In August, I met with teachers in New York and worked through two days on AI with them. A key concept that I always mention is the necessity of making sure we are being safe with our students personal data. At the same time, part of what I see as a benefit of teachers using AI is in planning differentiation and personalization. Our conversations in New York led me to believe that I was missing a solution to squaring the circle of privacy and personalization, differentiation and data; but what?
Typically, I point to a tool like Kent Intermediate School District’s AI Safety Checks + ensuring educator accounts/settings are checked within the “big” AI tools. Such a step is necessary but always feels insufficient. Well educator Brian Buffington shares a great solution that also leans into the idea of an identity or context file. From his newsletter on September 1:
One thing she figured out is how valuable a “Classroom Profile” is. (*Below is an example I created with AI. Downloadable File) Once you have an anonymized classroom profile, you can always upload it to your favorite AI tool, and make sure it references those needs when prompting it to create lessons, etc. Or you could keep it in your Gemini Notebook or a specific Gemini Gem, and it’s always being referenced!
His example includes a student ID (made up) so that the teacher can link data back to a student while protecting their identity. Information on each student’s literacy, strengths, triggers, and supports. This can of course be created with ID and then uploaded to a relevant project/notebook to use in creating personalized plans and materials based on the profile of each class you have.
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