Transcript

 

00:00:05.140 Intro: Hello, welcome to Digital Faculty Lounge, presented by the A-Team Creative Partners. I'm Melissa Longoria-Goonan (MLG)

 

00:00:15.420 I'm Jene’ Gill (JG)

 

00:00:17.840 -- I'm Marie Lockett (ML)

 

00:00:20.760 MLG: And today, we're exploring how AI is revolutionizing how students learn and connect.

 

Part 1

00:00:31.130 MLG: The Canvas Challenge.

 

00:00:33.120 MLG: Picture this. It's 9pm on a Sunday. Maria, a nursing student and single mom, is trying to submit her anatomy lab report.

 

00:00:43.040 --> 00:00:45.839

MLG: She's clicked through Canvas for 20 minutes. She can't find the right submission box. The assignment is due at midnight. Sound familiar? For many community college students, Canvas isn't just a learning platform, it's a barrier. Unlike traditional college students who grew up with technology, our students often come from diverse backgrounds with varying tech skills.

But here's where AI becomes a game changer. Your 24-7 Canvas tutor.

 

Imagine if Maria could just say, hey, AI, show me how to submit my lab report in Canvas, and get step-by-step guidance. That's not science fiction. That's happening now. AI-powered Canvas assistants provide interactive tutorials that adapt to each student's pace. Whether you're tech-savvy or touching a computer for the first time, AI meets where you are. There's also real-time problem solving.

 

Stuck on a quiz that won't submit? AI can watch your screen, identify the issue, and guide you through the solution. No more waiting for Monday morning IT support.

 

And three, voice-activated health. Students can literally walk their way through Canvas while keeping their hands free for notetaking or childcare. Beyond basic navigation, but AI doesn't just help students find Canvas buttons, it teaches strategic platform use. For example, AI can show students how to set up mobile notifications, so they never miss announcements.

 

Use Canvas's offline reading feature for students with limited internet. And navigate the gradebook to track progress and identify areas needing improvement. The AI learns each student's patterns. If you always struggle with discussion board formatting, it proactively offers tips before your next post.

 

00:03:02.370 --MLG: Breaking down barriers. This isn't about just convenience, it's about equity. Community college students often work multiple jobs, care for family members, or return to school after years away. They need education technology that works around their lives, not against them.

AI can provide 24-7 availability for students studying at midnight after work. Multi-language support for our diverse student population and personalized pacing that doesn't shame students who need more time.

 

00:03:40.000 -- MLG: When students can confidently navigate Canvas, they can focus on learning course content, instead of fighting the platform. Real-world impact.

 

00:03:52.490 -- MLG: Let's return to Maria. With AI assistance, she submits her lab report in 5 minutes, instead of struggling for hours. But more importantly, she's learning transferable digital skills that will help her in nursing school and her career. AI doesn't replace human support, it amplifies it.

 

00:04:15.110 MLG: When students arrive at office hours, having already mastered basic Canvas navigation through AI, instructors can focus on deeper learning conversations. As community college educators, we know our students face unique challenges. AI-powered Canvas support isn't about replacing the human connection, it's about removing it. Removing technical barriers so authentic learning can happen. The future of community college success might just be an AI assistant away. -- MLG: And that concludes my presentation.

 

Part 2

00:04:59.680 – Marie Lockett (ML): This is Marie with Teaching the Tools, a campus platform for sharing digital tools. Have you ever had that moment when you realized your colleague, two doors down, is using the exact tool that you spent three weekends trying to figure out, and they've been using it. For a year. Yeah, we've all been there. Reinventing the wheel, except ours is square and theirs is neon LED lights. That's the problem we set out to solve. On our own campus, faculty are drowning in digital tools. But no one is sharing what it actually looks like and how it works. Every semester, it felt like each instructor was building their own secret bunker of tech hacks. Hidden, isolated, and occasionally booby-trapped with broken links. So we've asked a simple question, what if we had one place to share everything? The result was TechShare, a campus-wide platform for faculty to upload, rate, review, and explain their favorite digital tools. Think of it as Yelp. But for educators, with much less rage.

 

00:06:13.180 -- ML: Almost immediately, the platform turned into a goldmine of ideas. Professors shared AI-powered grading assistance, tools for real-time student feedback, and even digital sketch pads that turned our fine arts department into a tech wonderworld.

 

00:06:31.180 --ML: Now, I'll be honest, the early days were messy. Someone uploaded a catme generator, and it… a student… and called it a student strategy. But once the clutter cleared, the real collaboration began. Faculty from different departments started discovering each other's tools, borrowing ideas, and improving their teaching in ways none of us expected.

 

00:06:56.660 --ML: Our target audience was straightforward. Community college faculty, especially those balancing heavy workloads, part-time roles, and limited time for professional development. So we made accessibility our top priority. No jargon, no login walls, no academic gatekeeping. Just a living, breathing library of what works. Explained in English, sometimes even with emojis. And the best part? It worked. We saw a 300% increase in tool adoption across departments. One ceramics instructor used a 3D modeling app they found on the platform to completely re-image their curriculum.

 

00:07:39.540 --ML: Another told us the platform saved them 10 hours of prep time, and possibly their marriage. High praise, low risk. Now, the concept itself, complicated? Not really. Sharing tools is simple, but the real challenge is the behavior shift, getting educators to open up, share what they knew, and to try something new. That meant breaking down walls.

 

00:08:08.720 --ML: That meant stripping away the fear of knowing, of not knowing enough. That meant making the platform so easy to use that even the most tech-resistant professor could jump in without hesitation. No technical terms, no long theories, just practical tools, short descriptions, and yes, plenty of GIFs. So, what did we learn? That innovation isn't about inventing the next big thing. Sometimes, it's about giving people the space to nudge, to share what they already know. TechShare didn't just give our campus new tools, it gave us new conversations, it gave us new collaborations, it gave us a much-needed reminder that teaching is always better when it's done together.

 

00:08:59.460 --ML: And so, if you're still hoarding your favorite Google Forms, Docs. Templates, like it's your grandmother's secret lasagna recipe? Stop it! Go ahead and just share it. Someone out there is struggling, and you might just have saved their weekend. Let's not reinvent the wheel, or the non-led version, either. Let's share what works. Let's learn from each other. Let's reboot teaching together. Because at the end of the day, it comes down to 3 simple keys. Control.

 

00:09:35.160 --ML: I’m Marie Lockett and that concludes my part.

 

Part 3

00:09:41.750 Jene’ Gill (JG): Creative Partners, How AI is revolutionizing theater Arts Education. This is Jene’. So, picture this. It's opening night at Roosevelt Middle School. The lights are dim, the curtain rises, and something extraordinary is happening on stage. The student actors are performing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but the set design behind them is shifting in real time, responding to the emotional tone of their performance. The costume designs were co-created by 8th graders working alongside artificial intelligence. And the script analysis that helped these young actors understand their characters? Yeah, that came from a collaborative dialogue between students, the teacher, and ChatGPT. This isn't science fiction, it's happening right now in classrooms across America. Welcome to Creative Partners, where we explore how AI is transforming theater arts education. After over 19 years in theater education, one middle school teacher faced a problem that would sound familiar to educators everywhere.

 

00:10:51.610 --JG: Her students were struggling with what she called the same creative barriers, blank page syndrome, during script writing, limited visualization skills. For set design, and most critically, hesitation to take artistic risk. But this teacher wondered something revolutionary. What if AI could serve as a creative partner rather than a replacement for human artistry? According to the National Federation of High School Association, AI integration in theater programs can provide enhanced creative processes while helping students develop critical evaluation skills. Yet many educators remain uncertain about how to implement these tools effectively. Despite AI and education being researched for about 30 years, it's still unclear for educators how to make the advantage of it in a broader scale, and how it can actually impact meaningful on teaching and learning.

 

00:11:56.100 --JG: The question isn't whether AI belongs in creative education, it's how we can integrate it thoughtfully to enhance rather than replace human creativity. So the solution. Let's try a cognitive approach. The breakthrough came through rethinking how we teach theater entirely. Instead of focusing on isolated components -  directing, design. This innovative approach centers on what cognitive science Roger Schenck calls the fundamental processes underlying all learning, prediction, experimentation, evaluation, and collaborative problem solving.

 

00:12:38.240 --JG: Okay, so here's how it works in practice. When 7th grade students use ChatGPT to analyze Romeo and Juliet. They didn't just accept the AI's responses. Instead, they used those insights as launching points for deeper human discussions. They questioned

debated, and refined their understanding through collaborative dialogue. The key framework driving this transformation is COVA, Choice, ownership, Voice, and authentic learning. Students chose which AI tools to explore for creative projects. Take ownership of their artistic vision while using AI as a brainstorming partner, develop their unique voice through reflection on AI-generated content, and engage in authentic creative work that culminates in live performances.

 

00:13:27.170 --JG: As Stanford professor Michael Raw explains, I want to find the intersection where the human is still making the art, and the AI is either enhancing it or adding an interesting new aspect to the performance.

 

00:13:42.090 --JG: Some real-world success stories. Let me share Maria's story. This 8th grader used Dale Ease to generate initial costume designs for her school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. But here's what's remarkable. She didn't simply use AI's output. Instead, she critiqued it, identifying why certain design elements would work for their specific staging needs, then sketched her own variations that solve practical problems the AI couldn't anticipate. This exemplifies what researchers found in their 3-year action research study. AI supports creativity through multiple modalities, but effective integration requires carefully calibrated approaches that amplify rather than replace human creative potential. The quantitative results were impressive. Student engagement scores on creativity assessments increased significantly. But more importantly, classroom observations revealed deeper, collaborative discussions and increased willingness to take creative risks. Recent research from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte explored using AI as a directorial tool, developing an artificially intelligent director. System to spatially Position characters in virtual theater environments.

 

What might that implementation framework look like? So how can schools implement this successfully? The research reveals a clear 3-year roadmap.Year one, foundation building. That's professional development for educators in AI roles and arts education. That's introduction to basic AI tools like ChatGPT for script analysis. Experimentation with AI-assisted set and costume design tools. Focusing on building digital literacy alongside creative skills.

 

00:15:31.960 --JG: Year two, expansion and integration. AI-assisted collaborative projects where students work alongside AI. Introduction in real-time AI Tools and Performance Feedback. Exploration with VR and AR integration for staging and design visualization.

 

00:15:48.160 --JG: Year 3, refinement and innovation. Full-scale AI-assisted theater productions from script to performance. Advanced AI applications for live performances. Development of partnerships with technology innovators. Creative and comprehensive curriculum models for, future scaling. This shows AI integration with creative disciplines is not just a passing trend, but signals the onset of new era in technology, empowerment, and creative education.

What challenges are ethical considerations? Of course, this transformation isn't without challenges. Some students initially over-relied on AI-generated content, requiring explicit instruction and critical evaluation and ethical use.

 

00:16:35.830 --JG: Others worried AI might diminish their own creativity. Recent studies advocate for a careful approach to integrating AI into creative education, noting that while AI has the potential to significantly support creative thinking, there also may be negative impacts of creative, confidence. The key ethical considerations include maintaining student agency and authentic artistic expression, and addressing privacy and data security concerns, ensuring equitable access to AI tools across different school resources. As Stanford's research demonstrates, it's possible to preserve a particular style of method of performance, and it's also possible to try new ways of making a performance. The future of education lies not in choosing between human and artificial intelligence. But in thoughtfully integrating both to enhance cognitive processes that define meaningful learning.

 

00:17:32.590 --JG: When we watch students incorporate AI-generated script analysis into their character development, while maintaining the authentic emotional connections that make live theater powerful, we see potential for new era and creative education. So imagine, if every middle school student could collaborate with AI to bring Shakespeare to life. Design innovative stage sets, and develop deeper character insights, all while maintaining their unique creative voice.

 

00:18:03.550 -- JG: Our research reveals how a cognitive-based approach to AI integration in theater arts education increased student engagement, enhanced creativity, and prepared students for the digital future without sacrificing the human heart of theatrical performance.

This isn't about replacing teachers or diminishing creativity, it's about amplifying human potential through thoughtful technology partnerships ready to transform your theater program. Thank you.

 

Part 4

00:18:39.180 MLG: Very good. Thank you, Jene’ and Marie.

 

00:18:42.250 -- MLG: Wow, so lots to discuss here. First off, I think we all, of course, I think we all have some really great ideas. But… Have you… How do you think your campuses will take to this? Do you feel that there may be any pushback?

 

00:19:12.  because our… at my particular school, the fine arts educators there, they are older, so it would be more like the buy-in to try to figure out why do I need to do this, and if they really want to connect with what's going on now.

 

00:19:39.130 --MLG: Yeah, that's, I understand what you're saying, because I think it, where I work at. A lot of it is… they perceive it as either, one, making it too easy for the students.

Or to, the students are not gonna learn. Instead of maybe seeing it as a way that

 you know, technology is, is, is there. Might as well… we need to start… Modeling how to use it for our students. So that they can then… Go forward with it.

 

00:20:19.940 --> 00:20:21.719

ML: Right, it's really… the buy-in, right? What are those things? It's almost like, when you think about educators that are fixed on the way they've done things and the way that they do things, it reminds me of students who, don't know why they're in this class. They don't know why this is important. They don't know why this is relevant, right? It's about… Making this…relevant to them. You know, them trying to get the buy-in, them trying to be convinced why this is important, and instrumental right now. You know?

 

00:20:59.290 -- Ms.  Jene’: Yeah, absolutely.

 

00:21:03.330 --ML: Another question is, what are the risks of relying on the peer shared digital tools versus vetted institution-approved platforms?

 

00:21:17.760 -- MLG: Oh, wow, that's a good question. Well, you know, I… I always think, you know.  AI is as good as the information that is.

 

00:21:28.560 --ML: Mmm.

 

00:21:29.160 --MLG: Uploaded to it, or that what is.

 

00:21:30.700 -- ML: Absolutely.

 

00:21:31.480 --MLG: with it. So, as… I think as long as we're,… on top of what is… is…

especially, like, for in the instance of…folks at Del Mar College utilizing Canvas AI, we would have to… to build it, ourselves, I guess you could say, so that we can, can manage it within the college, so I guess it'll be as strong as the information that is, that it's built with.

 

00:22:09.450 -- ML: Right.

 

00:22:11.990 --JG Absolutely.

 

00:22:16.940 --ML: I know it says, the risk, relying on peer-shared digital tools versus

the institution approved, but they should be institi… I could talk… institution-approved platform. They're never going to be platforms that they have not approved, but definitely the risk, I guess, was saying just… if you're using things that are shared on all platforms, just making sure that there's enough, I forgot the word that you used, but making sure that it's… it's able to be shared on many platforms, many campuses, right? Because if it's shared every single place, then we have things in place that allow us all to not get backed up when we're all using the same thing, right? To me, that would be a risk of we all using the same types of platforms, or platforms that are being shared across, all campuses.

 

00:23:19.170 --MLG: there has to be, vetted, right? So that the… to ensure that the content is, is good, and that it meets a standard.

 

00:23:32.280 --ML: You're right, right.

 

00:23:33.730 --Ms.  Jene’: Yeah.

 

00:23:34.340 --MLG: Right, yeah. You know, I'm curious, Jene’, in students utilizing AI, do you… can you tell a difference when they're using AI in theater arts?

 

00:23:51.780 --JG: So, we haven't…

 

00:23:53.650 --MLG: Do they seem…

 

00:23:54.410 --JG: Implemented it, yeah, it hasn't been implemented, yet to that of… to that extent for me to see. the results of it. This is, basically a… a plan to… to get it implemented. Like, for us, we have… we'll use, like, digital platforms. So, when the kids are using digital platforms, yes, they are extremely excited, they like all of the different options of what they can add and what they can take away from, you know, the creativity of the project. And I just have to constantly just remind them that this is not gonna take away from your creative process, like, this is just to add a little sparkle or a little razzle-dazzle.

 

00:24:42.710 --ML: Wait, so are you saying that…

 

00:24:44.030 --MLG: Razzle dazzle.

 

00:24:44.800 --ML: Kit, your students don't use AI at all, right? Is that what I'm hearing you say in your classes, Jene’?

 

00:24:51.660 --JG: Why use? No, not necessarily, not yet.

 

00:24:57.850 --ML: I know when our students go to Google, the first thing that responds is the AI overview. So it's like, even though I'm not asking for them to use a separate platform of AI nowadays, when you use the browser of Google, and you search a question, the first response is AI.

 

00:25:17.350 -- JG: I got you. Yeah, well, we don't really have to go on Google that often.

 

00:25:23.470 -- ML: Oh, okay, so y'all don't get on the internet much.

 

00:25:25.920 --> JG: No, not unless they're researching, like, if they're researching a project, or, like, because, like, this past week, we were researching, celebrities, you know, artists, art…

and directors and stuff like that, so yeah, they probably did use it then. But when we're doing scripts, script writing and stuff, I haven't had them, search anything on Google. It's all just coming from their own creative.

 

00:25:51.540 --ML: deposits. Interesting.

 

00:25:54.360 --JG: Yeah.

 

00:25:54.860 --ML: Okay, okay.

 

00:25:57.960 -- MLG: That is, that is fair.

 

00:25:58.970 -- JG: And that's why I said this generation of children… They're not as creative as we were back in the day.

 

00:26:06.720 --JG: It's very hard for them to come up with stuff off the top of their head. They can't come up with topics, they can't come up with…A lot of creative ideas.

 

00:26:16.290 --> 00:26:18.560

ML: Got you, got you in teaching traditional artistic skills, like, maybe drawing, painting, ceramics, like, how can AI reshape… how can teaching. With AI, look different.

 

00:26:45.090 --> 00:26:50.559

JG: I mean, it'll probably be more like how you have a co-teacher in the classroom with you.

It's, you know, the work is kind of… it could possibly be split, you know? It takes… maybe take a little bit of pressure off of the classroom teacher because, AI will be able to help come up with more, out-of-the-box ideas, probably, I would think. More creative ideas, as well as, you know, just give… And it's definitely like an assistant, I would think.

 

00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:38.800

MLG: Right, it is. I met with a student last week who, is a creative arts student, she's an artist, and she does graphic art, and one of the things, she was interviewing me, actually, for an English assignment about AI, but I asked her, how do you… do you use AI in drawing? And she said that she gets

 

00:27:50.820 --> MLG: She uses AI in drawing when she's creating her characters, because AI will give it a backstory for her. And from that backstory, then it kind of, like, gets her creative thoughts going in how she is drawing and, coming up, I guess. She likes graphic horror, for example, and so to come up with her characters, and I just thought that was… that was fascinating, because, you know, I guess I was just thinking of it in terms of. How it helps students in more of an educational setting, but she was using it in an educational setting, but for her, you know, to help with that creative… get that creative thought processing going. And I just thought, wow, that is… that is so cool.

 

00:28:45.160 --JG: Yeah, that would be.

 

00:28:48.350 -- MLG: They know the way that, people find ways to use it.

 

00:28:54.220 --JG: Yeah.

 

00:28:57.090 --MLG: That is.

 

00:28:58.940 -- ML: Yeah, and I guess, that question is interesting, because it's like, maybe we're only thinking about… we only think about it, when we start thinking about, technical skills, but when we start thinking about artistic and creative. We don't think that AI should be in here, or we don't see the need for it. Maybe it's…

 

we're saying that, you know, if it's in these platforms where the creativity must flow, it must stop it, or, you know, it's not really true, but like you said, that's such a great explanation, Melissa, that it gave her the backstory to even help her draw what she was going to draw.

You know, and that's another great example of how AI fits into those artistic spaces where kids

 

00:29:43.060 --> 00:30:06.569

ML: or painting, you know what I mean? Where they are dealing with their hands, or they're not doing traditional classroom courses, like math, reading, language, you know what I mean? How will it fit? Because I think that's really the challenge, is how is it going to fit for me, right? How is it going to fit in fine arts? How does it fit in band? How does it fit in athletics? You know what I mean? We're only thinking about. That's the challenge of AI in general, because people only think of it one way. It's… it's boxed in. We're not thinking out of the box, right? We're only thinking about in the box, and…

It can only be in these spaces, but the challenge is trying to implement it in all the classes, in all of the different courses that are presented to students, you know?

 

00:30:30.530 --JG: Yes, absolutely.

 

00:30:34.580 --MLG: There's, so much, it can just, you know, it goes on and on. The possibilities are endless. And, Yeah, I think we could talk about this, for another podcast.

 

00:30:50.490 -- MLG: Because there is just so much information out there. But, you know, for this segment, I think we've covered our bases. Thank you for listening to Digital Faculty Lounge, presented by the A-Team Creative Partners. I'm Melissa.

 

00:31:08.840 --ML: I’m Marie

 

00:31:11.400 --> JG: And I'm Jene’.

 

00:31:14.090 --MLG: And until next time, keep pushing the boundaries of digital learning.

END