"Where can I use AI?" - Digital Organization Lessons for students

Hello and happy August! As we gear up for another school year, I’m sure you’re all feeling that delightful mix of excitement and nerves. But fear not! In this blog post, I'll share some resources and tips to help your students tackle the question "What CAN I use AI for in this assignment?"

Now, let me introduce you to my 3-year-old son, who is basically a tiny tornado with a penchant for jumping off furniture. Seriously, if there’s a height, he’ll find a way to leap from it. While reading a few parenting books (because who doesn’t love a good laugh at their own expense?), I stumbled upon the idea that we often tell kids what they can’t do. Instead, we should be focusing on what they CAN do - rather than saying "You cannot jump on the sofa" but rather "Hey, lets practice jumping on the trampoline". This revelation has shaped my approach to introducing AI policies to students. Let’s face it: they’re going to use AI whether we like it or not. So why not show them the bright side instead of just saying, “Nope, not allowed!” (Although that phrase does make a cameo in the policy) As part of the AI policy team, we relied on the International Baccalaureate Academic Integrity Policy and their AI scenarios for guidance, because who better to base policy on than the frameworks we use as educators?

At the end of last academic year, I was knee-deep in the Personal Project Blast with MYP students, trying to help them record their digital journeys without losing their minds (or mine). A big part of this was introducing my school’s AI policy, which, let’s be honest, is about as thrilling as watching paint dry. My goal was to focus on the positive things students CAN do and how they can showcase THEIR understanding instead of laying down the law like a comically strict librarian with a ruler.

Instead of subjecting students to yet another presentation, we explored a digital organization site I created for this project. Students could work through sections at their own pace which allowed for more freedom and understanding. They even got to share folders and show their progress with me which kept most students on track and focused for the session.

Here’s the basic structure of the site:

1. Set up your folders, set up your AI log, set up your research folder. (Seriously, students drown in folders named "new folder (24)" and "abjdsakjdb" without a system.)

2. Go through your school's policy on "Where can I use AI?" (Because they need to know what they can and cannot do)

3. Reinforce the importance of digital organization for the personal project and where students CAN and CANNOT use AI—with examples! I even made a digital organization drag-and-drop game embedded in the Google site below.

I have laid this out for you on a google site here. Feel free to message me on linkedin for a copy of this site.

I've left the digital organisation game below for you guys to play and test at your leisure (admittedly, this one is not as exciting as pixelated duck hunt)

As I kick off the new academic year, I’m excited to continue exploring AI in the Math classroom and help students discover where they can use AI for learning and research, while also showing them where they need to flex their brain muscles and demonstrate their understanding. Let’s make this year the best one yet—filled with laughter, learning, and maybe just a little bit of organized chaos!

Resources below:

1.  Google site

2.  International Baccalaureate Academic Integrity Policy

3.  AI scenarios