How do we prepare children to thrive in a world where artificial intelligence is everywhere?
That’s the question behind our first Five-Minute CPD Drop, created in collaboration between the Good Future Foundation and STEM Learning. In the video below, Alex - a teacher, senior leader, and EdTech consultant explores what it really means to be a responsible digital citizen in today’s classrooms.
What do we mean by digital citizenship?
At its simplest, a digital citizen is anyone who takes part in online life – whether that’s gaming, streaming music, watching videos, or chatting with friends. But being a responsible digital citizen goes further. It’s about:
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Using technology safely, ethically, and critically
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Understanding how digital spaces work
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Protecting personal information
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Behaving respectfully online
As AI becomes part of everyday apps and tools, this definition is shifting. Our pupils are no longer just users; they’re interacting with systems that recommend, adapt, and even generate content. That opens up new opportunities – and new risks.
From literacy to fluency
Digital literacy – being able to find, evaluate, and create information online – is the starting point. But the real goal is digital fluency: helping young people adapt, problem-solve, and respond with confidence in unfamiliar digital situations.
This means nurturing:
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Critical thinking – questioning information, spotting bias, and recognising when content might be AI-generated
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Digital resilience – coping with challenges, managing online conflict, and knowing when to seek help
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Ethical awareness – understanding bias, transparency, and digital consent
AI in the classroom: opportunities and challenges
From adaptive learning platforms and chatbots to AI-powered writing tools and toys with embedded AI, students are already engaging with artificial intelligence.
Teachers in our focus groups highlighted some key concerns:
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Bias – AI systems are not neutral; they can amplify certain views while filtering others out
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Transparency – many tools are powered by invisible algorithms shaping what students see
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Consent – personal data is constantly being collected, often without young people realising
Helping students understand these issues is just as important as teaching them how to use the tools themselves.
Practical classroom activities
In the video, Alex shares simple ways to bring these discussions to life with pupils:
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Spot the AI – play “Is it AI or not?” using generated vs. real images
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Everyday moments – when a tool suggests content, pause to ask: where’s the AI working here?
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Storytelling – invite pupils to create stories featuring helpful or harmful AIs to explore ethics in a creative way
These activities help students build confidence, curiosity, and responsibility – skills they’ll carry into both supervised (school) and unsupervised (home/online) environments.
Why this matters
We’re not simply teaching children how to use AI tools. We’re preparing them to live alongside AI with confidence, care, and agency. Watch the video above to dive deeper into these ideas and take away practical strategies for your classroom.
Supporting resources, certification and evaluation:
You can download the supporting activity for this session on this link:
https://community.stem.org.uk/viewdocument/responsible-ai-teaching-activity-1?CommunityKey=0f32484b-dc5a-4266-8526-01a09365a63a&tab=librarydocuments
What did you think of this session? How will it impact your classroom practice? Let us know after each session (there are 5) and receive your digital badge and certificate of completion: https://forms.office.com/e/Mzp6qJdCYW