AIOhioEd
January 15, 2026 Issue #1
Blanket bans and silence aren’t stopping students from using AI. Here’s what high schoolers say actually promotes academic integrity.
Students on AI: “Teach Us How to Use It!” - ISTE + ASCD
"How students are using AI, what they say doesn't work, what they say does work."
Tony Frontier lays it out clearly and outlines the path forward.
Teachers Are Having A Ted Lasso Moment With AI
"The most important skills for educators to call on in this moment are not technical, they're relational. Asking good questions. Holding space for a hard conversation. Helping a young person reflect on a choice they made."
The Kids Still Want to Learn from Humans - AJ Juliani
- the generation we assume is "all-in" on AI is getting angrier about it.
- If we want to keep humans at the center of teaching and learning, we’re going to have to fight for it.
- . . . we are tasked with helping students think without AI, with AI, and about AI. All of that involves a human leading the work.
Your kid might be using AI. Here's where to start - Like A Mother AI
In less than 3 minutes, find out how "in the loop" you are when it comes to AI and your family.
Like A Mother AI is a great resource for parents and has a monthly newsletter.
No slow-down in sight
Every day brings a post, blog, article, political announcement or tech-god proclamation related to AI and where we're headed. It can be overwhelming, confusing and a little scary. But when a technology so historic and disruptive is changing our lives and what it means to be human day by day - we need to be informed and prepared to lead these discussions with staff, students and parents. With even a little bit of AI literacy throughout the year, we can make a huge difference in the lives of our students!
- Beyond the Panic: Why Educational Leaders Must Contextualize AI Panic to Build True AI Literacy - Moving From Reactive Bans to Guided Literacy. When headlines sound like an impending apocalypse, educational leaders are left standing at the crossroads of community trepidation and educational reality.
HOWEVER . . .
ChatGPT claims to have a safety net for teens. We watched it fail.
- 3 Core Human Skills to Build Before AI Use - Common Sense Media
"There are multiple best-practice models emerging for AI. . . but the aim here is to keep it simple and ground pedagogy in fundamentally human abilities that will also make learning more relevant and engaging. This doesn't mean we ban or ignore AI! AI literacy is important and necessary."
The app faced many lawsuits alleging it contributed to teen mental health issues and suicides. Unfortunately, there are many more similar apps out there that students have access to. Parents and schools need to prepare to support students who have unhealthy relationships with chatbots.
Another great resource from AI for Education
Speaking of conversations with students...
many of our kids are voicing their concerns about AI and water, electricity, etc. This presents a golden opportunity to capitalize on their interest and engage!
GenAI’s Impact on the Environment
Development and demand for AI tools comes with a growing concern of their environmental cost. Recent research shows AI’s significant need for energy, including electricity and water consumption.
Use the following classroom guide and original sources to engage your students in a discussion on the potential impact of generative AI (GenAI) on the planet.
- Educators need agency, not just new rules
- Embedding AI Literacy in Professional Learning
- 4 Questions School Leaders Are Asking About AI
"It is time for education leaders to shift from experimentation with artificial intelligence to accountability, focusing on student safety, measurable outcomes, clear governance and sustainable staff training."
The teacher’s role may place less emphasis on delivering information and more on cultivating curiosity, judgment and independent thinking . . . AI literacy cannot be reduced to great prompt writing or prohibited behaviors. Students need training to ask better questions: Is this true? What assumptions are embedded here? Who built this tool? What incentives shaped it? Am I using AI to extend my thinking or letting it think for me?
OpenAI released hundreds of new mathematical findings. What an opportunity for student discussion!
OpenAI’s release of mathematical findings draws concerns from experts
I'm often asked about the impact of AI in math courses. Math teachers are among the most skeptical of AI integration - for good reason - as AI is such an easy cheat code for students seeking only the answer. But articles like this give me hope of a path forward, especially for upper-level students. The article presents the dilemma for our brightest mathematicians and poses questions of hope, equity, the human voice, judgment and evaluation, among other crucial aspects of this historic event.
I offer that may be the perfect opportunity for AI integration. Not in the utilization of the tool, but in the potential for powerful student engagement and discussions on how this impacts not only the study of mathematics, but foundational concepts in our understanding of the world around us. Students are far more likely to get "hooked" on a future in the field when they explore the big questions that capture their sense of wonder and possibility.
Consider that 400 years ago, humans couldn't even contemplate the mathematics required to reach the moon. Calculating the trajectory of a spacecraft traveling to the moon wasn't a problem they could even conceive of solving. Do these recent developments in technological capabilities just move us to another level in some regards? Yes, the role of the human mathematician shifts, but doesn't disappear.
The greatest opportunity AI creates for mathematics education may not be that we can get answers faster. It's that we can begin asking questions we previously couldn't imagine asking.
A.I. is making big leaps. What are the implications for the field of mathematics — and for math students?
Crafting Quality Math Lessons with AI Assists from MiddleWeb
Every month, you'll find strategies, concrete examples and introductions to tools that can make an immediate impact on classroom instruction.
AILitKit - AI literacy for every subject! You don't need to change what you teach. You just need to see it differently. AILitKit finds the AI literacy connections already hiding inside your lessons. Describe a lesson you already teach. Get AI literacy activities that fit your subject, with clear guidance on what to say in class.
Think Your Students Know More About AI Than You Do? Read This
4 things most students do NOT understand about AI, and how teachers can turn them into quick, valuable AI literacy lessons!
25 practical ways teachers are using Gemini Notebook - Educators share how they are using Gemini Notebook to solve real classroom challenges.
Turning Lesson Ideas Into Usable Resources With AI
A second-grade teacher shares her process for quickly developing new lesson plans and other materials.
Stop Trying to Detect AI. Start Creating Better Assignments
Rather than focusing on catching students after the fact, educators need to consider what they are asking them to do, and is it actually worth doing?
And the source that inspired the article from Michael Hernandez:
What is Authentic Assessment? A Practical Guide for the Age of AI
Auditing AI output is a powerful AI literacy opportunity
Can AI Pass as Shakespeare? Let Students Be the Judge
By prompting an AI chatbot to craft a Shakespearean sonnet, then auditing its fidelity to the form, students get a crash course in close reading (and a healthy dose of AI skepticism).
- For most 12 year-olds, the first real conversation about deepfakes happens in the principal’s office. A thought-provoking post from Stewart Brown "We tend to treat deepfake bullying, AI bans, and AI readiness as separate problems when AI literacy is what connects them." One lesson can address all of these important topics. Check out Stewart's curriculum resources here.
- 3 tips to study smarter with Gemini Notebook. Many middle and high school classrooms are discovering the power of Notebook, allowing students to utilize the various types of studio output to support learning.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing career paths so it's up to us to prepare students with skills that empower them across all fields and jobs
AI’s biggest breakthrough isn’t chatbots - it’s the eureka moment
A refreshing outlook on potential breakthroughs to combat the doomsday headlines
Ohio State establishes AI-enabled center for therapeutic discovery and development
Buckeye BioLaunch will leverage Ohio State’s scale and research strength to drive biotech growth in central Ohio, fueling job creation, economic development and improved health outcomes for Ohioans.
AI-mammography systems detect 1 in 5 breast cancer cases 6 years before diagnosis
Thanks for reading!
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