Torrey Trust Delivers Speech on AI at Statewide Special Education Conference

Torrey Trust, professor of learning technology and coordinator of the Teacher Education and School Improvement program in the College of Education, recently delivered a featured speech on artificial intelligence at the Administrators of Special Education (ASE) Statewide Special Education Conference.

Trust's speech, "Leadership in the New Era of Al - How to Stay Up to Date and Informed on GenAl Technologies," which was presented Oct. 31 on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, provided conference attendees with strategies and tips for using GenAl as a leader and guiding staff in the effective and ethical uses of GenAl.

Trust noted that GenAl tools have been touted for their time-saving capabilities, with ChatGPT providing administrators the ability to write a staff or student evaluation, email, or letter of recommendation in a matter of seconds...but she questioned whether it should be used for such purposes. Her presentation highlighted the latest updates and changes in GenAl technologies that educational administrators and leaders need to know and explored the ethical and practical uses of GenAl tools for leadership.

A leader in research on AI's use in the classroom, Trust and her College of Education colleague Robert Maloy also recently co-published an article in The Conversation about the shortfalls of AI-generated lesson plans in inspiring students and promoting critical thinking.