Summary
Are you worried your students will use ChatGPT to write their college-entrance essay? At the same time, do you worry that if they don’t learn to embrace emerging AI technologies that they will not be prepared for the future? As AI becomes increasingly prevalent, it is essential to prepare ourselves and our students to learn how to use AI ethically while also being able to discern the credibility of sources. This session combines hands-on activities and discussions to examine the impact of AI-generated content and its ability to blur the lines between reality and fabrication. It highlights the need for an updated approach to digital literacy in an unpredictable future shaped by the rise of AI. Participants will explore strategies to identify AI-generated content, verify the credibility of digital sources, and foster ethical awareness.
Essential Question
How does AI change our definition of digital literacy?
Learning Objectives
Determine an appropriate strategy to identify AI-generated content.
Analyze the credibility of platforms, creators, and especially the content they distribute.
Cultivate ethical consumption and creation of content.
Snapshot
Engage
Participants take a short quiz to determine if they can “Spot the Bot.”
Explore
Participants are introduced to the parallels of AI and the "suspension of disbelief," then challenge prior assumptions.
Explain
Participants determine whether an article was written by a bot using Fist to Five.
Extend 1 (optional)
Participants test their digital literacy by playing Spot the Bot.
Extend 2
Participants will determine a good example of prompt writing then use the AI Prompt Writing strategy to practice.
Evaluate
Participants will reflect on what they learned with Two Stars and a Wish.
Materials List
Presenter slides (attached)
Notecatcher handout (attached; one per person; optional)
CONTEXT handout (attached; one per person; optional)
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Presenter Slides to facilitate this session. Start the session by displaying slide 2 and encourage participants to follow the link and play “spot the bot” as the session gets started.
After everyone has been seated, give participants 2-3 minutes to play “spot the bot.” Ask for volunteers to share their experience.
Introduce the session and yourself using slides 3-5 reviewing the essential question and learning objectives in as much detail as needed.
Explore
15 Minute(s)
Move to slide 6 and introduce the concept of “suspension of disbelief” and how in film and theatre it’s where audiences knowingly accept the illusion on stage or screen. We walk into a theatre understanding that what we see is not real, but a carefully crafted performance.
Transition to slide 7 and explain how the concept “suspension of disbelief” relates to AI. With AI, the performance is more convincing. It mimics the tone, authority, and interface of platforms we’ve learned to trust—like Google or research databases—making it harder to tell what’s real and what’s just well-scripted. That’s why it’s so important that we begin to scrutinize AI not as a neutral tool, but as a performer—one that’s acting out a role within the stage of our digital lives.
Display slide 8 and ask participants, “Where have you seen AI used as more than a tool?” If no one has an answer right away, tell them to think about this question as we look at examples of AI being used with emotional manipulation in mind.
Move through slides 9-10 giving participants time to examine and share reactions. Consider giving background context for each example. After participants have shared their reactions, explain that these two images are intended to evoke an emotional response because it lets your guard down. This is why we ask the question, is there a need for AI literacy?
Answer that question by moving to slide 11. One of the reasons there is likely a need for AI Literacy is because it has fundamentally changed the way people use the internet. Ask the participants to share how they have seen AI used as more than a simple tool. Offer the example of how AI is being used to replace human relationships and act as therapists.
Explain
20 Minute(s)
Move to slide 12 and explain how AI acts as an actor, then transition to slide 13 and dig deeper into the science behind AI that helps it pull off its acts.
If time permits, unhide slide 14 and review “dead internet theory” and “slop.”
Display slide 15 and introduce participants to the strategy Fist to Five. Explain that we will be looking at two different articles and they are to indicate how confident they feel about whether the article was written by AI or a human. Move to slide 16 and give participants time to access the article and skim over it. After about five minutes ask participants to indicate with their hands, a fist for zero confidence to five fingers for very confident, that AI wrote the article. Ask for volunteers to share-out their reasoning. Repeat this process for slide 17. Afterwards, explain that even we can’t tell if AI wrote the articles.
Display slide 18. Use participant responses to review what digital literacy skills participants should keep in mind when engaging with known AI content or anything suspicious. Move to slide 19 to introduce new strategies they need to become AI literate. Consider pausing to review patterns briefly that indicate if the content is AI-generated (e.g. formatting, like em dashes and bullets, cliches or overused phrases, absence of personal experience, and factual errors).
Extend 1 (optional)
20 Minute(s)
If time allows, display slide 20 and have participants play another version of “spot the bot.” This resource explains how to tell if an image was AI generated. The bottom of the webpage also provides additional helpful resources in boosting one’s digital literacy.
Extend 2
20 Minute(s)
Transition through slides 21-22 and explain that one way to best leverage AI is to better understand prompt writing. Review how to write with CONTEXT.
Move to slide 23 and introduce the Example & Non-Example strategy. Explain that there are two versions of a prompt and participants should use the CONTEXT graphic to help decide which prompt is better. Once everyone has decided that the example on the left is the better prompt, move to slide 24 and give time for participants to identify parts of CONTEXT in the prompt. Ask for volunteers to share their ideas. After participants have shared, move to slide 25 and reveal the answers. Ask participants to share their reactions and/or ask questions.
Move to slide 26 and invite participants to try the AI Prompt Writing strategy for themselves using the instructions provided or with their own example. After about 5-10 minutes, ask for participants to share their experiences.
Evaluate
5 Minute(s)
Display slide 27 and introduce participants to the strategy Two Stars and a Wish. Provide scratch paper or sticky notes for participants to write on. Consider asking a few participants to share their feedback.
When everyone has finished giving feedback, move to slide 28 and encourage participants to access more K20 tools using our LEARN website. Then, transition to slide 29 and highlight all of our AI Collections that they can find on the website.
Research Rationale
As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes the global workforce and everyday life, equipping educators and students with AI literacy has become critical. According to the aiEDU AI Readiness Framework (2024), AI is now an “inescapable part of our world, our economy, and our K–12 education system.” Educators are uniquely positioned to model the thoughtful use of AI tools and integrate AI literacy skills into instruction in ways that promote critical thinking, ethical engagement, and responsible decision-making.
The aiEDU framework organizes competencies around three key domains for both students and educators: Know and Model the Basics, Foster and Model Critical Thinking, and Know the Teacher Advantage. These domains align with global AI literacy frameworks and are supported by a growing body of peer-reviewed research.
For example, Long & Magerko (2020) define AI literacy as a combination of competencies including understanding how AI works, evaluating its outputs, and reflecting on its ethical and social implications. Their work emphasizes that AI literacy is not simply about technical knowledge, but also about preparing learners to navigate an AI-powered world with agency and discernment.
Similarly, Mills et al. (2024) highlight three essential dimensions of AI literacy for K–12 settings: understanding what AI is, evaluating its outputs, and using it responsibly. They call for instructional models that are iterative, student-centered, and grounded in real-world applications—an approach echoed in the interactive and scenario-based strategies featured in this PD session.
Teacher-focused studies such as Lin & Brummelen (2021) stress the importance of engaging educators in co-designing AI-infused curricula and building their own confidence in evaluating AI tools. This reinforces the importance of professional development that not only introduces AI concepts but also models instructional strategies for the classroom.
By providing opportunities for educators to create and refine prompts, evaluate AI-generated outputs using structured tools, and reflect on their readiness to teach AI competencies, this session supports the development of both educator fluency and student-facing instructional planning. It aligns with national recommendations from ISTE, Digital Promise, and UNESCO, all of which advocate for scaffolded, ethical, and interdisciplinary approaches to AI integration in schools.
In sum, this professional development is built on a well-established research foundation that recognizes the need for educators to be critical users, instructional designers, and ethical models in the age of artificial intelligence.
Resources
aiEDU. (2024). AI readiness framework: What district leaders need to know. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63ebe79f606efb032dd05a5b/t/66f32d390307213ae4d203db/1727212857655/ai_readiness_framework_district_leaders.pdf
K20 Center. (n.d.). AI Prompt Writing. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/5080
K20 Center. (n.d.). Examples and non-examples. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/163
K20 Center. (n.d.). Fist to five. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/68
K20 Center. (n.d.). Mentimeter. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/645
K20 Center. (n.d.). Slido. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/4985
K20 Center. (n.d.). Two stars and a wish. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/83
K20 Center. (n.d.). Wayground. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2444
Lin, P., & Brummelen, J. (2021, May 7). Engaging teachers to co-design integrated AI curriculum for K–12 classrooms. CHI '21: Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445377
Long, D., & Magerko, B. (2020, April 23). What is AI literacy? Competencies and Design Considerations. CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376727
Mills, K., et al. (2024). AI literacy: A framework to understand, evaluate, and use emerging technologies. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/218