Artificial intelligence has helped teachers develop their profession, providing them with all the information they need and allowing them to create content that best suits their students. However, many experts believe that this technology cannot replace the presence of teachers, but they agree that it will change the way they do their jobs as well as the best educational practices to apply.
In this context, and to exchange experiences and knowledge related to the use of artificial intelligence, lesson planning, and innovative teaching strategies in order to enhance teachers’ capacities and reduce school dropout rates, the Arab Renaissance for Development and Democracy (ARDD), as part of the National Alliance for the Future of Education in Jordan (Nafe) dialogue series, held a panel discussion entitled: “Empowering Jordanian Schools for Sustainable Future Learning: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Education Sector?”, Monday, September 25, 2023, moderated by the Advisor to the Education Program at ARDD, Dr. Aseel Al-Shawareb.
Amjad Abu Hilal, Director of E-Learning at the Queen Rania Teacher Academy, stressed that artificial intelligence technologies and applications can be effective if used in the field of analyzing educational data, developing curricula, improving the teaching process, and supporting teachers’ access to new educational resources.
Abu Hilal pointed out that artificial intelligence technologies such as “Chat GPT” can be a powerful tool in education, but people must always remember that they are the main actors in the educational process and must also make technology a means to improve education and make it available to everyone, without neglecting the human aspect and the real interaction between teacher and student.
For his part, the Director of Business Development at the United Company for Educational Production (Hawwaz Platform), Khaled Ababneh, saw that education and artificial intelligence are closely linked, as education is in constant need of development and innovation, while artificial intelligence has new opportunities and tools for development. Hence, there is no reason to fear change and imagine that machines would replace teachers in schools.
Ababneh expressed his understanding that AI technology will become an essential part of our lives in the long run, so instead of fighting it, it seems clear that we, as teachers and students, need to keep up with it, use it to our advantage, and adapt the way we teach to it, which requires the nature of learning to change dramatically in the future, both in terms of the content and the skills to be taught and the way students learn.
Sarah Qaffaf, Director of Business Development at the Knowledge Beam Company, warned that technology could pose some risks to students if used excessively and without supervision by parents and teachers, as then it would become harmful and useless to them, which requires us to work together as a community to ensure that this technology is used in an ethical and responsible manner.
According to Qaffaf, in order for this technology to be successfully integrated into the educational process, its users, be them teachers or students, must acquire new skills and competencies that would enable them to use it effectively, as teachers need to acquire the ability to integrate artificial intelligence into their teaching practices and assess its impact on student learning, while students need to understand how to interact constructively with these systems.
In addition, various discussions took place among the participants in the session, concluding the need to promote innovation and development in education, develop a national strategy for education in cooperation with all sectors, and improve the status of the teacher in general for the success of the inclusive education system in schools and universities, with the importance of adapting teaching and assessment to integrate the ethical use of artificial intelligence and ensure equality among all groups in accessing this technology.
