Chatbots in Literacy Education

AI has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning. It offers the opportunity of making educators' jobs more efficient and effective in tailoring instruction to fit their students' learning needs. Understanding and harnessing AI's potential can personalize and improve student learning (Ciampa, Wolfe & Bronstein, 2023; Trust et al., 2023). In this presentation we share our thoughts for integrating chatbots into teacher education programs and K-12 teaching. Special emphasis is given to the opportunities AI offers ELA teachers for making their lesson planning more efficient and effective, and ways chatbots can advance their students’ thinking and achievement. An outline of this presentation is as follows: 1. Academic integrity and the use of chatbots in classroom teaching. (15 mins) 2. Composing effective prompts for enriching lesson and unit planning. (20 mins) 3. Strategies for supporting student comprehension (e.g., using chatbots to identify texts to fit curriculum and student interests, revising texts to fit students’ reader access, composing questions) (20 mins) 4. Strategies for advancing student writing (e.g., using chatbots to revise and edit, generate ideas and discussion about word choice, text organization, tone, style; using chatbot extensions to guide student thinking when composing). (20 mins) 5. Caveats and concerns about chatbots in literacy teaching (e.g., focus on critical thinking; the importance of attribution, long-term effects on student behaviors (advancing their thinking vs copying/plagiarism) (15 mins) References and Selected Bibliography ASCD (2023). Leveraging ChatGPT: Practical Ideas for Educators. https://www.ascd.org/blogs/leveraging-chatgpt-practical-ideas-for-educators Carman, H. (2023). ChatGPT: Is AI Beneficial or Dangerous in the ELA Classroom? Available at https://www.nysecteach.org/chatgpt-is-ai-beneficial-or-dangerous-in-the-ela-classroom-hailee-carman- october-2023/ Ciampa, K., Wolfe, Z. M., & Bronstein, B. (2023). ChatGPT in education: Transforming digital literacy practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 67(3), 186-195. Kim, M., & Adlof, L. (2024). Adapting to the future: ChatGPT as a means for supporting constructivist learning environments. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 65(1), 37-46. Mora, R. A. & Semington, P. (2023). AI and literacy education: Consider the challenges, embrace the possibilities, and make your classroom even more human. Literacy Today, 41(1), 54-58. Trust, T., Whalen, J., & Mouza, C. (2023). ChatGPT: Challenges, opportunities, and implications for teacher education. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 23(1), 1-23.