food-related quizzes, and programming small robots. These activities incorporated artificial intelligence tools and were supervised by their teacher.
The Anglophone East School District has been introducing AI into its classrooms over the past few years. Now, more schools in New Brunswick are following suit after the Department of Education updated the anglophone K-12 curriculum to include AI education.
While some international school systems have imposed restrictions on AI, such as Norway banning generative AI use in schools up to Grade 7, New Brunswick is taking a different approach. The province is integrating AI into its curriculum in a structured manner to ensure students learn about and interact with technology critically and age-appropriately.
The curriculum update aims to enhance digital literacy education by incorporating AI concepts. Students begin learning basic digital literacy in kindergarten and progress to hands-on activities with digital devices as they advance. However, primary students are not using chatbots within the curriculum.
Educators in New Brunswick are receiving professional development to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices. The province has also introduced learning modules on AI for teachers. Education Minister Claire Johnson emphasized the importance of safe and ethical AI use in schools and the development of AI literacy.
Despite the positive steps taken, some parents and educators have raised concerns about the rapid introduction of AI in classrooms. They emphasize the need for proper support and training for educators and advocate for more policy and guidance on responsible AI use. This ongoing discussion reflects the evolving nature of AI integration in education.