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AI Literacy for Florida

AI literacy is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of modern education, providing the foundational skills that individuals need to thrive in an increasingly digital world. According to Digital Promise, AI literacy includes “the knowledge and skills that enable humans to critically understand, evaluate, and use AI systems and tools to safely and ethically participate in an increasingly digital world.” For K–12 schools, this means ensuring that every stakeholder—from students and teachers to administrators, parents, community members, and IT support—can effectively engage with AI. By prioritizing AI literacy, we uphold the community-focused values discussed throughout this document (such as ethical innovation, transparency, and equity) and prepare students for future workforce demands.

Learning and Growing Together: AI Activities for Your School

Fostering AI literacy goes beyond the classroom and requires active participation from the entire school community. Below are a few fun, hands-on ideas to bring students, families, and local partners together—strengthening everyone’s understanding of AI while building excitement for what’s possible.

1. Virtual AI Family and Friends Night:

Host an online event where parents/guardians and students collaborate on creative AI tasks (e.g., generating artwork or short stories). Offer breakout sessions to demonstrate easy-to-use AI tools.. This could be a great time to reach out to parents that may be graphic designers, artists, authors, and more and ask them to discuss their experiences, challenges, and concerns from a career perspective!

2. Student-Led AI Workshop:

Let’s take the lead of Duval County and empower a group of tech-savvy students to design a mini-conference teaching AI basics to peers, teachers, and parents. Topics could range from chatbot demonstrations to exploring AI’s ethical implications–giving students a voice and leadership experience.

3. Local Business AI Demo Day:

Invite local companies or startups that use AI to showcase real-world applications–anything from warehouse automation to medical diagnostics. Ask business representatives to explain the skills and knowledge students will need, highlighting the relevance of AI literacy to future careers.

4. AI Maker Fair:

transform a school gym or auditorium into an AI playground, where small student teams present interactive projects (e.g., robot demonstrations, AI-driven games). Encourage visitors–parents, teachers, community members–to explore each station and learn how AI underpins these fun inventions.

5. Demo a Classroom of the Future:

leveraging the FL K-12 AI Task Force Classroom of the Future resource, set up your own classroom of the future and invite students, parents/guardians, teachers, and community members to experience it!

Florida Spotlight

Check out these students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology designing their own AI games and expanding their knowledge beyond ChatGPT!

From AI Literacy to AI Fluency

Building a foundation of AI literacy is just the first step. The next level is AI fluency, where people don’t just understand and use AI responsibly–they use it creatively to solve problems, improve workflows, and spark innovation.

When students, teachers, and school leaders develop AI fluency, they can actively shape the way AI is used in education. Classrooms become creative hubs where AI support everyone from personalized learning to imaginative projects that push the boundaries of what is possible.

AI Literacy

  • Understanding how AI works, where it’s useful, and its potential risks.
  • Practicing responsible use, checking for bias or errors, and learning basic troubleshooting.

AI Fluency

  • Using AI as a true partner in learning and teaching.
  • Creating new ways to solve problems and innovate, rather than just following set instructions.

Moving Forward: Tailored Strategies for Each Group

As our Florida AI Task Force grows, we will offer practical recommendations for building AI literacy in each core group. These strategies support responsible AI integration in classrooms, foster informed leadership at the district level, empower families to navigate AI’s potential risks and benefits, and equip IT teams to maintain secure, efficient systems. Collectively, these efforts help ensure that AI becomes a tool for positive transformation —both in day-to-day learning and in shaping tomorrow’s educational and career opportunities. Stay tuned!

Resources

In the meantime, check out these incredible resources on AI Literacy and AI Fluency for K-12 Education!