InnovateOhio has developed the “AI Toolkit: Guidance and Resources to Advance AI Readiness in Ohio’s Schools,” which aims to help educators, parents, and school leaders prepare students for a world shaped by artificial intelligence (AI). The toolkit offers practical guidance on integrating AI in education safely and responsibly. It provides a step-by-step framework for policy development, alongside resources for policymakers, teachers, and parents to foster AI literacy and address potential risks. While not a mandate, the toolkit serves as a trusted resource to ensure Ohio’s educational system can effectively harness AI technology, helping students thrive in the evolving technological landscape.
InnovateOhio is an initiative founded by Lt. Governor Jon Husted, whose vision for InnovateOhio is to “look at every state service through the eyes of customers – Ohio citizens and businesses – and create a culture of innovation in state government by using technology to improve people’s lives, transform services, and ultimately, save money for taxpayers.”
The toolkit is broken into seven parts which are described as follows:
Part 1: Policy Development for AI in Education – A Step-By-Step Approach. An overview of a five-step process for deriving concrete policies from aspirational values and objectives.
Part 2: Introduction to Resources for Policymakers, Teachers, and Parents. An introduction to the survey of resources provided in Parts 3 – 7 of the Toolkit.
Part 3: Resources for Policymakers – A Functional Overview. An overview of the resources policymakers may draw upon in executing the policy-development steps identified in Part 1.
Part 4: Resources for Teachers. An overview of resources available to teachers seeking to integrate AI in their classroom instruction and practices.
Part 5: Resources for Parents. An overview of resources available to parents seeking to partner with schools in ensuring that their children are well-equipped for an AI-enabled world.
Part 6: A Guide to Guidelines. An inventory of key guidelines for the responsible use of AI, covering their scope, intent, and significant contributions.
Part 7: Summary of Resources. A summary of the areas of focus for each of the guidelines discussed in the toolkit.
The toolkit can be located here.
What does this mean for your District? AI is moving quickly and becoming more and more relevant to career-technical education. This resource, among others, could be a source for harnessing the power of AI in the curriculum and staying on the cutting edge of developing technology.