Before I begin, I want to make sure that I credit this idea to Ethan Mollick. Ethan Mollick is the Ralph J. Roberts Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Rowan Fellow, and Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies the effects of artificial intelligence on work, entrepreneurship, and education. He did a LinkedIn Post about this idea, so I want to note that in this post.
We live in an era demanding constant navigation through a complex digital landscape, saturated with information, misinformation, and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence. As educators, particularly those of us focused on social studies and civic readiness, preparing students for this reality isn’t just important—it’s essential. But how do we move beyond theoretical frameworks to practical application in the classroom? Recently, I had an inspiring experience that highlights a promising pathway: collaborating with AI to transform academic concepts into engaging learning tools.
Many of you know my work focuses on the intersection of AI and education (as explored in my book AI Goes to School) and the critical, sometimes skeptical, lens we need to apply (AI Gets Schooled, which I am working on now!). Central to this is equipping students with the skills to think critically and act ethically online. I recently formalized some of these ideas in a paper outlining the C.O.R.E. (Critical Thinking, Openness, Respect, Engagement) and H.E.A.R.T. (Honesty, Empathy, Accountability, Responsibility, Thoughtfulness) frameworks for digital citizenship and media literacy.
While the paper lays out the theory and rationale, the real question is: how do we make these frameworks *stick* for students?
The AI Collaboration Spark
Out of curiosity, I decided to experiment. I took my paper outlining the C.O.R.E. & H.E.A.R.T. frameworks and presented it to a large language model (in this case, Google’s Gemini, though similar results are achievable with models like Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 or OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o). My prompt was simple: “Take this paper and make a working game to help teach its concepts.”
The result? In a remarkably short time, the AI generated a functional, scenario-based web game – the “Digital Navigator Challenge.” (You can imagine my excitement!) The game presents students with realistic online situations – encountering viral news, dealing with online disagreements, evaluating AI-generated content, navigating copyright – and asks them to apply the C.O.R.E. and H.E.A.R.T. principles to make a choice. Crucially, it provides immediate feedback explaining *why* a choice aligns (or doesn’t) with the frameworks.
From Theory to Tangible Tool: K-12 Applications
This simple experiment immediately opened up a vista of possibilities for K-12 education:
- Direct Instruction & Practice: Imagine using this game as an interactive element in a social studies lesson on media bias, an ELA unit on source evaluation, or an advisory session on digital drama. It provides immediate, engaging practice.
- Discussion & Deeper Thinking: Play scenarios as a class. Pause. Discuss. Debate the nuances. Why is “Empathy” the better first step than “Accountability” in *this* specific online argument?
- Student Creation: Empower students to become creators. Have them design new scenarios based on their own online experiences or current events, reinforcing their understanding of the frameworks.
- Cross-Curricular Power: Think beyond digital citizenship. Could AI help generate similar interactive scenarios for historical decision-making? Ethical dilemmas in science? Analyzing literary characters’ choices?
- Teacher Workflow: How much time would it take to code such a game from scratch? AI acts as a powerful co-developer, turning pedagogical ideas into usable resources much faster.
Why This Matters: Better Teaching, Deeper Learning
This isn’t just about a cool tech trick. It’s about enhancing pedagogy:
- Engagement: It meets students where they are, using a familiar, interactive format.
- Active Learning: It shifts students from passive recipients to active decision-makers.
- Safe Failure: It provides a space to practice navigating complex digital ethics without real-world harm.
- Making the Abstract Concrete: C.O.R.E. and H.E.A.R.T. become actionable, not just acronyms.
- Building Essential Skills: It directly cultivates the critical thinking and ethical reasoning needed for informed citizenship in a digital, AI-permeated world.
The Human-AI Partnership in Education
My own paper acknowledges using AI tools in the research and writing process. This experiment takes it a step further, showcasing AI as a partner in *resource development*. It allows educators like us – district leaders, curriculum writers, classroom teachers – to leverage these powerful tools to create bespoke learning experiences tailored to our specific frameworks, curriculum goals, and student needs.
This doesn’t remove the need for critical oversight (our “technoskepticism” remains vital!). We still need to evaluate the AI’s output, ensure pedagogical soundness, and guide the learning. But it significantly lowers the barrier to creating dynamic, interactive content.
A Call to Experiment
I share this experience not just as a neat anecdote, but as an invitation. How might you collaborate with AI to bring your own ideas, frameworks, or lesson plans to life in new ways? What complex concepts could become clearer through an interactive scenario?
Let’s continue exploring how we can thoughtfully and critically integrate these tools to foster deeper learning and prepare our students to be informed, ethical, and engaged digital citizens. The C.O.R.E. and H.E.A.R.T. of education remain human, but AI can be a powerful partner in bringing those values to life.
Here is the three games – play them and let me know what you think:
What are your thoughts? How have you used or considered using AI for creating learning resources? Share your ideas in the comments below!*
Read Ethan Mollick’s LinkedIn Post about this idea here.