Introduction

Artificial intelligence shows up in educators' lives in lots of ways, from confident-sounding answers to unclear explanations, to that feeling of "I need to decide right now." In the TeachAI Literacy Framework, the first domain, Engaging with AI, begins with building an accurate mental model to recognize when AI is present and make informed choices about how to use its outputs.

In this module, teachers, instructional coaches, and school administrators practice describing AI as a tool that detects patterns and generates outputs, not as a person that understands, cares, or decides. You explore how the words we use can quietly shift trust and responsibility, and why educator judgment still sits in the driver's seat. By connecting conceptual clarity to everyday school decisions, you're ready to explain AI use with confidence, care, and a healthy dose of "let's verify that."

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this module, you'll be able to:

• Explain what AI can and can't do using clear, tool-focused language that avoids treating AI like a person.
• Analyze the difference between AI-generated outputs and human judgment in common educator scenarios.
• Categorize tasks into three buckets: appropriate for AI support, appropriate with human oversight, or not appropriate for AI use.
• Plan integrity norms, including verification, privacy, and transparency, when AI is involved in educator work.
• Design simple explanations of AI use that keep responsibility visible for students, colleagues, and families.