First Ever AI Insider: New Course, AI Prompting Tip, and More!
💡 New! Digital Literacy and AI High School Course
The new Digital Literacy and Artificial Intelligence course is now available in the CodeHS catalog. This year-long high school course helps students build digital literacy skills while learning the foundations of artificial intelligence.
Students explore topics like cybersecurity, personal data, and responsible technology use. Through hands-on activities, they investigate how smart systems use sensors and automation, write simple Python programs, and experiment with AI tools such as a customizable movie recommender to see how AI decisions are made.
With no prerequisites required, the course gives schools a full-year option for teaching digital literacy, programming, and AI through interactive projects.
✨ Can You Stump an AI?
AI tools can sound confident, even when they are wrong. In this project, students explore AI hallucinations and try to catch an AI making a mistake.
After learning why hallucinations happen, students will use a large language model such as ChatGPT or Gemini to craft a prompt that leads to an inaccurate response. They will then reflect on what went wrong and why.
In just one hour, students build critical thinking skills and learn why it is important to question and fact-check AI-generated information. After putting AI to the test, consider developing an AI Classroom Policy that outlines how AI should and should not be used in the classroom.
🤖 AI Prompting Tip: Stop Asking It to “Write a Lesson Plan.”
Educators often begin experimenting with AI by typing prompts like, “Create a lesson plan on the American Revolution.” The result may look polished, but it’s often too broad and not tailored to a specific classroom. Without clear direction, AI-generated materials may not align with standards, reflect student readiness levels, or support a particular instructional model.
The difference is usually the prompt. When teachers include details like standards, differentiation, and the type of output they need, the results become much more useful. This kind of intentional prompting is a focus of the Applied AI for Educators Cohort, where educators learn how to use AI in ways that better support instructional design and classroom workflows.
Before your next AI-generated lesson, consider:
Have I clearly defined the learning target or standard?
Have I described my students’ readiness levels or needs
Have I specified the instructional model or structure?
Have I required the type of output I actually need (rubric, exemplar, scaffold)?
⚙️ 2026 CodeHS Virtual Teacher Conference
Registration is now open for the 2026 CodeHS Virtual Teacher Conference! Join fellow educators Saturday, April 11th 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM CT as they share insights, best practices, and valuable tips to enhance your computer science teaching. Some conference sessions you may find interesting are:
AI as a Classroom Assistant for CS Teachers
Maintaining Academic Integrity with AI Tools
Attendees will receive a trial of CodeHop, Tynker, or CodeHS Pro until June 30, an exclusive Digital Swag Bag featuring CodeHS virtual backgrounds, posters, and more, and entry into a raffle for a chance to win an iPad.
🧠 PD Teaching Cohorts
CodeHS is offering year-long professional learning cohorts for the 2026–27 school year, supporting educators with guided learning, practical strategies, and a collaborative community. Educators can join cohorts focused on AP Cybersecurity, Applied AI for Educators, Teaching AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP), or Teaching AP Computer Science A (AP CSA).
🏆 Apply to Become a CodesHS Certified Educator
Become a CodeHS Certified Educator and showcase your hard work in the classroom. You’ll be recognized across our social media channels, receive a certificate, an exclusive CodeHS digital swag bag, and opportunities to connect with other computer science teachers at meetups throughout the year. Applications close on March 18th.
📱 Stay Connected
Chat with others in the CodeHS Educators Facebook Group
-The CodeHS Team