Credit: Alison Yin for EdSource
For school leaders, artificial intelligence (AI) might feel like the latest shiny new thing to tackle in education.
With ethical questions to reflect on, it may be shiny, but computer science teachers will tell you it’s not new — it’s been part of computer science education for 60 years.
Computer science is foundational to learning about artificial intelligence, including thinking critically about AI’s ethics and impacts, data and algorithms, and equipping students to use technology responsibly. Like learning to drive a car, it’s good to know what’s under the hood, and be aware of the dangers, troubleshoot problems, know where you’re going and how to get there safely. If technology is driving the future, how can we prepare students to do the steering if they do not learn computer science in school?
Yet, only 5% of California students take computer science in…
