AI Literacy Month

From the classroom to the future workforce, Artificial Intelligence is changing the landscape of how we learn and connect. In Piedmont, we are committed to ensuring our students are "AI-literate": knowing the basics and being grounded in critical thinking, ethics, and self-regulation.

On March 27th, we will join schools across the country for National AI Literacy Day. This is a nationwide day of action focused on two vital questions: “What is AI?” and “How do we prepare our students to thrive in an AI-enabled world?”

Our Partnership with You: Navigating new technology can feel overwhelming, especially one with such exponential growth! Starting today, we will be sending weekly "AI at Home" emails designed to spark curiosity and conversation at your dinner table. We hope they support you and your child in navigating AI safely, ethically, and effectively.

8 minutes. In this video, you'll learn a practical 4-step framework to help your children navigate artificial intelligence safely and effectively. We cover how to explain what AI actually is, the specific "human skills" that will future-proof their careers, and simple safety habits you can start practicing at the dinner table today.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of the digital spaces children and teens interact with every day. As these technologies evolve, parents will want to become and stay informed and engaged about how children and teens use AI tools and platforms. Parents’ knowledge about and understanding of the positives and negatives of AI usage can help them guide their children in safe, responsible, and age-appropriate use.

Practical Steps Parents and Caregivers Can Take

• Clarify what AI is and what it is not:
  Talk with children about what AI chatbots are and how they work. Help them understand that, while chatbots simulate conversation and emotional responses and, therefore, seem “real,” they are software applications that have been programmed to produce responses that are based on collected data and language patterns, not real thoughts or genuine emotions; chatbots are not people, and they cannot replace friendships, family relationships, or trusted sources of support. Reinforcing this distinction may reduce confusion and guide children toward real people when they need connection or help (Bakir et al., 2025).
• Make AI usage a shared topic, not a secret topic:
  Create space for open conversations about AI use. Research suggests parents may need to act as intermediaries when children engage with generative AI, especially regarding sensitive topics (Yu et al., 2024). When adults encourage children to share what they encounter online, these adults help create opportunities to evaluate with their children responses and risks openly.
• Build digital literacy in the home:
  Digital literacy is the ability to understand and navigate technology safely. Experts stress the importance of children and parents developing digital competence skills such as recognizing how chatbots generate responses, identifying manipulative design, and discussing the limits of AI “empathy” (Livingstone, 2025).
• Set healthy media boundaries at home:
  Create family guidelines around when, where, and how devices should be used. Prioritize offline activities and, when possible, keep devices in shared spaces to support supervision and conversation. These boundaries can promote opportunities for meaningful face-to-face connections, which can include an array of activities, like cooking a meal together or playing a board game. Thrive’s Family Media Action Plan and Family Media Guidance resources offer practical tools to help parents and caregivers get started.
• Watch for behavior changes:
  Pay attention to withdrawal, secrecy, or strong emotional reactions tied to online interactions. These shifts may signal confusion, distress, or overreliance on digital relationships and may indicate a need for additional support.

from https://thrive.psu.edu/blog/what-you-dont-know-can-hurt-you-ai-chatbots-and-childrens-digital-safety/

While your child is considered "out of school", you can pause internet access on a specified recurring schedule!

1. From the homepage of the GoGuardian parent application and press the fourth icon at the bottom of the interface to open the time limits menu.
2. Press the blue "Add Schedule button" at the bottom right corner.
3. Create a recurring schedule by specifying start time and end time of when the internet is to be disabled as well as the day(s) of the week you'd like the start and end times to apply to. Then click Create.

Pro Tip: For overnight scheduling to pause internet during the late evening/early morning, create two schedules for each day - for example 8:30 PM to 12AM and 12AM to 7:30AM each day.

More information about the service can be found here: GoGuardian Parent for Guardians.

Step by step instructions for setting up access can be found here: Getting Started with GoGuardian Parent.

Piedmont has partnered with InspiritAI to host an in-person project-based artificial intelligence program in June on the PHS campus. The program will run June 8-18 (9 weekday sessions ) for 3.5 hours each day, providing in-depth learning on concepts of machine learning, programming in python, ethics and bias within AI. Participants will complete a group project applying AI to a discipline like healthcare, astronomy, finance, among others. We are excited to present the program to our community. Since no prior computer science experience is required to participate, any student who is interested in biology, business, social justice etc has an opportunity to go deeper into how AI can impact their interest. This program's 31+ hours is roughly equivalent to a 9 weeks of a class at PHS! Separate middle and high school sections will be offered.

If you are interested in participating in this unique opportunity, please fill out this short interest form. The program is offered at a fee of $1600 for 31.5 hours of hands-on learning with AI practitioners and graduate students from Stanford and MIT. Feel free to peruse the program brochure for more information about curriculum, schedule, projects, teaching team, and more!

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