A dear friend and mentor of mine left a back to school surprise on my doorstep last week. It was a new journal with a black cat on the front and an inscription which read "Be Curious." Unbeknownst to my friend, cats have been an ongoing summer conversation in my household. My children have been pitching the benefits of growing our family, propositioning my husband and I about the advantages of having a pet cat. While the jury is out on a four legged addition to our family, the serendipity of my friend's kind gesture has me thinking interestingly about cats alongside of the cultivation of AI curiosity.

Bear with me as I connect some curious dots between cats and generative AI. Last weekend I came across an article by Alan Walker of the BBC who wrote about the "purr-fect match between cats and new media." Captivated by the unstoppable images of a Chubby the Cat, I began a deeper dive into the oddities of what is currently deemed as internet hot and discovered that felines have been reigning the digital sphere for over two decades. In fact, cats have been crowned as the undisputed mascot of the internet. E.J. White's research and his Unified Theory of Cats on the Internet looks at life on line and how both traditional and contemporary media institutions have embraced cat culture. So why cats and why not dogs, or iguanas or even goldfish? According to Gideon Lewis-Kraus (2012) cats are "a symbol of pointless online sociability; so the reason that we needed a symbol of pointless online sociability is that its prevalence came as a surprise to all who had for so long heard about the coldness and impersonality of the computer." Lewis-Kraus traced the relationship between the popularity of online cats with the steady integration of social features into technology which have transformed computers from being seen as isolating devices into more friendly tools that facilitate and enhance social interaction.

From the 1970s to the early 1990s computers were best known for their utilitarian power of computing. This quickly changed as widespread access to personal devices, email communication, and social media gained speed in the 1990s. With the rise of the world wide web in the mid-1990s, socialization on the internet quickly became the medium for connecting as web-based communities emerged. This evolution of technologies social features transformed computers from being seen as isolating devices into tools that enhance and facilitate social interaction. Four concrete examples of this social shift in computer usage include the creation of:

(1) Social media and communication platforms - helping to connect families, friends through chat and image sharing features,

(2) Virtual meetings and video calls - allowing for quick face-to-face connections maintaining social connections when physical meetings are not possible,

(3) Online communities and forums - allowing people to connect over shared interests fostering a sense of community,

(4) Gaming and virtual worlds - providing platforms for collaboration, social interaction, and even forming friendships,

(5) AI and personal assistants - engaging in conversations, easing daily tasks, provide companionship, and making technology seems more personable.

Pausing to better understand the evolution of social technology helps position the urgency of delving into generative AI in education. Examining and exploring AI's teaching and learning implications as it swiftly gathers educational speed is now critical. Intentionally disrupting the pedantic debate of AI as an educational threat is also critical. Getting stuck in the weeds of AIs dangers and banning access to technological devices will not help our children and youth learn how to safely navigate the complex world around them. Instead we need to position curiousity and create guardrails for safe, guided discovery in our schools. While there is much we have yet to learn about AI as an educational tool, one thing we do know is that technological change does not wait for human consent. It morphs and advances at light speed requiring parents and educators to step out of stall and debate mode, and amp up their own learning. How we model and control the conditions for safe, modern learning in our classrooms and homes is an educational imperative.

Curiosity goes hand in hand with discovery. The late Sir Ken Robinson was adamant about the importance curiosity and creativity in education. His research and writings repeatedly highlighted the importance of the assets of curiousity and creativity in schools. His sage advice for educators to "keep curiousity alive and students will thrive" carries forward in the new landscape of generative AI in education. As I revisit Robinson's research, I realize that there is a strong correlation between curiosity and generative AI which invites educators to thoughtfully and joyfully explore its use, and inclusive opportunities, in today's classroom.

More recently in learning opportunities with Dean Shareski and Michael Stevenson, my thinking has been challenged as I consider curious new ways to modernize educational design. With the goalpost of human flourishing in today's classroom, I encourage educators to consider debunking the dialogue of technology's dangers and zoom into the importance of multi-modalities and multi-literacies in today's classroom to fully support the diverse individual needs of our students. I am learning that generative AI can be a turn key in modernizing instructional practices to ensure all means all in today's classroom. Generative AI can significantly contribute to creating more inclusive classrooms in four essential ways:

1. Accessibility: AI can reduce and potentially remove barriers for students providing alternative text for images, real time language translation, transcription for videos in turn opening up learning materials for students with learning differences or diverse linguistic backgrounds.
2. Diverse and Culturally Relevant Content: AI can assist with creating educational content that reflects the diverse backgrounds in today's classroom, assisting all students to see representation and to experience a connected sense of belonging.
3. Personalized Learning: AI can tailor educational content to meet the individual needs of students. One size does not fit all and AI has the potential to assist with differentiating instruction to ensure all students have access to learning.
4. Support for Teachers: AI has the potential to allow teachers more time to focus on what matters most, our students. By automating some administrative tasks, this gift of time could disrupt the challenges many classroom teachers are facing in turn creating more openings for human connection and modernizing instruction to support all students.

It would be remiss of me not acknowledge that children and youth need direct support to build the digital skills necessary to learn how to consume and navigate these digital platforms responsibly. We have to figure this out in our schools and we have to create the necessary guardrails for students to learn how to critically consume and apply generative AI in their learning. This has to be different than the wild west of social media's rapid rise in the early 2000s and its profound effects on youth. We know better now and we have to get this next technological iteration in education right. Without intentional supervision and education, generative AI has harmful points of impact including:

1. Exposure to Inappropriate Content: AI systems, especially those with internet access, can inadvertently expose young users to inappropriate or harmful content.
2. Privacy Concerns: Children might share personal information without understanding the risks, leading to privacy breaches or identity theft.
3. Misinformation: Without guidance, young users might not be able to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources, leading to the spread and belief in misinformation.
4. Cyberbullying: AI tools can be misused for cyberbullying, either by generating harmful content or by facilitating anonymous communication.
5. Addiction and Overuse: AI-driven apps and games can be highly engaging, potentially leading to excessive screen time and addiction.
6. Lack of Critical Thinking: Over-reliance on AI for answers can hinder the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
7. Bias and Discrimination: AI systems can perpetuate biases present in their training data, leading to discriminatory outcomes that children might not recognize or understand.
8. Emotional Impact: Interactions with AI that mimic human conversation can affect emotional development, especially if children form attachments to AI characters or rely on them for social interaction.

Researchers and innovative thought leaders like University of Regina's Alex Couros are pushing educators to reconsider the future of education and to teach students how to navigate AI. Critical media and digital literacy are essential life skills for today's student. Educators have a responsibility to ensure the guardrails are in place to help our youth navigate the digital resources at their fingertips. Our curiosity and ability to model safe exploration, and usage, of generative AI is essential in today's classroom. Creating a digital catwalk while reimagining new dynamic, interactive ways to teach digital literacy are some of the most exciting innovations to come in education today. It is go time as the new school year launches, may it be filled with curiosity and creation for educators and students alike.