Spencer Wagner, keynote speaker for Social Justice Week, arrived at Jesuit High School in hopes of educating students further about applying AI in the classroom and how it isn’t something to fear when used correctly.
Wagner is a computer science teacher from Regis Jesuit in Denver, Colorado. He teaches beginning programming one and two, AP computer science principles and AP computer science programming. He graduated from University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, a minor in computer science, and his master’s in teaching.
In his own classroom, rather than straying away from AI or making it a “banned” resource, he has been discovering ways to incorporate it into learning.
“AI has added a new layer of abstraction to computer science, specifically the programming realm,” Wagner said.
With developing AI technology, the programs have the ability to write code from a prompt and significantly shorten the process. It changes the ways people code and is commonly referred to as prompt grabbing.
“This has meant I’ve tried to reimagine how we teach programming,” Wagner said. “Prompt grabbing or engineering is not perfect and the kids have to learn and become better at it. I now give theme tests that are open AI where they can use any tool to solve the complex problems.”
Changing technology means changing classrooms, and Wagner has found ways to encourage his students to use AI in meaningful ways.
Wagner has initiated further conversations in his school as many have done to further discuss where AI has its drawbacks, especially in regards to fears with integrity and equity, but more than anything advantages.
“I think the drawback is the inequality and how this is shifting peoples education, but it also has an untold number of advantages for how deep you can now go in your learning,” Wagner said.
As far as his background in tech, Wagner is not the only one in his family to take an interest in budding technology. His father was a computer engineer and would introduce his family to the advanced and new technology growing up.
“It certainly put me on the cutting edge of all future tech,” Wagner said. “I was heavily involved in video games growing up and I still am, I coach our ESPORTS team at Regis.”
During his keynote speech, Wagner described the intersection of AI and gaming. Technology has been developed to beat some of the most advanced players and games, and has been developed ever thought possible in this decade.
AI technology has been growing at a rate faster than ever imagined possible. The future of AI according to Wagner is as a crucial tool to our society.
