The New Educational Technologies Unit (UNTE), represented by Project Manager Dr. Helena Saade, participated in UNESCO's webinar under the theme “Chat GPT: Considerations for Education”. The webinar gathered a diverse audience from across the globe, including policy-makers, technical staff from ministries of education, teachers and educational leaders, experts from international organizations, representatives of civil society organizations and the private sector, individuals involved in academic research, educational project managers, and anyone with an interest in the use of technology in education.

Le webinaire a débuté par une table ronde qui répond à quelques questions clés :

• What is ChatGPT and how does it work?
• What are some potential benefits of using Al in education?
• Quels sont les inconvénients associés à l’utilisation de l’IA dans l’éducation, tels que la rigueur académique, la tricherie, la confidentialité ou les distorsions « biases » dans les données ?
• What are some ethical considerations when using Al in education?
• What kind of training and support do teachers and educators need to thrive in the AI era?
• Discuss the implications and trade-offs related to the expansion of AI technologies in education such as ChatGPT to achieve inclusive and equitable quality lifelong learning for all.

Dr. Helen Crompton, the Executive Director of the Research Institute of Digital Innovation in Learning (RIDIL) in the USA, highlighted the various uses of ChatGPT in education, such as content creation, student-centered learning, providing support and assistance, serving as an assessment tool, and automating tasks. She also discussed how ChatGPT and AI technologies can contribute to the development of novel teaching methods, as well as personalized and flexible learning experiences. Furthermore, she emphasized the necessity of reevaluating educational programs and revising their competency frameworks, with an emphasis on critical thinking, creativity, transparency, communication, and collaboration.

It was underlined by all participants that it is important to focus on developing human competencies and soft skills. AI tools can be helpful for providing information and completing tasks, but they cannot replace the ability to think critically. Students need to be able to evaluate information, identify bias, and solve problems on their own. By providing teachers with training on AI tools, focusing on developing human critical thinking skills, and taking into account ethical considerations such as safety, accuracy, data privacy, and avoidance of plagiarism, we can create a learning environment that is both effective, transparent and engaging.

The New Educational Technologies Unit (UNTE), represented by Project Manager Dr. Helena Saade, participated in UNESCO’s webinar under the theme “Chat GPT: Considerations for Education”. The webinar gathered a diverse audience from across the globe, including policy-makers, technical staff from ministries of education, teachers and educational leaders, experts from international organizations, representatives of civil society organizations and the private sector, individuals involved in academic research, educational project managers, and anyone with an interest in the use of technology in education.

The webinar started with a panel discussion that answered some key questions:

• What is ChatGPT and how does it work?
• What are some potential benefits of using Al in education?
• What are some drawbacks or concerns associated with using AI in education such as academic rigor, cheating, privacy or biases in the data?
• What are some ethical considerations when using Al in education?
• What kind of training and support do teachers and educators need to thrive in the AI era?
• Discuss the implications and trade-offs related to the expansion of AI technologies in education such as ChatGPT to achieve inclusive and equitable quality lifelong learning for all.

Dr. Helen Crompton, the Executive Director of the Research Institute of Digital Innovation in Learning (RIDIL) in the USA, highlighted the various uses of ChatGPT in education, such as content creation, student-centered learning, providing support and assistance, serving as an assessment tool, and automating tasks. She also discussed how ChatGPT and AI technologies can contribute to the development of novel teaching methods, as well as personalized and flexible learning experiences. Furthermore, she emphasized the necessity of reevaluating educational programs and revising their competency frameworks, with an emphasis on critical thinking, creativity, transparency, communication, and collaboration.

It was underlined by all participants that it is important to focus on developing human competencies and soft skills. AI tools can be helpful for providing information and completing tasks, but they cannot replace the ability to think critically. Students need to be able to evaluate information, identify bias, and solve problems on their own. By providing teachers with training on AI tools, focusing on developing human critical thinking skills, and taking into account ethical considerations such as safety, accuracy, data privacy, and avoidance of plagiarism, we can create a learning environment that is both effective, transparent and engaging.