Evolution, Not Revolution: The AI Literacy Framework Empowering Primary and Secondary Learners

In this episode, we explore the groundbreaking "Empowering Learners for the Age of AI: An AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education" with Veronica Ellis, a molecular biologist turned educator at TeachAI. Veronica shares her journey from studying bacteria to developing global AI curriculum, sparked by her experience teaching during the COVID pandemic when technology inequities became starkly apparent. We dive deep into the collaborative framework created by the European Commission, OECD, and Code.org, which structures AI literacy around four key domains: engaging, creating, managing, and designing with AI. Discover how the framework will be integrated into PISA 2029 assessments, making AI literacy a global educational priority, and learn about practical classroom applications. As Guest reminds us, "it's not a revolution, it's an evolution"—building on essential skills we've been teaching for years, just refocused for an AI-integrated world.

Veronica Ellis is a content developer and researcher at TeachAI, where she brings her unique background in molecular biology and environmental science to the challenge of integrating artificial intelligence into K-12 curriculum globally. A former 6th grade science teacher in Chicago Public Schools, Ellis' passion for AI education was sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic when she witnessed firsthand the technology inequities facing her students during the shift to remote learning. Growing up in Los Angeles surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Mountains, her lifelong love of exploration led her to conduct research everywhere from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. As an employee of Code.org working within the TeachAI initiative—a collaboration between Code.org, Khan Academy, ISTE, ETS, and the World Economic Forum—Ellis co-developed the groundbreaking "Empowering Learners for the Age of AI: An AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education" in partnership with the European Commission and OECD, which will be integrated into PISA 2029 assessments to establish global standards for AI literacy education.

You can find Veronica on LinkedIn

Other Resources:

-AI Literacy Framework

-Code.org AI Literacy Resources

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