Overview
In his TED Talk, How AI Could Save (Not Destroy) Education, Sal Khan gives us a little glimpse into the not-so-far-off future of artificially intelligent teaching and learning. Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, says, “I think we’re at the cusp of using AI for probably the biggest positive transformation that education has ever seen. And the way we’re going to do that is by giving every student on the planet an artificially intelligent but amazing personal tutor, and we’re going to give every teacher on the planet an amazing, artificially intelligent teaching assistant.”
Khanmigo, Khan Academy’s attempt at providing this transformational technology, has been released in beta and is open for teacher trial through Khan Labs for a $10 monthly donation (as of August 16, 2023). It is an excellent example of where artificial intelligence (AI) is heading in the area of teaching and learning. Khanmigo offers tools for both teachers and students through an intuitive interface.
User Experience
The dashboard contains:
- A link to the Khan Academy Library
- The Teacher Activities section
- The Student Activities section
Teacher Activities
Here are the options available to teachers through their Activities section on Khanmigo:
- Welcome
- Chat with GPT-4
- Class Snapshot
- Summarize Student Chat History
- Refresh My Knowledge
- Create a Lesson Hook
- Write Exit Ticket Questions
- Create a Humanities Lesson Plan
- Create a Fun Class Summary Poem
- Write Learning Objectives
- Co-Create a Rubric
Student Activities
The following opportunities are available through Khanmigo’s Student Activities section:
- Welcome
- Brainstorm an Admissions Essay
- Check for Problems in My Admissions Essay
- Tutor Me: Math and Science
- Tutor Me: Humanities
- Ignite Your Curiosity
- Practice My Knowledge
- Debate: Elementary School Topics and Beyond
- Debate: Middle School Topics and Beyond
- Debate: High School Topics and Beyond
- Chat With a Historical Figure
- Chat With a Literary Character
- Craft a Story
- Play: Word Architect
- Play: Word Safari
- Navigate College Admissions and Financial Aid
- Coach My Academic and Career Growth
Integration Ideas
Khanmigo allows teachers to assign specific units or lessons of study to students through Khan Academy, which can allow for differentiation of both content and pacing. Outside of assigned lessons, students can engage in the supportive technology more generally as a tutor or engagement partner. Teachers can use the integrated activities to access student data and help in lesson planning.
Khanmigo is an early example of how artificial intelligence may assist both students and teachers in the teaching and learning process. While similar tools are likely to be released by other companies in the future, Khanmigo appears to be an early innovator.
How can I learn more?
For more information about artificial intelligence, explore the following AVID Open Access article collection: AI in the K–12 Classroom.