Digital Literacy

With AI in the backdrop, elementary school students need to develop skills to responsibly use, evaluate and compile the outputs of this powerful technology. Understanding how AI works and recognizing its biases and limitations could become an essential life skill. Critical thinking and the ability to assess AI outputs may become elementary school goals, required to prepare students to responsible participation in society. 

Expert Perspective

Steve Ouellette is the Director of Technology, Learning & Innovation at Westwood Public Schools in Massachusetts. Westwood leads and supports an environment where technology is integrated throughout the curriculum to facilitate student-centered, engaging, collaborative learning. A special digital learning curriculum is offered to facilitate student use of technology for critical thinking, problem solving, and inquiry. 

Mr. Ouelette’s key takeaways: Intentional implementation

• Teaching students about AI needs to be an intentional, structured effort, not an afterthought.
•  AI reflects the biases present on the internet, so students must learn to navigate it critically, understand how to evaluate sources, identify reliable information, and use it in ways that support, rather than replace, thinking.

•  Avoiding “bypassing cognition” is key, but it’s important to remember that what counts as bypassing can vary depending on the teacher’s goal for a lesson. Sometimes, AI might appropriately handle a routine task so students can focus on analysis, while other times, doing the work themselves is essential for skill-building. This requires educators to adapt, as ignoring AII isn’t an option. 

What does this look like in action?
And who’s starting to do it?

• Westwoods’s “Technology Special” is an innovative curriculum for grades 2-5 that provides lessons in technology, formalizing AI education for elementary school students. Technolog Special classes meet once a week in one of the three categories: Computer Science & coding, Digital Citizenship, and Digital Literacy. 

• The ultimate goal is to equip students with the skills to thrive beyond graduation, which means embracing AI when it enhances learning while safeguarding the development of critical thinking.