Photo of a teacher following the Common Sense Education Instagram account and smiling

Follow our Instagram account for educators

Keep up with the latest media and tech trends, and all of our free resources for teachers.

LESSON

Is AI A Choice or a Necessity?

How do you decide what technology gets a place in your life?

You picked some of the tech in your life on purpose. A lot of it just showed up, and now you can't imagine your day without it. AI is arriving the same way—fast, everywhere, and often without anyone asking whether you wanted it. It can feel less like a choice than a fact of life. In this lesson, students build a way of thinking about their own choices: not whether to use AI or not, but how to make that call deliberately.

Objectives

  • Reflect on how people make intentional choices about technology they use
  • Distinguish between choosing a technology on purpose and just going along with it
  • Construct a personal stance on an AI tool, including the strongest argument against your own position

lock icon Sign in or join to unlock this free lesson

Lesson Materials

Lesson Slides

Slides

Lesson Handout

Handout

Lesson Handout

Handout