Today’s technology is changing fast, and kids need to get ready for a future with artificial intelligence. In present days, this learning starts early, even in elementary school. At the University of South Florida (USF), teachers and researchers work together with school teachers from Pre-K to 12th grade to bring AI into classrooms in Tampa Bay and nearby areas in a careful and responsible way.
Dr. Zafer Unal, a professor at USF’s College of Education, is a key leader in this effort. Seeing that teachers needed help with new technology, he created ‘TeacherServer’, a free online site with over 1,000 AI tools just for teachers. Since it started in 2024, ‘TeacherServer’ has grown quickly and now helps almost 1.25 million teachers across the country. These tools help teachers with lesson plans, tests and making interesting presentations.
Many teachers use AI to help with everyday tasks, but they are careful about using it more in the classroom. According to the Unal, this is because teachers worry about data privacy and don’t have enough training. Also added, “We want to help by giving teachers the tools and support they need to use AI safely and confidently in their teaching.”
The project does more than that. USF’s Bellini College of AI and Computing is working with the College of Education to study these problems in new ways. Professors Ilene and Michael Berson are looking at the ethics of using AI with young kids. They say it’s very important to think about kids’ needs and feelings when making AI. Their goal is to make AI tools that help kids learn and keep them safe.
Their new study, published in the journal AI, Brain and Child, says we need worldwide rules that focus on being open, keeping data safe, and including everyone. It says teachers, parents, and kids should all help decide how AI is used in schools, making sure it matches kids’ ages and is done in a fair and safe way.
“Our goal is simple: every student should have the chance to learn digital skills and use AI in a smart and responsible way,” says Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, Interim Dean of the College of Education. “Teachers at USF are working hard on this because it’s important to get students ready for the future.”
In real life, this commitment shows through creative partnerships with local groups like the Tampa Housing Authority. Leah Burger, a PhD student, works with Dean Schneider to lead after-school programs for fourth and fifth graders. In these programs, students explore generative AI by studying video games and then using AI tools to create, write, and code their own games.
This activity is more than just fun, it helps students explore the real-life issues and ethics of AI. They use AI to come up with game names, create stories, make images, write dialogues, and do research. But as Burger points out, “They don’t just take what AI gives them. They think critically, learn to recognize false information, and improve the way they ask AI to get better answers.”
By teaching kids about AI in a thoughtful way early on, USF’s teachers are helping them succeed in the digital world and giving them the tools to build that future with responsibility, creativity, and smart thinking.
