🤖 Teaching AI Literacy in K-2: Tiny Shifts for Big Future Impact

💡 Tips, Tools and Templates

AI Literacy in K-2

This section was written by Matt Miller

I’ve been thinking a lot about artificial intelligence and AI literacy over the past few years — so much so that I’m publishing a new book next week about it.

What does this have to do with the K-2 crowd?

Honestly? You all can play a big part in preparing your littles for the future.

(I know what you’re probably thinking about this! If you have your doubts, stick with me …)

What I’m not talking about:

• Teaching kindergarteners to code.

• Having second graders chatting with AI chatbots.

• Using AI tools to do any sort of classwork.

• Teaching kids lessons about sophisticated technology.

However, there’s a lot that you can do — just in tiny shifts in how you talk about technology — that can set a firm foundation for K-2 students as they prepare for later grades in elementary and beyond.

These are basic digital literacy skills that prepare them for the AI-saturated future they will have to face one day. You can help them start to get ready with just tiny one-line statements.

(PS: These are throughout my upcoming AI literacy book — AI Literacy in Any Class — AND in the special appendix in the back of the book.)

1. “The computer made this.”

Four words that can help primary students start to understand the right relationship between humanity and technology.

Something as simple as saying, “The computer made this,” helps students to understand that there’s a difference between work done by technology and work done by human beings.

It can go further, especially with things like AI-generated where you can tell that it’s artificial. Even ask students: “Do you think the computer made this? How can you tell?”

Other comparisons — like how fast we write vs. how fast the computer works — can help students see the differences between our human faculties and the technology that we use.

2. Don’t give your technology a name.

If you look at the apps, it’s hard enough for adults to know the difference between a text message app, a search engine, and an AI tool like ChatGPT.

They all have minimal screens with a little text box where you can type … and you get messages back as a response.

With the littles? It’s even harder. This is one of the big reasons to protect kids from unsupervised tech use (especially with AI). They can’t tell the difference between tech and a human.

Here’s one way to make that difference a little clearer …

Don’t anthropomorphize AI (or your technology). That’s to say … don’t give it a name or assign it feelings or make it seem human-like in any way.

As they get older, your students will be able to interact with AI as if it were a real human. Teenagers are dangerously dabbling with AI boyfriends and girlfriends. In their minds, the line between AI and real human person gets delayed more and more.

If you draw a line and decide that you won’t assign human characteristics to AI (or technology), it’s a small step you can take to help them keep human and technology separate.

3. Use AI to create fun remixes

If you’re open to using AI to create teaching content you can use with your students, there’s a lot of fun to be had — and your students never have to touch the technology. Some examples:

• Use an AI tool like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to write an alternate ending of a story you just read.

• Follow-up: Use an AI image generator like Nano Banana (part of Google Gemini) to turn that ending into an illustration!

• Use a song generator like Suno (or Google Gemini’s “Create music” tool) to write a song about a student. (Don’t forget to include their favorite things in the song!)

Here’s the key, and don’t miss out on this opportunity …

• When the students hear the story, say: The computer wrote this story. How did it do? Did you like this ending more than the actual ending of the book?

• When the students see the image, say: The computer made this illustration! Did it make any mistakes? Did it do a good job?

• When the students hear the song, say: The computer made this song! Did it do a good job describing (student’s name)? Did it get anything wrong?

This is critique, a very important part of preparing students for a world full of AI. If they can start to develop the habit of critiquing what “the computer” makes, they’ll naturally (hopefully!) do it all throughout school and the rest of their lives.

You can help prepare these kids for the future

These are tiny shifts — very easy to implement!

If you’ve noticed all of the advances in technology and artificial intelligence lately, you might be thinking about the future for these students of yours — and how you can help them prepare for it.

Thankfully, you don’t need a computer science degree. You don’t need a sophisticated understanding of AI. In fact, for several of these, you don’t even need to use AI!

If you are willing to incorporate these short (even one-line) ideas into class whenever they fit, you’ll start to instill AI literacy and digital literacy in these kids you’ve been entrusted with.

And if you want to learn more about this idea, check out my book, AI Literacy in Any Class … projected release date (on Amazon): Thursday, March 19!

📺 Teaching with Teachflix Junior

 🤖 Mystery Science: How does AI work?

🎥 Video Link: How does AI work?

This video introduces K-2 students to the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by comparing it to how humans—specifically babies—learn through experience. Rather than just following a list of rules, AI systems find patterns in large amounts of information to perform tasks like driving cars, chatting, or creating art.

Key points covered in the video:

• AI is Everywhere: AI is a computer system that can control self-driving cars, talk to people online, and generate brand-new images.

• Learning vs. Instructions: * Most computers use programming, which is a set of step-by-step instructions.

  • AI works differently; it is programmed to learn a task on its own.

• The Power of Patterns:

  • AI learns by looking at thousands of examples, such as pictures of cats.

  • It identifies patterns, like "pointy ears" or "furry tails," to understand what it is looking at.

• Trial and Error: Just like a baby making a mess while learning to eat, an AI makes mistakes at first and improves by figuring out what works and what doesn't.

• Fact-Checking is Essential: AI can create images that look real but aren't (like a hummingbird living in a tulip), so it is important to check facts with other sources.

• Human Intelligence is the Spark: AI was inspired by the way the human brain works. While AI is a powerful tool, it is not a replacement for a child's own brain learning by doing.

• Future Responsibility: Students are growing up in a world with AI and will help decide how to use it responsibly, especially regarding concerns like its use of energy and water.

Ready-made video resources:

🕵🏻‍♀️ AI Detective Activity

The AI Detective is a low-prep, 10–15 minute classroom activity designed to help young students understand that AI can create images that look real but are actually made-up.

🎮 Quiz Game

This interactive game, titled "What Can AI Do?", is a digital quiz created using Padlet Arcade to test students' comprehension of the Mystery Science video.

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