Better Internet for Kids

The course was developed by the Education and Youth Board together with Gustav Adolf Gymnasium educational technologist Ingrid Maadvere, Tallinn Lilleküla Gymnasium educational technologist and teacher Meeri Sild, as well as Helly Epro-Volmer - a teacher at Harkujärve Basic School.

The development team was led by the Education and Youth Board training centre project leader Kerli Požogina as part of the Safer Internet. “Developing this training course was necessary since AI is already used extensively in a number of fields, including education,” explained one of the developers of the training course, Ingrid Maadvere. “This has raised several practical questions among both students and teachers that require further discussion. For example, what can AI offer teachers as well as students regarding preparing learning materials, conducting lessons and independent study? How do you use AI responsibly and ethically? How can you best ask things from an AI system? Do AI systems learn, and if yes, how? And so on.” She added, “We are getting more questions than answers every day, and giving any definitive answers in a rapidly changing situation just is not possible. With this new course, however, we have at least created the opportunity for teachers to discuss the matter at length and, with experts' aid, figure out how to use AI best for learning.” 

How much experience have you had with AI? 

Credits: Estonian Safer Internet Centre

As an icebreaker activity, teachers participating in the course first thought about their current experience with AI. A baby symbolised someone who had no prior experience with AI, while a man with a certificate symbolised someone who could teach others about AI. It was interesting to see that teachers of quite diverse backgrounds and levels of expertise had come to the training course. 

Why framework and AI? 

Addressing the topic of artificial intelligence combined with the teaching and learning framework allows us, together with the teachers participating in the course, to experiment with different learning scenarios where AI is used to support learners' effective learning strategies, their mental and physical health and to develop digital competence, all while respecting copyright law and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Throughout the course, teachers receive teaching materials describing different scenarios for using AI in teaching, for instance, to activate prior knowledge, to ask for feedback, to develop competences in information retrieval and assessment and so on. In addition, teachers get an in-depth overview of different AI applications with information on what is important to remember when using them about the GDPR. Training course developer and educator Meeri Sild, who is training a group of teachers who teach grades 7-12, points out that testing different AI scenarios has been quite challenging, precisely due to the restrictions resulting from the GDPR. While more environments and apps are springing up like mushrooms after rain, restrictions on their use are only becoming more severe. “For example, most AI applications are only allowed for use by people over 18, or in some cases 13, with parental permission,” she added. Rules on how AI usage should be cited are also in constant flux. Can an AI even be an author, and if so, should the citation be of the AI as a method or as an author? Different stances and schools of thought have also begun to form here. Test training for two groups is currently underway, with 60 teachers testing at least one AI scenario with their students. 

AI training developers and trainers Heily Epro-Volmer and Meeri Sild recommend that teachers treat AI as a helper that we can develop while it also helps us develop. Heily added that finding the right environments and being up to date with their developments can make a teacher’s job much easier. Meeri said that artificial intelligence is here to stay, and ignoring it will do no good. She believes that schools have to start thinking about how to take advantage of AI, how to make changes to teaching and how to help students adapt to new studying practices. “Asking the right questions from AI and using it as a learning partner are skills that our students will need in the coming years,” she said. 

For example, teachers have, as part of their training, experimented with how to use AI to: 

• Do group exercises with students in health and social studies classes and create presentations on how the family concept has changed over time 
• teach about English conditional sentences 
• create and design nature guide text 
• introduce the topic of nuclear energy to students 
• plan video projects, create scenarios and generate scenes 
• teach the topic "Carbon as a pure substance” in a Grade 9 chemistry lesson 
• structure a research paper 
• teach students how and what to ask to get adequate and exhaustive answers 
• illustrate a science fiction story. 

Framework training courses 

In total, there will be four training courses in the framework training series: 

• Framework and presentations, or how to ensure students are not just sleeping with their eyes open
• Framework and digital self-tests, or how to use Kahoot wisely 
• Framework and learning from mistakes or let us say ‘no’ to the eraser
• Framework and AI, or how to make Kratt work for you 

In total, 211 teachers will participate in nine framework training groups over the second half of 2023. 

In addition to training courses, we also offer webinars

Although it is an important and pressing issue, many teachers are busy and unable to participate in longer training courses. The online seminar ‘AI-AI-AI! What are you doing?’ Part I and Part II  offer a very practical and compact overview of AI developments in Estonia and the rest of the world. Piret Lehiste, an educational technologist at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, a trainer at the Harno Training Centre and an expert in the field of digital literacy, implements several different AI solutions on a daily basis and shares her experiences on how to use AI in teaching, what to pay attention to and how AI will affect the field of digital literacy as a whole. The two webinars were watched by over 418 participating teachers and other educators, with the videos having over three thousand views.

Credits: Estonian Safer Internet Centre

Piret Lehiste’s practical tips for teachers:

• Start small and do not try to harness all the power of artificial intelligence at once.
• Set a clear goal for yourself. Are you trying to use AI to generate ideas, create learning resources, or diversify the learning process?
• Experiment on your own and/or ask for advice from a close colleague and find the best solution for you or your students.
• Do not forget that at the end of the day, you are the teacher. AI can certainly be a powerful tool to assist you, but it cannot replace you as the leader of the learning process and supporter of your students.
• Keep a critical mind when using AI. AI does not actually possess knowledge - it can make mistakes or fabricate information.
• Do not enter any personal details or student work into AI-based applications without the consent of the child and their parents.
• Always check different apps' terms of use and privacy policies, especially if you plan to use them with your students.

AI-themed study bites 

To introduce AI topics, we have also begun creating learning bites in the Facebook group “Digiterad” with over 4500 followers. All of the different interesting AI tips and applications will eventually make their way to the “Digiterad” (“Digital Grains”) series. 

Credits: Estonian Safer Internet Centre

The activities of the Estonian Safer Internet Centre are co-funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. 

Find more information about the work of the Estonian Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.